A bowl of 3D-printed whistles created by Kenneth Beck. The St. Anthony resident has made just under 1,500 of them since roughly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived in Minnesota in January as part of Operation Metro Surge. (i like you)
When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived in Minnesota in early January — as part of Operation Metro Surge — communities across the state organized in an effort to keep one another informed of ICE activity and safe from possible danger.
From such efforts emerged 3D printed whistles.
Ranging in shape, color and size, the whistles first gained popularity in late 2025 in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, where ICE agents had an overwhelming presence.
The whistles were used to alert neighborhood residents of the presence of ICE agents in their community. Their noise called some to act as witnesses to ICE activity and let others know to find safety.
Organizers in Minnesota took note of the success and decided to implement the use of whistles within their own communities.
Manpower was needed to make and distribute the whistles, and many stepped up to do the job.
Among the whistle-makers was 34-year-old Kenneth Beck.
The St. Anthony man has made just short of 1,500 whistles with his two Bambu Lab 3D printers.
“When all the troubles started in the Twin Cities, my wife and I wanted to help in a way that kept us and our two young daughters safe,” he said. “We weren’t comfortable confronting ICE, our jobs weren’t flexible enough to give us time to be observers and our evenings were crammed with long bedtime routines to maintain calm so we couldn’t easily volunteer outside the house. That’s when we heard about these 3D printed whistles that were making the rounds, and we immediately knew how we could contribute.”
Beck has distributed them to his daughters’ schools, businesses i like you and Bench Pressed, and the University of Minnesota.
Their first priorty was their kids, he said. “The first couple hundred whistles that I made went to our eldest’s kindergarten, where they were starting to coordinate morning and afternoon observer posts, transportation for those at risk xand mutual aid distribution. After that, I joined a Signal chat centered around Minneapolis whistle distribution and helped out there for a bit.”
Signal is an encrypted messaging service similar to iMessage or WhatsApp.
Beck has also made whistles for his friends’ observer training groups for distribution to volunteers at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, which is currently being used as an ICE holding and processing facility.
“When shopping locally, I’d try and carry a bag of whistles and pass them out if the places I went were running low,” he said. “It’s nothing compared to the massive efforts of others, especially the Twin Cities Makers group that had been coordinating thousands of whistles every day, but I did my small part.”
Despite the amount of time, effort and materials used to make the whistles, Beck distributes them free of charge.
“I have no desire to profit off the misery of others,” he said. “There was a need, I could help with that need, and this was my form of protest.”
Sarah Sweet and Angela Lessman, the owners of i like you, were happy to see Beck walk in with a bag of whistles for them to distribute to customers.
“We were impressed by his dedication and quick response,” the duo wrote in an email to the Northeaster. “We were super inspired by how quickly our artist community responded, and we welcomed and encouraged people to drop off items. We had many people drop off whistles in both store locations, some we’d never met before, and new versions appeared almost every day.”
Beck couldn’t agree more.
“I think it’s been amazing seeing how our local community came together, and so quickly, too,” he said. “The whistles gave us a voice that couldn’t easily be silenced. It gave us a common form of communication that didn’t rely on being in someone’s immediate vicinity. It provided a symbol that you could see and know, with some level of certainty, that they’re on my side.”
Beck’s operations have expanded to include work with local artists via Sparkly Rocketship, an art business. (Kenneth Beck)
Sparkly Rocketship
In addition to creating whistles, Beck recently started Sparkly Rocketship, a business where Beck collaborates with local artists to design jewelry, stickers and buttons based on their art, with proceeds from the Creative Resistance line of products going towards the artists’ chosen cause.
“I turn others’ passion projects into a physical product while supporting local causes,” he said. “Toward the end of January, I joined the Minneapolis Creative Resistance Signal chat and saw all the artwork that people were coming up with. That got me wondering how I could use my skills to turn this artwork into something tangible, while also supporting the local Twin Cities efforts.”
Sparkly Rocketship — named with the help of Beck’s daughter, who suggested the company’s full name to be Sparkly Unicorn Dinosaur Rocketship LLC — started as a passion project selling laser-cut earrings based on Beck’s wife’s artwork on Etsy.
Sales were slow, but Beck kept it around for the occasional purchase.
“I thought I could do something similar for the Creative Resistance movement and the artists’ work I was coming across,” he said. “One key decision point that my wife and I agreed on was that we didn’t want to profit off this movement. We wanted to donate as much of our sales as possible to local causes while also setting aside enough to cover our costs.”
With that goal in mind, Beck decided to be as transparent as possible.
Beck moved their website off Etsy to shop.sparklyship.com, working with artists they found through Signal and Instagram.
The artists identified which causes they wish to support. Those causes are then indicated on the product.
The causes artists have chosen so far include Centro Tyrone Guzman, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, rent relief in the Powderhorn neighborhood, a rent relief fund operated by Smitten Kitten, an adult store in South Minneapolis, an individual in ICE detention and a local school’s mutual-aid fund.
For every product, Beck provides a list of costs — including labor, maintenance, materials, packaging and processing fees — so customers know how much of their purchase will be donated.
Beck also produces everything in-house to help keep costs down. There are currently no print-on-demand or external service fees.
“We were really inspired simply by a strong desire to help out,” he said. We knew there were tons of local causes to support, and we wanted to provide a way for people to send money to local causes while also getting something designed by a local artist that they can wear, further showing their support.”
Beck hopes to continue to grow the business in the coming months — and to mimic the sales he made during the first month, where he was able to donate over $7,000.
“I really want this to serve as a proof-of-concept for others who share this same giving mentality,” he said. “I’d like others to be able to replicate what my shop is doing. In other words, I’d like other shops to be able to provide a platform for selling products with the primary goal of donating to local causes in a way that is completely transparent as to what exactly ‘100% of profits’ means. Without that transparency, the phrase really doesn’t mean anything.”
Artist Mia Gambucci of Minneapolis —
@biig_purple on Instagram — is grateful to be part of Beck’s latest venture.
“This project has been a source of positive forward motion at a time when it’s easy to fall into despair,” she said. “Having this platform to create keeps me feeling hopeful and useful to my community.”
According to Sweet and Lessman, “Artists use their skills to help their community and use their art to spread awareness.”
Beck plans to continue doing just that.
“I think the most important thing to remember is that, even after ICE’s presence diminishes, people still need help. People will always need help,” he said. “Let’s not lose the momentum. Let’s keep community-building, supporting each other, and resisting creatively.”