Welfare Rights Committee Hails Supreme Court Ruling on UnallotmentDemands Legislature Take Action for Poor and Working People

Today, the Minnesota Supreme Court made the right decision. They took away Governor Pawlenty’s “royal powers” over the state budget.

The Welfare Rights Committee’s Linden Gawboy stated, “Pawlenty thought he was a king. Now he is just pathetic.”

Last year, Governor Pawlenty played dictator with his illegal unallotments and other cuts. He put his personal whims into action and slashed away at some basic safety net programs for the poorest of the poor. He eliminated General Assistance Medical Care, food assistance for the ill and supplemental aid for the disabled. He increased taxes for renters and many cut from many other programs.

The members of the Welfare Rights Committee have felt the effects of all of his cuts to the poor. We have watched as ourselves, our families and friends are forced to scramble for basic needs.

So we hail today’s State Supreme Court decision. After witnessing months of suffering, it is long overdue.

Deb Konechne, of the Welfare Rights Committee says, “Pawlenty thought he could get away again with outright stealing of money from poor Minnesotans, as he has done over and over in his term as governor. Finally his thievery has been challenged and the highest court in the state has deemed his actions unlawful. We, the poor and working people of Minnesota, have always known Pawlenty is a thief. The Supreme Court has righteously agreed.”

Now, we demand justice from the legislature. Many democrats have not been stating what really needs to be done. The state of Minnesota has been in a budget crisis for almost a decade. The state of Minnesota and the rest of country are in the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Still, some – the wealthy – are not feeling our pain. In fact, they are getting richer off of our suffering. It is time for them to pay. We say, tax the rich. The DFL must take this opportunity to propose a budget to tax the rich and undo the cuts.

The Welfare Rights Committee will do whatever it takes to drive this message home to Minnesota’s politicians. The Supreme Court has spoken. Now it is up to the people to make sure the legislature and the governor do the right thing.

#MinneapolisMN #PoorPeoplesMovements #WelfareRightsCommittee #BudgetCrisis #TimPawlenty #unallotment

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.

The organizers of the April 26 protest in Minneapolis are building toward the May 1 protest for immigrant and workers’ rights, which will start at 2:00 p.m. at Martin Luther King Park at Nicollet Avenue and 41st Street in south Minneapolis. Organizers anticipate that the outrage produced by Arizona's new law will cause many more people to come out and march on May 1.

The April 26 protest responded to the new law in Arizona by targeting Minnesota's Governor Pawlenty, who has proposed many anti-immigrant laws. Pawlenty was speaking at the downtown Hilton hotel, at an event organized by the right-wing religious group, the Minnesota Family Council. The event was attended by national level Republican politicians like former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who was also anti-immigrant during his campaign.

Speakers at the protest included Nick Espinosa of MIRAc, Greg Nammacher of SEIU Local 26, Antonia Alvarez and Pablo Tapia from Asamblea de Derechos Civiles (Civil Rights Assembly), and the Reverends Loren McGrail and Luis Alvarenga of the Interfaith Coalition on Immigration.

The new Arizona law institutionalizes racial profiling, by mandating local law enforcement to check proof of citizenship of anyone they encounter who they think might be undocumented. So anyone who the police might think looks Latino must now carry their identity documents with them at all times or be immediately suspect and subject to police harassment and arrest. Many people have compared Arizona's new law to the Pass Laws in South Africa under apartheid. Those laws required Black South Africans to carry their pass books with them whenever they left their ‘designated’ areas. If they didn't produce a pass, they were subject to immediate arrest.

Ten other states are currently considering laws like the one passed in Arizona.

In his talk at the protest, Nick Espinosa of MIRAc said, “We cannot wait any longer for immigration reform. It's time for Obama to make good on his promises. With racist demagogues like Joe Arpaio terrorizing families and communities every day, we cannot wait. With John Morton of ICE asking for quotas to increase the numbers of deportations every day, we cannot wait...When states like Arizona pass unconstitutional laws reminiscent of Jim Crow, we need the community to come together and stand side by side, immigrants and citizens together, to demand the justice that's been denied to immigrants for so many years...In this moment of national outrage we can push for real, just reform. Not more repression, but legalization and equal rights for all human beings.”

The Minneapolis protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition (MIRAc), SEIU Local 26, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, FMLN Committee and Workers Interfaith Network.

#MinneapolisMN #FMLN #SEIULocal26 #MIRAc #TimPawlenty #SB1070 #Arizona #AsambleaDeDerechosCiviles #WorkersInterfaithNetwork #JanBrewer

St. Paul, MN – Governor 'Scrooge Pawlenty' was by visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future at his mansion here on Dec. 22. Said the ghost of Christmas future, “The people of Minnesota will continue to haunt you. They will expose your miserable actions if you continue to push your greedy, poor-bashing agenda. They will warn voters to block your ambitions if you try to spread your lies in a pathetic run for the presidency.”

The skit, based on Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol, was preformed as a part of a protest organized by the Welfare Rights Committee.

A statement from the Welfare Rights Committee noted, “Under Pawlenty's watch, the state of Minnesota has faced historic budget crises, yet the wealthiest have paid not one dime to help solve the budget deficits. Instead, Scrooge Pawlenty has butchered jobs, education, public services and programs for poor and working Minnesotans. On March 1, Pawlenty will single-handedly cut over 35,000 off of basic health care. To add insult to injury, Scrooge Pawlenty touts his miserable actions on a national scale in a run for Republican candidate for the presidency.”

#SaintPaulMN #PoorPeoplesMovements #WelfareRightsCommittee #TimPawlenty

Minneapolis, MN – El sábado 16 de febrero, más de 300 inmigrantes y personas que apoyan los derechos de los inmigrantes marcharon en la calle Lake a través del corazón de la comunidad latina. La gente llenó las calles con consignas de “sí se puede” y “Pawlenty escucha, estamos en la lucha!”

La marcha fue organizada por la Coalición de Acción por los derechos de los inmigrantes de Minnesota (MIRAc) en respuesta a las leyes antiinmigrantes propuestas recientemente por el gobernador Pawlenty. La marcha terminó con un foro en la iglesia Walker, en donde los manifestantes aprendieron un poco más sobre las propuestas antiinmigrantes y hablaron sobre cómo derrotarlas.

En enero el gobernador Pawlenty lanzó cinco propuestas antiinmigrantes. El también anunció cuatro “acciones ejecutivas” las cuales pueden tomar efecto sin aprobación legislativa. Las acciones ejecutivas son para que la policía sea entrenada en imponer las leyes de inmigración (Acuerdo “287g”), para que los futuros empleadores estatales y contratistas de más de $5.000 verifiquen la ciudadanía de sus empleados a través del sistema nacional de E-Verify, para que se haga una revisión de los datos de base de licencias de conducir de Minnesota y buscar posibles casos de fraude, y para que las cumbres de aplicación de leyes sean sostenidas para entrenar a que la policía se enfoque en identificar supuestas “actividades criminales” relacionadas con inmigrantes indocumentados.

Las propuestas de Pawlenty, por las que votará la legislatura, son para que criminalice las ordenanzas “ciudad santuario” en todo el estado de Minnesota; para multar con $5.000 a los negocios cada vez que “conociéndolo” contraten inmigrantes indocumentados; para incrementar las penalidades por “robo de identidad”; y para hacer que nuevas leyes que supuestamente identifican el tráfico humano pero que realmente identifica a los inmigrantes documentados.

Pawlenty no ha dicho de dónde se obtendrán los fondos para implementar las acciones ejecutivas. Los analistas han dicho que es poco probable que las propuestas legislativas sean aprobadas. Muchas personas se han dado cuenta que estas leyes son similares a las leyes antiinmigrantes que Pawlenty propuso en años electorales anteriores. Un manifestante sostenía un cartel que decía “No somos peones políticos” y muchos manifestantes denunciaron el patrón electorero de ataque contra los inmigrantes cada año de elecciones.

De acuerdo a Kristen Melby de MIRAc, “Pawlenty está haciendo esto como una táctica electorera pero, aún si ninguna de estas leyes son aprobadas, tienen un efecto real en la comunidad, esto crea un clima en el que los inmigrantes son el blanco. Si no protestamos en contra de estas propuestas darán lugar a más abuso y discriminación.”

En respuesta al E-Verify, parte de la propuesta del gobernador Pawlenty, Marco Dávila miembro de MIRAc comentó, “aunque estas propuestas no han pasado, muchas compañías están tomando la iniciativa de enviar cartas de seguro social ‘no match’ a sus empleados y han empezado a despedir trabajadores. Estas compañías no tienen la obligación legal de hacerlo – están siguiendo el mal liderazgo de políticos como Pawlenty.”

Las propuestas antiinmigrantes del gobernador Pawlenty en Minnesota se asemeja a los recientes ataques en otros estados como Arizona. Desde que la reforma migratoria comprensiva falló a nivel nacional el año pasado, el gobierno ha incrementado las redadas y deportaciones alrededor del país, las cuales están aterrorizando comunidades y dividiendo familias. Mientras tanto, las fuerzas antiinmigrantes han cambiado su enfoque tratando de aprobar leyes antiinmigrantes a niveles locales y estatales para tratar de acosar y hacerle la vida lo más difícil posible a los inmigrantes.

De acuerdo a William Martínez, quien dirigió las consignas durante la protesta, “el día estaba hermoso y era visible la unidad entre la comunidad inmigrante y aquellos que la apoyan y que marcharon ese día. Había trabajadores, estudiantes, maestros y muchos más que se juntaron para luchar en contra de los fuertes ataques antiinmigrantes del gobernador. Utilizaremos esta unidad para organizar una poderosa marcha el 1ro. de mayo. Continúa la lucha por los derechos de los inmigrantes en Minnesota y por la completa legalización e igualdad para todos los inmigrantes.”

#MinneapolisMN #News #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCoalitionMIRAc #TimPawlenty

Minneapolis, MN – More than 300 immigrants and immigrant rights supporters marched on Lake Street through the heart of the Latino community, Feb. 16. The people filled the streets with chants of, “Si se puede!” (Yes we can!) and, “Pawlenty, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” (Pawlenty, listen, we are in the struggle!).

The march was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition (MIRAc) in response to anti-immigrant laws recently proposed by Governor Pawlenty. The march ended with a forum at Walker Church, where the protesters learned more about the governor's anti-immigrant proposals and talked about how to defeat them.

In January Governor Pawlenty put forward five anti-immigrant proposals. He also declared four ‘executive actions’ which can take effect without legislative approval. The executive actions are for the police to be trained to enforce immigration laws (a ‘287g Agreement’); for new state employees and state contractors over $5,000 to verify their citizenship through the national E-Verify system; for a review to be done of the Minnesota’s drivers license database to look for cases of possible fraud; and for law enforcement summits to be held to train police to target supposed ‘criminal activity’ related to undocumented immigrants.

Pawlenty’s proposals that will be voted on by the legislature are to outlaw sanctuary city ordinances in Minnesota; to fine businesses $5,000 for every time they ‘knowingly’ hire undocumented immigrants; to increase penalties for ‘identity theft’; and to make new laws allegedly to target human trafficking but really targeting undocumented immigrants.

Pawlenty has not said where the funding will come from to implement his executive actions. And analysts have said it’s unlikely that the legislative proposals will pass. Many people have noted that these proposals are similar to the anti-immigrant laws Pawlenty proposed in previous election years. One protester held a sign that said, “We are not political pawns,” and many marchers denounced Gov. Pawlenty’s pattern of immigrant-bashing every election year.

According to Kristen Melby of MIRAc, “Pawlenty is doing this as an election-year tactic. But even if none of it passes it has a real effect on the community. It creates a climate where immigrants are targeted. If we don't speak out against these proposals it creates a slippery slope that just leads to more abuse and discrimination.”

Responding to the E-Verify part of Gov. Pawlenty's proposal, MIRAc member Marco Davila commented, “Even though these proposals have not passed, many companies are taking their own initiative to send out social security 'no match' letters to their employees and have begun to fire many workers. These companies have no legal obligation to do so – they are following the poor leadership of politicians like Pawlenty.”

Gov. Pawlenty's anti-immigrant proposals in Minnesota mirror similar recent attacks on immigrants in other states such as Arizona. Since comprehensive immigration reform legislation failed on the national level last year the government has increased raids and deportations around the country, which are terrorizing immigrant communities and dividing families. Meanwhile anti-immigrant forces have shifted their focus to trying to pass anti-immigrant laws on the state and local levels to try to harass and make life as difficult as possible for immigrants.

According to William Martinez, who led chants during the protest, “The day was beautiful and unity was visible among the immigrant community and supporters who marched. There were workers, students, teachers and many more that came together to struggle against the governor’s immigrant bashing. We will build on this to organize a powerful march on May 1. The struggle continues for immigrant rights in Minnesota and for full legalization and equality for all immigrants.”

#MinneapolisMN #Minneapolis #News #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCoalitionMIRAc #TimPawlenty