The manager at Chicago’s infamous Laugh Factory has been charged with assaulting a border patrol agent following a confrontation with law enforcement last Friday. CBS reports that Nathan Griffin was arrested after confronting Border Patrol in Chicago outside of the comedy club.
In videos of the incident posted by Block Club Chicago, Griffin can be seen being tackled by multiple agents as he’s arrested, while other people at the scene can be heard yelling that Griffin “didn’t do anything.”
According to multiple reports, Griffin has been charged “with one count of forcibly assaulting, impeding and interfering with a federal officer.”
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Since his arrest, a few GoFundMe and other fundraising accounts have been posted to support his legal defense and release.
Griffin reportedly joined a crowd of people when federal agents pulled up outside of the building and attempted to detain a man. In the ensuing confrontation, one agent reportedly suffered “a small gouge and scrapes on his right leg” when Griffin tried to shut a door.
While Griffin’s arrest and charges are a gross overreaction from the federal government, his actual actions show what will become increasingly necessary in the months to come as President Trump’s orders to escalate the deportation machine only get more severe. The reality that Chicago is experiencing, one where federal agents are abducting and disappearing community members with impunity, is something that can’t be defeated by weak-limbed jokes from a Saturday Night Live cold open.
In the inevitable worsening of our government’s behavior, even the sharp elbows from South Park won’t be enough to stave off what’s coming for us. Nor will the canceled talk show hosts be a strong enough symbol to prevent ICE and the National Guard from being deployed to our neighborhoods.
The thing that comedy will need to do is what Griffin did — at great personal risk to himself and his livelihood — and directly confront the people who are perpetrating these actions.
It might not include a punchline, but it’ll be more important than any joke.
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