This is America, This is Our Fight

A view from Maryland at the border

Author’s photo

The men had signs. They were standing on the corner with their signs. Their signs said: “Free D.C.” on one side and " ICE OUT " on the other side — “ICE OUT.” It was a honk if you agree. There were a lot of honks. I enjoyed it.

I am from D.C. Born and raised. City playgrounds. City pools. City streets. Alleys. I even worked for the government in the summers and after college. I am the city of Washington, D.C., like millions of others. I moved away for 11 years and missed it terribly. I came back, but it was not possible for me to live in the city anymore. It is an insult to democracy.

The city does not have home rule. It is taxed without representation. Give us liberty or give us…. So I left. I actually left in 1998 and moved just over the border before I moved away. When I returned, I moved just over the border again. I want to see my city.

And I can see the border from my street.

I am talking about the border between where I was born in Washington, D.C., and the great state of Maryland. I say that a lot now. The great state of Maryland. Maryland is becoming great. It was once a slave state. It did not secede during America’s race war from 1861 to 1865. It had slaves and segregation, but it played the middle. It worked. It…