Knitters in Minneapolis raise funds to help local ICE raid victims
For the past month, all eyes have been on Minneapolis, Minnesota following the shooting of civilians by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Minneapolis has been a continuous victim of raids since after the arrival of ICE officers on Jan. 6. Tensions have continued to rise after the shooting of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7. Good was a 37 year old 2SLGBTQIA+ woman who was fatally shot in her SUV. More recently, ICE took the life of Alex Pretti less than a month later on Jan. 24. Alex Pretti was a 37 year old intensive care nurse. At the time of the incident, Pretti was recording ICE and helping direct traffic. Following the attacks, local knitters from the shop Needle & Skein noticed the distress within their community and stepped up to help raise funds for ICE victims.
Needle & Skein, a yarn store in Minneapolis, hosts weekly gatherings for local knitters. In an interview with National Public Radio (NPR), shop owner Gilah Mashaal expressed her concern over ICE’s aggressive tactics. Alongside her employee, Paul Neary, they decided to do something in protest. Neary created a knitting pattern that became known as the “melt the ICE” hat, a red toque topped with a braided tassel. The “melt the ICE” hat was inspired by Norwegian hats used to protest Nazi occupation in the 1940s. Neary said to NPR the inspiration was purposeful, and his version of the hat is also meant to symbolize resistance echoing the originals from the 1940s.
Knitting as a form of resistance is not exclusive to the US and has long been used as a way to fight oppressive and authoritarian regimes. This is part of an art movement known as ‘craftvism’, which uses crafts, such as knitting and crochet, as vehicles for political and social activism. Although the term was coined in the early 2000s, knitting has served as a covert, decentralized form of resistance since World War II. An example from the time period is the Belgian Spy Network. A group primarily composed of elderly women who would sit near railway yards and recorded train traffic in their knitting. Knitting has also been used as a tool to transmit encrypted messages through variations in stitches and knots. During World War II, the United States even banned the mailing of knitting patterns abroad, due to the fear of the patterns being used as communication. More recently, knitted hats were also used to protest President Trump’s inauguration during the first term of his presidency in 2017 during the Chicago’s Women’s March. Thousands of women were seen sporting pink pussycat hats in protest of the American president. The “melt the ICE hat” has now helped draw international attention to the struggles of Minneapolis.
Both the knitting and crochet patterns are available to be purchased online, with all proceeds from the sales going to the immigrant aid agencies. As of a recent update, the shop said the funds would go towards St. Louis Park and the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund, which focuses on paying rent and utilities for people affected by ICE raids. Currently, the hat has raised more than US$250,000 for mutual aid groups in Minnesota. The protest started by the Needle & Skein shop shows how no act of protest is too small, with each pattern and stitch making a difference.
To purchase hat patterns, visit: Ravelry.com