January 17th, 2026
This is my local Pancake House.
This sign was posted at their Burnsville location today, on a Saturday, one of the busiest days of the restaurant week.
They’re closed.
I have found over the years that it’s impossible to reach some folks through their hearts because there are those who suffer from an affliction not unlike the Tin Man (tl;dr he didn’t have one).
So let’s try a different approach: this is going to decimate the local economy.
Because, for some reason (I’d venture educational or through willful ignorance), there is a significant amount of people who don’t know how America actually works; a country built on the backs of people that some of you choose to hate and fear, who keep this thing running and always have, since day one of this societal experiment.
We are going to lose so many businesses if this continues, and it’s not only going to have a significant economic impact, but a cultural one.
For some people, their whole experience of community and the outside world is through their local watering hole; they are invaluable third places, spaces outside home and work, where we gather and connect and nourish ourselves in more ways than one. They also employ millions of Americans, including me.
This will be worse than the pandemic on several levels; at least at that time, we were all trying to follow the same rules, and there was some (though arguably not enough) relief available for people who needed it. There was also a plan of action, which included updated guidelines and a vaccine timeline.
This, however, is a free-for-all, absolute chaos; the stories coming from our cities are heartbreaking and disgusting and tragic and there appears to be no end in sight. This cruelty seems to be the point. And we are all suffering from it, and will continue to until ICE and the federal goverment leave.
Whereas the pandemic affected the entire world, this is a targeted attack on Minnesota; we are being hurt by this administration on purpose.
I’ve worked in my restaurants my whole life and we tend to be very pro-immigrant, for good reason: we work closely with immigrants, and they’re our acquaintances and friends and for some our families and we know how important they are to our economic and cultural ecosystems. I spend at least a few minutes every day learning Spanish on my phone so I can connect a little bit better, though I feel it’s still not enough, especially now.
I watched someone yesterday try to justify why it might be reasonable, in some situations, to tear gas a six-month-old, and that’s one of the reasons why I won’t stop writing and speaking up.
Once again, I love you all; once again, stay safe out there (the world outside your door) and in there (your head and heart).
The Den 