A recently released video footage shows a U.S. citizen being shot during a traffic stop by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Texas. The incident occurred on August 25, 2015, but the Department of Homeland Security did not disclose that one of its agents was involved until almost a year later.
I remember walking through Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo when I first realized that everyone around me was more than just faces and bodies, but complex individuals with stories to tell. Little did I know then that my own grandfather’s passion for social justice would one day fuel my own fire.
As a US citizen shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in Texas, this footage is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of systemic oppression. The fact that it took almost a year for the Department of Homeland Security to disclose their involvement only adds insult to injury. How can we claim to be a beacon of freedom and democracy when our own law enforcement agencies are capable of such brutality?
We’re all in this together, but sometimes I feel like we forget what “we” means. It’s not