John Abernathy

Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

16 Feb

February 14 is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Remembrance Day. Community members gathered in Minneapolis to honor these relatives and bring attention to the ongoing crisis of violence and unresolved cases affecting Indigenous communities. 2.15.2026 📍 Minneapolis

16 Feb

11 Feb

At Powderhorn Park, Native American community members gathered to honor the life of Renee Good — through ceremony, art, music, and shared remembrance. 1/2 2.7.2026 📍 Minneapolis

11 Feb

At Powderhorn Park, Native American community members gathered to honor the life of Renee Good — through ceremony, art, music, and shared remembrance. 2/2 2.7.2026 📍 Minneapolis

7 Feb

Minnesotans, of all ages and backgrounds, protest outside of the Governor’s Mansion in St. Paul demanding justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Letting Walz know “MN won’t sell out for ICE”. 1/2 2.6.2026 📍St. Paul

7 Feb

Drum protest in downtown Minneapolis organized by the Twin Cities Drum Collective. Another form of resistance as people continue to protest ICE and federal enforcement in the city. 1/2 2.2.2026 📍Minneapolis

Scenes outside of the Whipple Federal building in Minneapolis. Originally designed for short-term holding, detainee and U.S. representative reports indicate that cells have become heavily overcrowded, “horrifying”, and “inhumane”. 1.30.2026 📍Minneapolis

1 Feb

January 31 in the streets of Minneapolis. One week since Alex Pretti was k*lled by federal agents and thousands gathered across the city. March at Bryant Square. Peaceful sit-in at Target downtown demanding accountability. Growing memorial at the site of the shooting. 1.31.2026 📍 Minneapolis

31 Jan

Tens of thousands of people marched through Minneapolis in the second general strike. Protesters braved sub-zero cold and extended walkouts to demand ICE be held accountable and removed from Minnesota. Demonstrations and shutdowns took place in multiple cities nationwide. 1.30.2026 📍Minneapolis

ctxt.es“Ha sido muy extraño fotografiar escenas de guerra y volver a mi propia casa a cenar y dormir”Periodismo libre y de servicio público. Contexto y acción. Suscríbete y defiende la prensa independiente

30 Jan

“Ha sido muy extraño fotografiar escenas de guerra y volver a mi propia casa a cenar y dormir” ctxt.es/es/20260101/...

30 Jan

After the anti-ICE rally at the Minnesota State Capitol organized by CAIR, organizers gathered to pray and share a meal at a local Somali restaurant. When the crowds leave, the work continues. Minnesotans are still here, still organizing, still pushing forward to get ICE out. 1.27.2026 📍St. Paul

27 Jan

More frames from clashes near 26th & Nicollet following the k*lling of Minneapolis resident and VA intensive care Nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti involving federal agents. 1/2 1.24.2026 📍South Minneapolis

27 Jan

More frames from clashes near 26th & Nicollet following the k*lling of Minneapolis resident and VA intensive care Nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti involving federal agents. 2/2 1.24.2026 📍South Minneapolis

25 Jan

Near 26th & Nicollet, clashes erupted following the k*lling of Alex Jeffrey Pretti involving federal agents. Tear gas and other non-lethal munitions were deployed. People were detained as smoke filled the streets. 1/2 1.24.2026 📍South Minneapolis

25 Jan

24 Jan

Federal agents deployed military-grade hexachloroethane smoke on civilians near 26th and Nicollet in south Minneapolis today. HC is a military smoke agent, distinct designed for war. This occurred just hours after Alex Pretti was m*rdered by ICE agents nearby. 1.24.2026 📍 South Minneapolis

24 Jan

UPDATE: The exact composition of the smoke has not been publicly confirmed. Some observers identify it as signaling smoke; others raise concerns of it being HC smoke.

23 Jan

Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen, Monique Doty, and Will Kelly were arrested by federal authorities today for the Cities Church protest. The Pastor, David Easterwood is also serving as an ICE field office director. No one has been released. 1.22.26 📍St. Paul

23 Jan

This is inside the Warren E. Burger Federal Building, St. Paul. The courthouse was put on lockdown. Everyone was ordered out. We were told more information might be coming, but no one was allowed to stay to hear it. Supporters have been told the defendants do not have access to their lawyers.

22 Jan

1/2 January 15 outside the Whipple Federal Building. The photos leading up to when I was detained. Non-lethal munitions were fired and tear-gas deployed. People were shoved, tackled, and pepper sprayed. Right-wing agitators were also present, largely left untouched. 1.15.2026 📍Minneapolis

22 Jan

2/2 January 15, outside the Whipple Federal building. The photos leading up to when I was detained. 1.15.2026 📍Minneapolis

20 Jan

The symbol stays the same. The context does not. These are the photos leading up to when I was detained on January 15th. Protests continued as ICE activity brought people outside of Whipple Federal Building. Demonstrators gathered while agents forced their way in the crowd as tensions escalated.

20 Jan

The American flag was present throughout. Moving through different hands and different meanings as the situation shifted. Present in the escalation, the resistance, and the enforcement. There was no single version of this moment. 1.15.2026 📍Minneapolis

19 Jan

1/2 An attempted anti-Islam march led by far-right figure Jake Lang was shut down by community opposition at City Hall. Minneapolis SWAT threatened dispersal, then left without action. Minneapolis · 1.17.2026

19 Jan

2/2 Jake Lang’s march ended before it began. SWAT threatened dispersal and use of non-lethal munitions, then left. Jake Lang later fled through a nearby hotel. Minneapolis · 1.17.2026

19 Jan

Isaiah Blackwell, the man unaffiliated with Lang, who led him out of the crowd later posted to Facebook: “I DID WHAT GOD INSTRUCTED ME TO DO IF A ACT OF LOVE & GRACE OFFENDED ANY HUMAN RACE JUST PRAY...GO LOOK IN THE MIRROR 🤲🏾👽”.

I’m going to the Whipple Federal building in Minneapolis. CNN will be doing a live interview. Maybe in a half hour to an hour

My last two shots before my world went dark.