About Alex ... and all of this

I’ve been sitting with how to write this for days. No words feel big enough. None of this makes sense.

If you’ve been following the news out of Minneapolis, you know Alex’s name. An ICU nurse. A neighbor. A son. A neighbor who grew up just north of here, graduating from Green Bay Preble High School. 

The details matter, and they’re disturbing. But beyond the facts of what happened, there’s something heavier many of us are feeling. I want to name it plainly.

This moment isn’t just about one person. It’s about what kind of country we are becoming — and what kind of neighbors we choose to be.

Across the country, we are watching institutions fail people in real time. Immigrant communities are being terrorized. Families are afraid to send their kids to school or go to work. State violence has resulted in the death of two neighbors in Minnesota and more in detention centers across the country. Truth is being replaced with spin, and accountability is treated like an inconvenience. When harm happens, we’re told to accept a press release and move on.

That should unsettle us. And if it does, your discomfort is not a weakness. It’s a signal.

As Democrats, we believe the government should work for people, not against them. We believe dignity and safety are not conditional. And we believe leadership matters. What we are witnessing right now is exactly why elections matter. Not in the abstract, but in the daily lives of our neighbors.

The choices made by those in power shape who is protected, who is targeted, and who is ignored. They determine whether schools are safe, whether families trust public institutions, whether basic rights are defended or eroded. And they determine whether moments like this are met with truth and accountability—or silence.

That’s where we come in.

Because alongside the fear and grief, I’ve also seen something powerful: people showing up.

Neighbors delivering food to families sheltering in place. Teachers telling the truth even when it’s risky. Parents asking hard questions. Volunteers doing the quiet, unglamorous work of care.

That is the foundation of electoral change.

Winning elections doesn’t start six weeks before Election Day. It starts now with trust, relationships, and people deciding they won’t look away. It starts when we show up in our communities, have honest conversations, support candidates, and build the kind of grassroots strength that carries us through April 2026 and into the midterms.

Local elections matter. Judicial races matter. Legislative races matter. The power to protect our neighbors (and to prevent harm) still runs straight through them.

History doesn’t just remember the moments when things went wrong. It remembers who organized, who stood firm, and who turned care into action.

This is one of those moments, and we’re dedicated to protecting our community and doing what we need to do to elect the leaders our communities deserve.

Thank you for being part of our group – one that understands what’s at stake and is willing to do the work, together, to meet it.

In solidarity and resolve,

Emily

Emily Tseffos is the chair of the Democratic Party of Outagamie County