St. Paul, MN – Low-income people from across Minnesota packed the State Capitol Building rotunda on January 5, to demand that politicians undo the attacks on welfare. The rally, which drew well over 100 people, was organized by the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition and timed to coincide with the opening of the State Legislature.

Minneapolis, MN – Hennepin County Commissioners got an earful, when more than 100 people packed a September 8 hearing on Minnesota’s new welfare program. Low income people, organized by the Welfare Rights Committee, chanted, held signs, and testified that the Minnesota Family Investment Program – Statewide (MFIP-S) was a “disaster.”

Duluth, MN - Poor people here are mobilizing in a big way to fight the latest attacks on welfare by state politicians. Led by Low Income People Organizing for Power (LIPOP), poor people have joined the protests, hearings, and sit-ins at the State Capitol Building in St Paul.

St Paul, MN - The Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition (MN-WRC) put Michael O'Keefe, the state commissioner of Human Services, in the hot seat on December 3.

Duluth, MN - “Mayor Doty must go!” has become the rallying cry for poor people in this Northern Minnesota port city. “He does not work for low-income people or people of color,” states Marvella Davis, of Low Income People Organized for Power (LIPOP). “He's a snake in the grass who serves the rich.”

With the help of bombs and mercenaries from the Northern Alliance, U.S. and British forces have occupied the main cities of Afghanistan. Washington convened a meeting in Europe where a strange collection of Afghan warlords, monarchists, and political has-beens were anointed as the new government. They were put in airplanes and sent to Kabul where they had to explain how the “careful” American pilots bombed a convoy of their supporters who on the way to their inauguration.

St. Paul, MN – Standing in front of banner reading, “Bail out poor and working people – not billionaires!” leaders of the Welfare Rights Committee announced a campaign to combat the impact of the growing economic crisis at a press conference here, Oct. 29. They were joined by members of AFSCME Local 3800, the Anti-War Committee, Women Against Military Madness and other peace and justice groups.

Keep the heat on Congress!

Commentary by the editor of Fight Back!

St. Paul, MN – Representatives from the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War meet with the Mayor Coleman, the City Attorney, and other Saint Paul city officials, Dec. 11 at City Hall to press their demands for permits to march on the Republican National Convention and for the city to observe the rights of protesters.

Saint Paul, MN – Local leaders of the Twin Cites peace and justice movement announced their planned march route here at a June 7 press conference. The massive demonstration on Sept. 1, 2008 will coincide with the Republican National Convention. A large map of the march route was displayed.