Sarah, Tim and JVL Went to See Minneapolis for Themselves

Summary

Bulwark Takes — “Sarah, Tim and JVL Went to See Minneapolis for Themselves”

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Date: March 4, 2026
Main Hosts/Participants: Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, JVL, local activists, community organizers

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Episode Overview

This episode follows Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, JVL, and other Bulwark team members as they visit Minneapolis to witness and report on ongoing protests and grassroots community response at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a regional immigration detention center. The team highlights their motivations for the visit, details about the protests, and the broader context of federal immigration enforcement as experienced by locals—contrasting national news headlines with the on-the-ground reality. The episode also underscores the resilience and solidarity within the local community, along with stories of injustice and hope.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Purpose of the Visit and Community Engagement

• Sarah Longwell notes the importance of physically visiting Minneapolis to connect with protestors and community organizers at the Whipple Building. Proceeds from sold-out Bulwark live shows were donated to Second Harvest, a local food initiative supporting those in need due to the ongoing detentions.
  • “We were able to go down there and donate all the proceeds of those two sold out shows to Second Harvest, which is a food pantry that’s now turned into a food delivery there in Minneapolis. And the reason that we were able to do that is because people like you subscribe to Bulwark Plus.” (00:30)

2. The Reality of Protests at the Whipple Building

• The podcast transitions to on-location reporting, describing the daily presence of protestors outside the Whipple Building, braving harsh weather to aid detainees released without coats, phones, or resources.

  • “They come out here every day and they protest, they watch. Because they’re releasing people out of these buildings without their coats, without their cell phones. They make sure they get food, water, co. They’re doing everything.” (01:34)

• A local historian/activist contextualizes the building’s history and the layered injustices:

  • “This building is Bishop Henry Whipple building. Whipple was a guy who actually, ironically, back in the 1800s, was very supportive of indigenous rights. So it’s incredibly ironic that this building is here. This is on the site of a concentration camp. And now it’s the site of the regional detention center.” (02:03)

3. Challenging the National Narrative

• Local organizers push back against official claims that federal enforcement in Minneapolis is “winding down,” describing active ICE vehicle movement and ongoing detentions.

  • “One point is everybody here has been trying to emphasize that the national news about, oh, Hohman says they’re pulling out and it’s over. That does not fit with the reality on the ground.” (03:11)
  • “…the best analogy that we have in America for what’s going on is the Underground Railroad. And you have people organizing to help people who are in hiding from their own government…” (03:33)

• Protestors share that ICE is using disguises (Lyft/Uber stickers, pride/anti-ICE stickers, local gear) to obscure their operations and evade community observers:

  • “They’re putting Lyft and Uber stickers on their vehicles. They’re putting pride stickers on their vehicles, anti ice stickers. So just to confuse the crowds and confuse the people so they can’t be observed and blend in more.” (04:06)

4. Continued Tensions and Escalation

• Protestors report increased boldness and hostility from ICE agents, including insults and intimidation tactics:
  • “I have seen a. More boldness being called the really bad R word that I don’t want to say. That’s really out in social media…They were calling all of us that.” (06:06–06:18)
  • Protestors and participants highlight their legal right to protest and the inappropriate conduct from law enforcement:
    • “Yeah, they work for us. Actually. We can flip them off. They can’t flip us off.” (05:59)

5. Motivation and Resilience Among Protesters

• Many protestors have personal motivations for their activism (faith, personal experience as minorities, a sense of civic duty):

  • “I’m freezing for righteousness. You know, I’m a pastor, so, you know, that’s one of the main things that empowered me to come out here, to, you know, stand in the gap for my neighbor…” (07:18)
  • “What I believe as a pastor, I wouldn’t be able to show up on Sunday and preach it if I didn’t also live it.” (07:34)

• The sense of historical moment is strong:

  • “We want to be filmed because we want the next generations to know that we are the people that stood up for our neighbors and said, no, this is not okay. We are not gonna hide in our houses.” (08:04)

6. The Community’s Response: Solidarity and Practical Support

• Interviewers and participants describe how, beyond vocal protest, locals organize vital material support: delivering food and clothing, helping hidden families, attending to health needs clandestinely.
  • “They all really try to emphasize how much they’re doing in terms of getting food to people, getting clothes to people. Just the way the community’s rallying, rallying around each other is, like, incredible to watch.” (08:17)
• Despite fear and discomfort, participants express pride and resolve in their actions:
  • “We can see, you know, like what she was saying. And we see a lot of them, you know, swinging them through frustrated and stuff like that.” (06:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Solidarity and Sacrifice:
  “I’m freezing for righteousness. You know, I’m a pastor, so, you know, that’s one of the main things that empowered me to come out here…” (07:18)

• On Calling Out Injustice:
  “We want to be filmed because we want the next generations to know that we are the people that stood up for our neighbors and said, no, this is not okay. We are not gonna hide in our houses.” (08:04)

• On Community Resilience:
  “Just the way the community’s rallying, rallying around each other is, like, incredible to watch.” (08:17)

• On Perceived Escalation:
  “They’re putting Lyft and Uber stickers on their vehicles … So just to confuse the crowds and confuse the people so they can’t be observed and blend in more.” (04:06)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:30 – Sarah Longwell explains the mission of the trip and the donation of show proceeds
• 01:34 – On-site description of daily protest activity and hardships
• 02:03 – Local historian frames the building’s historical and present injustices
• 03:11–04:06 – Community organizers challenge federal claims of withdrawal; "Underground Railroad” analogy
• 04:06–04:57 – Protestors detail ICE’s evolving tactics
• 05:59–06:18 – Escalating tension with ICE officials; protestor harassment
• 07:18–08:04 – Pastor explains faith-driven activism; protestor articulates intergenerational responsibility
• 08:17–08:57 – Observations on community solidarity and mutual support

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Tone & Takeaway

The episode maintains a serious yet compassionate tone, balancing outrage at injustice with admiration for the Minneapolis community’s grit. The reporting is both journalistic and personal, embedding listeners in the lived realities behind headline news. There’s a recurring emphasis on bearing witness, the importance of solidarity, and the critical role of everyday citizens standing up for one another.

Listeners come away with a vivid picture of ongoing challenges at the Whipple Building, the persistence of local activism, and a call to remain attentive and supportive beyond the news cycle.

Transcript

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[Sarah Longwell]

Hey, guys, Sarah Longwell here, publisher of the Bulwark, Tim JVL and I, even our boy Sam, we were all out in Minneapolis not that long ago. And one of the things that I wanted to say, there's a video on the back here of us hanging out with a lot of the protesters there down at the Whipple Building. It was really important for us to go, meant a lot to us. But one of the things we did, we did two shows. Both of them were sold out. The first one sold out so fast that we ended up adding a second one. Um, but, you know, we were able to go down there and donate all the proceeds of those two sold out shows to Second Harvest, which is a food pantry that's now turned into a food delivery there in Minneapolis. And the reason that we were able to do that is because people like you subscribe to Bulwark Plus. It's the kind of thing that allows us to go on these trips, go into the community to do these shows and give the proceeds away. So go, become a Bulwark plus member, subscribe, ride with us, help support the work that we're doing. We really appreciate it. And here's the video.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Hey, guys, we are out here in front of the Whipple Building in Minneapolis. We came down to see the bird dogs and the people who've been down here all the time, like, standing in the cold. I'll tell you, I cannot. It is not even that cold compared to what it has been for these people the whole time. They come out here every day and they protest, they watch. Because they're releasing people out of these buildings without their coats, without their cell phones. They make sure they get food, water, co. They're doing everything.

[Sarah Longwell]

It's incredible.

[Activist/Historian]

This building is Bishop Henry Whipple building. Whipple was a guy who actually, ironically, back in the 1800s, was very supportive of indigenous rights. So it's incredibly ironic that this building is here. This is on the site of a concentration camp. And now it's the site of the regional detention center. So it's just layers upon layers of injustice, cruelty and indignity. This is the major detention center for the region, not just Minnesota. When they take someone in completely lawlessly who is a completely legal citizen, and sometimes they just take people in to intimidate them, they'll release them and they'll purposefully release them without their phone, without their jackets. We heard of some kids that they let go just last night in the snow with no winter coats, nothing. And then when people organized to be posted over here to have coats and supplies, they started dropping people in the woods away from anybody so that they wouldn't be able to get the assistance that they need. I mean, they do. Everything that they do is calculatedly cruel.

[Interviewer/Participant]

Feels like the activity here hasn't really dropped as much as it seems like it has in the news. That's what everybody's saying.

[Community Organizer]

Yeah. Well, one point is everybody here has been trying to emphasize that the national news about, oh, Hohman says they're pulling out and it's over. That does not fit with the reality on the ground. There is some shifting to the suburbs, exurbs and rural areas, but the overall number of vehicles and ice vehicles coming in and out has not diminished noticeably at all. And to anybody who doesn't really understand, the best analogy that we have in America for what's going on is the Underground Railroad. And you have people organizing to help people who are in hiding from their own government, from the people who run the country, from the regime and attempts to get food to them in their homes. Have doulas show up to deliver babies for women who can't leave where they are and go to a hospital because the hospitals are being watched by the masked agents of the state. That's the America they have in Minneapolis right now.

[Protester/Observer]

They are definitely not winding down. We've seen just this week, six or seven truckloads of brand new vehicles come in. They're also changing tactics. They're putting Lyft and Uber stickers on their vehicles. They're putting pride stickers on their vehicles, anti ice stickers. So just to confuse the crowds and confuse the people so they can't be observed and blend in more. They're also wearing Minnesota gear. They're definitely not winding down.

[Interviewer/Participant]

I was talking to and you said you were a Monday to Friday girly. So you've been out here for a while. I have, but the one thing that you were telling me that I just wanted to talk about is like, you get a sense being out here. For that long of, like, how much action is coming in and out of the Whipple Building. And like, you're saying to me that it hasn't really gone down that much despite them claiming that they are doing less. So, like, what's your sense for that?

[Protester/Participant]

I will say after Homan's announcement on that Sunday, I thought for the first two days, I thought again, anecdotally, I don't have any quantitative info. I thought it was slowing down. But since last Wednesday, I don't. They're here. Would you agree that it has just been about the same steady stream. Steady stream, in and out. It does not seem like there has been a reduction.

[Interviewer/Participant]

It doesn't so and so when they're going in and out, they have people detained sometimes. Sometimes they're just meeting in there. Like, what's our sense for what's happening? Do we know pain?

[Protester/Participant]

And what did you tell them what you saw last night? Well, here's. Here's something I want that I've noticed too, because I. We all thought they were leaving. They are getting more bold in their response to us. We are seeing a lot of expletive shot at us. Finger. I. Okay, we are. Yes, some of us are doing the finger, but we have a first amendment. They're supposed to be the professional.

[Interviewer/Participant]

Yeah, they work for us. Actually. We can't. We can flip them off. They can't flip us off.

[Protester/Participant]

Do you know what I'm saying, though?

[Interviewer/Participant]

Yeah, I do that.

[Protester/Participant]

So I have seen a. More boldness being called the really bad R word that I don't want to say. That's really out in social media. I'm a.

[Interviewer/Participant]

They were calling you that.

[Protester/Participant]

Calling.

They were calling all of us that.

Y. They take the time to stop their car, roll down their windows and tell us that and that. That we're weirdos and that R word where that is different. I didn't see a lot of that before.

No.

Yeah, so it is.

I know. We're definitely getting to them because. Yeah, we can see, you know, like what she was saying. And we see a lot of them, you know, swinging them through frustrated and stuff like that.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

So.

[Protester/Participant]

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

So we're getting to them.

[Interviewer/Participant]

So how. So you guys have been doing this for every day for how long?

[Protester/Participant]

Since Alex and Renee time. But there's other people that have been here way before I'm an Alex.

Since, like, I've only been here for about four weeks, so.

[Interviewer/Participant]

Yeah, man, you gotta be chilly.

[Protester/Participant]

No, we live here.

Tim.

Tim, look at us. I'm cold fully Prepared for this.

[Interviewer/Participant]

Okay, well, my piggies are cold.

[Protester/Participant]

We good? We good.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Tim, when you're not from here, where are you from?

[Pastor]

I'm freezing for righteousness. You know, I'm a pastor, so, you know, that's one of the main things that empowered me to come out here, to, you know, stand in the gap for my neighbor, number one. And number two, I can identify with that as a minority in this country, what it's like to be profiled.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

What do you feel like you've witnessed?

[Pastor]

I feel like I've witnessed grit Minnesotans showing up for each other. I feel like I've also witnessed horror and terror. Me being from an urban area in West Baltimore, you being from D.C. you know what inner city Baltimore is like. Just seeing it happen to people in different ways up here, it's just been horrific for me, and I just. What I believe as a pastor, I wouldn't be able to show up on Sunday and preach it if I didn't also live it.

[Protester/Participant]

We want to be filmed because we want the next generations to know that we are the people that stood up for our neighbors and said, no, this is not okay. We are not gonna hide in our houses.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

They have both witnessed what sounds like unbelievable cruelty and some real horrible stuff out here, but they also seem, like, incredibly inspired by each other and committed to each other and what they're doing for each other. And obviously, we came down here to do the shows and show up and feel supportive, but this is different than that. And the emphasis on. They say the protesters get the media attention, but that this stuff that JVL is talking about, they all really try to emphasize how much they're doing in terms of getting food to people, getting clothes to people. Just the way the community's rallying, rallying around each other is, like, incredible to watch.

[Interviewer/Participant]

They also have some choice words for the ICE guys that come by. And that's nice, too. I like that.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

That's good.

[Interviewer/Participant]

They deserve it.