Podcast Summary: Criminal – “Rogers Park”

Host: Phoebe Judge
Date: November 7, 2025
Podcast Network: Vox Media Podcast Network

Episode Overview

In this gripping and urgent episode of Criminal, host Phoebe Judge investigates how one Chicago neighborhood, Rogers Park, has mobilized against a surge in federal immigration enforcement activity. Through immersive on-the-ground reporting, interviews with local organizers, and the voices of residents, the episode explores community self-defense, the emotional toll of ICE raids, and the creative, grassroots systems developed to resist and notify neighbors in danger. The story is a window into both the terror and solidarity found in an immigrant-rich community under siege.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Recent Surge in ICE Activity

• The episode opens with firsthand accounts of a day when multiple community members were detained by ICE in Rogers Park (01:17).
  • People saw workers being taken off ladders, landscapers, and roofers detained by apparent federal agents (01:23-01:33).
  • Residents describe fear and real-time responses to suspected raids, including targeted stops of work vans (01:44–02:35).

Quote:

“They’re just going in circles.” – Volunteer, describing ICE vehicles in the neighborhood (04:52)

2. Community Organization: “Protect Rogers Park”

• Gabe Gonzalez, co-founder of Protect Rogers Park, is introduced as the central organizer. Gabe and his fellow volunteers use Signal (an encrypted app) to track, verify, and respond to ICE activity (02:46–03:53).
  • Volunteers (“verifiers”) are trained to distinguish real ICE agents and vehicles from false alerts (03:53–04:36).
  • System of whistle codes: three long whistles to warn about sightings, three short for detainments, to alert vulnerable residents and prompt action (05:29–06:08).

Quote:

“Many, many, many of the reports we get are actually not accurate… The verifiers have been trained on how to identify ICE vehicles and how to identify ICE agents, and they will go out … to verify if it’s real or not.” – Gabe Gonzalez (03:58)

3. Nonviolent Resistance and Self-Defense

• Volunteers are taught nonviolent direct action: physically blocking or slowing ICE vehicles, always in groups for safety (08:30–09:40).
  • There are risks; some volunteers have had guns pulled on them or been arrested (08:30).
  • The legal ambiguity around impeding federal enforcement is discussed—local lawyers advise, but ICE threatens charges (09:03–09:40).

Quote:

“These guys are like classic bullies … but they’re more than happy to gang up three or four on somebody who’s alone.” – Gabe Gonzalez (08:36)

4. Scenes from the Ground: Home Depot Raid

• A detailed account of responding to an ICE raid at a Home Depot: volunteers filming, trying to inform detainees of their rights, and using “bystander” tactics to physically slow the detention process (10:15–12:54).
  • The emotional aftermath: “The man moves his motorcycle out of the way. The agents get into the white SUV…” (12:54).

Memorable Moment:

“We stopped them from trying to arrest this guy who was riding by on a scooter. They pulled him over and they were hassling him. But luckily we were already on the street and there were a lot of us there. And when they saw that there was a big crowd there, they left.” – Gabe Gonzalez (06:34)

5. The Cost: Fear, Loss, and Disruption

• Beyond detainments, the ICE action reverberates through the community:
  • Schools report dramatically lower attendance—classrooms are half empty as families stay home in fear (18:06).
  • Local businesses lose 30–50% of revenue as people avoid public places (18:06).
  • Cars left abandoned after detentions—everyday signs of people gone missing (14:23).

Quote:

“It’s a sense of loss. This is our neighbors. They had taken one of us, more than one.” – Hector, volunteer (32:54)

6. Building Grassroots Infrastructure

• Protect Rogers Park has grown into a highly organized network, with hundreds of “verifiers,” channels for schools and elected officials, and 24/7 vigilance (19:03–19:16).
  • 950+ trained verifiers, 2,000+ on Signal, 16 school patrols, and rapid response to ICE sightings citywide (19:03–19:37).
  • “Hands Off Chicago” signs and neighborhood meetings are visible signs of solidarity (19:37–22:43).

7. Human Stories: Volunteers and Residents

• The episode profiles several key members:
  • Marisa Graciosa (Gabe’s partner): Daughter of Filipino immigrants, co-founder of Protect Rogers Park. Shares a personal perspective on the stakes for mixed-status families and neighbors (21:06–22:43).
    • “When [Trump] won, it just became clear that our folks were going to be a target. And when I say our folks, it’s… people that I love and that I know.” (21:35)
  • Hector: Puerto Rican resident, reflects on the necessity and irony of community defense against a government agency (28:09–32:54).
  • David: Mexican-born longtime resident. Describes his arrival in Chicago by chance, and how diversity and acceptance define life in Rogers Park (33:05–36:38).

8. Agency and Hope Amid Oppression

• The simple whistle is a symbol of reclaimed agency and hope:
  • Whistles and rapid alerts have allowed some undocumented residents to evade ICE, buy time, and avoid detainment (37:07–37:45).
  • The organizers note increased unity and resilience—even under pressure, more Chicagoans are mobilizing and protecting each other (36:41–36:53).

Quote:

“What can a regular person do about this? And it was so elegant in a way. And is that tiny, non-violent. It’s absolutely nonviolent… to just blow the whistle to say that they’re here.” – Marisa Graciosa (37:57)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “We’re chasing ICE.”
  Gabe Gonzalez (02:46)

• “Many, many, many of the reports we get are actually not accurate… The verifiers have been trained on how to identify ICE vehicles and how to identify ICE agents, and they will go out…”
  Gabe Gonzalez (03:53)

• “They will not stand up to a group, but they’re more than happy to gang up three or four on somebody who’s alone.”
  Gabe Gonzalez (08:36)

• “I think it’s very important that you start from the basis that this is community self-defense, that you are here to help all of us be safe… It’s ironic that you had to be safe against the government, but that’s what it is.”
  Hector (31:23)

• “I know this: the unexpected consequence of this is that people in Chicago are more and more organized every day.”
  Gabe Gonzalez (36:41)

• “Probably this is a silly thing on me, but I don’t want fear to paralyze us to stop leaving.”
  David (38:30)

• “It gives some agency back to people… it was so elegant in a way… to just blow the whistle to say that they’re here.”
  Marisa Graciosa (37:57)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Fear and Initial Responses: 01:17–02:35
• Tracking ICE Activity with Volunteers: 02:46–04:36
• Whistle System and Community Alerts: 05:29–06:08, 30:44–31:23
• Nonviolent Resistance Tactics: 08:30–09:40
• Home Depot Raid Account: 10:13–12:54
• Abandonment and Loss: 14:00–14:48, 32:54
• Impact on Schools and Businesses: 18:06
• Organizational Structure and Scale: 19:03–19:37
• Personal Testimonies (Marisa, Hector, David): 21:06–22:43, 28:09–36:38
• Agency Restored—Whistle Stories: 37:07–37:57

Themes and Takeaways

• Collective Power over Fear: The episode powerfully illustrates how ordinary people build collective resistance to threats, with whistle warnings, organized patrols, and solidarity at the core.
• Enduring Resilience: Despite escalating risks and harsh tactics, the Rogers Park response is marked by hope, improvisation, and unity.
• Intimate Human Impact: The realities of ICE enforcement echo through every level of community life—from missing classmates to abandoned vehicles—yet hope persists in neighbors looking out for each other.

This episode is a deeply reported, emotionally resonant portrait of a neighborhood fighting to protect its own, capturing both the terror and dignity of resistance, and the creative ways communities adapt in the face of crisis.