Like many, over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself disgusted at the Trump Administration’s blatant attacks on our democracy. Watching the very public and graphic killings of American citizens followed by the government’s attempts to distance themselves and outright lie has been horrifying, to say the least.
But violence, moral bankruptcy and hypocrisy have been in America’s playbook for centuries.
It’s why the depraved murders of Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Keith Porter Jr. aren’t surprising. Or why the detention of a 5-year-old Liam Ramos — adorned in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack — isn’t too far-fetched in this nation.
And it’s about time we stop acting like it is.
One of the more enraging aspects — other than state-sanctioned violence and kidnappings — has been America’s repeated attempts to disentangle itself from its own legacy. To claim that America has ever cared about its citizens, to say, “This isn’t who we are,” is not just bold. It’s untrue.
As violence escalates across the country, people — and politicians — have drawn comparisons to Nazi Germany. while failing to mention that Nazi Germany was following the blueprint of the Jim Crow South. It’s by design.
Using examples from other countries removes historical accountability from a nation that operates on the fear of its inhabitants. America’s unwillingness to confront its own violent and repressive history will only continue to harm us.
For decades now, we have watched as those in power shirk their own responsibility and turn a blind eye to their own moral failings. They invoke claims of violence perpetuated by other countries. They spotlight interpersonal violence committed by immigrants or the Black community.
And since the dawn of time, politicians have appealed to the voter’s fear of someone different than themselves. It’s how they’re able to get away with peddling erroneous and offensive beliefs and misconstrued statistics. It’s how the Bush campaign ran the infamous Willie Horton Ad. It’s how Donald Trump referred to Haiti as a “shithole” country and said Haitians were eating their pets during a campaign rally — without losing total support.
It’s how anti-immigrant rhetoric thrives even in an increasingly diverse nation.
So when politicians feign shock at current events, don’t let anyone tell you that attacks, xenophobia, racialized remarks, cruelty and apathy are novel in America. Don’t allow the current administration to paint civilians practicing their constitutional rights, children attending school or immigrants simply searching for a better life as “domestic terrorists.”
As we see people from Los Angeles to Minneapolis helplessly try to make sense of these tragedies, one of the most important things is remember that none of these victims ever intended to be martyrs. They were just people.
People who died at the hands of a system functioning the way it was intended.
And while I find myself lamenting and pondering on the supposed banality of their lives and finality of their deaths, I don’t have a true solution to the violence and repression in this country.
But I do know that defeating the Trump administration requires America to come face-to-face with the uncomfortable reality of this nation: From imperialism and chattel slavery to immigration exclusion acts and police violence, state-sanctioned violence is as patriotic as it gets.
Denying someone the right to move and exist freely is as American as it gets.
Until we recognize that, nothing will change.
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TOP PHOTO: In response to the killing of several U.S. citizens by I.C.E. agents — including Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis — Americans of all backgrounds came together in a demonstration against the current administration. The community of Livermore, Calif. came together on Friday Jan. 30, 2026 to make their voices heard. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Raina Dent is an alumni of The Express staff who currently studies at UC Berkeley. Follow her on X, formally Twitter, @_rainasafiya
