
<p>Evanston, Illinois is a very liberal community just north of Chicago. ; ; I moved into Evanston in 1973 after leaving Washington, D.C. For more than a decade I raised a young family there. ; I participated in the civic affairs of the community – forming a bi-racial Evanston Coalition with my good friend Hecky Powell – the Black owner of the finest ribs joint in town. ; I ran for city council – but was spared the necessity of serving by the voters. ; I was a tad too conservative for the political culture.</p>



<p>As with many very left-wing communities, Evanstonians thrive on arrogance and an air of superiority. ; They viewed themselves to be the most civic of the civic minded. ; I recall when the Evanston city council passed a measure declaring the community a “Nuclear Free Zone.” ; Imagine that, a small suburb with a foreign policy. ; “Nuclear Free” yard signs popped up like crocus on a warm spring day. I wonder if the generals in Moscow took Evanston off of any contingency nuclear attack plans. ; (I have to admit, however, that Evanston never suffered a nuclear attack.)</p>



<p>Of course, the City Council passed unconstitutional anti-gun laws – declaring Evanston a “Gun Free Zone. ; (I wonder why they never made Evanston a “Drug Free Zone.” ; I guess we can surmise the answer to that one.)</p>



<p>Well &#8230; it seems like the anal retentive, overly zealous citizens of Evanston now have found a new cause to sate their civic addiction. ; They are taking on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ; It seems that ICE is pursuing illegal aliens and other criminals in the sanctuary city of Evanston. (Oh yeah! ; That too.) ; Like all radical left-wingers, Evanstonians love to create common bonds with the criminal class – especially when they suit their political agenda. ;</p>



<p>The city council declared Evanston and “ICE Free Zone”. ; ; Federal law enforcement agents are no longer welcome in the Independent Republic of Evanston (IRE). ; That move by the council has no more enforcement authority than the council’s previous “Nuclear free zone”. ; ; But it does give the residents a false sense of accomplishment and a reason to beat their civic chests.</p>



<p>To implement their edict, the citizens have organized citizen groups armed with whistles and cell phones. ; Whenever one of the overzealous Chicken Little residents sees ICE agents, they blow their whistles to alert the community – and use the cell phones to communicate and photograph. ; Citizens run around in a tither &#8212; taping instructional sheets to lamp posts, trees and fences ostensibly explaining the rights of those facing arrest and deportation. ; (I see the making of a very funny movie here – theater of the absurd).</p>



<p>Of course, to get this level of civic juices flowing, there has to be some great emergency and urgency. ; In the absence of a real emergency, they simply engage in concocted fearmongering. ; They speak of “living in terror.” ; They rush kids inside – or refuse to let them go outside – over fantastical dangers. ; After all, if you are going to do all this craziness, you have to justify it somehow.</p>



<p>What the good citizens of Evanston are doing is aiding and abetting the criminals – and interfering with law enforcement – sometimes physically. ; What they are doing is illegal – although they call it peaceful protest. ; In fact, they are aiding and abetting criminals. ; They have no way of knowing if the arrestee is a wife beater, a rapist or a murderer – and they do not care.</p>



<p>Let us look at one example. ; A woman in a red car was chasing an ICE vehicle and rammed it. ; When agents attempted to arrest her, she resisted. ; She was pushed to the ground and cuffed. ; But not before other folks attempted to interfere with the arrest. ; She had attacked law enforcement officers, but the good folks of Evanston do not care. ; In fact, they condone attacks on law enforcement – they celebrate them.</p>



<p>Of the hundreds of almost daily attacks on ICE, Border Patrol and local police, this was not a big incident. ; But the reaction of those interviewed by the press was characteristic. ; According to witnesses, the ICE vehicle caused the accident by stopping too fast. ; And the young lady was “brutally dragged” from her car – after disobeying police orders to exit the vehicle. ; As for all the rest of the people in the melee, they were just concerned citizens &#8212; “peaceful protestors.” ;  ;Among the organizing groups is the Evanston-based Pink Poster Club (pictured atop this commentary).</p>



<p>It is not just a matter of a few left-wing radicals. ; The city’s political leadership is all in. ; Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has called federal agents an “invasion from our own federal government,” and has encouraged residents to unite and take to the streets to create “ICE-free zones” and resist intimidation by federal agents. ; He has ordered federal agents out of town – as if the city is not part of America. ; Biss is just short of calling Evanston an independent anonymous zone &#8212; as did the crazies in Portland, Oregon during the earlier “occupation” craze.</p>



<p>There are a lot of good people in Evanston. ; We had wonderful neighbors and friends. ; But the overarching culture is defined by the far left tweedy set – fueled more by political bias and pompous arrogance than objective civility.</p>



<p>In the big picture, the action in Evanston will have little impact. ; It is what I call civic masturbation. It makes them feel good without producing any tangible results. ; But it is great entertainment.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Evanston, Illinois takes on ICE … and you have to laugh
