Minneapolis, MN – With wind chills bringing temperatures below zero, 15,000 Minnesotans took to the streets in Minneapolis on Saturday to demand ICE get out. The protest was organized by a large coalition of immigrant rights groups and unions in response to an upsurge in attacks by ICE in the past month in the greater Twin Cities area. Many of these attacks have focused on the Somali community after Trump’s racist call for mass deportations of Somali Minnesotans.

Community members have witnessed ICE agents drag a pregnant woman through the streets, shoot pepper balls and tear gas at responders, smash car windows and kidnap people in broad daylight. During the coldest and darkest time of the year, the people have been chasing these federal agents all over the Twin Cities, militantly fighting back, letting them know they are not welcome here.

The march was organized by a large coalition that included unions and immigrant rights group such as Minneapolis Federation of Educators Local 59, SEIU Local 26, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), UNIDOS, Comunidades Organizando el Poder y La Acción Latina (COPAL), Minnesota 8 (MN8), Immigrant Defense Network (IDN), Council on American-Islamic Relations, among others.

The march included three trucks with multiple speakers from different organizations and unions. The front truck included fiery chants and speakers led by MIRAC members. MIRAC speaker Myrka Zambrano said, “We march here so they know that there is resistance. Here and all across the country, we want ICE out of our cities and we will scream it as loud as we need to!”

Emcees kept the energy high for the nearly one and a half mile march, with chants uniting the crowd against ICE. Protesters marched below a freeway bridge and echoes of “Chinga la Migra” boomed as they neared a Somali mall.

Speakers highlighted support for Somali neighbors amidst racist attacks from the Trump administration. Jaylani Hussein of CAIR-MN addressed protesters, “You showed up today! You came out today knowing it was going to be cold! You showed up for your neighbors, for your friends, for your teachers, for your union brothers and sisters. You came out today to show that Minnesota will not let ICE divide us!”

Tracy Molm of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) said, “In PACAT we believe our struggles and fights against the reactionary and racist policies of the second Trump administration must be met with action. While we have many different struggles, we are united in our commitment to fight back and shut it down!”

MIRAC emcees concluded the march by inviting protesters to shop at the many immigrant-owned businesses on Lake Street that have been struggling due to the recent attacks on their community. Their call to action invited the crowd to show up and take the streets with MIRAC for their 20th anniversary May 1 march in 2026.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #PACAT #ICE #CAIRMN #MFE9 #SEIU #MN8 #UNIDOS #IDN #COPAL #CJC #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – Climate Justice Committee and community members gathered for a family-friendly walk through Mayor Jacob Frey’s Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood on Saturday, October 4. The walk was called to raise awareness for the Roof Depot fight and urge Mayor Frey to give the East Philips neighborhood a fair deal for the site. Participants put up hundreds of posters, handed out flyers, and had conversations with community members.

The walk was called by the Climate Justice Committee (CJC), a local activist group focused on fighting urban pollution and environmental racism in the Twin Cities. They have been active in the East Phillips neighborhood’s campaign to turn the old Roof Depot into an urban farm and community center.

The East Philips Neighborhood Institute President of the Board Dean Dovolis made the stakes clear: “Right now, we sit at a choice of two futures. A building owned by the community, run by the community, developed by the community's committee, or a future in which the building is demolished and turned into a service yard for diesel trucks and other polluting uses. This is critical, because if we do not prevail, we condemn the neighborhood to these uses for our lifetimes and the lifetimes beyond.”

Dovolis added, “We already have an active agriculture program, so this dream is real. There’s only one thing that’s keeping us from making the dream real: Mayor Jacob Frey. We need your help to tell him that this is the right thing to do, this is the right action, this is the right future for the neighborhood. We, the East Phillips Neighborhood, are driven by this, because while we can’t control the issues in Washington, we can create our own vision of what we want to see in our society, right in East Phillips.”

Kent Mori of the Climate Justice Committee linked this action to the broader fight for indigenous rights: “Mayor Frey embodies environmental racism. The Roof Depot land itself, if it’s sold to EPNI, will be owned by Little Earth, the largest Section 8 native community in the United States. So if you want to talk about ‘land back,’ you gotta talk about Roof Depot being owned by the community! This is about native sovereignty and empowering native folks within their own community.”

Climate Justice Committee and community members will continue to elevate the cause of the Roof Depot in rallies and press conferences around the city.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #CJC #RoofDepot

Minneapolis, MN – Over 20 people came together on a stormy and humid day, August 19. to demand the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, sign over the Roof Depot site to the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) to create a community center in a neighborhood overburdened by pollution.

Over two years ago Mayor Frey had caved to public pressure and had agreed to sell the site to EPNI, but made it dependent on getting $5 million from the state of Minnesota to help move city facilities. At the end of the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers failed to make good on promises for the money for the Roof Depot site.

“Jacob Frey’s career should be destroyed for this situation. This all started because he disregarded a report that repairs on the Marcy Holmes location would be the economical answer to the needs of public works. Instead, he pushed for the city to buy the Roof Depot. Purchasing and then just leaving the site to sit has cost Minneapolis taxpayers money, including residents here. Then when we stood against the demolition that would poison this neighborhood, instead of cutting losses Frey and his allies had security and barbed wire put up. That also was money wasted on this site,” explained Mordecai Mika of the Climate Justice Committee (CJC).

The reality is that it isn't the responsibility of East Phillips to pay for the city’s utilities or facilities. EPNI has offered the City $10.2 million for the site, which is currently appraised at $3.7 million.

But the neighborhood and supporters aren't afraid to fight for the East Phillips community. The CJC has been organizing with the people of East Phillips for years, beginning with the demand that the city of Minneapolis not demolish the Roof Depot site, which would raise arsenic and other contaminants sealed under the complex. The CJC then joined with the neighbors to demand a century-old foundry that had been polluting the neighborhood be shut down. With very little pressure, an asphalt manufacturer across the street from the Roof Depot shut down, bowing to public pressure. And shortly after, the foundry also shut down permanently.

The CJC has vowed to stand up to Mayor Frey and demand he agrees to sell the Roof Depot site to EPNI. Every day delayed is another day stolen from the people of East Phillips in their quest to turn back the environmental racism and injustice piled on this working class community.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #RoofDepot #CJC #EPNI

St Paul, MN – Dozens of people held signs and cheered Saturday morning, June 7, since the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced it would revoke Northern Iron’s permit. 11-year-old Eastside resident Moses Degner Riveros said on the megaphone, “Our voices are being heard! Now we need to take the next step of shutting the foundry down.”

The crowd of Eastside residents and organizers heard from neighbors about living under the toxic haze of Northern Iron’s foundry operations. The foundry has been in operation for over a century in the Eastside neighborhood. It has an extensive record of environmental regulation violations. Eastside residents have long known their neighborhood was polluted by lead and other heavy metals spewed from Northern Iron. After a strong and sustained community campaign, residents are one step closer to shutting Northern Iron down.

Resident and lawyer Melissa Lorentz said, “What we’re seeing right now is something we haven’t seen before. The MPCA is standing up against this aggressive, well-funded company to support the community, and it’s because of people who are willing to speak about the harms of this facility.” Referring to a Thursday, June 5, hearing, Lorentz said, “Last week I saw the attorney for Northern Iron lie in court about their pollution. That is what they’re willing to do for their profits.”

Another resident, Sarah Degner Riveros, spoke about the health impact of heavy metals like lead from Northern Iron. Her five children have experienced anxiety, depression, bleeding disorders, reproductive health issues, insomnia, muscle fatigue and overall weak immune systems since moving to Eastside in 2015.

Riveros stated, “This past January my 17-year-old daughter lost consciousness. She required a blood transfusion that brought her back to life. She missed a month of her senior year of high school.” Degner Riveros paused and took out a bouquet of peonies. “But this week she graduated high school summa cum laude, and I brought her graduation flowers to show you. We deserve clean air! A residential neighborhood is no place for a foundry!”

Residents reported black soot covering their cars, the siding on their homes, and on their windowsills. In April 2024, the MPCA ordered Northern Iron to seal their facility, but to this day one can see holes and gaps in the tattered blue tarps wrapped around the baghouses on the foundry’s roof. Brittney Bruce with her two children by her side said, “Northern Iron can say they’re doing the right thing in court, but every time I drive past I see the blue tarps blowing open, I see the particles in my windowsill, fence and car. If Northern Iron cannot clean up the pollution they’re causing, then they need to shut it down!”

A Climate Justice Committee member closed out the speakers, stating “Companies are terrified of collective action, because when we join together we the people have power. When the Climate Justice Committee, Eastside Environmental Justice and concerned neighbors banded together to demand action – we made change happen. This collective action is more important than ever as the Trump administration tries to roll back environmental protections and deregulate. We must fight back to keep our communities safe. As we have seen with Smith Foundry and now Northern Iron, it can be done. When we come to fight, we let the polluters know we do not come to plead for power – we come to wield it! Because, when we fight, we win!” The crowd enthusiastically joined in the chant “When we fight, we win!”

While the crowd was there to celebrate and let the neighborhood know about the MPCA revoking Northern Iron’s permit to operate, organizers were clear the fight is not over. The notice to revoke the permit allows Northern Iron an opportunity to appeal and the foundry may operate in the interim. The Climate Justice Committee emcee made it clear that we’ll keep coming back and join the neighborhood in fighting to shut Northern Iron down!

#StPaulMN #MN #Environment #CJC

St. Paul, MN – On Saturday, April 19, chants from the Minnesota State Capitol grounds were heard throughout downtown Saint Paul as 10,000-plus protesters marched through the streets to meet a crowd of 5000 on the capitol lawn for a People’s Earth Day.

“Like never before, we can see how the destruction of our environment goes hand in hand with resource extraction for power and profit,” Climate Justice Committee member Zhu Gong declared to the crowd of 15,000. “We must stand up and demand that all complacency towards Trump and Musk’s destructive agenda is ended forever. We have seen that when communities stand up and fight, we win!”

Seeking to elevate and broaden the fight for the planet, the group identified Earth Day as an important holiday to put forward as a day of fighting for liberation. A People’s Earth Day, to them, is not just a celebration, but an assertion of the necessity for the people of the world to reclaim their planet from the corporations and governments that seek to destroy it.

This event was organized by an array of local organizations under the collective name of The People’s Earth Day Coalition. Organizing partners included the Climate Justice Committee, Families Against Military Madness, Three Waters Pipeline Resistance, MN 50501, Indivisible Twin Cities, MN Women’s March and Third Act. After the massive turnout of the Hands off rallies on April 5, organizers were excited to follow up on the growing opposition to Trump’s agenda.

“I celebrated the very first Earth Day 55 years ago with great joy, hope and determination,” said Amy Blumenshine of Third Act Minnesota. “Today, under Trump, we are abandoning all our great progress, so I am working to stop the federal retreat from climate and environmental protection in every way possible.”

And it wasn’t just environmental groups that supported these demands. Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Red Nation, MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, the MN Anti-War Committee, and the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council were just a few of the non-climate groups that showed up to speak in support of the people’s movement for the climate.

“It’s no coincidence that the same people and institutions that are profiting from the destruction of our planetary future are also the ones fomenting war, attacking immigrants, rolling back women’s and LGBTQ rights, and more,” said Charlie Berg of the Climate Justice Committee. “‘One struggle, one fight’ is not just a slogan or a metaphor, it’s an accurate description.”

#StPaulMN #MN #Environment #Feature #CJC

St Paul, MN – Dozens of residents rallied March 22 alongside the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) in front of Northern Iron, a metal foundry located in the heart of the highly diverse, working-class East Side neighborhood in Saint Paul. The foundry has earned the ire of residents for its failure to contain toxic pollutants from its operations, as well as its refusal to comply with state government efforts to hold them accountable.

Smokestacks located just across the street from residences emit toxic pollutants such as lead and other heavy metals, as well as hazardous fine particulate matter. The foundry, owned and operated by Lawton Standard, continues to subject the residents to toxic pollutants in defiance of standards set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Particulates from the foundry can be seen collecting on cars and houses, and on windows and windowsills. It collects in the lungs of residents and their pets, which can cause long term health effects. It also collects on the surface of the ground, seeping in with the rainfall, rendering soil toxic.

One neighbor reported, “My children are experiencing health problems, including very low hemoglobin, anemia, behavior problems, trouble concentrating, [and] sleep disturbances.” Another neighbor, a young child, expressed frustration that he could not eat the fruit that grows in his yard: “I live four blocks from Northern Iron, and I have an apple and a raspberry tree and I can’t eat them because of Northern Iron. And I have a few questions: why is Northern Iron polluting our neighborhood with toxic metals like lead?”

There was consensus among the people assembled there that families had a right to a safe environment in which to raise their children, and that Northern Iron was violating that right.

In an apparent effort to feign compliance, Northern Iron hastily wrapped its smokestacks in common tarp. Neighbor of the foundry Brittney Bruce remarked: “For them to say that their emission capture is working is literally a joke – we can all see these stacks are not wrapped properly.”

The MPCA recently issued a warning to the foundry, threatening to possibly revoke Northern Iron’s operating permits if they do not provide overdue paperwork by March 27. It is widely expected, however, that the foundry will do nothing to abate its toxic emissions, continuing a pattern of negligence. Furthermore, residents worry that the MPCA will fail to live up to its ultimatum, as the regulators did not fully commit to action.

Considering the foundry’s history of ignoring deadlines set by the MPCA, and the agency’s history of ignoring pollution from the foundry, East Side residents and the Climate Justice Committee are preparing to continue the fight beyond next week’s deadline.

Local resident Mel Lorentz was clear, “I've talked to so many people who live within a few blocks behind this foundry and everybody says they've gotta clean it up or get out and we're not going away until they do that.”

Organizers with the CJC vowed to continue to spread awareness of the mounting campaign and pursue it to a victorious conclusion as was done against the Smith Foundry in the neighboring city of Minneapolis.

#StPaulMN #MN #Environment #CJC

St. Paul, MN – The Climate Justice Committee (CJC) and East Side Environmental Justice hosted a community meeting, March 15, in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of Saint Paul, raising awareness among community members about the growing campaign against the Northern Iron foundry, a major polluter in the area.

Around 50 people were in attendance, including local residents, neighborhood activists, elected officials such as Saint Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang and state House Representative Peter Fischer, and other concerned community members.

Neighbors near the foundry have been documenting dark soot on their windows, in their homes and on their cars. Testing confirmed the soot contained the same toxic compounds that can be found inside Northern Iron. Northern Iron has also been found in violation of their emissions permits by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), but it has refused to clean up its act, even taking the MPCA to court to avoid compliance with the agency’s enforcement action.

First, Mel Lorentz, an attorney and Payne-Phalen resident, talked through the details of Northern Iron’s operations and known pollution history, stating, “They’re taking in up to 30 tons per day of scrap metal, and up to 100,000 tons per year of silica sand, they pour molten metal into molds to make equipment for oil and gas drilling, agricultural equipment.”

Lorentz then offered a major update on the status of Northern Iron’s court battle with the MPCA, telling audience members that the agency recently sent Northern Iron a letter setting a deadline of March 27 to submit testing data and detailed plans for how they would get in compliance, or else face potentially having their permits revoked. Lorentz pointed out that this is a major escalation from the MPCA, calling out that “many people in this room know that this kind of thing almost never happens,” and that this was clearly the result of the community’s organizing efforts.

Next, a nursing and public health student, Candis Moore, offered a presentation on the adverse health effects that are commonly associated with the pollutants coming from Northern Iron, primarily lead and PM 2.5 (also known as fine particulate matter).

“Blood lead levels are important because it’s a neurotoxin, so when this is introduced to children, when their brains are growing very fast, it can actually impede that process. This can lead to problems in school, behavioral problems, and this is so important because these are foundational building blocks to kids leading fulfilling lives in their futures,” Moore said., She highlighted the fact that lead pollution is a common factor among many working-class cities and neighborhoods around the country that have high rates of school dropouts and crime among youth, such as many parts of Chicago and Detroit. During the Q&A, Moore underlined that “there is no safe level of lead in the body.”

The audience heard from Minneapolis-based community activist Joe Vital, who played an important role in winning the shutdown of Smith Foundry in East Phillips in 2024. Joe recounted the story of fighting for justice alongside the CJC and other allies in his own neighborhood, emphasizing the lesson that these fights require a diversity of tactics, such as call-ins, putting pressure on elected officials, and community rallies and protests. Vital put it succinctly: “It’s only when people get in the streets that things finally start to move.”

Finally, Britney Bruce, who lives right behind the foundry, shared her story of moving into the neighborhood with high hopes, only to have her dreams dashed when she learned her new home was right next to a major polluter.

“I spent many, many years saving up for my first home. I had plans of having a big backyard to host family barbecues, bonfires, have a garden, a place where my kids can run wild – a place that my boys could always call home,” she said. Bruce moved in almost exactly one year ago and quickly noticed that things were not right. “I noticed that no matter how much I cleaned my windowsills and baseboards, they were always covered in black dust. My oldest, who is diabetic, started having breathing problems. My middle child developed eczema all over his body. I went back to using an inhaler that I hadn’t used since high school.”

Bruce called for everyone in the room to stay in communication with one another, to spread awareness, and to continue to fight so that Northern Iron can’t pollute any longer. She concluded, “It’s easy to mute one voice, but it’s hard to mute many.”

The Climate Justice Committee is organizing a rally outside Northern Iron next week on March 22, and continues to build the struggle against urban pollution and environmental racism in the Twin Cities.

#StPaulMN #MN #Environment #CJC #TwinCities #ClimateJustice

Minneapolis, MN – In frigid weather, February 20, 50 people rallied with the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) to oppose Trump's attacks on the environment, along with the barrage of other attacks that have happened in the first month of Trump’s presidency. 

Speakers connected Trump's attacks on immigrants, trans rights, workers and Palestine to the rollback of environmental protections that Trump instituted in his first days in office.

Trump has used executive orders to push more fossil fuels and end the U.S. role in the Paris Climate Accords, ensuring that previously agreed upon goals to curb climate change won’t happen. The CJC speaker emphasized how every tenth of a percent of rising temperatures mean more intense weather, food scarcity and increasing energy costs that fall disproportionately on oppressed nationality and working class families and their communities. They also talked about the lack of action by Democrats like Senator Klobuchar, whose office the rally was in front of.

Rally goers chanted, “Stand up fight back” as the emcee rotated the attacks on immigrants, trans rights, Palestine, and workers that are happening from Trump and his cronies. 

Kristen Bledsoe from Minnesota Abortion Action Committee talked about the heart wrenching case of Sam Nordquist, a Minnesota native who had recently been tortured and killed in New York as a logical conclusion of the transphobic rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. 

Bledsoe ended her speech with, “We have to resist the impulse to shut down and hide. We have to recognize that the cruelty and the chaos of the Trump administration is meant to make us lose focus, and we have to counter that by being more strategic, more united, and more organized than ever before.” 

“Trump’s attacks on DEI show the white supremacist mindset, trying to kill anything that would make this country more equal for those who have been left out for centuries,” stated Minnesota Workers United speaker Neil Radford. Radford called on rally goers to focus on solidarity of the working class that needs to stand together and not allow Trump and his ilk to divide us. 

Mira Altobell-Resendez from the Minnesota Immigrant Action Committee talked about the important work MIRAC is doing using Know Your Rights trainings with immigrant communities and allies to stand against ICE and governmental agencies. 

Trent Fast from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee made a clear case, “We need to be mad as hell at Donald Trump and his attacks on everyday working people here at home - and those in Palestine. We all have more in common with everyday Palestinians than we ever will with people like Donald Trump. Solidarity across movements is our sharpest weapon against his presidency. Because when we stand together, there's way more of us than there are of them!”

All of the speakers emphasized the importance of getting involved and building solidarity among the people’s movements to stand against the Trump attacks over the next four years and beyond.

#MinneapolisMN #TwinCities #CJC #ClimateJustice #MNAWC #AWC #ICE #MIRAC #Immigration #NoDeportations #DEI

St. Paul, MN – Members of the Minnesota Climate Justice Committee (CJC) held a bannering, December 15, in opposition to Lawton Standard (formerly known as Northern Iron) in Eastside neighborhood of Saint Paul on Sunday.

Lawton Standard is a foundry that has violated the Clean Air Act according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Members of the CJC bannered to inform and emphasize the harm caused by this foundry in an oppressed nationality, working-class neighborhood.

Kay Lerohl, a member of the Climate Justice Committee, said, “When industrial polluters fight to legally refuse to get up to code because of cost, the message is clear – they value profits over the planet’s health and our health.”

Previously, the MPCA placed restrictions on Lawton Standard’s operations, but a July 12 court order revoked those restrictions. As litigation pends, this court order allows Lawton Standard to resume its normal operations, including melting up to 30 tons of leaded material per day that pollutes the Eastside neighborhood.

The Climate Justice Committee held a banner on Arcade Street that read “Hold polluters accountable! Foundries poison St. Paul!” Members also displayed signs that said, “Northern Iron pollutes!” A year before, Lawton Standard was fined $41,500 after violating its air permit in October 2023. The company has also been cited for failing to notify regulators of updates to its equipment and operations over the past 15 years.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #CJC

St. Paul, MN – On the afternoon of Saturday, December 14, Twin Cities community members came together to protest outside the offices of Pro-Life Action Ministries, an anti-abortion Christian organization. The Minnesota Abortion Action Committee held a vigil to remember those who have passed away due to restrictions on abortion care, then transitioned into a rally to show that the community does not welcome Pro-Life Action Ministries and its hateful rhetoric.

The Minnesota Abortion Action Committee hosted the vigil to honor and remember victims of abortion bans by holding a banner bearing the names and ages of those that have passed and commemorating the many others who have gone unnamed. Among those honored were Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller, Nevaeh Crain, Josseli Barnica and Porsha Ngumezi, all women who have died since the overturn of Roe v. Wade after being denied abortion care. Attendees placed flowers and candles around portraits of the deceased to offer a heartfelt tribute to those women.

After an emotional vigil, the action transitioned into a rally against Pro-Life Action Ministries, an organization known for organizing “sidewalk counselors” to harass people seeking care at Planned Parenthood locations. Pro-Life Action Ministries also supports and funds “crisis pregnancy centers.”

June Gromis of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee talked about how pro-life organizations like Pro-Life Action Ministries are using the guise of religion to further their agendas and expressed that her own faith is rooted in love for all. Gromis sang the song Amazing Grace and the crowd joined in, honoring “everyone who has endured suffering as a result of anti-abortion legislation.”

In a similar vein, a member of Women Against Military Madness, spoke of her own story of ending pregnancies in the past and how “she is at peace with this.” She spoke about her mother, a devoted Christian, who taught her to be pro-choice, and affirmed that her dedication to the fight to “respect people’s choice!”

Michael Wood of the Climate Justice Committee connected the struggle to save the climate with the movement for abortion rights and emphasized the fact that pro-life organizations are not for the people. He spoke about his experience of growing up Catholic, but resisting the anti-abortion beliefs of the church. Wood said that instead, he now stands for reproductive justice for all, which includes “fighting for clean water and air for our children to breathe in!”

A member of the Anti-War Committee spoke about how the fight for reproductive freedoms is connected with the liberation of Palestine, touching on the fact that movements need to be connected. “We cannot be pro-choice here at home, while turning a blind eye to the horror the U.S. and Israel impose on Palestinians and their reproductive rights!” she said.

The emcees ended the rally with a reaffirmation of their commitment to the fight against anti-abortion laws and rhetoric, encouraging the community to keep up the struggle for bodily autonomy in memory of the dead and in honor of all of us still living.

#StPaulMN #MN #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion #MNAAC #WAMM #CJC

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, December 8, the Minnesota Anti War Committee held their annual Human Rights Day action. 200 protesters gathered in Minneapolis’s Washburn Fair Oaks Park and marched down the busy Nicollet Avenue, shouting demands for human rights for all and calling on the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest from apartheid Israel and weapons manufacturers.

Every year, Human Rights Day is celebrated internationally to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protects the inalienable rights of every person. During this Human Rights Day, protesters connected different struggles, including healthcare and abortion access, immigrant rights, police abolition, climate justice, land back, and anti-imperialism, to call for an end to human rights abuses in the U.S. and those sponsored by the U.S. abroad.

Abdullah Muhammad, a member of the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine said, “Our unity today underscores a profound truth, the struggles for justice are interconnected.”

This protest heard speeches from the Anti-War Committee, Health Care Workers 4 Palestine, Climate Justice Committee, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, American Muslims for Palestine, Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, and Minnesota Workers United.

Robyn Harbison, a member of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, stated, “Countries are not playgrounds, nations are not chess pieces, nations are the people.” Connecting abortion access to the broader fight for human rights, Harbison asserted the “commitment in demanding better for the working class, our trans family, undocumented sisters, and victims of police violence.” Harbison is an outspoken Palestine solidarity activist and is fighting felony charges for protesting for Palestine at the University of MN.

Nicholas Tolliver, a member of the Anti-War Committee, stated that imperial powers, “monopolize access to resources and secure global supply chains on a planet that is being suffocated by climate change and ecological collapse caused by capitalist production and resource extraction.”

In order to stop imperial violence and human rights abuses, Tolliver stated, “divestment is one of the most powerful tools that we, living here in the imperial core, have to fight against imperialist human rights violations.”

The Minnesota State Board of Investment, which controls and organizes public workers’ pensions and state investments funded by taxpayers, invests $5.4 billion in public assets belonging to entities complicit or profiting from the Israeli apartheid and genocide. They are holding their quarterly meeting this Tuesday, December 10, at 10 a.m. in the Department of Administration Building, where the Minnesota Free Palestine Coalition is planning to pack the room.

The MN Anti-War Committee Human Rights Day protest was also a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s call for a week of action.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #MNAWC #AMP #MinneapolisFederationofTeachers #HealthcareWorkersforPalestine #CJC #MAAC #MIRAC #MWU

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday November 21, 50 members of the newly formed Coalition for a Nuclear-free Mississippi River and their supporters rallied in front of Xcel Energy headquarters on Nicollet Mall in the heart of downtown. They demanded the energy company keep to its 2030 shutdown date for the Monticello Nuclear Reactor, because of the serious threats posed to public health, the Mississippi River, and drinking water for millions.

As rush hour traffic passed by, motorists and pedestrians saw protesters holding signs reading, “Don’t nuke our river.” Chants like “Xcel let’s be clear, Monticello Reactor’s not wanted here” were loudly amplified by the surrounding buildings.

After chanting for a half hour, demonstrators heard from several speakers.

George Crocker, executive director of the North America Water Office and longtime anti-nuke activist, said, “We’re here today because Xcel Energy wants to continue nuclear operations at Monticello until 2050, and that is a really bad idea for a long list of reasons. There’s equipment failure issues, like what’s going on now after a pipe corroded to pieces and almost a million gallons of [water contaminated with] radioactive tritium leaked into the environment, some of which is now contaminating Minneapolis drinking water. The potential for cataclysmic equipment failure is not diminutive, and it is mounting as reactor components age. There’s nuclear waste issues, as there is no known technology or location capable of isolating irradiated fuel and other radioactively contaminated material from Earth’s biosphere for the required geological periods of time.”

John Laforge, longtime activist with Nukewatch, spoke about the dangerous radioactive leaks at the reactor and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and media misinformation, stating, “Over and over, Xcel and the NRC told the press that the radioactive tritium did not and could not reach drinking water. They lied, but the media dutifully repeated this lie many times on the radio, in the papers, on television. Any of the reporters could have found out that all the groundwater under the reactor moves toward the Mississippi – drinking water for 20 million people.”

Laforge continued, “The record is clear, but Xcel’s and the NRC’s public statements have been lies. Nothing they say to the press should be believed. As a coalition, we must see to it that the reactor’s 2030 expiration date be enforced, and that this leaky, dangerous, accident-prone nuclear jalopy be permanently shut.”

Whitney Wildman of the Climate Justice Committee stated, “We stand with groups organizing to shut down the Monticello Nuclear plant because we know that we can’t trust giant corporations to operate with the people’s health and safety in mind because that’s not their priority. We know that under capitalism these companies plan to exploit the land and its people to the breaking point, all in the name of profits.”

The program concluded with a lively, creative street theater piece depicting the cozy and alarming relationship between the NRC and the officials at the Monticello nuclear power reactor.

The coalition will be holding a teach-in on the dangers of the Monticello reactor and nuclear power on December 4 at the New City Center in Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #CJC #NuclearPower #Nukewatch

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, November 17, around 100 people gathered in Uptown Minneapolis’ Painter Park as Families Against Military Madness (FAMM) and the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) led a protest focused on bringing families into the climate and anti-war movements. Speakers discussed the post-election struggle and the need for young people to learn and practice organizing skills for the long struggles ahead.

The crowd chanted “Money for climate, not for war!” as community members decorated musical instruments, signs and colored beautiful kites from Mizna with pro-Palestine messages. Liz McLister of FAMM began the program by speaking to the child attendees, “It's hard to see but can anyone read the message on my earrings? They say ‘Land Back.’ Raise your hand if you know what ‘Land Back’ means?”

McLister explained: “Land back means that we organize to put indigenous lands back into indigenous hands. This land we're standing on was violently stolen from the Dakhóta Oyáte, the Dakota people, many generations ago, and our indigenous siblings and friends continue to suffer from lack of access to it.”

Audrey Keirstead, a tenth grader at Kennedy High School, spoke for the MN Anti-War Committee, “I remember how [in his first term, Trump] appointed people to the EPA who didn’t believe that climate change was real, and even as an elementary school student it was easy to understand how ridiculous this was. Now, in Trump’s second term, he wants to increase oil production and has referred to global warming as a scam. But FAMM and the CJC called for this protest before Trump was even elected. We need to be here because regardless of who was elected, we need to organize for environmental justice and a free Palestine since it has been made clear that neither candidate was offering us what we deserved.”

Charlie Berg of the CJC spoke next, “To any parents out there who are struggling with how to talk to kids about the world and the future when it all feels so bleak, I think what’s most important is to empower them with this knowledge that through solidarity all things are possible, and to show them with your own actions that you’re prepared to fight for their future, right alongside them.”

Jaci Simonet of FAMM and Joe Vital of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute also spoke. Gary Hoover detailed his experience in the Hawaii-based Save Red Hill movement, and Roger Cuthbertson informed the crowd about the fight to close Minnesota’s Monticello Nuclear Power Plant.

The event ended with a picket march around Uptown Minneapolis’ Painter Park – enjoyed by the neighbors and the skaters in the skatepark – and kids played with a giant flower shooting anti-war tank display.

#MinneapolisMN #Environment #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #FAMM #CJC

St. Paul, MN – Members of the Climate Justice Committee held signs and banners in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood on Saint Paul’s East Side, July 18, calling attention to the pollution from the nearby Northern Iron foundry.

Last week, a Minnesota judge ordered that Northern Iron would be allowed to resume operations as normal, striking down an administrative order from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) which came as a response to findings that the foundry violated its permitted emissions limits as well as the Clean Air Act.

This is the first action the CJC has held focusing on Northern Iron and the reception from passersby was overwhelmingly supportive, indicating that neighbors were already quite familiar with Northern Iron’s record of reckless pollution.

While thus far the CJC’s campaigns against pollution and environmental racism have been centered in East Phillips, the connection between these ongoing fights at Smith Foundry and Northern Iron are too direct to ignore. Even the attorneys for Northern Iron themselves made the link, arguing in court that the MPCA’s order was only due to the community outcry the agency faced for their failure to take decisive action against Smith. The company lawyers argued, “it has everything to do with what happened at Smith Foundry.”

Like East Phillips in Minneapolis, the neighborhood surrounding Northern Iron in Saint Paul is among the most diverse in the Twin Cities, and almost entirely working class. Just as is the case with Smith Foundry, it is plain to see that Northern Iron would never have been allowed to operate in a more affluent area; it is a cut and dry example of how pervasive environmental racism truly is in the state of Minnesota. Until Northern Iron, Smith Foundry, and all polluters are no longer allowed to poison our communities, the Climate Justice Committee is prepared to fight.

#StPaulMN #MN #Environment #CJC

Minneapolis, MN – Residents of the East Phillips neighborhood and organizers with the Climate Justice Committee rallied outside of Smith Foundry on Tuesday, June 4, after an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it had reached a settlement with Smith, with the most significant provision requiring that the heavy-polluting foundry shut down its furnace within 12 months.

The rally showcased the results of a steadfast commitment to environmental justice. At the rally, every speaker emphasized that, while the ruling from the EPA is a huge step in the right direction, the Shut Down Smith Coalition, East Phillips residents and their allies are not finished.

Residents who spoke drove home the point that their collective effort is leading to results – that they are building an environmental justice fighting-machine that takes on the system in the streets, in the courts and in political offices. The Smith rally was a time to celebrate a major success, and to motivate organizers and neighbors for the next phase of the fight: demanding a total closure.

After the rally, the Climate Justice Committee circulated the following statement, summarizing these developments, the present state of the struggle, and where it goes from here:

“After a long campaign by community organizers in the East Phillips neighborhood, the EPA finally announced on Tuesday, June 4th, that they had reached a partial settlement with Smith Foundry, requiring that the facility permanently shut down its furnace within 12 months, immediately shut down two of their pouring lines, and pay an $80,000 penalty. Still, the settlement allows Smith to continue to operate as a metal finishing shop.

“This represents a major advancement in the East Phillips and Little Earth communities’ struggle for environmental justice, which is in direct continuity with the significant and hard-won victories at the Roof Depot and Bituminous Roadways. Every inch of ground gained thus far is the result of a tireless, multi-pronged struggle by a broad coalition of activists and community members who were willing to fight for the air we breathe by any means necessary.

“However, this fight is NOT over. Twelve more months is far too long for the neighborhood to continue to endure Smith Foundry’s reckless pollution. And, there are unknown ramifications of operations as a metal finishing plant.

“If Zynik Capital, the EPA, or the MPCA—whose commissioner, Katrina Kessler, was recently granted new powers by the MN State Legislature to shut down polluters like Smith—really treated public health as their top priority, Smith could be shut down today.

“Furthermore, we will continue to loudly demand that all Smith Foundry workers affected by the shutdown be afforded everything they rightly deserve, including generous severance packages, compensation for negative health impacts caused by working at Smith, and a just transition to new employment in a healthy and safe workplace.

“Finally, we demand that the MPCA—and Zynik Capital—issue apologies to the residents of East Phillips and Little Earth. This agency has steadfastly refused to use its enforcement powers, and instead has delivered decades of negligence, lies, and utter disregard for neighbors’ complaints about the epidemic of industrial pollution in their community. MPCA and Zynik must also provide reparations to the neighborhood in whatever form the residents see fit.

“As we enter a new phase in our efforts for environmental justice, we are determined to continue heightening the level of struggle and raising the bar for what communities can achieve when they are prepared to fight. Until East Phillips, Little Earth, and all communities across Minnesota have the power in their hands to build a future free from environmental injustice, the Climate Justice Committee will stay in the streets.

“When we fight, we win!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #EnvironmentalJustice #EnvironmentalRacism #SmithFoundry #CJC #EPNI #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, April 21, a march of approximately 300 people from the Twin Cities metro area marched, blocking traffic for Earth Day.

The Climate Justice Committee (CJC) and Anti-War Committee (AWC) led the march. It drew attendees from the nearby Little Earth indigenous-preference housing complex, the surrounding East Phillips neighborhood, and Camp Nenookaasi, an encampment of the unhoused which has been forced by the city of Minneapolis to move many times.

The crowd took the street, making its first stop directly in front of Smith Foundry. Speakers from the neighborhood highlighted the impact the metal foundry has on the neighborhood, from increased asthma and heart disease rates in children to the putrid smells that emanate from it.

Evan Mulholland of the CJC stated, “It’s not right that the neighbors and workers are unprotected from pollution while the profit flows directly to the owner, Zynik capital in Canada,” highlighting the OSHA violations Smith had recently been fined for. Mulholland reminded everyone that “green capitalism is not going to fix white supremacy.”

The march then headed to the site that Mayor Jacob Frey wants to develop into a new 3rd Precinct building for the Minneapolis Police Department, despite residents strongly opposing a new site without meaningful police reform. The previous site had been burned during the uprising after the murder of George Floyd. Danielle Korby from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice explained the necessity for community control of the police to prevent developments, which would force neighbors in need of community resources to enter a building filled and staffed with the most violent gang in the city.

Stacey Gurian-Sherman, speaking for Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract, pointed out the deep connections between the Israeli Defense Forces and police techniques in the United States, including Cop City and similar militarized training facilities soon to be erected across the country. The crowd marched on, chanting “IDF, KKK, MPD, they’re all the same!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

At every stop, the Mexica Dancers danced and blessed the area, doing medicine work, expressing their desire for real change for our planet and neighbors, and were received by cheers by fellow marchers.

As the march came to an end, anti-war and workers’ right activists pointed out how monopoly capitalism is the driving forces behind climate change, and thus we cannot stop one without stopping the other.

Tracy Molm of the CJC and Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Twin Cities concluded the event with remarks on the negligence of the Democratic and Republican Parties on climate change and Palestine, rousing the crowd with an invitation to march on the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention later this year.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #EarthDay #ClimateChange #CJC #FRSO #DNC2024 #PeoplesStruggles #Housing #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine

The foundry is a major source of pollution in the neighborhood and is operating under long expired permits. Smith Foundry is a major source of lead pollution in Hennepin County, accounting for 70% of all lead pollution. Toya Lopez, from Health Care Professionals for a Healthy Climate pointed out, “There is no safe level of lead pollution.”

Rally organizers called on the governor and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to fulfill their duty to protect the people of Minnesota and shut down Smith Foundry.

“A foundry would never be allowed in an affluent white neighborhood,” said Climate Justice Committee (CJC) member CJ McCormick. “It’s blatant environmental racism that it’s been allowed to stay around this long.”

East Phillips is home to the Little Earth Native community, along with many other oppressed nationality and low-income families. The neighborhood also has some of the highest rates of asthma in the entire state.

Indigenous Protectors Movement founder Rachel Dionne-Thunder said “We are fighting for the next generation. We are fighting for our children. We all need clean water, clean air and a clean way of living. We call on Governor Walz to shut down Smith now.”E

A coalition of organizers, including CJC, has amplified the call since last year to shut the foundry down after public revelations about its harmful emissions. Some state representatives are currently working toward legislation that would pave the way for a buyout of the foundry, effectively forcing a shut down.

“The governor has the power to make that happen. He’s just avoiding stirring what he sees as controversy during an election year,” McCormick said.

#StPaulMN #TwinCitiesMN #MN #Environment #SmithFoundry #CJC #EnvironmentalJustice

Minneapolis, MN – The Climate Justice Committee (CJC) recently brought a taste of guerrilla theater to a local bureaucrat’s front lawn, March 3, to drive home a simple point: her wealthy, white neighborhood would never allow a major polluter like Smith Foundry to move in and disrupt their way of life.

And, as shown by the neighbors’ peeved reactions to our noisy presence and miniature factory replica on a quiet Sunday morning in pseudo-suburbia, their obsession with maintaining the status quo single-handedly proved the point.

As commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Katrina Kessler has gone out of her way to dodge accountability for her agency’s failure to do its job protecting the residents who live just ten minutes across town from her. Unlike in her idyllic corner of Southwest Minneapolis, residents of the East Phillips neighborhood have been forced to breathe air polluted by Smith Foundry and other nearby industrial operations for decades.

The century-old foundry has a track record of being an especially terrible neighbor, in particular as the leading source of lead pollution in Hennepin County. It’s a textbook case of environmental racism, as Smith Foundry sits in the center of a neighborhood with many low-income families and people of oppressed nationalities struggling against abnormally high rates of asthma and heart issues.

So, the CJC decided it was time to bring a homemade replica of the foundry sidewalk – complete with a working smokestack – to Kessler’s front to demonstrate exactly how the commissioner, her family and their white, wealthy neighbors would react to a factory popping up in their neighborhood fortress.

A pre-built model was quickly assembled on the sidewalk, dry ice and hot water were poured into the stack, and chants of “Kessler, Kessler, shame on you, East Phillips has rights too!” began surging through the megaphone. As the loud chants carried through the air and pretend “emissions” billowed from the factory, people began emerging from their homes.

What first seemed like curiosity quickly turned to mild confrontation. “We live here,” one man seethed. Another person was upset about the “contaminants” being put into the air via the smokestack (for the record, dry ice is 100% safer than what comes out of a real foundry smokestack). All in all, folks seemed most upset about the “noise pollution” from the chants disrupting their morning.

The irony of this reaction is almost poetic, as residents of East Phillips are forced to breathe air polluted by fine particulates and other toxins all day, every day.

For the past few months, residents and allied organizers in the East Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis have ramped up demands to shut down Smith Foundry, which simply doesn’t belong in a residential neighborhood. Last year, the factory was found by a surprise EPA inspection to be in violation of multiple pollution regulations, including the Clean Air Act. It is also a major source of lead pollution, a fact that Commissioner Kessler has outrageously denied in the media.

East Phillips is home to the Little Earth native community, along with many neighbors from oppressed nationalities and low-income families. With elders and young children alike breathing the polluted air around the clock, the neighborhood also has the highest rates of asthma in the entire state.

In a city with a sordid history of redlining, the struggle for justice against environmental racism is very much alive and continues today as an extension of the fallout from redlining. Until there is justice for East Phillips, and Smith Foundry leaves the neighborhood for good, the miniature foundry and its megaphone counterpart will keep making appearances at the homes of the upper-class bureaucrats who are standing in the way.

#MinneapolisMN #Environment #CJC #SmithFoundry #EnvironmentalJustice

Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of February 7, residents of East Phillips confronted the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) at a community meeting and then held a press conference regarding the Smith Foundry.

East Phillips is a primarily oppressed nationality neighborhood and home to the Little Earth indigenous community. East Phillips has the highest rates of asthma in all of Minnesota, with many residents suffering from COPD among other respiratory health issues.

The double-dealing of the MPCA was on clear display by trying to break the community meeting up into smaller, fragmented groups at “answer” tables. The East Phillips community and their supporters refused to cooperate, ignoring the “answer” tables and demanding that the MPCA address the community as a whole.

This was a follow-up meeting after the federal Environmental Protection Agency found, in a surprise inspection, that Smith Foundry was polluting the neighborhood and it required an outside agency to come to test the facility again.

The Smith Foundry has been releasing lead and other pollutants into the air on a permit they received in 1992. This permit does not monitor for lead. On Tuesday this week, the MPCA went out of their way to announce via Twitter that they found “The Smith Foundry is meeting their permit requirements. The facility emits low levels of lead.” The MPCA proudly shared this information, despite the fact there is no safe level of lead.

At the meeting on Wednesday night, residents pointed out that Smith has been poisoning the neighborhood for 120 years, while MPCA denies this and claims the foundry is in compliance with its permits. Brian Dickens, an Environmental Protection Agency employee named on Wednesday night, said that last year the Smith Foundry was in complete violation of their permits, but he states that “things have improved a lot.” 20-year Phillips resident Steff Yorek responded, “How can we trust you to maintain that they’re in compliance with the permit after you’ve allowed them to poison our air for decades?”

The MPCA is aware that this residential neighborhood is flooded with polluters and did not express any interest in changing that. As stated by MPCA representative Frank Kohlasch, “Bituminous Roadways is next door to Smith Foundry. Considering all sources of pollution around Smith Foundry is critical to the process for meeting permit requirements, we have to consider all the polluters. What are all of the other sources of air pollution that can be quantified?” Kohlasch did not respond when a neighbor pointed out that this is a residential neighborhood, not an industrial wasteland. The attendees of the neighborhood made their point clear: Smith Foundry does not belong in a residential neighborhood.

At the press conference called by the Climate Justice Committee, the MPCA was exposed for protecting the polluters like Smith Foundry, and not the community of East Phillips. A question-and-answer chant showed the community’s understanding of the role of the MPCA. The question to the community was, “Who keeps us safe?” The answer by the community was, “We keep us safe!” and “What do we want? Shut it down!”

#MinneapolisMN #Environment #EnvironmentalJustice #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #EPA #SmithFoundry #CJC #EastPhillips #EnvironmentalRacism

Minneapolis, MN – The city of Minneapolis announced their intent to close down Nenookaasi Ikwe Healing Camp in the East Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. Nenookaasi is an encampment of primarily indigenous people and has been a safe space for over three months.

Because of the steadfast support of local indigenous elders and other local volunteers, the camp has been home to up to 200 people. Because it provides a stable base, residents have been able to access government services, 74 people have gotten stable housing, and the camp has had zero overdose deaths.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who campaigned on ending homelessness in Minneapolis, has been playing a deadly game of whack-a-mole, where encampments of the unhoused are violently closed down, with no place for people to go. Despite many pointing out the cruelty of this approach, Frey has continued this policy.

Nenookaasi recently won their fight to get portable toilets to aid in keeping the site sanitary for the residents. One day later, an eviction notice was issued.

Lead camp organizer Nicole Mason said, “Eviction is violence and results in overdose, disease spread, assault, and the deaths of our relatives.”

Organizers called for a rally on Wednesday December 13, where hundreds of people assembled at The Wall of Forgotten Natives , the site of a former encampment that was violently shut down several years ago. Rallygoers chanted “Who’s land? Native land!” and “Land back” as they marched to the Nenookaasi encampment.

Residents of the encampment were visibly touched to see the massive support for the site that has meant so much to them.

At the rally, a 19-year-old resident of Nenookaasi encampment spoke of the safety and security she had, even as one of the youngest amongst older people. Nenookaasi gives her a place where people do not judge her, something she wished others would take note of and follow. Another Nenookaasi resident spoke if being “outside for a year” and “how that became so isolating.” New to Nenookaasi, he spoke of the welcome and warmth he receives there. The comments from these residents show Nenookaasi is not simply a location, it is home with the attributes of safety, security and support.

Community members, joined by organizations like the Climate Justice Committee, are committed to support Nenookaasi Ikwe Healing Camp. The city of Minneapolis has already moved the date of eviction once and may be moving a second time.

Meanwhile organizers and residents continue to demand no evictions until there is stable, safe housing for all residents, and that the city continue to meet with Nenookaasi representatives to coordinate next steps.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #Housing #Homeless #CJC