Every day, we wake up hoping the news will be less tragic, yet it often proves otherwise. Recently, Minneapolis has been on edge due to ICE’s heavy presence, culminating in the January 7 murder of Renee Good and a shocking incident involving a family of eight just days later.
On January 14, while returning home from their son’s basketball game, Shawn and Destiny Jackson found themselves unwittingly caught in a chaotic clash between protestors and ICE agents. Earlier that day, tensions had escalated when an ICE officer shot a man in the leg, claiming self-defense after being attacked. The fear and distrust between the community and ICE were palpable.
As the Jacksons attempted to navigate away from the turmoil, they were unexpectedly swarmed by ICE agents who ordered them to clear the area. In a moment of sheer panic, Ms. Jackson recalled their hesitance to move closer to the agents, especially in light of recent tragic events.
Suddenly, chaos erupted. Without warning, ICE began deploying crowd-control grenades and tear gas canisters. “Something rolled beneath our vehicle, and then came the concussive blast,” Ms. Jackson described. The family SUV’s airbags deployed, sending their 2-year-old’s car seat tumbling, while the doors locked automatically, trapping them inside as tear gas poured in.
“It felt like our lungs were on fire,” Mr. Jackson recounted to The New York Times. With two of his children suffering from severe asthma, panic set in. “Water didn’t help. Nothing helped,” he admitted.
As fear gripped them, Mr. Jackson managed to kick open his door. The frantic parents began pulling their children from the vehicle. Good Samaritans rushed in to help, bringing the gasping children into their homes while others struggled to free the couple’s 6-month-old baby, who was still secured in his car seat. When he was finally released, Ms. Jackson’s heart sank as she noticed he wasn’t breathing and had foam around his mouth. With adrenaline pumping, she began performing mouth-to-mouth and CPR, guided by emergency services over the phone.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I’m going to give you every breath I have until you get yours back,’” she recalled, fighting through her own struggles to breathe.
Residents in the neighborhood quickly sprang into action, pouring milk over the other children to help counteract the effects of the tear gas. Ultimately, the couple and three of their children, including their infant, were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Footage of the aftermath shared on social media, along with a GoFundMe campaign for the family, reveals the extensive damage to their vehicle. The Jacksons are now raising funds for a new car and to cover bills, as they currently find themselves without a means to transport their children to daycare or get to work.
As the community rallies around them, they wait for a response from the Department of Homeland Security, which has yet to comment on this distressing incident impacting their lives.