When they come for the helpers, they come for us all

Author Elisha Dacey
Scarves left on a bench in Winnipeg. (ChaseTheChillinWinnipeg/Facebook)

Canadians watched with growing unease as once again, folks in Minneapolis not only mourned the death of a helper at the hands of government-sanctioned thugs, but were lied to about what happened.

I’ve been following the situation in Minneapolis as closely as I can, not just as a journalist, but as an aunt. My Canadian brother-in-law, his American wife and my two nephews live in the Twin Cities.

They live in an immigrant-heavy neighbourhood. I’m told my nephews are scared for their friends. I’m scared for all of them.

A hundred million words have already been written about the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and a hundred million more will follow. Most are words of outrage, shame, anger. Some are baiting lies.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly when an account I follow on Bluesky posted a screenshot of someone ranting about a box of hand warmers left for anyone to take during the strike and protests this weekend. To them, it was proof that someone was paying for sophisticated logistical systems to distribute aid.

It’s such a small thing to latch on to after this weekend’s horror, but I can’t help it. It was written by someone who likely never sees nor values the unpaid labour done by helpers, the vast majority of whom are women.

You all know this because you live it.

In Winnipeg, helpers knit scarves and mitts and leave them tied to lamp posts and railings for anyone to use. They ensure every child is properly dressed in winter gear and fed. That there is enough for everyone at a potluck – a potluck they organized. The fundraisers for the band trip. The church yard sale for the homeless. The people part of a meal train or text chain or selling social tickets or, or, or. And I know these ‘ors’ happen in every city, every town, every village, everywhere, every day.

And the ultimate irony is that the person posting was likely a paid bot, ranting about unpaid labour. Where the heck did all these hand warmers come from? From the same people who have been keeping hands warm for generations. But, OK, let’s denigrate helpers as terrorists.

Fred Rogers often quoted his mother when asked how to explain horrible things to children. “Always look for the helpers,” she told him. “There will always be helpers. Just on the sidelines.”

Also on Saturday, Doctors Without Borders announced they would give in to Israeli demands for personal information on all their workers in the Gaza strip. They resisted for as long as they could, but the helpers couldn’t stand not helping anymore. (The Israeli government claims some of these helpers have, in the past, been part of terrorist organizations that hurt Israeli citizens. They provided no proof of this.)

You can read more about this impossible choice in Sharlene’s story.

But it comes down to this: it’s the helpers, invisibly brave, who run civil society. When they come for the helpers, they come for us all.

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  • Elisha Dacey is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience in the field. She has worked in various newsrooms across Canada, ranging from small-town papers to major outlets like CBC Manitoba and Global News. Dacey began her journalism career in Manitoba and has held roles such as managing editor, senior producer and digital online journalist. Notably, she launched Metro Winnipeg, the city’s only free daily newspaper, which quickly became the second most-read paper in Winnipeg.

    Elisha Dacey is the Managing Editor for Future of Good.

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