Regardless of your politics, the scenes coming out of Minneapolis are horrifying. Hopefully, as Americans, we can all still agree on that much, at least.

Perhaps you think it’s self-inflicted, and that citizens should keep their heads down and let the work happen. Perhaps you view government forces as an occupying force, or as some sort of just vengeance befalling the birthplace of the BLM movement.

How each individual person views the actions of the ICE officers and the public that has arisen to oppose them will vary. Everyone brings themselves to bear — their own values, opinions, beliefs and so forth.

Objectivity is vanishingly difficult to find.

Difficult is not impossible, though. Here’s some examples of clarity:

— Laws are the moral glue of the society which enacts them. If you have a problem with the law, convince the lawmakers to change it, and in the mean time, follow it.

— Illegal immigration, upon first entry, is a misdemeanor violation. This escalates to felony upon repeat offense. Misdemeanors include things like shoplifting, minor drug offenses such as possession, trespassing and so forth.

— Schools in Minneapolis are closing or going remote. If this bothered you during COVID, it should bother you now.

— Otherwise sleepy neighborhoods of ordinary people, many of whom probably could have cared less before this all began, are being exposed first-hand to civic unrest, and those people are reacting accordingly.

— The most basic foundation of a nation is that its government exists to protect its citizens. Everything else is built off of that cornerstone. Plenty of citizen bystanders have become caught up in this either due to proximity or ethnicity, and there should be consequences for that. Target the criminals, not the civilians, or pay the price.

None of this even addresses the flashpoint topics: the shooting of Renee Good (and how justified it was); the ongoing threats of the Insurrection Act bringing the military against an American city; or the more incredulous stories from Minneapolis where fleeing cars of children have been flashbanged or ICE agents eat at a restaurant and then arrest the workers after their meal.

These things and more are too difficult to talk about civilly at this moment in our society — everyone has an opinion, which is good and correct, but the internet and social media embodies the “he who shouts the loudest” concept, and we don’t want to contribute more fuel to that fire.

Our stance is simple. This is a thing that is happening — an important thing, which our readers should be informed about. Thus, we will provide such coverage as we are able to through our media partnerships.

We are not blind to the controversy, nor to the starkly divided opinions locally — even amongst our readership.

It is up to you, dear reader, to assess your own stance. We merely present information to enable and empower that determination.

Some outspoken locals are planning a protest near Triangle Park Saturday afternoon in support of the citizens of Minneapolis, decrying ICE. Perhaps, if your values align with theirs, you will join them. Equally, if your values are in opposition, perhaps you will stand counter to them and voice that.

The choice is yours. It is a sacred right, to be able to choose — something at the core of what we believe both as individual Americans and at the core of our identity as a news organization.

And of course, you can always choose the warmest and most comfortable option: to stay home. The odds are good that, strictly locally speaking, you will never need to form an opinion one way or the other on this topic.

But the odds are never zero.