How Minnesota's Singing Resistance is expanding across the nation

• Though the event's locations or times are only released in private Signal chats, an estimated 2,000 people joined one outside a hotel believed to be occupied by ICE agents.
• Videos of their action frequently go viral, and the group's social media has gained nearly 70,000 followers in less than a month.

Zoom out: The Twin Cities movement is only the beginning, said organizer Sarah, who declined to give her last name because of security concerns. The group recently established virtual training sessions to launch more Singing Resistance groups.

• Over 2,500 people attended the first meeting, she said, and social media pages are cropping up for groups in Nashville, Atlanta and Portland.

Inside the room: At a sing held in a Minneapolis church's sanctuary two days before ICE's exit was announced, speakers switched between leading songs — many original — and sharing ways the over 500 attendees could organize with their neighbors.

• Church staff held signs with QR codes to join Signal chats or donate to rent relief funds, while dozens of attendees donned knitted red hats: a symbol of resistance against ICE.

What they're saying: The group has attracted Minnesotans who haven't participated in political organizing before, Sarah told Axios, in part because the sings emphasize "nonviolence and joyful resistance."

• "I'm not an active protester, but if there was ever a time to get involved, this is it," said first-timer Katie Brenke.

What's next: Singing Resistance is pushing for a nationwide weekend of action on Feb. 28 and March 1.