HOCKEY FANS AGAINST FASCICM: HOW ICE RAIDS ARE LIKE HOCKEY

I’ve been thinking a lot about the crossovers of hockey and the ICE raids currently going on in my county and my cities (Anaheim and Santana, notably). There aren’t many. Hockey is an elite sport that upholds white supremacy, systemic racism, misogyny, homophobia, queerphobia, transphobia, ableism, and so many more issues that are rooted in post-colonial capitalist patriarchy.

As a two-spirit, non-Black mixed-race (of immigrants and Indigenous ancestry), fat, queer, neurodivergent, mentally ill, and disabled human who owns a hockey clothing brand, sometimes it’s hard to figure out where I fit in all of this. But thanks to the help of my Indigenous community, I am learning that I am a disruptor and my place is right here, the amalgamation of all my intersecting communities.  

One place I landed was VIOLENCE.

 

Photo description: Heavily armed and dressed police officers block off a roadway from peaceful protestors.

Hockey fans and players understand violence. They understand the self-policing and the unwritten rules of violence, specifically fighting, in hockey. 

The hockey players who fight hold their ground until it is deemed necessary to step in. They do not incite the violence; they answer it. This is why they’re called enforcers - they enforce the rules on ice and keep a balanced and fair game. 

You fuck with a rookie, they’re coming for you. You snow shower a goalie? They will take care of their netminder. You throw gloves? They match your energy. An enforcer on the opposing team instigates to get the crowd going? The enforcer obliges.

In this way, enforcers are like US. We - immigrants, Mexicans, Natives, allies, protestors - do not incite or instigate violence - we respond to it. 

When they break the unwritten rules, we react, we respond, we enforce. We do it for the safety of our people and the RIGHT to exercise our freedom to protest. 

When they come for our people, our weak, our elders, our youth, our vulnerable, we react. 

When they shower us with bullets, tear gas, weapons, and violence, we respond.

When they want to elevate things to get the crowd going and spread violent propaganda against us, we enforce. 

We enforce our right to be here, our rights to protest, our right to disagree with our nation and its heads of state. 

We enforce our rights to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our communities. 

We enforce our right to freedom. Our freedom to be in a country which was ours first - we were here first. 

In a country that doesn’t want us and thinks it can still eradicate us. Much like the old boys hockey club excludes anyone different than them, and we still show up to the rinks, the games, the events. We still show up even though we know we’re not wanted. We still show up because we have the freedom to, even if they want us to stop. 

We will not stop.

We will not stop until this game is ours and women, queer folks, trans folks, disabled folks, neurodivergent folks, and anyone who isn’t a cis-white-straight-male feels welcomed.

On this country’s stolen land, we will not stop until its original stewards of the land have their sovereignty back.

We will not stop until we are all free in this country.

Free to protest.

Free to be.

Free to exist.

Free to react.

Free to respond.

Free to enforce. 

Photo: @Photosbyrudyg Source
Photo description: 3 people walking across a street protesting, carrying American and Mexican flags and signs.

If you would like to get involved, follow us on Instagram or Threads where we post about daily protests, mutual aid funds, resources, education, and more.

If you would like to help us donate to our local mutual aid funds, please shop these benefit items. 100% of profit is donated to mutual aid funds and individuals impacted by the ICE raids in Southern California.

With your help, we have donated over $1800 from Double Hockey Stix alone.

With the help of designer Boss Dog, we have helped donate over $4000 in our names.

Thank you for helping us change hockey.

Thank you for helping us change the world.

We are the enforcers. 

 

Photo description: Protestors standing on a street corner. A half American Half Mexican flag is prominent.

Photo description: A group of protestors on a corner; there are multiple Mexican and American flags