Emerging from the darkness of this era will require us to acknowledge that the previous status quo, including many institutions that may have served us well in another era, have been failing for my entire lifetime.

Los Angeles County voted to declare a state of emergency in response to federal ICE raids. Normally reserved for natural disasters, the declaration allows the county to mobilize resources and offer assistance to residents impacted by the raids.

Jess was exercising her First Amendment right to document public officials, and the fact that it escalated to this level shows exactly why accountability and transparency are so essential when it comes to agencies like ICE.