This is America, dammit. When political tensions are white hot, and the stakes are just about the highest they can possibly be, it’s time to pause for a little consumerism break.
Or at least that was my response to this incredible photo credited to Pierre Lavie posted online by a photographer named John Abernathy.
Abernathy says on Instagram that it’s him in the photo during Thursday’s protests at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is basing its current high profile operations in Minneapolis. Having been tackled, he claims, by ICE agents backed up by “50 border police,” Abernathy apparently chucked his Leica camera in the direction of another photographer to “make sure it wouldn’t be confiscated.”
On Bluesky, Abernathy provides a slightly more detailed review for camera shoppers, writing that his Leica “landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch.” That’s before he also claims that he was held down, that a tear gas canister went off near his face, and that pepper spray went “directly into the eye.” A photo published by ABC News does appear to show Abernathy face down on the ground with orange-ish liquid visible around his eye.
What should we buy exactly if we want to replicate this incredible tableau? Posters on the Leica subreddit were immediately on the case (although the initial post has already been deleted), noting that it appears to be the all-black version of the Leica M10. Comparable cameras in the U.S. retail for about $4,595.00 if you’re in the market for one that you’d also like to stress test by throwing it onto some rough concrete like Abernathy.
And just how did it handle such abuse without being obliterated? Probably only through the intervention of the journalism gods in all honesty, but according to the Leica website, “Thanks to components machined from solid brass, the high strength of the M-10’s full-metal, magnesium alloy chassis and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass, is built to effortlessly resist the adversities of everyday life guaranteeing enduring pleasure to the photographers.” So there’s also that.
For what it’s worth, ICE has complained on X that “anti-ICE agitators” at the event “threw objects.” ICE’s post doesn’t mention expensive cameras being among the objects. ICE claims they also “shouted profanities, and endangered the public by pouring water on the roads to create icy, hazardous conditions.”
Yesterday, law enforcement at Whipple Federal Building faced violent anti-ICE agitators who threw objects, shouted profanities, and endangered the public by pouring water on the roads to create icy, hazardous conditions.
After repeated warnings, 4 agitators were arrested for… pic.twitter.com/wXgIJh7mRh
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) January 16, 2026
Leica cameras are priced at absolutely breathtaking levels, and often come with unique features that appeal to serious photographers. As my one-time colleague Lucas Ropek noted in 2023, a step up from the M10 is the $9,500 M11, designed with digital authenticity tools specifically for combating AI misinformation.
Leica ownership is also the best way to access the Leica subculture, where some pretty amazing discourse takes place. “Oof. Not sure I’d bring my M body there for that,” notes one Lieca enthusiast on the Leica subreddit, adding, “Not because of danger to the camera, but because I prefer something like a 24-105 with autofocus in that environment.”
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