bad things, stop/ Lake St. Photos/ Lady Whistledown Regrets

I. bad things—stop

How you know things are different now:
You ask a Minnesotan how they are, 
and they don't say, "Fine".
At work, I myself often used to say, "Super great!"

Now, they, and I, say things like,               " W e l l . . . ".

 A famously touchy customer at the thrift store where I work, snapped at me, "How do you think I am?"

"Probably like the rest of us," I said, and she apologized.

All my Hispanic and African coworkers are US citizens, some born here to immigrant parents. But ICE is picking up anyone.

A favorite coworker grew up in Mexico. She is always teaching me bits of Spanish (which I barely retain). 
"How you you say 'super great'?" I'd asked.
"¡Super bien!"
That I remember.

 Yesterday I asked how her family is. She grimaced.
"I want this to stop."

"How do you say 'stop' in Spanish?"

"Parar", she said.

Another coworker added, "cosas malas parar".
bad things stop

_______________ 

II. Some photos from East Lake Street
 
East Lake has long been home to immigrant communities--Scandinavian, one hundred-plus years ago.
 Five blocks down the street from the thrift store, Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace remains. Mr Ingebretsen from Norway established it in 1921. (It does lots of its business online--which is how it survived Covid.)
[Their history: ingebretsens.com/our-anniversary]

In recent years, Hispanic and Somali small businesses line the street. They took a big hit during the George Floyd uprisings--literally. Windows broken (as were the thrift store's), fires, loss of business. And Covid, of course.
Lake Street had only recently started to feel really vital again--new murals, lots of little shops and restaurants--food trucks. Real 'mom-and-pop' establishments.

ICE has seized customers and workers with no concern for their legal status) in the past months. 
Many shops are closed and dark, . . . for now. 

The sign's circle-dotted i's ^ make my heart clench. 
They are like a girl would write in her diary.
___________

BELOW: Signs posted all around Midtown Global Market for the statewide ICE Out for Good strike tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 23:
No Work, No School, No Shopping.
A rally downtown is planned, but temps will be well below zero F (–18ºC).
Amazingly, even the thrift store is closing. They rarely take a stand. As much as anything, I expect they figure it's pointless to stay open.

Besides being an act of solidarity for us on the ground floor...

 "Organizers hope that 'the CEOs of all these corporations that are based in Minnesota take notice'. 
Large US corporations headquartered in Minnesota include Target, Best Buy, United Healthcare and General Mills". 
--"Economic blackout day planned in Minnesota to protest ICE surge", The Guardian, 1/20/2026, 
theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/20/ice-immigrarion-minnesota-economic-protest

__________
BELOW:   The white star on blue is the Somali flag.
A little square on the "WE ARE FAMILY" poster reads:

LOVE 
HOPE
R I S E

I can't find anything about the origin of the ^ FAMILY poster, but it showed up after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Good through her car window.
 The butterfly pattern looks to me like glass cracked by a bullet.

I'm put in mind of this because of the crazed hole in our store window. From a gunshot in the night--drug dealers, most likely. Accidental it seems--someone doing street business told a coworker they had nothing against us, and I believe that. They shop at the store!

It's been there a couple years. 
From outside the store at Christmastime:
 Poinsettias frame the bullet hole 

III. Lady Whistledown Regrets

A friend sent me this--their neighbor was going to have a party for the opening of season 4 of Bridgerton, but cancelled because of ICE.
The neighbor sent out this notice:

Lady Whistledown
SOCIETY PAPERS 

Dearest Gentle Reader,

It is with a decidedly heavy quill that this author must share news most unwelcome.

Circumstances beyond the control of even the most carefully governed household have arisen. A foreign invasion upon the kingdom—unexpected and deeply unsettling—has rendered the realm quite unjolly indeed, casting to the wind some who are most dear to us and dampening spirits that ought instead to be lifted in good company.

In light of this disruption, the forthcoming Bridgerton viewing party must be postponed.

Society may rest assured this delay is not born of indifference, but of care. Merriment, after all, is best enjoyed when all may attend freely, safely, and with hearts inclined toward joy rather than worry.

Fear not, dear reader. The candles shall be relit, the cushions fluffed, and the tiaras returned to their rightful place in due course. When the kingdom is once again settled—and when all who matter most can gather beneath one roof—this author fully expects our revels to resume with even greater enthusiasm.

Until that happier moment arrives, take care of one another, keep those you cherish close, and remember: the season is merely paused, not concluded.

Yours sincerely,
Lady Whistledown 🪶
_________________________
I understand this person is too distressed to hold a party, and I sympathize. 

 I don’t personally agree that merriment is best enjoyed in safety – – we need to joy in these conditions. But I 100% understand if a person isn’t up for it! Often I’m not.

________

Okay, Precious Spirits--I'm off to work. Will try to take more photos. I would do a Photo Walk, but it's so damn cold!
You take good care of yourselves and one another!