A Letter from JONAH’s President to ALL
Dear JONAH community,
Many of us are feeling shaken and raw after the news of large-scale ICE officers’ activity in Minneapolis, reports of enforcement actions here in Eau Claire, and the killing of a motorist during one of the operations in Minneapolis. Even without every detail, we know this much: people are afraid, and a life has been lost in a system that is supposed to protect the public.
That should stop us in our tracks.
Every person, no matter where they were born, how they arrived, or what documents they carry, has inherent dignity. No one becomes disposable because of their immigration status. No one’s life is worth less because of their accent, their skin color, or their fear. When government systems forget that, when enforcement becomes more about control than care, entire communities are harmed. This is not just about immigration policy. It is about what kind of society we are becoming.
Right now, many of our neighbors are living with a level of anxiety most of us can barely imagine; afraid to drive to work, afraid to open the door, afraid that a routine day could shatter their family forever. That kind of fear ripples outward. It erodes trust. It damages children. It breaks the fragile sense of safety that every community needs to survive.
And when a bystander is killed, it exposes something even deeper: how easily human life can be lost when systems rely on force instead of care.
In moments like this, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, numb, or enraged. So I want to offer a few ways to stay grounded and to build real skills for showing up for one another safely, confidently, and effectively:
Stay connected to real people.
Fear thrives in isolation. Call someone. Check on a neighbor. Look into someone’s eyes. Let yourself remember that this is about lives, not headlines.
Be careful what you consume.
You don’t have to absorb every breaking update to be informed. Take breaks from the news. Protect your nervous system so you can keep showing up.
Refuse dehumanization.
Language matters. When people are reduced to “illegals,” “threats,” or “others,” violence becomes easier. Keep speaking about people as people.
Hold grief and resolve together.
It is okay to be heartbroken. It is also okay to be angry. What matters is what we do with those feelings — whether they turn us toward care and courage, or toward despair.
Learn how to be an upstander.
There are local and accessible ways to develop bystander interventionand upstander skills — practical, real-world tools for how to act when you see harm or injustice, how to support people in distress, and how to reduce escalation safely and thoughtfully. For example:
University of Wisconsin‑Eau Claire’s Gender & Sexuality Resource Center offers “Bystander Intervention” and “Safe Space” trainings designed to build inclusive, supportive communities, skills that translate into everyday life and public spaces.
Local groups such as Chippewa Valley Indivisible have hosted community upstander training focused on showing up for vulnerable neighbors.
More broadly, there are national bystander/intervention skill workshops — often online and free or low-cost, that teach the 5Ds of intervention (Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay, Document), which help people respond to harassment, bias, and intimidation safely.
Taking a class, attending a workshop, or even practicing small skills together with friends and neighbors can make the difference between feeling powerless and acting with purpose.
JONAH exists because ordinary people decided that dignity, safety, and belonging should not be negotiable. In times like this, our task is not to have all the answers; it is to stay rooted in our values when fear is trying to pull us apart, and to build the skills we need to keep each other safe.
JONAH’s Organizer, Lynn Buske, stated, “JONAH is a non-reactionary organization. We are a root-cause strategy and relationship-building organization. As a Community Organizer, I feel that holding values, being relational, self-care, and being willing to be in the long game are the most effective methods to resist.”
We are holding our immigrant neighbors, their families, and all who are shaken by today’s events in deep care. We will continue to listen, to learn, and to discern what faithful collective action looks like in this moment.
Thank you for being part of a community that refuses to look away and that keeps learning how to stand with one another.
With solidarity,
Jen Barnet
President, JONAH
JONAH’s Immigration Task Force and Chippewa Valley Indivisible are working together to provide training, to coordinate responses to ICE and to communicate accurate information. Together with community members, they’re actively keeping watch every day. If you want more information, contact Lynn at cvjonahorganizer@gmail.com or email Dave at prdavea@gmail.com
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