News and Views from the People's Struggle
Minneapolis, MN – On July 16, over 100 people packed the city council chambers and overflow room to oppose the 75-day pilot program contract proposal with Skydio, a drone manufacturing company that has ties to ICE and the Israeli Defense Force. The contract would allow Skydio drones to act as “first responders” to surveil emergency scenes prior to police arriving.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Women Against Military Madness (WAMM).
On July 1, law enforcement came to the home of a Los Angeles immigrants’ rights activist and Centro CSO member, Nadia Topete, to deliver a second subpoena ordering her to speak in front of a grand jury on July 8. Topete had been first subpoenaed to testify in June. Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) condemns this second subpoena of Topete and will fight against any attempt to jail her.
St. Paul, MN – The Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners, which governs the public water utility for the city and surrounding suburbs, voted on July 14 to renew Israeli tech company Waterfall Security Solutions’ contract for five years, after an hours-long public hearing. The chamber was full of people prepared to testify in what Chris Tolbert, the water board’s president, called the most well-attended meeting in the board’s history.
Forest Lake, MN – Nearly 50 community members from the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) and Indivisible members in Forest Lake joined at a rally to target U.S. Representative Pete Stauber, who had recently spearheaded legislation that would again open the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) to copper sulfide mining.
Minneapolis, MN – On July 8, Minneapolis City Council’s Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee held a public hearing on a proposal for a trial program for “drones as first responders” (DFRs). The drones are manufactured by Skydio, a California-based tech company that makes autonomous surveillance drones.
St. Paul, MN – Saint Paul is attempting to almost double its contract with Israeli cybersecurity company, Waterfall, proposing over $150,000 and another five years. Waterfall has ties to the Israeli military, which has been accused of carrying out genocide against Palestinians.
The Palestine Solidarity Committee of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) found out on July 7 from the Saint Paul Water Board website that they have selected Waterfall Security Solutions again for a contract.
St Paul, MN – The Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) issued a national call to action for protests on July 4 weekend to highlight that the U.S. 250th birthday celebration also mark 250 years of nonstop genocide, war and imperialism.
Both the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) and Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) held actions to draw attention to the costs of U.S.-sponsored wars and genocides.
Minneapolis, MN – June 28 marked the Taking Back Pride Coalition’s tenth annual protest march that disrupted the Twin Cities Pride Parade in downtown Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee held a bannering, July 2, to condemn the U.S. Supreme Court’s racist decision allowing the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Haiti and Syria. Cars honked in support as community members held letters that spelled out “TPS 4 Haitians & Syrians,” during rush hour traffic on a busy bridge and chanted “Hands off TPS!” at passing cars.
Minneapolis, MN – On July 1, over 200 people rallied in support of the MN 15, a group of Minneapolis community members that were indicted on bogus conspiracy charges relating to ICE resistance in the Twin Cities. 14 of the 15 were due in court to enter not guilty pleas to federal charges.
St. Paul, MN – Around 50 people rallied outside Birthright, a crisis pregnancy center in Saint Paul the evening of Wednesday, June 24. The protest comes on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. This decision ended federal abortion protection, thus leaving abortion regulation to the individual states. Birthright, the target of the protest, is a crisis pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy centers are projects with the primary mission to block access to abortion services.
Minneapolis, MN – On July 24, pro-Palestine and police accountability advocates as well as local media gathered in the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda around a banner that read, “Drones out of MPLS. Drones out of Palestine. Say no to Skydio.” The Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition (FPC) proceeded to hold a press conference calling on Minneapolis City Council to reject a proposal that would enact a trial program of so-called “drones as first responders” supplied by U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio.
Minneapolis, MN – On June 17, the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council-MN (WIAOFC-MN) and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) held a press conference and rally demanding accountability, justice, safety and fairness for all Black youth.
Minneapolis, MN – On June 23, local activist and artist Isavela López walked out of the Minneapolis federal courthouse smiling after the conclusion of her year-long battle against bogus felony charges pushed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an act of political repression.
Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, June 17, about 30 protesters gathered at the busy intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue to demand U.S hands off Cuba. Passing cars were supportive with many honks and fists out the windows. Chants of “What’s the number one threat to the world today? Donald Trump and the USA!” could be heard down the street. The action was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.
By Esper Garcia and Mira Altobell-Resendez
Minneapolis, MN – On the morning of June 15, the Department of Justice announced charges against 15 anti-ice protesters for “conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer,” and other bogus charges. That same morning 12 out of the 15 protesters had their homes raided and were arrested in relation to the federal indictment.
Richfield, MN – On June 14, over 50 protesters gathered outside a U.S. Army recruitment center to demand an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Lebanon, highlighting the war crimes committed by U.S. military personnel while admonishing recruiters for preying on vulnerable people’s basic needs. The event was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) with a wide range of grassroots organizations participating in the event.
Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, June 10, Twin Cities activists of the Taking Back Pride Coalition (TBP) gathered at Strive Bookstore in downtown Minneapolis to hold a press conference demanding corporate sponsors like Delta, 3M and US Bank get out of Twin Cities Pride.
Minneapolis, MN – On the morning of Saturday, June 13, scores of protesters gathered at the corner of Lake Street. and Bloomington Avenue in South Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with people held in immigrant detention centers and against the persecution of anti-ICE protesters. Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the bannering action was held as part of a national weekend of action in coordination with the Legalization for All network.
By Emily Newberg and Ulysses Dolan
Minneapolis, MN – On June 5, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) and allied organizations held a rally outside the Minneapolis Convention center to disrupt the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s (DFL) 2026 Humphrey-Mondale fundraising dinner. The dinner is the Minnesota Democratic Party’s annual fundraising event and a strategic rallying point for local Democrats ahead of key elections.
Braving the intense summer heat for a program of chanting and speeches, community members made their voices heard as they demanded an end to state funding of Israel’s genocide in Palestine, an end to the war on Iran and Lebanon, and a return to quarterly in-person State Board of Investment (SBI) meetings.
Cassidy Aickin, member of the AWC and co-emcee for the day, opened the event by saying, “In that building the DFL is hosting their annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner; their biggest fundraising event of the year. The people who have the most institutional power in our state, alongside their benefactors, are coming together to celebrate – another ‘great year’ of shutting out their constituents, ignoring people’s cries for divestment, and directly paying for the bombs that have martyred hundreds of thousands of Palestinian, Lebanese and Iranian people. Shame!”
Aickin continued, “The State Board of Investment, composed of Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, Julie Blaha and Steve Simon, chooses to invest hundreds of millions of Minnesota state employee pension dollars into weapons manufacturers, Israeli companies, and war profiteers like Palantir.”
The SBI had been scheduled to hold its second quarterly meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, June 3, but quietly removed the details from its schedule less than a month before. This effective cancellation continued the SBI’s over year-long trend of restricting community participation in what should be public meetings. But these cancellations have not deterred community involvement and have instead given way for powerful coalitions.
Representing the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Mira Altobell-Resendez reminded the crowd that, “The Minnesota Democratic Party spent all of winter ignoring the calls for protections for immigrants during Metro Surge. Tim Walz can sign an executive order at any time to ban 287(g) agreements that deputize county law enforcement into local ICE agents. The candidates for this year’s gubernatorial election like Amy Klobuchar could commit to creating ICE free zones as soon as they step into office.”
Alissa Washington, founder and executive director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council of MN, gave an impassioned speech connecting the wrongful conviction of her fiancé, Cornelius Jackson, and the over-policing of communities here and abroad. Washington said, “We’re here tonight because while the DFL dines with donors, we’re out here struggling to survive. While politicians gather behind closed doors, families are torn apart by wrongful convictions and over-sentencing! While they celebrate fundraisers, our loved ones are deported, imprisoned, displaced, and forgotten.”
Washington continued, “The DFL loves to tell us they are the party of working people. Then prove it! Stop shutting the public out of SBI meetings. Stop making decisions that impact our communities without our communities present.”
“What they’re really doing is defining what it means to run as a Democrat: position yourself as the only alternative to the Republican Party when you support genocide, racist tough-on-crime policies, corporate profiteers, expansion of the police state, all at the expense of the same constituents you claim to represent,” said Maddy Schwartz, member of the MN AWC. “The SBI has ignored constant calls from public employees to address this disgusting complicity in human rights violations. This sends a clear message that if you stand against genocide, your voice doesn’t matter.”
Only two days after the SBI was scheduled to meet, workers and allies in the anti-war movement made their voices heard, questioning why DFL politicians have time for their donors but not the taxpayers who pay their salaries. One volunteer working at the dinner stepped out from his role inside the Convention Center and picked up a “Divest MN from Apartheid Israel” sign for a portion of the action, before returning to his duties inside. When asked why he chose to join the voices demanding divestment he said, “It is the right thing to do.”
#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #DFL #Palestine #Divestment #BDS