To The Editor:

I do not fail to see the irony that while 19 monks walked for peace on roads covered in ice, a journey of 2,300 miles that led them from Texas to DC — for no other reason than to share the idea of peace — the roads in Minneapolis remain covered in ICE; and they do not bring peace. On February 10 the monks reached their goal after having been greeted by tens of thousands along the way; people who, like them, believe peace is an attainable goal.

I grieve for the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and for all of the victims of a process gone awry; one that has allowed not just bullying of people practicing their Constitutional rights to protest, but outright executions. Armed agents of the government have been given free rein to interpret the law, using racial profiling to meet ridiculous quotas that drain this country of able-bodied workers yearning for a good life. The apprehension and deportation of truly dangerous criminals through legal means seems a forgotten missive.

Our representatives in Congress must vote to change the funding for the Department of Homeland Security, so that millions more dollars are not expended on fruitless, cruel actions that do not make cities safer; rather move citizens to a place of distrust and fear — hardly the America in which I grew up.

There are not enough tears, prayers, music, or protests to bring back Good and Pretti, to reunite families unwillingly and unlawfully deported. But I know, deep in my heart, that this difficulty will one day end, as Americans across the nation stand together and demand a return to democracy.

We can find courage in the example of the monks who moved, one step at a time, to our nation’s capital city. May we be well. May we be happy. May we find peace.

Nancy K. Crevier

Newtown