"The logic is Southern," said Dr. Amara Thompson, a Minneapolis-based historian specializing in the carceral continuum. "In the 1800s, it was the 'slave pass.' In 2026, it's the MAC address and the biometric scan. The goal is the same: The total restriction of Black movement to ensure the total control of Black labor and life."
Amanuel Asfaw
Amanuel Asfaw is a junior at Columbia Heights High School in Minnesota and a student journalist. His reporting focuses on the intersection of feral policy and student civil liberties, as well as the 2026 Minneapolis siege from the perspective of the students and families living in the surge zone.