Minneapolis, MN – On the morning of December 20, after weeks of continued pressure, activists occupied Senator Klobuchar's office with the goal of meeting with the senator directly to demand she introduce the American Dream and Promise Act in the Senate. The mobilization came less than two weeks after a militant street protest in front of Klobuchar's office that ended with a promise to “be back.”

The action began with members and supporters of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) entering the building that houses Klobuchar’s office demanding to meet with the senator’s staff. The senator's top local aides led participants to an office conference room for a formal meeting. Activists called once more for Klobuchar to introduce the American Dream and Promise Act, which passed the House 21 months ago and must be introduced in her Senate committee. The bill would permanently legalize over 3 million Dreamers and TPS recipients who currently have no other pathway to citizenship – and who are on the verge of losing their status at the hands of the Supreme Court.

Activists expressed anger and frustration over the senator's inaction for immigrant rights during such a crucial time. They demanded to meet with Klobuchar directly, and stated they would not leave the office until Klobuchar herself spoke with them, staging a sit-in.

During this time, other members and supporters began to arrive and were forcefully pushed from the door of the building by building staff and were denied entry. They were told that Klobuchar’s office instructed them to not allow anyone inside. Even a member of the press was initially kept out, finally negotiating his way in.

When it was clear to the senator's aides that the activists would not leave, they got Klobuchar to agree to speak directly with two MIRAC representatives. On a conference call from D.C., activists explained their demand directly to Klobuchar – introduce the American Dream and Promise Act immediately so it can be voted on in the Senate. Klobuchar verbally agreed to immediately bring this demand to Senators Schumer and Durbin to begin to take real action.

The sit-in concluded with a message from members on the ground to their supporters via social media livestream that their demand had been met – that Klobuchar herself spoke with them and agreed to take real steps to introduce the bill. MIRAC ended the mobilization for the day, but reminded supporters that we must continue the pressure and keep contacting Klobuchar and all our senators because the fight to defend DACA is not over. We must continue the fight for legalization for all now!

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #SenatorAmyKlobuchar #DACA #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCommitteeMIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – Over 50 immigrant rights protesters held a ‘noise demo’ June 8 outside of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office to demand she take action to protect those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status.

The action was organized by the Minnesota Immigrants Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) to demand that the U.S. Senate pass the American Dream and Promise Act, a bill which would permanently legalize people with DACA, TPS, and DED.

The bill passed in the U.S. House in March and is currently sitting in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety. It will need to pass both the subcommittee, and then the committee, before going on to the full Senate for a vote. Senator Klobuchar sits on both committees.

The protesters held signs reading, “Honk for DACA and TPS,” and “Amy Klobuchar, act on DACA.” People cheered, blew noisemakers, and chanted “Pass the bill,” as many cars and buses honked in support.

The event’s main speaker described her experience as a TPS recipient and demanded legalization for all, asserting that no one should need to be traumatized to be granted U.S. citizenship. After the protest, signs were left outside the building. Passing cars continued to honk in response to the signs, even after the protesters dispersed.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #SenatorAmyKlobuchar #DACA #TPS

Minneapolis, MN – On May 13, the Climate Justice Committee organized an event which brought together local activist groups in front of the offices of Senator Amy Klobuchar to examine the actions taken on environmental policy by the Biden administration during its first 100 days in office.

Climate Justice Committee (CJC) speaker Tracy Molm explained how when Biden took office in January, the CJC held his campaign accountable for the promise of doing more on climate, demanded a People's Agenda, and a reversal of Trump's many disastrous executive orders on climate change – picking 11 of the worst for Biden to overturn t during his first 100 days in office. Of these 11, Biden has only reversed one: rejoining the Paris Agreement. Other measures which could have been changed with a simple signature on day one, like going back to pre-Trump era emissions standards, were flatly ignored. A big point of disagreement, respecting treaty rights and ending fossil fuel pipelines was minimally addressed with the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, while larger pipeline endeavors such as DAPL and Line 3 continue to trespass and trample on indigenous sovereign land while still severely contaminating our environment.

The grave impact of these dirty pipelines was further emphasized by the testimony of Water Protector Betsy Foy, who told of her experience being arrested twice for her resistance to pipeline construction. Foy spoke of the disturbing legal process arrestees were put through and the inhumane treatment inflicted upon them by the police – one example described officers placing protesters ‘in isolation’ using blindfolds, headphones and sacks over their heads to cut them off of their surroundings.

“Indigenous treaties across what is now known as the United States do not endow rights to Native Americans,” reminded Robert Hendrickson, reading a statement from a MN350 Pipeline resistance team member, “They provide rights to non-Indigenous people to live upon these lands. Mni-sota is built-up over the territory of the Anishinaabe and Dakota people, who are the custodians of these lands, past and present.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, speaking for the MN Anti-War Committee, listed further instances of the Biden administration’s failure to address a people's agenda. She pointed to his silence on Israel's most recent desecration of a Muslim holy site, the horrific and continuous bombing of Gaza, the evictions of Jerusalem residents in Sheikh Jarrah and the systematic violation of Palestinian human and civil rights, the “plan to privatize the occupation of Afghanistan,” with performative theatrics of bringing our soldiers home while leaving the bulk of occupation in the form of U.S. Special Forces, mercenaries, intelligence operatives and 18,000 Pentagon contractors “all planning to stay,” the continuation of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, with ICE, last week, detaining about 15,000 immigrants, including more than 1500 parents and children at the family holding facilities; all pointed to the fact that Biden is not substantially changing Trump's policies. “The only change is in the rhetoric,” Aby-Keirstead declared.

So for this, the action of the Biden administration Aby-Keirstead graded with Needs Improvement. “And since I am a teacher,” Aby-Keirstead concluded, “that's official.”

“What we need to force change is a fighting movement,” said Tracy Molm. “While politicians are happy to talk about all of us making choices to be more green – reduce waste by recycling, and all – our personal choices are minor compared to the impact of the U.S. military. So we need to be outraged and demand cuts to the U.S. military, demand that the U.S. military account for their role in climate change. To do this we need all of you to join us, like today, out at events. And we need to continue to connect issues like climate change to attacks on our Black and brown siblings and attacks on immigrants. We need to demand justice and a People’s Agenda.”

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #EnvironmentalJustice #SenatorAmyKlobuchar #ClimateJusticeCommittee

Minneapolis, MN – On March 15, 30 protesters gathered in front of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Minneapolis office to condemn her support for the Trump administration policy of regime change in Venezuela and support of U.S. aid to Israel. Since Klobuchar has kicked off her presidential campaign, the Twin Cities anti-war movement has responded by holding multiple protests, including a picket at her presidential announcement at Boom Island, to draw attention to the senator’s long record of voting for military aid and U.S. intervention.

Responding to the savage and racist mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, Misty Rowan of the MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) opened the protest with, “The reactions of Klobuchar and other politicians to the recent tweets and comments by Ilhan Omar about AIPAC demonstrate the dangers of seeing one form of discrimination but not another.” She continued, “I've just been informed that a fellow committee member called Klobuchar's office this morning to ask if she has made any statement about the Christchurch attacks. The office person said, basically, no comment. So while she felt it was important to put out a statement against her fellow lawmaker, this [Christchurch] happens and she chooses to stay silent.”

Christine Hauschildt, also a member of the AWC, addressed the crowd on the senator’s hawkish stance on Venezuela, “We are concerned with the overwhelming negative impact that the U.S. intervention has had on the safety and security of the Venezuelan people. Senator Amy Klobuchar does not share that concern.” Instead, “Senator Klobuchar supports the destabilizing a foreign, elected leader through U.S. intervention.” This intervention includes the brutal sanctions imposed on Venezuela, disguising weapon shipments to the right-wing Venezuelan coup forces as ‘humanitarian’ aid, and the sabotage that affected the Venezuelan national electrical grid.

Brad Sigal from Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) spoke about the primary focus of MIRAC being the fight for legalization and full equality for immigrants, while also opposing U.S. interventions across the world. Sigal explained, “we also stand with anti-war efforts to put an end to U.S. government policies that provoke forced migration. And that means ending U.S. intervention in other countries. So many people come here from Mexico, Central America, East Africa and Southeast Asia because they are displaced by U.S. intervention in their countries. We stand with the anti-war movement because today's war creates tomorrow's migrants and refugees.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the Anti-War committee, was the last speaker at the protest. She contrasted the courageous stands by Representative Ilhan Omar with the terrible positions that Senator Klobuchar has taken during her run for president. Minnesota’s 5th district Representative Ilhan Omar dared speak truth to power about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and exposed the injustice of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Senator Klobuchar is the only Democratic presidential candidate to vote to penalize the BDS – the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement; she is the candidate seeking to be recognized as most friendly with AIPAC, and joined in the racist attacks against Representative Ilhan Omar.

Aby-Keirstead continued by noting that Klobuchar’s support for Israeli human rights abuses is not new. From 2006 until the present, as thousands of Palestinians have been killed and wounded by Israeli aggressions, Klobuchar has been silent. To underscore this indifference she explained, “In 2008 I was at a constituent meeting with Senator Klobuchar where she heard testimony from our local Palestinian community about how Operation Cast Lead was affecting their families in Palestine. They showed her pictures of dead children and told her horror stories, but she was shockingly unmoved despite the heartache of her constituents.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee and endorsed by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) UMN and Women Against Military Madness.

The next Twin Cities protest concerning U.S. intervention in Venezuela will be on March 30 at 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #SenatorAmyKlobuchar

Minneapolis, MN – A contingent of demonstrators braved the cold and dense snowfall, February 10, establishing an anti-war presence at Boom Island Park, where Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar announced her 2020 presidential bid.

Klobuchar has a long history of voting with Republicans on the issues of foreign intervention and militarism, to include voting “Yea” on bills that imposed economic sanctions on Syria and Iran, added $61 billion to the defense budget, extended the expiration date of the PATRIOT Act, and authorized President Trump to transfer precision guided munitions to the Israeli apartheid regime. She also has expressed, in interviews leading up to the government shutdown, her willingness to capitulate to the Trump administration's demand for funding for the proposed inhumane wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.

This record led members of Women Against Military Madness, Veterans for Peace, Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, and the Anti-War Committee to make their voices heard at Senator Klobuchar's rally. The contingent utilized the opportunity to bring attention to the tendency of mainstream politicians, including Klobuchar, to advocate for sanctions, intervention and regime change in the sovereign state of Venezuela, with signs that illustrated the U.S. moves to install brutal dictators in Latin American countries.

The activists prioritized engaging with and educating passers-by at the event, expressing their concerns about the U.S.'s aggressive foreign policy towards the Middle East and Latin America. “U.S.-backed regime change has never improved the livelihoods of the people living in its victim nations,” said Cullom McCormick of the Anti-War Committee. “The U.S. backing of bloodthirsty dictators such as the Shah of Iran, Pinochet in Chile, and Armas in Guatemala are just a few examples that illustrate the disastrous results of this type of intervention.”

As the 2020 presidential election cycle begins to ramp up, it is as important as ever to understand the fact that the Republicans are not the only political party in the U.S. that advocates for militarism and intervention in the affairs of other sovereign states. Senator Klobuchar is in lockstep with the current Republican majority in these matters and will likely continue the legacy of pro-war Democrats.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #SenatorAmyKlobuchar

Building on a successful rally at the Federal Building and march through downtown Minneapolis on November 30, and a well-attended educational forum on December 16, organizers are planning on a strong turnout to send a strong message to Senator Klobuchar: Minnesotans believe that a border wall is a cruel, unnecessary waste of money. Protesters will demand that asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants be welcomed, not face imprisonment and death at the U.S. border.

“Klobuchar insists that border funding ‘isn’t just the wall.’ Actually, she’s right! It isn’t just the wall. It’s also funding for ICE’s brutality, funding for keeping migrant children in detention until they die, and funding for militarizing our border in response to a humanitarian crisis our government caused,” according to CJ McCormick, a member of the Anti-War Committee. “Klobuchar thinks portraying herself as open to compromise is her best bet for the presidency. Let’s tell Klobuchar that a deal with Trump is a deal that destroys families. A deal with ICE is a deal that ends lives! A deal for the wall is harmful to us all!”

William Martinez, a Salvadoran activist from MIRAc (MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee) concurs. “The struggle for immigrant rights cannot be fought without a clear understanding of the roots of migration. U.S. war and economic policy destroys lives and homes around the world. Within our borders, immigrants have the right to demand equality from the U.S. government. We stand with our migrant sisters and brothers reaching the border and with our immigrant sisters and brothers already here in the U.S. to say: No wall! Legalization for all!”

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #immigrantRights #SenatorAmyKlobuchar #Minnesota #Antiracism #Trump

Minneapolis, MN – On Feb. 28, students from multiple Minneapolis middle and high schools walked out of classes to demand a clean Dream Act. More than 75 students rallied briefly at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park before travelling to the University of Minnesota campus and marching to the office of Senator Amy Klobuchar. Once they arrived at Klobuchar’s office, s