The escalation in violence in the past few months has made it clear that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is engaging in genocidal practices, and this federal administration must be held accountable for its crimes against humanity. Recent reporting from 404 Media, an independent digital media company, shows the clearest link between ELITE, digital infrastructure being created for ICE to use in regular operations, and ICE’s recent activity in the field. With the murder of Good and the inhumane treatment of detainees in ICE detention camps, the actions of this administration reflect the fascist ideology and the authoritative nature that were always embedded in the Trump administration. 

Right outside the Missouri United Methodist Church on Ninth Street, a statue of a man lies on a bench, huddled in a blanket. Upon closer examination of the oddly-familiar bearded face, if the crucifixion wounds on his feet didn’t give it away already, “Homeless Jesus” can be recognized as a reminder to the city’s responsibility to its unhoused population. However, if this statue were the real Jesus, he would be criminalized under Columbia’s proposed Pedestrian Safety Ordinance. This ordinance would prohibit individuals from occupying almost all medians in the city.

A weapon is a tool used to harm others. There exist many variations of these tools. From sticks and stones to guns and bombs, our tools to kill one another have become more advanced, but the only tool we need for peace remains unchanged. Our voice is the most powerful tool we have in our arsenal, and any person can use it. However, the most accessible tool at our disposal has been seldom used in this past year. Since the genocide in Gaza began, the response from our media has been embarrassing. In a war where thousands of innocents have had their lives taken away from them, they’re treated as another tally to the death toll. Journalists in the US have failed the people of Palestine, forcing them to take matters into their own hands. Hundreds, if not thousands of Palestinians have taken to social media, begging for their lives.

Since the rise of social media in the early 2000s, it has slowly become integrated in our lives from the time we wake up to the time we lay in bed at night. However, I contest that social media has ruined our ability to perceive information and has clouded our judgment resulting in our political culture being tarnished…