Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Brad Sigal

By Brad Sigal

Protesters denounce SB1070 at May 1 march in Minneapolis

St. Paul, MN – On May 6, Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Wabasha) introduced a bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives that would bring Arizona's new racist anti-immigrant law SB 1070 to Minnesota. This comes on the heels of Minnesota Republican Gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer saying he thinks Arizona's racist law is “wonderful”.

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By Brad Sigal

_Los participantes exigen legalización e igualdad, condenan a la ley racista y anti-inmigrante de Arizona _

Marcha en Minneapolis 1 de mayo por los derechos de los inmigrantes

Minneapolis, MN – El primero de mayo, casi 4,000 personas marcharon en las calles de Minneapolis a favor de los derechos de los inmigrantes y los derechos laborales. Una marcha empezó en el Parque Martin Luther King en el sur de Minneapolis hacia el centro. Mientras pasó la marcha por los barrios principalmente latinos y afroamericanos, más personas se unieron a la marcha en cada cuadra.

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By Brad Sigal

_Marchers demand legalization and equality, express outrage at Arizona's racist anti-immigrant law _

Minneapolis May Day march for immigrant rights

Minneapolis, MN – On May 1, about 4,000 people marched in the streets of Minneapolis for immigrant and workers rights. One march started from Martin Luther King Park in South Minneapolis and marched up Nicollet Avenue toward downtown. As the march passed through largely-Latino neighborhoods, more people joined the march on each block.

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By Brad Sigal

Minneapolis protest against Arizona's new anti-immigrant law

Minneapolis, MN – On April 26, 100 supporters of immigrant rights gathered at an emergency protest in downtown Minneapolis. They came together to voice outrage at the new anti-immigrant law passed in Arizona. Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer signed into law the most extreme anti-immigrant legislation in the country, (SB-1070) on April 23, provoking large protests in Arizona and outrage around the country.

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By Brad Sigal

Supporters of the drivers license bill outside the hearing at the state capitol.

Saint Paul, MN – On March 10, a bill that would allow immigrants to get drivers licenses in Minnesota passed its first hurdle in a key vote. By a vote of 8-5-1, the “drivers license for all” bill, HF1718, passed the House Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Committee.

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By Brad Sigal

Saint Paul, MN – The struggle for immigrants to be able to get drivers licenses in Minnesota is gaining steam. The group leading the struggle is Mujeres en Liderazgo (Women in Leadership), a grassroots group of Latina immigrant women. They want the Minnesota legislature to allow anyone who lives in Minnesota to get a drivers license, regardless of their immigration status.

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By Brad Sigal

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, Feb. 6, about 40 people gathered at the Minneapolis Labor Center to train for civil disobedience in support of the janitors of SEIU Local 26. The janitors clean the downtown office buildings of some of the richest banks and corporations in the country, but they have low pay and bad work conditions. Since the janitors' union contract expired on Jan. 8, a strike of the 4000 janitors – mostly Latino and East African immigrants – could begin at any time. The janitors are demanding “good, clean, green jobs” along with full-time work at a decent wage, safe and environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals and day jobs instead of overnight shift. Their employer is refusing to move in negotiations.

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By Brad Sigal

SEIU 26 janitors vote "yes" to authorize a strike

Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 30, hundreds of janitors, mostly Latino and East African immigrants, held a spirited meeting at the Minneapolis Labor Center and voted nearly unanimously to authorize a strike. When the strike vote was taken, the multinational crowd chanted and held up signs reading “Yes! Sí! Haa! Ee! Oui!” ('Yes!' in English, Spanish, Somali, Oromo and Amharic). With the strike authorization vote, the workers can now strike if the union’s negotiating committee decides a strike is necessary to win their demands.

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By Brad Sigal

Activistas pro-inmingrante vestidos como prisioneros intentan entrar al ICE

Bloomington, MN – El lunes 23 de noviembre por la mañana, un grupo de activistas pro-inmigrante organizó una protesta al estilo del teatro popular para denunciar de forma dramática el racismo y la hipocresía de las redadas en contra de los inmigrantes latinos, separando familias y comunidades.

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By Brad Sigal

Immigrant rights activists in orange jumpsuit prisoner garb at ICE office in MN

Bloomington, MN – On Monday morning, Nov. 23, a group of immigrant rights activists staged a guerrilla theater-style protest here to dramatically expose the racism and hypocrisy of immigration raids that target Latino immigrants, tearing apart families and communities.

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