“It’s a Tea Party bank”

Minneapolis, MN – Around two hundred people marched from the OccupyMN People’s Plaza to nearby TCF Bank Tower, Oct. 11. Marchers chanted “The banks got bailed out, people got sold out!” and “ho ho hey hey, make the rich pay!” The march targeted TCF Bank because the locally-based bank tries to dominate Minnesota’s economy and politics with extreme pro-corporate policies.

Minneapolis, MN – Clyde Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement (AIM) organized a rich and moving Indigenous People’s day ceremony of speakers, dancing and drumming for OccupyMN at the People’s Plaza, Oct 10.

Minneapolis, MN – Occupy Minnesota, which began on October 7 in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, continues it’s ongoing protest presence in People’s Plaza in downtown Minneapolis (the plaza between 5th & 6th Street and 3rd & 4th Avenue). Each day brings more support and more actions. The main theme of OccupyMN is “people before profits.”

Minneapolis, MN – With the theme of “People before profits” and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, a similar occupation started on Oct. 7 at 9:00 a.m. in Minneapolis. The ongoing Minneapolis occupation is at Government Plaza (300 South 6th Street, downtown Minneapolis), which the Occupy MN movement has renamed “People’s Plaza.” Organizers are inviting people to come any time to learn more and to join the occupation.

_Theme is ‘People before profits’ _

Minneapolis, MN – With the theme of “People before profits” and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, a similar occupation will start on Friday, Oct. 7 at 9:00 a.m. in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis occupation will be at Government Plaza (300 South 6th Street, downtown Minneapolis). The Occupy MN movement has already renamed it “People’s Plaza.” This is one of many ongoing occupations that have sprung up around the country since the Wall Street occupation began on Sept. 17.

“Tenemos que ser fuertes y estar listos para cualquier cosa del gobierno”

¡Lucha y Resiste! habló con Jess Sundin del Comité para Parar la Represion del FBI sobre los casos de los activistas llamados al Gran Jurado de Chicago. Sundin es una de las activistas que el FBI cateó el 24 de septiembre de 2010. La redacción de ¡Lucha y Resiste! quiere que todos nos ayuden a pasar esta información a la mayor cantidad de gente posible.

Minneapolis, MN – At a hearing for Chrishaun McDonald on Sept. 22, over 40 people gathered to show their support for her, as both sides made arguments in regards to the defense’s motion for a bail reduction.

_Protest on anniversary of FBI raids _

Minneapolis, MN – About 175 people, representing a broad section of the Twin Cities progressive movement, participated in a march and rally here, Sept. 24, to demand an end to government repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists.

By Luce Guillen-Given, Lex Huran, Kris Gebhard, Billy Navarro Jr., Katie Burgess and Jill Bartel

Activists demand: End attacks on anti-war activists – Money for human needs not war – Bring troops home now

Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 protesters met President Obama outside the Convention Center here, Aug. 30, where he spoke to a gathering of the American Legion. The demonstration was initiated by the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression and endorsed by a wide range of local progressive organizations.

Minneapolis, MN – Organizers from across the country are meeting in Chicago, August 28, to plan major protests at the joint G8/NATO summit in May. Fourteen Twin Cities activists from the Anti-War Committee, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and U of M Students for a Democratic Society will be at the conference to bring experience and lessons from organizing protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Twin Cities activists are also planning to organize hundreds of people from Minnesota to travel to Chicago in May to protest the first joint meeting of the G8 and NATO in Chicago.

_The war in Afghanistan continues, anti-war movement continues to demand ‘U.S. Out Now’ _

Minneapolis, MN – Thirty U.S. troops were killed when Taliban forces shot down their helicopter over Afghanistan Aug. 6. The helicopter crash was the most deadly single incident for the U.S. military forces in Afghanistan since the war began nearly ten years ago in 2001.

Minneapolis, MN – On July 21, ultra-right wing presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann’s husband’s clinic was overrun by costumed ‘gay barbarians,’ who grunted, threw glitter inside the clinic lobby and chanted, “You can’t pray away the gay – baby, I was born this way!”

Minneapolis, MN – The framework agreement reached by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Republican politicians is a victory for big corporations and Minnesota’s wealthy. For the rest of us, it is a setback. It is the opposite of what a progressive solution to the state budget crisis should be. The Republican shutdown of state government appears to be ending with a Republican solution to the budget short fall – the burden of the crisis will be shifted onto the backs poor and working people. Again.

Minneapolis, MN – Cynthia McKinney, former six-term member of the House of Representatives, and Sara Flounders, co-director of the International Action Center, spoke to a packed room of over 60 supporters, July 9, at the Plymouth Congregational Church. Both gave motivating speeches for how the U.S./NATO intervention in Libya is endangering and killing the civilian population and demanded an immediate end to the war on Libya.

Last May we joined our voices with people from around the world in outrage after Israeli commandos killed 9 activists on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. We demanded an end to the U.S. aid to Israel because we know that Israel’s deadly attack on the Flotilla and its illegal blockade of Gaza would not be possible without the military and diplomatic support of the United States. Israel carried out a horrendous military assault on this aid convoy carrying wheelchairs, cement, water purification systems, children’s toys and notebook paper to Gaza because they politicized humanitarian aid.

“We’ve got to stay strong and be ready for whatever the government throws at us next.”

Fight Back! interviewed Jess Sundin, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, on the latest developments in the case of the anti-war and international solidarity activists who were raided by the FBI and who received subpoenas to appear in front of the Chicago grand jury headed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Sundin is among those whose home was raided Sept. 24, 2010. The editors of Fight Back! urge our readers to forward this important interview as broadly as possible.

Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) had a big presence at the annual Minneapolis LGBTQ Pride parade this year. A lively CSFR contingent participated in the annual parade down Hennepin Avenue to Loring Park on June 25. Thousands of flyers about FBI and grand jury repression against anti-war activists were handed out to the crowds at the CSFR information booth all day Saturday and Sunday and over 250 new people signed the pledge to resist if any activists are indicted or jailed in the ongoing witch hunt.

Minneapolis, MN – Responding to President Obama’s June 22 national televised speech on Afghanistan, Meredith Aby of the Twin Cites based Anti War Committee stated, “The U.S. needs to get out of Afghanistan now.” Aby was one of the main organizers of the massive anti-war march on the opening day of the 2008 Republican National Convention and she is one of the 23 peace and international solidarity activists who have been subpoenaed to appear in front of the Chicago grand jury investigating ‘material support for terrorism.’ The grand jury, headed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, is attempting to criminalize anti-war activism.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 protesters gathered in front of the FBI offices here, June 16, to demand that the charges be dropped against veteran Los Angles Chicano activist Carlos Montes. Protest organizers blasted the growing attacks by the FBI and other police agencies on anti-war, international solidarity and progressive political activists.