Minneapolis, MN – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a national progressive student group, held a “Day of Action for Education Rights” on March 14. High school and college students in different parts of the country protested government cutbacks and stood up for education rights. The four demands put forward by SDS were: No cuts – chop from the top; pass the Student Loan Forgiveness Act (HR 4170); freeze all tuition and fees; and corporations off campus.

Minneapolis, MN – About 40 students and campus workers rallied at Morrill Hall and marched through the University of Minnesota (U of M) campus on March 14 to protest rising tuition costs and the university’s top-heavy administration. The protest was part of a national day of action for education rights.

AFSCME 3800 says ‘Chop from the top’

Minneapolis, MN – On March 12, the University of Minnesota presented the report it commissioned on its management structure to the Senate Higher Education Committee.

Minneapolis, MN – Jessica English, a single mother of four who was homelessness, moved into an abandoned Wells Fargo-owned home in south Minneapolis last month. The home had been broken into and used as a drug house. But English, a student, writer, dedicated worker and volunteer with Occupy Homes MN, saw in it the potential of a place to raise her family.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people gathered here March 8, to celebrate International Women’s Day. The event, organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), included a showing of the film “With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade”, about the powerful role of women in the historic 1936-37 Flint Sit-down Strike at General Motors.

Minneapolis, MN – On March 8, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) will hold a celebration of International Women’s Day here. The celebration will include a showing of the film “With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade”, about the powerful role of women in the historic 1936-37 Flint Sit-down Strike at General Motors – a key event in the fight to build unions in the U.S. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at 4200 Cedar Avenue S.

Protest demands the bank turn over vacant homes

Minneapolis, MN – 13 people were peacefully arrested Feb. 27 as they marched on Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, demanding the bank turn over vacant homes to community control and calling for fairer banking practices.

“There is no crime in supporting the Palestinian struggle for self-determination”

Minneapolis, MN – A standing room only crowd of more than 125 people turned out here, Feb. 23, to hear Hatem Abudayyeh, a prominent Chicago-based Palestinian activist who talked about the growing struggle for the liberation of Palestine and the repression against Palestine solidarity activists here in the U.S.

Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression assembled here, Feb. 5, to prepare a mailing of over 900 post cards to its Twin Cities members, as part of outreach for a major speaking event featuring Palestinian activist Hatem Abudayyeh. Phone banks and mass leafleting events are planned for coming days.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 people braved below-zero weather to join a Martin Luther King Day march here, Jan 21, for “Jobs, Justice, and Housing.” The event was organized by Occupy the Hood and Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change.

Minneapolis, MN – As the struggle over immigration reform looms in Washington D.C., immigrant rights activists in Minnesota are pressing their senators and representatives to support genuine, progressive immigration reform. Activists are telling lawmakers to not compromise with anti-immigrant politicians, who will try to include repressive measures in immigration reform legislation. On Jan. 16, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc) organized a call-in day targeting Senator Al Franken and Representative Keith Ellison. In addition to calling, people also sent messages to the politicians on their websites and tweeted a common message to them.

Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 12, immigrant rights activists protested outside the Hennepin County jail, demanding that Sheriff Stanek stop using the jail as a deportation machine. More people are deported from the Hennepin County jail than from any other jail in the state.

Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Welfare Rights Committee and others gathered here, Jan. 6, to make signs and banners for the major Jan. 8 protest that will demand, “Raise the welfare grants; no more cuts; tax the rich.”

Minneapolis, MN – About 75 people rallied here Dec. 8, the weekend before International Human Rights Day, to say no to the U.S. using human rights to justify wars and sanctions.

Chuck D, Brother Ali lead anniversary celebration

Minneapolis, MN – 200 community members successfully took over a vacant home in South Minneapolis the night of Dec. 6, for a veteran made homeless by foreclosure. They are demanding that the house be turned over to community control through a nonprofit, as the Occupy Homes movement marked its first birthday. Internationally renowned hip-hop artists Brother Ali and Chuck D of Public Enemy led the anniversary celebration.

Minneapolis, MN – 100 people rallied here, Nov. 24, despite frigid temperatures, to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. “While it is good that there is a cease fire in Gaza, it is important to be here today because we need to protest the Israeli occupation itself because until Palestine is free there will be more offensives like Operation Pillar. As the U.S. anti-war movement we need to keep demanding an end to U.S. military aid because U.S. money is driving and financing the Israeli occupation,” said the Anti-War Committee’s Meredith Aby in her speech to the crowd.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people, mostly Latino, marched through the Latino community today to encourage people to vote no on the Voter ID amendment and the anti-gay marriage amendment. The two proposed amendments to the state constitution will be on the Minnesota ballot Nov. 6. They are proposed and promoted by the right wing. Polls are very close for both amendments, so mobilizing people to turn out to vote against them is at a fevered pitch.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 175 people came to the event “Iran in the Crosshairs” on Oct. 19 to hear from anti-war activists and Congressman Keith Ellison (Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota) about how to stop the U.S. march to war.

Minneapolis, MN – The jury in the case of Mahamud Said Omar returned a guilty verdict on five terrorism related charges this afternoon, Oct. 18. Omar stands accused of helping the Somali resistance group al Shabab in its efforts to fight the U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. He faces life in prison.