""What prepares men for totalitarian domination in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that loneliness, once a borderline experience usually suffered in certain marginal social conditions like old age, has become an everyday experience," wrote Hannah Arendt in her 1951 book, The Origins of Totalitarianism. I was born and raised in Chicagoland. Even during stints of travel and education, I have always considered myself a Chicagoan."
"For months, Trump threatened to send US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the National Guard to "clean up" Chicago. On September 9, 2025, he deployed masked and heavily armed ICE agents who snatched and kidnapped people of all ages, regardless of their citizenship status. People were sometimes taken in the middle of the night and agents often used dangerous tactics both against those targeted and against those community members protesting these actions."
"ICE tactics have been so atrocious, inhumane, and illegal that the head of the operation was required to meet with US District Judge Sara Ellis daily to ensure that no agents had broken the law. So far, the National Guard has been prevented from invading Chicago through a court order, which is now before the Supreme Court."
Venu Gupta has over two decades of nonprofit experience and believes strong friendships are key to building a strong democracy. Hannah Arendt warned that widespread loneliness prepares societies for totalitarian domination. Trump repeatedly threatened to send ICE agents and the National Guard to "clean up" Chicago. On September 9, 2025, masked and heavily armed ICE agents were deployed and snatched and kidnapped people of all ages, regardless of citizenship. People were sometimes taken in the middle of the night and agents used dangerous tactics against targets and protesters. Daily judicial oversight was imposed on the operation, and a court order has so far prevented a National Guard invasion; the case is before the Supreme Court.
Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
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