Reactions to (and from) a Minuteman

Jake and I got soaked and chilled at the latest Chicagoland Minuteman protest today. It was worth it and then some. Read Jake's coverage here, and my previous post here for background.

Jake reported the facts, so I'm going to take the opportunity to diverge from my usual "citizen reporter" post. What I'm going to focus on today is the reactions we received from people driving by as we braved the elements to take a stand against illegal immigration.

Most of them are pretty predictable. There is puzzlement as people try to make out what our signs say as they speed by. There is honking, thumbs up and waving from those who agree with us and want to offer their support and encouragement.

Then there is anger, which comes in many variations. You've got your tight-lipped, highly offended, nose-in-the-air anger. Don't confuse this with you-just-threw-an-incredibly-pungent-turd-in-my-car-window anger -- they look alot alike. You've also got your verbal anger, which often includes phrases such as "go home," "racists," "we were here first," and "viva Mexico," plenty of cursing (preferably beginning with F), and other assorted witty repartee. OK, maybe not that last part. The Cecil B. DeMille version consists of an angry stare and a one-finger salute.

But the reaction I really want to hone in on is one that I saw a lot up in Waukegan today. It's harder, both to decipher and to deal with. It's hurt.

More than at any other protest, I saw plenty of faces today that reflected a personal response to our protest. Near me people held signs with messages like "Protect Our Borders," "Honk to Support the Police," and "No Amnesty." Mine read "COME legally, WORK legally, DRIVE legally" on one side, and "Enforcing Our Laws IS Justice" on the other.

I get the anger. It's a defense mechanism. "Hey! I'm doing (or supporting) something that's wrong, you called me on it, and I don't want to face it, so I'm going to deflect it with anger." It's a surface reaction, therefore we respond to it easily, instinctively. A shout. An insult. A middle finger.

The hurt is what lies beneath. It's honest. It's raw. It's deep. It's painful. "I'm doing (or supporting) something that's wrong, you called me on it, and that hurts."

I saw it, up close and personal, today. And I felt it. I still feel it.

I'm afraid that some people stop doing what they believe because they mistakenly see that hurt and think they are causing it. If I do something wrong, and someone calls me on it, they didn't cause my pain. I DID. So I'm going to keep on doing what I do, because I really believe it's important -- crucial -- to this great country of ours.

Just don't think it's easy, or that it's all about standing on a street corner holding a sign or waving a flag. Standing up for what you believe comes with a price. That price is sharing the pain that transcends which side of this issue you're on. It's not an Us vs. Them thing -- it's just an Us thing. A human thing.

Hurt.

I saw it, up close and personal, today. And I felt it. I still feel it.

Illegal Immigration
Minutemen