St. Paul, MN – “In 2017, the Trump administration awarded Elbit a contract to work on the expansion of the Mexico border wall. Elbit System’s CEO has said that the company’s current growth can be attributed to increased U.S. border spending,” said Sarah Martin of Women Against Military Madness. “This last decade has seen the international community divesting from Elbit, including the Norwegian State Pension Fund, Danske Bank. Governor Walz, we Minnesotans refuse to continue to profit from pain, injustice and tragedy at the hands of Elbit. We want you to do what Norway and Denmark did. Divest now!”
St. Paul, MN – On August 24, protesters shut down a light rail train, blocked traffic and shut down the main entrance to the Minnesota State Fair. The protesters demanded justice for victims of killer cops, an end to ICE raids, concentration camps and family separation, and an end to deadly U.S. interventions and blockades against foreign countries. Trump supporters and racists heckled, filmed and attacked the protesters, but failed to block the protesters’ message, and no serious injuries occurred.
St. Paul, MN – On August 22, immigrant rights and Palestine solidarity activists presented over 1000 signatures of Minnesota residents petitioning the State Board of Investments (SBI) to divest state pension funds from the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Elbit sells cluster bombs and weaponized white phosphorus to the Israel Defense Forces, whose indiscriminate use on besieged Gaza has been widely condemned by international organizations. Elbit also manufactures surveillance equipment for the Israeli apartheid wall, and drones used in targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders.
St. Paul, MN – On August 19, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) held a press conference in the State Capitol in Saint Paul to a packed room, with an overflow of 100 people, on the human cost of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and travel restrictions.
St. Paul, MN – Activists and relatives of victims of police killings held a press conference in front of the state capitol, August 8. They marched into the capitol chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” and seized the governor’s office, chanting, giving speeches and demanding the governor follow through on his broken promise to meet with community members about police violence and take action.
Up to 500 people gathered at the state capitol building here, May 21, joining a national day of action in response to the new round of abortion restrictions and bans in Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Georgia. Chants of “Our bodies, our choice,” and “No more” echoed across the capitol complex.
St. Paul, MN – On March 15, the mother of Cordale Handy, members of the community and other families who lost loved ones to police violence gathered here to remember Cordale Handy, who was murdered by police on this date in 2017.
St. Paul, MN – On February 6 the Lake Street/Marshall bridge vigil focused on speaking out against U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Women Against Military Madness and Twin Cities Peace Campaign hold a weekly peace vigil on the Lake Street/Marshall Ave bridge over the Mississippi River.
St. Paul, MN – Thousands of people rallied at the State Capitol, January 19, as a part of the Women's March. Many joined in the marches today, in Saint Paul and around the country in their ongoing anger and outrage over the Trump administration’s continued attacks on women, reproductive rights, as well as the attacks on Muslims, immigrants and refugees.
St. Paul, MN – On Sept. 6, an ad hoc coalition of Black Lives Matter and anti-police crimes organizations held a protest vigil of almost 75 people at the Minnesota governor's mansion to speak out against the death of Hardel Sherrell. On Sept. 2, Hardel Sherrell died of an ‘unknown medical condition’ at the Beltrami County jail, after being held since August 24.
St. Paul, MN – About 25 people joined a peace vigil on Wednesday, April 18 in the Twin Cities to speak out against the U.S. attacks on Syria carried out last Friday evening.
St. Paul, MN — The Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness will hold a protest on March 30, 5 p.m., at the Summit and Snelling Avenues, in Saint Paul to mark Palestinian Land Day. Palestinians around the world will commemorate Land Day, a day in 1976 when Israeli military forces shot and killed six young Palestinians who were among thousands protesting the Israeli government’s expropriation of Palestinian land.
St. Paul, MN – Around 1000 union members and supporters held a rally at the state capitol building, Feb. 24, to defend union rights in the public sector, which are under attack from a right wing funded lawsuit intended to weaken the labor movement. The lawsuit is called Janus vs AFSCME. The goal of the lawsuit is to eliminate fair share fees in unionized public sector workplaces. Under current law, if the workers have organized, the union is required to spend resources representing every worker at that workplace even if they choose not to join the union. Because the union is required to spend members’ dues money representing those non-union workers, it has long been held that if a particular worker does not want to be part of the union they may choose not to, and instead of paying dues, that worker instead pays a fee for only the amount of money that the union spends representing them. This is called a “fair share” fee.
St. Paul, MN — By an overwhelming majority, members of the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers (SPFT) voted to authorize a strike Jan. 31. Approximately two-thirds of members voted at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Saint Paul. Of the votes, 82.0% of school and community service professionals, 89.5% of educational assistants, and 85.1% of teachers and licensed staff voted yes to authorize a strike.
St. Paul, MN — On Sept. 3, a coalition of immigrant rights, anti-war and anti-police terror community organizations held the #InjusticeOnAStick protest at Hamline Park here. The protest had over 100 people in attendance. After the rally protesters then marched down Snelling Avenue towards the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. This marked the third year that the Minnesota anti-police terror and Black Lives Matter movement has shut down the Minnesota State Fair.
St. Paul, MN – 20 people rallied in here July 21 to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Organized by Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) and the Anti-War Committee (AWC), the protest began with the echo of chants, “From the river to the sea; Palestine will be free,” and “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Aid to Israel has got to go!”
St. Paul, MN – A massive protest is underway at the Minnesota State Capitol building, tonight, June 16, in response to the not guilty verdict in the case of Philando Castile. Castile was killed by Saint Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez.
St. Paul, MN – A massive protest is underway at the Minnesota State Capitol building, tonight, June 16, in response to the not guilty verdict in the case of Philando Castile. Castile was killed by Saint Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez.
St Paul, MN – Hundreds of trade unionists, supporters of immigrant rights, and other progressives have been filling the halls of the Minnesota State Capitol building today, May 24, after a Republican move that placed a host of anti-worker and anti-immigrant measures in finance bills. At one point more than 100 protesters assembled outside the office of Governor Dayton chanting “Veto everything.”
St. Paul, MN – On the evening of May 23, dozens of members of Minnesota immigrant rights groups occupied Governor Mark Dayton’s office in the State Capitol indefinitely to demand that he veto SF 470 – the Public Safety Budget Bill – which was passed by the Republican House and Senate the previous day. The protesters are planning to stay all night or as long as it takes to get the governor to veto the bill.
