Tallahassee, FL – On February 18, the Tallahassee City Commission’s meeting marked a win for organizers, who were allowed to wield signs protesting the city’s collaboration with ICE in defiance of the commission’s attempts to repress them. At the previous meeting in January, the city commission and Tallahassee Police Department tried to illegally confiscate the signs of attendees, and conservative Mayor John Dailey ended the meeting early when they refused to comply.

Even though the city commission only gives each attendee three minutes to speak, the huge crowd that packed the January 14 meeting still managed to talk to the commission for almost three hours about the overwhelming public opposition to TPD’s 287(g) agreement with ICE and the city’s decision to sell land containing the unmarked graves of enslaved people to a notoriously racist country club. That should have taught Mayor Dailey that the city needed to listen to the people of Tallahassee, but instead he decided the problem was letting the public speak at all.

At the start of February’s meeting, the commission voted to limit public comment to 30 minutes, only hearing the first ten speakers who sign up, even though public comment comes at the end of a full day of meetings. To make sure that you can speak to the city commission, you now have to show up at 2 or 3 p.m. on a Wednesday, in the middle of the workday, and sit through hours of bureaucracy until around 6 p.m. to be allowed to talk. This effectively bans working-class people from being heard by their city government and represents a clear escalation in the struggle between the commission’s conservative majority and Tallahassee’s growing immigrant rights movement.

Organizers and community members continued to stand up to the commission’s attacks on free speech. Residents hid 8.5 x 11 signs in their pockets denouncing the 287(g) agreement, pulling them out when speakers finally came up.

Mayor Dailey, shaken by the presence of journalists in the room, was forced to back down and allow the signs rather than threaten to arrest attendees again for expressing their anger with the city’s inaction. Visibly exasperated, he tried to play this weakness off as generosity, saying that these signs were “fine, because they’re a regular sheet of paper.” Speakers wasted no time in calling out his hypocrisy, pointing out that the signs hadn’t changed at all – what had changed was the unpopularity of the city’s repressive tactics.

“We’ve seen an outpouring of civic participation in local government. In a city this small, you guys should be excited to see this level of participation if you cared about democracy,” said Joelle Nuñez, president of the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance. “But instead your response to people being upset at what you’re doing is to keep pushing more unpopular measures to restrict free speech. We’re trying to open the gates for people to participate, and you’re here actively shutting them. We want a public town hall to talk about 287(g), where we have more than 30 minutes to speak, and we want y’all to listen to us. That’s all.”

Nonprofit founder Stanley Sims, a longtime critic of the commission, pointed out that at a previous meeting a group of white suburbanites had been allowed to bring much larger signs without pushback to protest a planned gas station in their neighborhood, yet the government was silencing citizens who were concerned about issues predominantly affecting Black and Latino people.

Commissioners seemed willing to waver on the 30-minute speaking time limit, at least while the cameras were rolling. Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, a progressive and Dailey’s main competitor in the race for mayor, pressured the conservative majority into relenting and giving all of the registered speakers for this meeting their three minutes.

Commissioner Jack Porter, another progressive, proposed a resolution to revisit the time limit in a public meeting, denouncing the fact that the previous decision was made behind closed doors without public input. This time the conservatives stood their ground, and Commissioners Diane Williams-Cox and Curtis Richardson joined Mayor Dailey in voting the resolution down, citing the same tired complaints about “decorum” that they used to justify shutting down the last meeting.

Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, replied, “I’m so tired of the word ‘decorum’, that word that’s just used as an excuse to repress the community. You get to be isolated from the problems that people are facing, but the people who are being murdered by ICE and the people in Tallahassee who are watching graves being built over don’t have time for ‘decorum’ in their lives.”

Pierre continued, “Banning public comment isn't a sign of strength – it’s a sign of your internal weakness. It's a sign that you know that people will show up again and again to call you out because you represent the interests of the Trump administration in Tallahassee, and it’s time that everybody knows about it.”

TIRA will join other community organizations on International Women’s Day, March 8, to march for justice for immigrant women. For more information, visit TIRA’s pages on Facebook or Instagram (@tlh_ira).

#TallahasseeFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CityCouncil #TIRA #TCAC

Minneapolis, MN – At their April 25 meeting, the Minneapolis city council passed an honorary resolution recognizing May 1 as International Workers Day and highlighting the struggle for immigrant and workers’ rights. The resolution was presented by Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai together with Councilmembers Aurin Chowdhury and Jason Chavez.

Members of several unions and immigrant rights organizations that have organized marches on May 1 over the years in Minneapolis were present to receive the resolution. This included members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Minnesota Workers United, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, COPAL, CTUL, Minnesota Immigrant Movement, as well as members of the Ironworkers and Teamsters unions. 

Here is the text of the resolution passed by the Minneapolis city council:

Whereas: Around the world May 1 is celebrated as International Workers Day – in over 60 countries it is a holiday to recognize struggles for workers’ rights; and

Whereas: May 1 was first celebrated in the United States in 1886 as part of the struggle for the eight-hour workday, and hundreds of thousands of workers across the country went on strike to demand better working conditions and shorter hours; and

Whereas: Many of the workers who struggled for the eight-hour workday in 1886 were immigrant and Black workers among others who had been previously excluded from the actions around labor and faced repression, discrimination, and violence; and

Whereas: May 1st celebrations returned to Minneapolis in 2006 because of the dedicated work done by the immigrant rights movement to counter discrimination and human rights violations against immigrants at the national level and strengthen relationship between organized labor and immigrant workers; and

Whereas: The Minneapolis City Council passed resolutions in 2007 (2007R-218) and 2009 (2009R-181) recognizing the growing immigrant and workers’ rights rallies in Minneapolis on May 1, which have continued annually through the present year; and

Whereas: Minneapolis has a long history of immigrant and workers’ rights advocates coming together in the spirit of solidarity; and

Whereas: Immigrants, workers, and their families are an essential and valued component of our Minneapolis community; and

Whereas: Labor unions and the historic and present advocacy of working people has resulted in economic, social, and political transformation for the dignity of all people here in Minneapolis and around the world;

—NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED—

That the Mayor and City Council do hereby recognize May 1, 2024, as International Workers Day in recognition of immigrant and workers’ rights.

This year on May 1 in Minneapolis, a coalition of more than 30 immigrant rights organizations, unions, and social justice organizations are planning to march for immigrant and workers’ rights. They will gather at 5 p.m. at the corner of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, outside of the former MPD Third Precinct, and the march will begin at 5:30 p.m.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #MayDay #MayDay2024 #CityCouncil #MIRAC #MNWU #Teamsters #COPAL #CTUL

St. Paul, MN – The Saint Paul city council unanimously passed a ceasefire resolution at their meeting on March 6. Councilmember Cheniqua Johnson introduced the ceasefire resolution in front of a packed chamber. The resolution calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an end to unconditional U.S. aid to Israel, the release of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners, and facilitation of the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

With passage, Saint Paul is the fifth Minnesota city to pass a ceasefire resolution, following Minneapolis, Columbia Heights, Hastings and Moorhead. However, the wording is not as progressive as the Minneapolis resolution, which is being held up nationally as being groundbreaking for calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

Elizabeth McLister was in the chamber during passage, “ I'm grateful that another city council has passed a ceasefire resolution. I'm proud of the hard work that facilitated this achievement. But this move needn't have taken so long and the resolution that wound up passing should have been Yang's more principled draft. As a Saint Paul resident, I won't soon forget that Nelsie Yang was the solitary conscientious voice within a body of supposedly forward-thinking elected officials – a body that thwarted attempts at transparency, collaboration and accountability at every step and finally relented for fear of bad optics.” McLister, a Saint Paul resident, is a member of the MN Anti-War Committee and MN Families for Palestine.

Supporters from the Free Palestine Coalition attended weekly city council meetings and participated in call-in days for a month to pressure the council to take action. At last week’s meeting, Councilmember Nelsie Yang tried to introduce a ceasefire resolution but she was stopped by Council President Mitra Jalali, who abruptly ended the meeting. The Free Palestine Coalition had been working closely with Yang to get a resolution introduced.

Sarah Martin, a member of Women Against Military Madness and the Free Palestine Coalition explained, “Despite being an all women, young, progressive council representing many oppressed nationality communities, all but one were reluctant and resistant to passing a resolution and refused to meet and collaborate with the Free Palestine Coalition. We gave them a version modeled on the strong progressive Minneapolis resolution with the addition of the costs to the community of the U.S. support of the Israeli genocide. Councilwoman Nelsie Yang, daughter of Hmong refugees, worked closely with us. In the end, the council bowed to the community pressure and passed a watered down version of the resolution we wanted.”

The Free Palestine Coalition’s next action is to march in Saint Paul on March 9 for International Women’s Day.

#StPaulMN #TwinCitiesMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNAWC #WAMM #MNFPC #CityCouncil #Ceasefire

Columbia Heights, MN – On Monday, February 26, the city council of Columbia Heights voted 4-1 to pass a resolution calling for an end to Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza. The Columbia Heights community packed the room, as it did at a previous city council meeting to provide public comment and encourage the council to vote in favor of the resolution.

The Columbia Heights resolution is just one example of a wave of historic resolutions adopted by cities across the country. Minneapolis has passed the most progressive ceasefire resolution in the U.S., which calls for an end not only to the genocide in Gaza, but also to all military aid to Israel. Columbia Heights’ resolution cites the International Court of Justice’s ruling against Israel and demands an immediate halt of all weapons shipments that may be used in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The Free Palestine Coalition, a Twin Cities-based coalition of Palestine activist groups like the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, American Muslims for Palestine-MN; Faculty, Librarians, Alumni, Graduate Students, and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FLAGS-JP), and many others, organized several call-in campaigns and turned out community members to city council meetings to make an impact on the council.

Brandon Veal, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, states, “All of [the council members’] statements focused on how this was very much a local issue. Many of the members pointed out that they received more calls and emails from members of the community about this issue than any other as long as they’ve been on the council.”

Veal continued, “As the final vote was made, the crowd erupted in applause for the successfully passed resolution. There were many moments of warm embraces from community members. Both the meeting two weeks ago and Monday’s felt like times of collective grieving and healing. At the previous meeting, community members stepped up to the podium one by one to express why this resolution was so important to them, something that went on for nearly three hours.”

Over 70 cities across the U.S. have now passed resolutions demanding a ceasefire. The Free Palestine Coalition is currently campaigning to get a similar resolution passed in Saint Paul. Dr. Sima Shakhsari, a member of FLAGS-JP, stated “It was heartwarming and refreshing to see the Columbia Heights city council take the time to listen to their constituents and vote for a ceasefire. As a Saint Paul resident, I hope that my city council members join Columbia Heights and stand on the right side of history by voting to stop this genocide.”

#ColumbiaHeightsMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire #MNAWC #AMP #FPC #SJP

St. Paul, MN – On February 27, over 100 students rallied on Macalester College campus, followed by a march to the high-traffic intersection of Snelling and Summit Avenues, to demand that Saint Paul city council take a stand and pass a ceasefire resolution.

At the intersection the students chanted, “City council you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!” at rush hour traffic, with a dozen supporters who joined off the street.

Minneapolis, Saint Paul’s neighboring city, passed one of the most progressive ceasefire resolutions in the country on February 8, calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Despite this, Saint Paul city council has shown considerable resistance to even introducing a ceasefire resolution, which has already been written by a coalition of local organizations, to be voted on.

Despite the hundreds of calls from supporters of a ceasefire resolution and Palestine activists packing the city council meetings for weeks, so far only city council member Nelsie Yang has agreed to introduce and support a ceasefire resolution.

The protest was led by a coalition of student activist groups from across the local colleges and universities, including Mac for Palestine, St Kate’s Student’s for Justice in Palestine (SJP), University of Minnesota SDS and SJP, as well as students from Hamline University and Augsburg College.

A senior at Macalester college and a member of Mac for Palestine, spoke to the crowd, saying “If we cannot convince those who hold positions of power to act on their humanity alone, we must wield our collective power as students to act as an organized front against institutional complicity in genocide.”

Mac for Palestine’s main focus currently is pushing Saint Paul city council for a ceasefire resolution, having marched students to join Women Against Military Madness’ weekly rallies for Palestine every Friday for the past several months.

Emily Chu of UMN SDS, stated “It is our moral obligation to resist the imperialist, war-mongering machinations of our government and say no more to the genocide that has taken the lives of over 30,000 Palestinians.”

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #SDS #SJP #CityCouncil #Ceasefire

St. Paul, MN – On February 21, the Free Palestine Coalition organized their Saint Paul supporters to pack the Saint Paul city council meeting for the third week in a row to show support for their passage of a ceasefire resolution.

When Palestine solidarity activists tried to speak during the public comment section they were told that their comments were not on topic and that they had to stop talking.

When Council President Mitra Jalali cut off Sana Wazwaz and said that there would not be any consideration of a ceasefire resolution, the chamber erupted with chants like “Saint Paul council you can't hide, help us stop this genocide!”

Eventually Jalali called for a recess and the entire city council, except for Council Member Nelsie Yang, who stayed to hear speeches of support from the public for a ceasefire. Yang is the only council member who has agreed to introduce and vote for a ceasefire resolution.

Even though similar ceasefire resolutions have passed in city councils in Minneapolis, Hastings, and 70 cities across the United States, six of the seven Saint Paul council members are blocking even the proposal of such a resolution.

After stopping the meeting, the Free Palestine Coalition held a press conference in front of Saint Paul City Hall where residents spoke out in favor of a ceasefire resolution.

Kent Mori is a Ward 4 resident, a member of the Climate Justice Committee and a longtime Palestine supporter who spoke to the crowd after the meeting: “We’ve been told that the issue is too complex, complicated, too this, too that, for a ceasefire resolution in Saint Paul. Well, I’m here to say, it’s simple. Do you support the mass murder in Gaza that is being perpetrated by Genocide Joe, other Democratic Party officials like Amy Klobuchar and the Israeli regime? Or do you support the Palestinian people, the overwhelming majority of the people across the world, indeed, the majority of the American people in a just demand for a ceasefire?”

Deb Konechne, a Ward 1 resident and member of AFSCME Local 34, also spoke to the crowd, addressing the irony that they are trying to persuade Saint Paul’s first all-female city council to take action, “ I have heard that members of my city council say that this is not their issue, that they don’t deal with international issues, that this is not a local issue. Since when, as women, as mothers, as humanitarians did we stop caring about the plight of women and children anywhere in the world? When did we become so shallow, so limited that we can put on blinders to ignore the atrocities, the maiming, the murder of tens of thousands, the majority of whom are women and children?”

Other speakers included Saint Paul residents Brad Sigal with the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee; Lana Barkawi with Mizna; Max Vast, president of AFSCME 3800; Ashraf Ashkar with MN Break the Bonds, and Dr. Sima Shakhsari, a University of Minnesota professor.

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNAWC #MNFreePalestineCoalition #CityCouncil #Ceasefire

St. Paul, MN – On February 9, 60 activists rallied at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Free Palestine bannering to celebrate the historic victory in Minneapolis, On February 8, the Minneapolis city council voted to override the mayor's veto and passed the strongest ceasefire resolution in the country, which included a demand for the U.S. to end aid to Israel. Activists at the rally vowed to continue the work for a similar resolution in Saint Paul. The Saint Paul campaign began this week with a large rally at the Saint Paul City Hall and by packing the city council meeting the next day.

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire #WomensMovement #WeekOfAction4Palestine

Tacoma, WA – A group of about 30 people disrupted the Tacoma city council meeting Tuesday, February 6, demanding the city issue a statement of support to the Palestinian people and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

The crowd gathered outside the Tacoma Municipal Building as the council meeting was beginning inside. Demonstrators chanted “Gaza Gaza you will rise, Palestine will never die!” and “Israel bombs, USA pays, How many kids were killed today?” while informational fliers were handed out. The fliers highlighted how over $300 billion in U.S. aid has been sent to Israel since 1948, and that money has been used to kill hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Of those killed in these attacks, 40% were children.

Demonstrator Cosmo Cali described the importance of this fight, saying “These are people's lives. These people have dreams. These people have children. These people have fears, and they are human, they have blood in their bodies, they are living breathing beings who have come here to exist not to be murdered and destroyed.”

Amira White, another demonstrator, pointed out that the city has “been silent about a lot of things. And honestly, it’s all about the power of the community at this point to continue to speak up and raise awareness.”

The crowd then moved into the council meeting. They marched to the front of the meeting, and in a call-and-response style chant made their demands to the crowded room. Mayor Victoria Woodards called a recess, and the majority of council members left the chambers – except the newly elected city council member Jamika Scott. She stayed to hear out the community's demands for a statement of support to Palestine. “Stop bombing Gaza” echoed through the municipal building as the demonstrators then marched back outside.

Once outside, community members rallied and gave speeches, many of which discussed other upcoming actions in Tacoma. This disruption was part of a week of action called by U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression. As part of this, there were several more events planned in Tacoma and Seattle including a banner drop and a road blockade later that week.

White also linked the genocide in Gaza to other struggles for liberation around the globe, stating, “It's happening here in the United States, it's happening in the Congo, Sudan, Palestine. It’s happening everywhere. And that’s what this country was based on in the first place – genocide and stealing land.”

The connection between the genocide of the indigenous people in the U.S. and Palestine was a common theme. Apo Skye Cyr described their feelings, saying “I feel angry, and ashamed of this country. As an indigenous person I am furious, frankly, that this country was stolen from my ancestors and abused to the point where now it’s happening again.” They described the connection between Israel and the U.S., “The Israeli people really want to ‘be indigenous’- they want to pretend they’re the original people of the land. But if they did care about the land they wouldn’t be destroying olive trees that were hundreds of years old. And like the same thing happened here, colonizers wanted to be from this land but if they really loved it they wouldn’t have slaughtered the bison. They wouldn't have cut the trees. They wouldn’t have destroyed all of our food systems that we had along walking trails. They wouldn’t have destroyed all the knowledge that let us live in harmony with the land. If they really were from here and really cared they wouldn’t have fucked it up.”

As the sun set, the crowd began to disperse, some even preparing for future Palestine actions by borrowing megaphones, walkie talkies, and other equipment. At time of writing, the city of Tacoma has not responded to the community’s demands. Many people do not find this surprising.

“I do say fuck Israel.” Cyr went on to say, “Colonization is the same everywhere. It relies on the same foundation of abuse of power. It’s just another instance of it that needs to be put down.”

#TacomaWA #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #Feature #CityCouncil #WeekOfAction4Palestine

Minneapolis, MN – The Minneapolis city council voted, February 8, to override Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of their ceasefire resolution.

Palestinians and Palestine solidarity activists are celebrating the victory across the country. They are excited that Minneapolis is joining cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Detroit in calling for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Palestine.

Sana Wazwaz, a leader with American Muslims for Palestine-MN, explains the significance of the vote, “Our victory signals a radical shift in what is considered acceptable criticism of Israel. We are the first city in the U.S. to pass a resolution to call for a complete end to U.S. aid to Israel; a measure that was once ‘too radical’ is now becoming normalized. Minneapolis has broken that barrier, and we believe that our city will set the precedent for cities across the U.S. to continue pushing that boundary, for language to become more and more progressive. To override Mayor Frey's veto is to send the message that principles win over politics – that Minneapolis stuck to their strong language, and didn't back down despite pressure to conform to ceasefire resolution norms.”

Meredith Aby, an activist with the Anti-War Committee, explains the next steps for the Free Palestine Coalition: “We have started attending Saint Paul city council meetings and pressuring them to join Minneapolis in calling for a ceasefire and an end to the U.S. support for genocide in Palestine. We want to keep this momentum growing so that we can end U.S. aid to Israel.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire #MNAWC #AMPMN

St. Paul, MN – 200 people packed the Saint Paul city council meeting on February 7 to send a message to the city council that the residents of Saint Paul want them to take a stand against genocide.

Their signs stressed the importance of Saint Paul having a ceasefire resolution. The signs read, “Take a stand against genocide” and “Palestine is a local issue!” All of the signs also demanded, “Pass a ceasefire resolution now!”

The action at the city council meeting was the culmination of a weeklong call-in campaign to the council members. The day before, the Free Palestine Coalition held a rally outside Saint Paul City Hall with 300 people attending. The Free Palestine Coalition organized the attendance at the city council meeting and the rally to not only raise awareness but to make sure the city council knows that there is support for ceasefire resolutions, including ending the aid to Israel.

Because of the large crowd presence, at the end of the meeting, Council President Mitra Jalali had to acknowledge them.

The Free Palestine Coalition plans to continue the campaign until the city council passes a ceasefire resolution that includes the ending aid to Israel. The Free Palestine Coalition just won an important victory in Minneapolis with their ceasefire resolution passing, and the coalition plans to keep the momentum going now with the other Twin City.

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palesine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire

Minneapolis, MN – On February 1, 400 people gathered across from the Minneapolis City Hall to protest Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of the ceasefire resolution that the Minneapolis city council had passed the previous week.

The Free Palestine Coalition organized the protest to urge the city council to override Frey’s veto. The original resolution passed with nine votes, enough to override the mayor’s veto if all nine stay united behind the original resolution.

Protesters chanted, “Ceasefire, let it pass! Put your veto in the trash” and “Mayor Frey, Mayor Frey – how many children need to die?” outside Minneapolis City Hall for over an hour as rush hour traffic drove through downtown.

Speakers from Jewish Voice for Peace – Twin Cities, American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar all spoke to the need for the city council to override the mayor’s veto. They praised the resolution for being the only one in the country so far to call for an end to U.S. aid to Israel, which facilitates genocidal attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

In Mayor Frey’s veto message, he claimed the ceasefire resolution was “one-sided” and “uplifts the history of Palestinians, and all but erases that of Israeli Jews.”

Trent Fast, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, said he came to the protest to send a message to the mayor and the city council. “I came out tonight because Mayor Frey's moral compass appears to be non-existent,” Fast said.

Fast continued, “If he wants to discuss Israel's ‘history,’ I invite him to read about the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which literally stated the British government's desire to establish a national home for Jewish people in Palestine. I invite him to read about the Nakba of 1948 and the atrocities inflicted on innocent Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army, as documented by Israeli author and historian Ilan Pappe in his book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. I invite him to consider that Israel exists solely as a vassal for American taxpayer funded racist terror in the Middle East, in the name of resource accumulation and geopolitical control. Once he comes to terms with these things, then maybe we can talk seriously about Israel's ‘history’. The city council needs to put Mayor Frey's shameful ignorance on full display by standing on the right side of history and overriding his veto next week.”

On January 31, Chicago passed a ceasefire resolution. When the Minneapolis city council overrides the mayor’s veto, Minneapolis will become the 47th city in the U.S. to pass a ceasefire resolution. The city council is expected to take the override vote on Thursday, February 8.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire #MNAWC

Chicago, IL – The Palestinian community and their movement allies won an historic vote January 31. With 500 protesters crowded into City Hall, the Chicago city council passed a ceasefire resolution, becoming the largest city in the country to have done so.

The vote was extremely close: 24 to 23. In fact, the vote among council members ended in a tie – 23 to 23. Mayor Brandon Johnson broke the tie. He forecast his courageous action after last week’s city council meeting when he said to the press, referring to the genocide in Gaza, “The killing has to stop. So, yes, we need a ceasefire,” Johnson said.

The resolution is also much stronger than many passed in other cities. It was presented as an Expression of Support for United Nations Resolution 377 known as “Uniting for Peace.” Adopted overwhelmingly by the UN General Assembly, it calls for an immediate ceasefire. It reports the toll of Palestinians by the Israeli military: the number killed, including that it’s a majority women and children; as well as the tens of thousands wounded. It describes the destruction of hospitals, schools, places of worship, and homes in Gaza. It also recounts the level of political support for the ceasefire demand across the U.S.

On the other hand, the Zionists and their allies in the city council pointed out several times that this resolution would go against the policy of President Biden in his total support for Israel’s war.

Protest works, and elections make a difference

Hundreds of Palestinians and their supporters have been showing up in City Hall for the past three months. First, they came out to oppose a Zionist resolution that regurgitated the Israeli lies against the Palestinian resistance. Then ceasefire resolutions started to be presented in November.

Frank Chapman, field organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, speaking in the hallway before the vote today, said, “We’ve come down to support this ceasefire resolution, put forward by Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez. We believe we’re going to win this resolution. We’re proud of the fact that the mayor of our city has come out in favor of a ceasefire.

“But more than that, according to the recent decision by the International Court of Justice, our government is engaged in a criminal enterprise with Israel. In other words, Netanyahu and Joe Biden are war criminals. In fact, we should change Joe Biden’s name to Genocide Joe Butcher Biden.

“It’s very important that Chicago, with the largest Palestinian population in the U.S., come out decisively for stopping genocide!” Chapman concluded.

The resolution was put forward by Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez and Alderman Daniel La Spata to call for an end to Israel’s military onslaught against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

When the crowd of Palestinian youth waiting on the first floor of City Hall heard the news of the victory, and that it had been a tie broken by the mayor, they erupted into the chant, “We will free Palestine! In our lifetime!”

The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and the Coalition for Justice in Palestine held a rally after the city council victory across the street in Daley Plaza, featuring the sponsors of the resolution.

Hatem Abudayyeh, USPCN national chair, expressed thanks, naming “Rodriguez-Sanchez, La Spata, and a number of other champions of the resolution and of our community, including Alders Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Jessie Fuentes, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Jeanette Taylor, and of course, Mayor Brandon Johnson.”

Abudayyeh added, “We would not have been able to win this battle without each and every one of them, and now we move onward to use this victory as inspiration to continue demanding that Genocide Joe Biden stop supporting the genocide against our people.”

All of these elected officials have come into office since 2015, as a result of the united front of labor and Black and Latino community movement forces that began to emerge in Chicago in 2010. The election of Brandon Johnson, a veteran of the Chicago Teachers Union, is the most recent and highest office reached by this movement. Now the movement has stepped on to new territory with this resolution against a key feature of U.S. imperialist strategy.

This also portends a major struggle as the Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago August 19-22. Protests are already being planned by a coalition that includes CAARPR, USPCN, and other organizations.

#ChicagoIL #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #USPCN #BrandonJohnson #CityCouncil #Ceasefire

Minneapolis, MN – With hundreds of Palestine supporters packing the city council’s meeting room and the hallway outside for the third time in recent weeks, on January 25 the Minneapolis city council voted to pass a Palestine resolution that’s more progressive than most others around the country.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who opposed the resolution, attended the city council meeting to make an impassioned plea to council members to reject the resolution and instead pass a watered-down substitute resolution brought forward at the last minute by Councilmember Linea Palmisano.

But council members rejected Mayor Frey’s attempt to derail the stronger resolution they had worked on together with grassroots organizations. They voted down Palmisano’s resolution by a vote of 8-4, with one abstention.

After voting that down, they voted to pass the original, stronger resolution by a vote of 9-3, with one abstention.

Now Mayor Frey has five days to decide whether to veto the resolution. If the nine council members who voted for the resolution all stand firm, they would have enough votes to override a veto by Mayor Frey.

After the resolution passed, Palestine supporters celebrated with chants of “Free Palestine!” and held an impromptu rally downstairs from the council chamber. When the council meeting ended, the crowd cheered loudly for the council members who voted for the resolution as they came down the escalator to join them.

Increasing numbers of cities around the country are passing resolutions calling on the Biden administration to advocate for a ceasefire to stop the carnage in Gaza.

The language in the Minneapolis resolution goes further than most other cities’ resolutions in not only calling for a “full, immediate, and permanent ceasefire”, but also calling for an end to U.S. military funding to the state of Israel and for the release of thousands of Palestinians held indefinitely without cause and trial in Israeli military prisons. It also uses the word “genocide” and refers to the 75-year displacement of Palestinians, the unlawful settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the 17-year blockade of Gaza.

The Free Palestine Coalition organized a campaign to press the city council to pass a strong resolution, which generated thousands of calls and emails to council members.

For the next step in the campaign, organizers announced plans on social media for an upcoming rally celebrating the city council’s decision to pass the resolution.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #CityCouncil #MNAWC #Feature

Chicago, IL – Over 300 supporters of the movements for Black and Palestinian liberation showed up to the Wednesday, January 24, Chicago city council meeting.

Organizers spoke in favor of a resolution put forth by Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez and Daniel La Spata calling for a ceasefire in Palestine, and against a Fraternal Order of Police-backed decision to send even the most severe cases of police misconduct to arbitration where they could be handled with no public oversight.

“The same tools used to oppress Palestinians in Palestine are also used to oppress Black and brown people in the U.S.,” said Third Police District Councilor Anthony Bryant, explaining the connection between the two struggles at the press conference outside City Hall before the council meeting.

Neither vote was decided on Wednesday. The arbitration decision was pushed to next month’s meeting after being referred to the labor and workforce committee. The Palestine resolution will be heard next week in a special meeting. The date and time have yet to be announced.

The participation of the Palestinian community and their supporters in this meeting is a part of an ongoing international campaign to stop the genocide in Gaza. Protesters in Chicago, led by the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and the Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP), have shut down roads, highways, airports, stores and meetings of elected officials on a weekly basis since the beginning of Al Aqsa Flood and the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide.

These persistent actions have resulted in Brandon Johnson becoming the first mayor of a large major U.S. city to call for a ceasefire.

“It is disappointing that the city council has not yet voted for a ceasefire amidst the horrific war crimes against humanity committed by the settler colonial state of Israel against the Palestinian people,” Omar Al-Yemeni, a member of USPCN, said during the public comments section of the city council meeting. “Our Palestinian, Arab, Black and brown communities ask you to ignore those who publicly say that they want to delay and kill the resolution, and instead be on the right side of history.”

“There’s no vote on ceasefire today because of a very cynical, dishonest and frankly disgusting move by some members of the city council who continue to try to criminalize and stigmatize our liberation movement by claiming that it’s insensitive to vote for a ceasefire resolution on the same day as Holocaust remembrance day, ” Hatem Abudayyeh, National Chair of USPCN, said.

“On the contrary, it is an affront to all people of conscience in Chicago to postpone this discussion and vote when over 25,000 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children, have already been killed by Israeli bombs, missiles and occupation forces.” Abudayyeh continued.

A resolution to recognize Holocaust Remembrance Day passed with no opposition. However, members of the public objected to comments from Zionist council members conflating the Palestinian resistance fighters with Nazis. Zionist Alderwoman Debra Silverstein’s use of the phrase “never again” drew jeers from the audience who were there to oppose the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

“When we say ‘never again,’ we have to mean never again for everyone, everywhere in the world,” said Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, summing up the thoughts expressed by many in the crowd during his comments on the resolution.

“The Zionists tried to kill the ceasefire resolution in committee, then in the full city council, but they can’t stop the mass movement,” said Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). “Black and brown communities are united in standing firmly with Palestine against the genocide. As long as we continue to fight, we will win.”

“The killing has to stop, so yes we need a ceasefire,” Mayor Johnson said during a press conference after the meeting. “I wouldn’t be mayor of the city of Chicago if people weren’t pushing the government to recognize people’s humanity and what liberation means for people groups and nations. So in this instance people should be liberated. And I hope other people follow suit if the city council is in agreement with my particular position.”

#ChicagoIL #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #USPCN #BrandonJohnson #CityCouncil #NAARPR

Minneapolis, MN – With hundreds of Palestine supporters packing the meeting room and the hallway outside, on January 23 the Minneapolis City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 9-3 (with one abstention) to pass a Palestine ceasefire resolution.

The next step January 25, for a full council for a final vote.

The committee voted in favor of eight amendments to the original resolution, all of which clarified or strengthened the resolution.

If the nine council members who voted for the resolution in committee all stand firm, they would have enough votes to override a potential veto from Mayor Jacob Frey, who has publicly criticized the resolution.

The Free Palestine Coalition has organized a campaign to press the city council to pass a strong resolution. They’ve generated thousands of emails and calls to councilmembers. The coalition also organized a large rally outside City Hall the Saturday before the vote.

Increasing numbers of cities around the country are passing resolutions calling on the Biden administration to advocate for a ceasefire to stop the carnage in Gaza. The language in the Minneapolis resolution goes further than many that have passed in other cities.

While many cities’ resolutions start with October 7, the Minneapolis resolution puts the current events in historical context, saying, “Whereas, the ongoing bombardment in the Gaza Strip comes in the context of the 75-year displacement of Palestinians and in 2016 the United Nations Security Council found the settlements in the occupied West Bank, which have gone on for 56 years, unlawful, and the 17-year blockade of Gaza; and…”

The Minneapolis resolution also uses the word “genocide” in two places, referencing statements by the United National Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner and the South African case before the International Court of Justice arguing that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #CityCouncil #Resolution

Minneapolis, MN – Amidst a frigid Saturday afternoon on January 20, over 750 Twin Cities pro-Palestine residents came out in the blistering cold to the Hennepin County Government Center to tell the Minneapolis City Council that their constituents demand they vote yes on a ceasefire resolution.

This week, on January 23 and 25, the Minneapolis City Council will be discussing and voting on a resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire of Israeli aggression against the civilians in Gaza.

In the last 105 days, over 25,000 people have been killed by Israel, the vast majority civilians, of which 10,000 have been children, and it is believed there are over 7000 people still trapped under rubble unable to be excavated and presumed dead.

The upcoming resolution also demands that the U.S. end its arming and funding of Israel. The funding averages around $4 billion every year, and the vast majority of military weaponry is being used against the civilians in Gaza.

The Anti-War Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, the Council on American Islamic Relations and Jewish Voice for Peace have called on their supporters to call and email their council members. Despite this, some city council members are still on the fence; one council member even publicly stated that passing such a resolution should not be a priority when there are more local issues that need to be addressed.

The Free Palestine Coalition initiated the protest to send a message of support for the resolution going into the vote next week. Sana Wazwaz from American Muslims for Palestine, Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg from Jewish Voice for Peace, Memo Perez from Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Natalie Rath from Students for a Democratic Society at the U of MN, President Max Vast from AFSCME 3800, and Osman Ahmed from the Council on American Islamic Relations all spoke at the rally to address to how different communities in Minneapolis all want the city council to vote for the ceasefire resolution.

Kelly Thomas, of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar Clark, spoke to the importance of the Palestinian cause to the Black lives matter movement, “Some city council members have been recorded saying that we should focus on local issues that we can control. This is a local issue, and this strong resolution is exactly how we can stop our tax dollars from bombing Gaza. But they want us to sit down and be silent. We will never be silent, and we will not look away. These are some of the same city council members who promised the nation that they would defund the police after Geroge Floyd was murdered, just to vote for increased police budgets, while pointing the fingers at their constituents. And how many more Black, brown and indigenous people have been murdered by the police since then? We say no more. Ceasefire now! No more U.S. aid to Israel. No more of our tax dollars funding genocide.”

Meredith Aby of the MN Anti-War Committee closed the rally with, “Every day that passes without a ceasefire, Israel murders 160 children. That's one child every nine minutes. We are over 100 days into the genocide and the death toll keeps rising. Minneapolis needs to join cities like Atlanta, Seattle, Detroit, San Francisco, Oakland and even Hastings in passing a ceasefire resolution.

“We, the people of Minneapolis, want this passed. The attacks on Palestine are a local issue when the U.S. and the state of Minnesota are funding these massacres. We have the right – I would argue the responsibility – to demand that our tax dollars not be spent killing Palestinians. This is a local issue because our city includes Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims for whom it’s very personal and very real. People in Minneapolis are concerned about their families. To think this is a ‘foreign’ issue is to ignore the diversity of Minneapolis.

“Passing this ceasefire resolution would be a historic win for our movement. Our resolution, if passed, would be the first one in the country to say that the U.S. should end aid to Israel. While other cities have taken a stand against the violence, they haven’t addressed the role the U.S. is playing in sponsoring this genocide.

“If Minneapolis passes this resolution, we can take it to Saint Paul and to other cities. If Minneapolis passes this resolution, the Biden administration will have to acknowledge that they are losing their base because they are supporting genocide. If Minneapolis passes this resolution, we continue our work to stand up for justice!”

The rally was initiated by the Free Palestine Coalition, a grassroots coalition comprised of over 15 local organizations who fight for social justice, anti-war, climate justice and human rights causes.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #MNAWC #AMP #CityCouncil #CAIR #JVP #SDS #TCC4J

Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 people, many holding pro-Palestine signs and wearing keffiyehs, packed the first Minneapolis city council meeting of the year on January 8.

The Free Palestine Coalition called on people to come to the meeting to show support for a resolution calling on Minnesota’s state and federal elected officials and the Biden administration to use their authority to support a ceasefire in Palestine and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.

Five members of the 13-person city council are co-authors on the proposed resolution: Councilmembers Chughtai, Chowdhury, Chavez, Ellison and Payne.

The city council voted 10 to 2, with one abstention, to advance the resolution to the next step in their legislative process. With today’s vote, it will be sent to the city council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on January 23, where council members can debate the resolution and offer amendments. If a majority of councilmembers approve the resolution after debate at that meeting, it would then advance to the city council meeting on January 25 for a final vote.

Several city councils across the country have begun passing similar resolutions as the growing movement in the streets increases pressure on elected officials to oppose the genocide Israel is carrying out in Palestine.

Last Friday, January 5, after several councilmembers and community organizations held a press conference announcing their intent to bring forward the resolution for a ceasefire and Palestinian human rights, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded with his own press conference lambasting the resolution.

Organizations that are part of the Free Palestine Coalition encourage people to continue contacting Minneapolis city councilmembers to demand that they vote for the resolution.

#MinneapolisMN #International #Palestine #AntiWar #CityCouncil #AishaChugtai #MNFreePalestineCoalition

Minneapolis, MN – Police accountability. Rent control. Ending cruel encampment evictions when no shelter is available. A minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers. A city council that doesn’t oppose community initiatives from communities like East Phillips, Little Earth and North Minneapolis.

These are some of the issues at stake with the upcoming Minneapolis city council elections. As the election gets closer, conservative forces in Minneapolis are going into a panic that they might lose control of the city council, and their attacks on the more progressive council incumbents and candidates are getting more shrill and desperate. For example, they’re ridiculously trying to cast the more progressive and socialist candidates as “pro-terrorism’ if they are in any way critical of Israel’s horrifying and genocidal operation against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

On November 7, all 13 Minneapolis city council seats are on the ballot. Early voting has already begun. This year there are no national, state or mayoral elections. Historically when it’s an “off year” election like this with only the city council on the ballot, it will be a very low turnout election.

Why should we care?

As Marxists, we understand that both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are pro-capitalist, pro-imperialist parties. History has shown that the capitalist class won’t let us elect our way to socialism. Given that, should these elections even be of any concern to working-class and oppressed people, and to socialists?

Electoral politics has been and will remain an important realm of political struggle for working-class and oppressed people, to improve our daily lives, to gain a greater measure of political power (especially for oppressed nationality and national minority communities), and to win important reforms.

In the context of capitalism, elections help set the conditions that our movements struggle within. Voting for candidates who are more likely to stand with our movements can be important. In low turnout elections like this one, wealthier, whiter, older and more conservative voters participate in greater numbers. So if working-class, oppressed nationality and younger people ignore the election, we'll end up with a much more conservative city council.

What does the city council do anyway?

The main powers of the Minneapolis city council are to pass ordinances (laws) for the city, and to approve the city’s annual budget. Currently Minneapolis has a nearly $2 billion annual budget that pays for departments like Public Works (roads, infrastructure, etc.); the Office of Community Safety, which includes the police and fire departments; Regulatory Services, and much more. In recent years the Minneapolis city council has passed some ordinances that have made a real difference in working people’s lives, like the $15 minimum wage, earned sick and safe time for all workers, and measures to combat wage theft. The city council didn’t come up with those ideas on their own. It was unions and mass organizations engaging in serious, prolonged struggle that pressured the city council to take action.

Class struggle at City Hall

Just as the country as a whole is becoming more politically polarized, we see increased polarization and struggle between opposing class interests at City Hall.

Mayor Jacob Frey consistently represents and fights for the interests of the rich and powerful – landlords, big developers and big corporations and the police that protect their interests. Like most Democratic Party leaders in big cities, he tries to sell a progressive image to the public, but his actions betray his complete subservience to the rich and powerful.

The city council elections in 2021 created a more politically polarized city council than before. Some of the newly elected council members were more sharply conservative and more fully aligned with the mayor and the powerful interests backing him. But on the other side, a block of council members more sharply to the left were elected as well. Three of them identify as socialists and two others mostly vote with them as a block of five. A few council members in the middle vote with one side or the other depending on the issue.

During the current two-year term, when issues touching on the power of corporations, developers, landlords or police are voted on, the votes are often 8-5. Eight council members are aligned with the mayor and the powerful interests backing him, and five vote against them. On some issues, when mass movements have brought a lot of pressure to bear, like around rent control or the East Phillips Roof Depot struggle or minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers, one or two council members have flipped and the votes have been 7-6 in one direction or the other.

This situation means that if two or more council seats flip in this election from more conservative to more progressive members, it would flip the council from an 8-5 majority aligned with the corporations, developers, landlords and cops, to at least a 7-6 majority potentially willing to challenge their power. There are multiple competitive races where those flips could realistically happen.

The issues in play – from police accountability to rent control to encampment response to minimum wage for gig workers – matter deeply to working-class and oppressed people in Minneapolis. So it’s worth voting for the candidates who are more likely to stand with the people's movements.

Let’s look at some of the races in a little more detail.

Ward 10: Aisha Chughtai runs for reelection against two conservative challengers

Aisha Chughtai won election for the first time in 2021 in Ward 10, which is 80% renters and is heavily working class and multinational with many young people. She ran openly as a socialist and foregrounded her experience as a union organizer and immigrant rights activist. She’s the first Muslim woman and the youngest person ever elected to the Minneapolis city council.

Her leadership on issues like rent control, police accountability, and standing up to the mayor and business interests, have led two conservative candidates to try to unseat her. One is a cop, Nasri Warsame, who’s main issue seems to be wanting more police. He gained infamy, and may have torpedoed his ability to win, when video went viral of his supporters rushing the stage to attack Aisha Chughtai and her supporters at this summer’s DFL nominating convention. Another person also jumped into the race at the last minute to challenge Chughtai: Bruce Dachis. His sparse website also focuses on his desire for more police, echoes the mayor’s dishonest talking points about encampments, and represents his interests as a developer.

The more conservative forces in the city want to get Aisha Chughtai out of office because they recognize her ability to successfully advance policies that benefit working people and challenge the powerful. Her deep ties to grassroots organizations and unions, her organizing experience, and her firm socialist principles mean that she’s a formidable opponent for them.

Our movements must support Aisha’s reelection. She’s a powerful voice on the council for police accountability and community control of the police, for rent control and other renter protections, for climate justice and in favor of community initiatives like the East Phillips Urban Farm, for public housing and for housing the unhoused who are currently living in encampments, for increased funding for immigrant rights and abortion rights. These are some issues she has led on in her first term.

Ward 8: Council President Andrea Jenkins vs. Soren Stevenson

Council President Andrea Jenkins was the first Black trans woman elected to office in the U.S. She essentially has run unopposed twice. But her votes on key issues have more often than not lined up with the mayor and the powerful forces that back him, rather than with working-class people in the city. Her role in continually increasing police budgets, in siding with the mayor against native people and environmentalists in East Phillips on the Roof Depot struggle, and her role in pushing through a vote to kill rent control this year on a Muslim holiday when three rent control supporters on the council who are Muslim were absent are just three examples of extremely backward things she’s done.

This year she has a serious challenger, Soren Stevenson. Stevenson identifies as a socialist. He’s a young white man who lost his eye when the MPD shot him in the face with a “non-lethal” projectile as he participated in the protests after the murder of George Floyd. Out of that experience, he built relationships with family members of police brutality victims and earned their respect, and decided that he would challenge the incumbent who has been on the wrong side of many votes on policing on the council. His politics are more in line with the majority of people in Ward 8 than Jenkins, despite her identity. Stevenson pulled off an upset by winning the DFL endorsement in the race. We’ll see if that translates into winning the election, but it seems he has a real chance to do so. If he wins, he’ll almost surely vote with the more progressive people on the council, so people in Ward 8 should vote for Soren.

Ward 5: Jeremiah Ellison vs. Victor Martinez

Jeremiah Ellison was elected after the police murdered Jamar Clark and he participated in the protests outside the MPD’s 4th Precinct. He usually votes with the progressive block. Ellison’s challenger, Victor Martinez, is an open Trump supporter, a pastor at an anti-choice church, and very likely committed fraud in signing up hundreds of people as his supposed supporters in the race for the DFL endorsement, people for whom he could provide no paper trail for. Martinez’s main issue is supporting the police; he’s basically a Republican who is only running as a Democrat because you can’t win as a Republican in Minneapolis. It’s important to vote for Ellison, who mostly votes with the progressive block, to keep Martinez out of office.

The open seats: Wards 7 and 12

Ward 7 and 12 are open seats with races between people aligned more or less with opposite sides of the city council divide. It’s important to vote for the more progressive candidates in these races – Aurin Chowdhury in Ward 12 and Katie Cashman in Ward 7 – to keep the conservatives out.

Chowdhury in Ward 12 is a first generation Bengali-American, daughter of working-class immigrants, and a renter who’s running on a progressive platform, while her opponents are campaigning on a more conservative platform. In Ward 7, the main conservative candidate – Scott Graham – is a landlord who has been exposed as having at least 209 violations in his rental units documented by the city. That’s not a person who should be deciding the future of renters rights and making decisions about development on the council.

If all the incumbents win, it’s these two races that would determine the political composition of the new council.

The rest of the races

Ward 2 is the only uncontested race this year, where Robin Wonsley of Democratic Socialists of America is running unopposed. Elliot Payne (Ward 1) and Jason Chavez (Ward 9), two of the other progressive incumbents, have opponents that are not running serious campaigns with much of a chance to win. In Ward 3, Green Party-endorsed Marcus Mills is running on a progressive platform challenging incumbent conservative Democrat Michael Rainville. It’s good to support independent progressive candidates like Mills. In Ward 6 incumbent Jamal Osman faces two challengers. Ward 11 incumbent Emily Koski, who has often aligned with the mayor on key votes, has no credible opponent. Ward 13 incumbent and current Council Vice President Linea Palmisano, a core force on the conservative side of the council, has two opponents: Kate Mortenson, who is running to her right on some issues, and Zach Metzger who seems to have little chance to win.

What is to be done?

Any hope for real change comes from independent mass movements and unions willing to wage class struggle and fight for working class and oppressed people’s felt needs. That said, elections can create better or worse conditions in which our movements wage those fights.

This year, it’s important to vote for city council candidates who are more likely to stand up to big developers, corporations, landlords and the police. This could create better conditions for mass movements to make gains that improve the lives of working-class and oppressed people in Minneapolis. And if the mayor vetoes good policies the council has passed, it would help expose the ruling class interests he represents. The capitalist class and their bought and paid for politicians and media mouthpieces would rather try to make this election a referendum on Palestine, or on socialism, or try again with their racist attack from the election two years ago in backlash against the George Floyd uprising. They’d rather scaremonger about those things than have to defend their favored policies that give big corporations, developers, landlords and the police whatever they want, directly harming working-class and oppressed people in Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #Elections #PoliceAccountability #RentControl #UberLyft #CityCouncil #FRSO #FRSOTC