Fear and Trembling

As I joined others at a Ready the Ground nonviolent bystander intervention training on Sunday the 16th, I didn't realize that my skills would be needed so soon. On Tuesday the 18th, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) invaded Durham, and I came face to face with a man named "Mayer" who would neither confirm nor deny that he was CBP. He was dressed in all blue and black government issue, drove a white Suburban with Colorado plates, said he did not live in the Soho Apartments at 901 Chalk Level Rd., said that he was with corporate (we later learned that there was no out-of-state corporate) and he had flown into town for just today and that this was his rental (!) and who had never been seen before by actual residents by Soho Apartments, who slammed the door in my face as he went into the management office, locked the door on me though I was doing nothing threatening, told me that I couldn't film him (I told him it was my 1st amendment constitutional right to do so), who took my photo, would not not identify himself to me by his name, would not give his full name or identification to DPD, who put a stooge named "Marty" from management (also unidentified) on the phone with me saying that I would have to leave, who called DPD on me and the other volunteers, and who eventually threatened us with trespassing even though we were doing nothing harmful. We observed other vehicles consistent with CBP (Suburbans and Expeditions) going in and out of the development monitoring us as the situation progressed. I found my mind both adrenalized and stretched out as I tried to do the best thing in the moment, knowing that I had only be trained in this work days earlier. There was nowhere to hide when I was cast into the moment of, "Do I confront this guy?" and "Am I safe?"

Because NSB is 60% Spanish-speaking, I feel I need to work as hard as I can to protect them from uncertainty, discrimination, scapegoating, and profiling. We facilitated rides to and from work with Caucasian employees. We put up a sign saying No ICE Access. We respected the decision by some employees that they did not want to risk coming to work. We gave away free meals for those locked down. We told our staff we would do whatever it took to protect them.

My grandmother spent years hiding from Nazis in a small, cramped, bunker in Lithuania underneath a barn with her sister, not knowing whether she would live or die (listen here for a similar story on Holocaust-hiding). Everyone else in her family was murdered. I would not be here today if not for the gentile family who hid her in 1942-1945. That is why it makes my blood boil to think that in America in 2025 I should need to plan for the emergency where I would hide my Spanish-speaking friends in the bakery that I own should ICE/CBP violate our rights by coming into the workplace without warrants. Clearly, these incursions of CBP officers hundreds of miles from the border into blue-held cities is political. Donald Trump and his evil troll army has shown their faces, and it comes in the form of "Mayer" and "Marty".

After we were moved to observing at the public entrance on Chalk Level Rd., we did not hear of any further activity on the property, though many residents, especially the Spanish-speakers, were freaked out, and appreciated us being there (as many as twenty volunteers showed up). Though it was never verified, my best guess is that the management corporation of Soho Apartments, Z18, based in Charlotte, was working with CBP. My video with the "Mayer" and "Marty" is below. Douche.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/17/us/politics/trumps-immigration-bakery.html

Tragic Times

 https://indyweek.com/culture/durhams-pauli-murray-center-told-its-federal-grant-no-longer-serves-the-interest-of-the-united-states/

The Twenty People Who Changed Downtown Durham

I've recently been working with a self-appointed task force from ATC (led by Michael Goodmon of Capitol Broadcasting and owner of ATC) that has been charged with trying to reduce the amount of aggressive panhandling and criminal behavior among the unhoused in Downtown Durham. There have been assaults, vandalism, threats, sexual misconduct, destruction of property, you name it. Servers and bartenders afraid to go to their cars from their place of work. So much so that City Council and the Durham Police and the DA have all assembled to talk about it. Hoteliers are saying that people won't book because they feel unsafe here. When it gets down to it, it's agreed that it is mainly 20 or so "frequent flyers" that are the primary cause of the issue, who are habitually arrested and then released on unsecured bail, who often are in and out of the EDs.

Prior to the meeting, this was my email to the group trying to gather my thoughts on the issue:

Friends,

It was the fall of 2009, and I was headed off of the BQE and onto the Jersey turnpike trying to make Philly by nightfall. It was raining and I was in a heated conversation with my best friend. Too late, I realized I took the North exit instead of South. Classic mistake. The helpful lady at the next North exit toll booth, upon hearing my plight, said, "Do you want to pay more?", which I didn't understand. She then screamed at me, "DO YOU WANT TO PAY MORE?" I got the gist of it then, paid the toll and got on the turnpike headed South.

So many times at the bakery, I've tried to take a shortcut, to squeeze a little more life out of a machine, or a delivery van, or a cooler, and ended up paying more.

Why would it be any different when we're talking about the unhoused humans of Durham?

That it has taken a confluence of factors to get us into this bind implies that it will take a host of solutions to get us out. We can't just "lock 'em up", nor do I want to. Involuntary hospitalization or commitments (á la Eric Adams) should be our last resort.

If the city is looking down the barrel of $XX million in potential lost revenue per year and the closing of some of its tastiest restaurants, why wouldn't they pay the $2-3 million to get the frequent fliers into paid permanent supportive housing with caseworkers? This seems like a great ROI, and the right thing to do.

Listening to our esteemed colleagues, Russ, Sheldon, and Colin, I feel confident that real dollars, with the support of the business community and the police, can create methods of deterrence and diversion that will significantly lessen the perception that Downtown is unsafe.

The other thing to remember is that we are still only a couple years out of lockdown. All those habits of being comfy/cozy in one's home are still there for many of our customers. They're still going out, but they go out less. There is more entertainment, and more perceived safety in the home. Everything can be delivered. People are anxious or awkward about socializing. And inflation has made things more expensive and cut into guests' discretionary income, making them feel frugal even when they have the accumulated savings to afford a splurge or a dinner out.

I really appreciate Michael and his convening of these folks to talk openly and honestly about doing business downtown. Just like it only took a couple million to get DDI off the ground and kickstart Downtown revival, if we are willing to be level-headed about it, paying the right amount to resolve this safety issue will be seen as pragmatic and humanist in the long run. Demonizing city officials or the poor or the mentally ill less so.

The personality of a city is like topsoil - an inch takes 200 years to accumulate, but could be wiped out in one year of bad agricultural practices. Likewise, all the work of revitalizing Durham could evaporate quickly if we do not act. To love on Durham right now means swallowing some of the fear and panic of losing revenue, and even one's business, and making concerted, pragmatic choices as a group. I hope we can all support each other in this, and draw strength from one another to imagine a better future. I am open to creative solutions, because it will be our creativity, openness, and work ethic, and not our fear, that will see us through.

Best,

Ari Berenbaum

Owner 

Ninth Street Bakery