Minneapolis, MN – “We set big goals and surpass them, whether that is buying a building, or expanding rapidly in new cities all across the country,” said Sydney Loving of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Central Committee. “To make the next qualitative leap in our work and shore up our hard-won achievements, we need to raise $100,000 during this fund drive. We plan to put these funds towards paying off our new building.”

Members of FRSO districts are sitting down and going through the people they know who can donate and making plans to reach out. Denver FRSO has set the goal of raising $10,000 for the drive. In ambition alone, New Orleans would not be outdone – they set an even higher goal of $15,000.

The Minneapolis district has already taken off running. After hosting just one event, they've raised $2700 already, specifically for the upkeep of the FRSO building, the Lucy Parsons Center.

FRSO is embroiled in several heated battles against Trump's racist, reactionary agenda. More people are writing to us every day, motivated to change this world in which we have so little to lose.

“There is no better time to be in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and there is no better cause to donate to. We will succeed at this drive, we will succeed at building a party, and we will do our part to usher in a new world out of the ashes of the old,” states Loving.

You can donate to the FRSO $100k Fund Drive by clicking here.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #FRSO #FundDrive2025 #Featured

Minneapolis, MN – On March 18, over 300 people gathered at the Minneapolis Federal Building for an emergency protest to show their collective outrage at Israel’s latest violation of the ceasefire in Gaza and the Trump administration’s complicity in the attack.

In the past 24 hours, Israel has conducted heavy airstrikes which targeted homes, schools, tents and shelters across Gaza, killing over 400 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more. The Free Palestine Coalition held the emergency response protest on five hours’ notice.

Cedar Larson, a member of Women Against Military Madness, came to the protest. “I came out today because we witnessed one of the most horrific nights since the genocide began 17 months ago. We witnessed the deaths of over 300 people in one single night – when they thought that they had gone to bed and witnessed one of the most devastating experiences and days of this genocide so far after. This is a blatant violation of the ceasefire. The end of the ceasefire is flying in the face of any respect for law, and we have to come out to stand against it!”

Nick Tolliver, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, explained, “Hundreds of people gathered out here in the cold tonight to demand an end Israel’s ongoing genocide and the U.S. government’s support of Israel’s crimes against humanity. Israel’s blatant violation of the ceasefire is further proof that they are not seriously invested in peace and were only using the ceasefire to regroup, re-arm and continue their genocide on the civilians of Gaza.”

Liz Bolsoni, also member of the MN Anti-War Committee, concurred. “For many, especially our Palestinian and Muslim community members, the past two months since the ceasefire deal have felt like a sick and twisted waiting game. We’ve known that the United States and Israel, led by billionaire capitalists and genocidal maniacs, have absolutely no commitment to peace. That there is no ‘press pause’ on a genocide. But tonight’s emergency action in Minneapolis was a reminder of where our commitments lie – in standing with the Palestinian resistance for an end to genocide and apartheid.”

At the closing of the protest, Wyatt Miller announced that the MN Anti-War Committee will be packing the next meeting of the State Board of Investment on Friday, March 21 at 9 a.m. at the Retirement Systems Building, Room 106, 60 Empire Drive in Saint Paul to demand that Minnesota divest from Israel and all companies that profit from Israel’s war and occupation of Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Minneapolis, MN – On March 15 the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) hosted a panel at the New City Center about U.S.-China relations and where President Donald Trump likely intends to take them. The event featured speakers from MPAC, Asians 4 Palestine, Nodutdal and Minnesota Workers United.

Panelists touched on a number of topics, including dispelling myths about China, relations with Taiwan, and U.S. military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region. MPAC organized the panel to bring people of different backgrounds together for a rousing discussion about the past, present and future of U.S.-China relations, and what anti-war advocates have termed the “New Cold War.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International

Similar to Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student detained last week despite having a permanent legal status, she played a role in the pro-Palestine student protests at Columbia, including the Hind's Hall building occupation.

Authorities claim that this is normal protocol related to her visa status. That is not true. It is part of a pattern of repression that includes Khalil's case, and the investigations carried out by Trump's Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. These arrests come hot on the heels of the university suspending or expelling 22 students at Columbia University.

Emergency campus protests to “Free Mahmoud Khalil” are underway across the U.S. 1000 students walked out on Tuesday in New York City alone. More protests are springing up.

“It's political repression of campus activists who want to use their free speech to talk about Palestine, plain and simple,” said Erin Boyle, the vice president of national Students for a Democratic Society. “Trump promised deportations of Palestinian and pro-Palestine students to quench the movement, and now he's trying to deliver. But it won't work. As long as the student movement is alive and Israel occupies Palestinian land, we will never be silent.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudnetMovement #AntiWarMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #MahmoudKhalil #LeqaaKorida

That contract protects approximately 47,000 Transportation Security Officers. The plaintiffs include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFGE TSA Local 1121, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA).

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, the lawsuit seeks to block this illegal action, which violates the constitutional rights of federal employees and undermines collective bargaining protections. The plaintiffs argue that Secretary Noem’s actions constitute unconstitutional retaliation against AFGE for exercising its First Amendment right to advocate on behalf of federal workers. They also argue that the administration’s actions also violate the Fifth Amendment by stripping TSA workers of vested property rights without due process.

The plaintiffs demand immediate injunctive relief to stop the administration from rescinding the existing contract, eliminating union representation, and stripping workers of their bargaining rights.

“The decision to eliminate collective bargaining rights for TSA is terrible for aviation security and everyone who depends on safe travel,” said Sara Nelson, president of AFA-CWA, representing 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines.

“This attack on our members is not just an attack on AFGE or transportation security officers. It’s an assault on the rights of every American worker,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #AFGE #TSA #CWA #AFACWA

Minneapolis, MN – 100 people came out of the cold of Minnesota’s winter and jumped into the fires of the struggle on Friday, March 7. Beginning at 6 p.m., the hall of the Lucy Parson’s Center was packed for an event to mark International Women’s Day.

Key points of discussion centered on the origin of gender oppression, and the role of women as both workers in their workplaces, but also those who have the brunt of work in the home forced upon them. Olivia Crull of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a founding member of MN Abortion Action Committee, put it concisely: “If we want to understand where gender oppression comes from, we first have to talk about reproductive labor and the family. Reproductive labor is exactly what it sounds like: it reproduces our health and energy outside of work. It includes things like cooking, cleaning, entertaining, childbearing and rearing.”

Crull noted, “Historically and currently, women perform the bulk of this labor so that when their husbands return to work, having been fed and cared for, they’re able to continue producing for their capitalist bosses.” Crull also noted the important role that women play in that reserved group of unemployed workers, being drawn on by the billionaire class to expand workforces in growing industries, and on the other hand being pushed out at the first sign of economic downturn.

Expanding from this discussion, speakers touched on the role of women and the impact of gender oppression in each of their particular struggles. Robynne Johnson, speaking for MNAAC, discussed the importance of the struggle for women’s and reproductive rights to all struggles, stating, “To support reproductive freedom is to support working-class women and gender oppressed people everywhere.”

Johnson continued, “When Roe was overturned in 2022, states across the country began rolling out abortion bans and stealing the right to bodily autonomy from women, and recently we’ve seen legislators introduce dozens of bills aimed at limiting trans people from receiving gender-affirming care. These laws are direct attacks on working and oppressed people. When the ruling class institutes bans against our bodies, they are stealing our autonomy away from us, just like they steal all the wealth that we create.”

Attendees listened with great interest to the words of speakers and after that were invited to participate in a Q&A portion to get deeper into the matter of each of the speakers’ issues, and how the fight for women’s rights and an end to gender oppression connects to other struggles. At the closing of the event, attendees were invited to take part in a march the following day, March 8, to mark the working class holiday of International Women’s Day itself.

The event was spearheaded by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Twin Cities District and included speakers from FRSO as well as: the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA – CWA), the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), and the MN Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO #TCC4J #MIRAC #MNAAC #AWC #AFACWA

Minneapolis, MN – On March 11, over 300 people protested in front of the Federal Building downtown Minneapolis to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and an end to the Trump administration’s criminalization of the pro-Palestine student movement at U.S. The protest was a part of Student for a Democratic Society’s call for a National Day of Action in solidarity with Khalil.

On the evening of March 8, the Department of Homeland Security detained Palestinian Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil. This was the first detention after Trump ordered the State Department to deport students for pro-Palestine activism. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a green card holder, and his arrest is an unlawful violation of freedom of speech and immigration laws.

Trump’s Executive Order 13899 requires “the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other […] report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”

On February 28, The Department of Justice announced that a federal task force to “Combat Antisemitism” would visit ten college campuses that “experienced incidents of antisemitism.” Trump’s administration conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism and criminalizes students, staff and faculty who have protested a deadly genocide that has killed over 48,000 people in Gaza. This is a discrimination against Muslim, Palestinian and Middle Eastern students, faculty and staff. Columbia University and University of Minnesota are among campuses under investigation.

Crista Ocampo, an organizer with the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke to the crowd, “We condemn this egregious case of political repression at the hands of ICE. ICE officers have terrorized communities across the country for far too long and now they are being used as a tool by Trump to further repress the Palestine movement. Shame! We won’t let them get away with this. Just look at the hard fought battle SDS put up and won against their administration to get the suspensions dropped for the Halimy Hall students. When our oppressors’ attacks become more blatant, it only makes it easier for us to unite with each other on the path to justice. We will never stop fighting because we know that that’s how we win.”

Lina Jebara, an organizer with the MN Anti-War Committee, closed out the protest, “These acts of political repression – of plucking community leaders from movements, of threatening organizers with unconstitutional deportations or with phony felony charges, as we’ve seen here in our community – are not new for this country. These are deliberate actions taken to make us fear retaliation for standing up against depraved injustices, to push us towards acquiescence. We’re out here today, after witnessing months of harrowing genocide in Palestine carried out by Israel on our dime, to say that these tactics do not and will not work on us.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, UMN Educators for Justice in Palestine, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, and endorsed by UMN Students for Justice in Palestine, Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #Trump #SDS #MNAWC #SJP #MIRAC #JVP #AMP

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, March 8, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) and its partners hosted a protest and march on International Women’s Day. The Minneapolis protest drew over 1200 people across generations and justice movements. They filled Mayday Plaza and lined Cedar Avenue, holding signs in support of reproductive, trans rights and immigrant rights. Other signs included slogans critical of President Trump, Elon Musk, and the current U.S. government.

The protest’s goal was to uplift the women of the working class, protect reproductive rights, defend the trans community, and stand with Minnesota’s immigrant communities under attack.

International Women’s Day is a global holiday fueled by the collective efforts of women around the world. It identifies the many struggles that working women face, from low wages and discrimination to sexual violence and restrictions on bodily autonomy, bringing people together to resist. Every year since its formation, MNAAC has participated in local events for International Women’s Day, but this is the first year that the organization brought people into the streets for a march.

Emcees Siobhan Moore and Natalie Berger kept the crowd energized in between speakers by leading chants, garnering supportive honks from cars passing by the plaza. Cheers and chants called out for reproductive rights, labor rights, immigrant rights, trans rights and more

This was echoed in a speech by Dieu Do, a member of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) who began by highlighting several women who had fought for liberation, including Marsha P. Johnson, Amanda Wing and Roxanne O’Brien.

Do stated, “All of their stories are different, but all the fights are the same because we all know that our collective liberation is rooted in each other. We know when we talk about Black rights, we’re talking about trans liberation. When we’re talking about trans liberation, we’re talking about reproductive rights. When we’re talking about reproductive rights, we’re talking about immigrant rights and human rights.”

Jess Sundin spoke on behalf of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) about the interwoven struggle for women’s rights and labor rights, stating, “Before capitalism, those who bore children did more ‘reproductive labor,’ but it never meant that women only did that, or that this work was less valued, or that men didn’t help.” Sundin continued, “Women and LGBTQ people held places of honor in many cultures. But capitalists changed the rules, and reproductive labor was redefined as ‘not work.’”

Monique Cullars-Doty of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice stated, “I think about the solidarity and the collective pain that we have seen here in America. Indigenous or Mexican brothers and sisters being families are being separated at the border from their families. It is American history. We are now experiencing what it means to have your white privilege taken from you because you are not the wealthiest of the world. So, it is a time of awakening where we can realize we have more in common than we do different.”

Cullars-Doty ended her speech, “If someone wants to do whatever they want to do and it’s not affecting you, mind your business, she said. “No human is illegal. Mind your businesses. And when I say mind your business, I mean the business of liberation as one. That is our business. Liberation and equality for all.”

Representing the Minnesota Federation of Teachers was their president, Marcia Howard. She began her speech noting that over half of the U.S. population is women. Howard stated, “Black liberation is for the liberation of everybody. I’ve been at George Floyd Square for five years and I will jump over my cis-sister for a trans sister any day because I know they’re coming for them first. I want you to think about that now. They’re going to pick on the most vulnerable sisters first. I need you to remember that. And if you ever get even tempted to ignore that – don’t you ever think you aren’t next in line.”

After a series of speeches, the group marched down Riverside Avenue and back, pausing near Augsburg University and the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center – West Bank. There, they heard from additional speakers including MNAAC’s own Lily Winslow.

“Our government has always laid claim to what we can do with our bodies – which borders our bodies can cross, which essential care our bodies can receive, which bodies are entitled to environmental and economic security – the list goes on,” Winslow said. “In spite of these attacks, we breathe, move, and fight in these bodies.”

Winslow honored the women whose lives were lost to abortion bans: Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller, Josseli Barnica and Neveah Crain. And they invited the crowd to join them in a fight for liberation and also for love.

This rally and march on International Women's Day was organized by MNAAC, with endorsement from Teamsters 638 and speakers from the following organizations: Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Families Against Military Madness, Women Against Military Madness, Women’s March Minnesota, Taking Back Pride Coalition, and the MN Anti-War Committee. Rank-and-file members of the Minnesota Nurses Association, Unite Here Local 17, Association of Flight Attendants and the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 12 also spoke at the rally.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #MNAAC

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from UMN Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

On March 10, after 10 days of deliberation, the University of Minnesota’s panel for the disciplinary hearing of the students arrested during the occupation of Halimy Hall decided that the student protestors were found not responsible for the unjust charges of violation of local, state or federal laws, theft, property damage, and vandalism because of the absolute lack of evidence.

The sanctions decided by the panelists involve a one-year disciplinary probation, 40 hours of community service, prohibition of entry to Morrill Hall for one year, and a restorative justice resolution that will involve writing a letter to the Morrill Hall employees impacted by the protest and engaging in a listening circle with them. All students were offered a restorative justice option instead of punitive justice.

The dropping of suspensions and restitutions, as well as the panel finding the protestors not guilty on a majority of the initial Student Code violations, is a huge win for pro-Palestinian student activism. The panel also notably found the protestors not guilty of violating local, state, or federal laws, further delineating the illegitimacy of the current bogus felony charges on protestor Robyn Harbison. This is especially meaningful coming after Rebecca Cunningham’s most recent email to the university body, stating that the university will fully comply with the Anti-Defamation League’s investigation into anti-semitism on the university campus.

We are in a moment of increased political repression and fear, people are becoming afraid to use their voice to protest the injustices around them. In this moment, it is especially vital that we keep standing up and protesting Trump’s attacks and that we keep fighting for Palestinian liberation. The hearing results constitute a major victory for the entire student movement, but we must keep fighting against the repression that is rampant on campuses across the country, especially following the kidnapping of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil by ICE. We will continue to stand up and support all protesters facing unjust repression because as long as our University or country remains complicit in genocide it is our duty to fight back.

While the University and Rebecca Cunningham continue to preemptively appeal to Zionist bodies and Trump’s increasingly repressive executive orders, the students and the pro-Palestine movement stand strong. When placed under the intense scrutiny of a proper legal procedure and the strong support of the community to back the students, the university’s case crumbled due to a lack of evidence. Despite every effort to harass and intimidate the students into a guilty verdict, the university’s attempt to capitulate to Zionism failed.

During an era of heightened repression for student activists, including the involuntary detainment of pro-Palestinian foreign student activists by the Department of Homeland Security, it is vitally important for students to continue showing up to fight for Palestine and to fight for their fellow students. As we continue to see increased repression against people’s movements at large, we must remember to stay loud about our repression because this victory was only possible thanks to the tireless struggle of the students and the community at large.

We will continue to struggle against all political repression and for a free Palestine!

Dare to struggle!

Dare to win!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #SDS #Statement

Minneapolis, MN — On Saturday, March 1, more than 60 Twin Cities community members gathered to attend a “State Board of Divestment” speak-out event hosted by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee in a Minneapolis community center.

Minnesota’s State Board of Investment (SBI), a large public fund managed by state officials Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha, and Secretary of State Steve Simon. It currently invests approximately $5.4 billion in apartheid Israel, Israeli companies, weapons manufacturers that sell to Israel’s military, and other companies that prop up Israel’s apartheid system.

Over the past two years, the SBI’s public meetings have seen increasingly large turnout from the Palestinian community, anti-war movement, and union members whose pensions are paid out via the SBI’s fund, all demanding divestment from Israel.

The SBI’s next public meeting, scheduled for March 5, was recently rescheduled with less than a week’s notice. The previous meeting saw unexplained changes to the format and rules of the meeting, and did not allow community members to speak. The SBI has not provided a new date for its required quarterly meeting.

The State Board of Divestment event was structured like a mock SBI meeting, with the emcees calling up speakers who had previously signed up to speak to the SBI’s board to give their testimony to a camera in place of the absent board. The Anti-War Committee plans to submit the film to the SBI.

Emily Newberg, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, opened the event by saying, “Before the December meeting it was announced that the SBI were switching to a hybrid option without giving a reason why. And they said that any comments that folks wanted to make would need to be sent in advance. A hybrid option, of course, means a choice between in-person or online and does not indicate that the community will not have a chance to be heard. Ater allowing only 35 people into the building, another rule we weren’t made aware of ahead of time, we soon learned that the SBI meeting was not itself in person. The 35 of us were ushered into a room where we were sat in front of a TV screen showing the shameful faces of the members of the SBI holding a closed, but televised, meeting.”

Speakers from AFSCME 3800, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, and a variety of community groups like the Minnesota BDS Community and Jewish Voice for Peace were called to the mic to give testimony to the absent board.

Sorcha Lona, a rank-and-file member of Teamsters 638 and Minnesota Workers United, a group of progressive rank-and-file unionists, addressed her comments to Keith Ellison and Julie Blaha. She spoke about how Ellison and Blaha had met with members of Minnesota Workers United twice over concerns about the investment of union pension funds in apartheid Israel, but that the meetings had not gotten results, saying, “It didn’t feel like we were talking to an ally of labor, it felt like we were bargaining with a greedy and selfish boss. I would like an explanation as to why investing in a pariah state committing genocide is responsible money management, while [Israel’s] credit rating is in a freefall.”

Wyatt Miller, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, addressed his comments to Governor Tim Walz, former vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in the 2024 presidential race. Miller said, “Trump’s inauguration represents the possibility of the situation getting even worse for Palestinians. Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to ‘take over’ Gaza and ethnically cleanse its over 2 million people, while unlikely to succeed, appears to hint at his administration greenlighting a renewed Israeli onslaught on Gaza – In other words, Governor Walz, your political legacy as someone who refused to divest Minnesota from Israel, is entirely in the hands of President Trump.”

The event was concluded by Minnesota Anti-War Committee member Andrew Josefchak thanking attendees and speakers for coming and then saying ,“But it's bullshit that we even had to host this event today. We started organizing this event over a month ago, because we knew it was almost certain that the SBI would once again try to shut us out of their meeting, and unfortunately, we were correct. And I think we have to start being honest with ourselves and calling the SBI’s maneuvers what they are: political repression. It may not be cops cracking skulls with riot batons, but it's a soft, insidious kind of political repression that is clearly intended to make it more difficult for anyone in this state to organize towards divestment.”

Josefchak continued, “And the thing about political repression is that the only way to respond to it, besides giving in to it and just slinking into the shadows and letting the movement die, is to fight it head on. The SBI has picked the fight, are we gonna fight back?” The crowd responded with a cry of “Yes!” and “Free free Palestine!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from by UMN SDS.

On the second day of the Halimy Hall suspension hearings there were three big takeaways.

Witnesses inside Halimy hall state they would like to see Halimy hall arrestees participate in restorative justice. When asked about restorative justice for the students, witnesses from inside Halimy Hall said they would be interested in seeing the students have a restorative justice option as opposed to further punitive punishment. This contrasts the university's multiple denials of a restorative justice proposal by the legal team, in which they claim restorative justice is exclusively used for academic cases, refusing to consider the social and historical context behind this case and firmly placing it among cases of sexual misconduct in how it can be handled.

UMN pushes ridiculous restitution onto students without proof of students causing the supposed damage or receipts for replaced items

When the restitution charges were brought up during the trial on day 2, the UMN attorney was unable to prove that any of the students did any of the alleged property damage or provide receipts of spending. Currently, they are still trying to force the students to pay for unnecessary upgrades done to doors, security systems, and electrical systems within Halimy Hall. The University of Minnesota has no right to charge students for unnecessary upgrades they wish to do to Halimy Hall under the guise of paying back property damage, which they have no proof of the students committing.

Students and legal team now await outcome of hearings

After several months the Halimy Hall students have finished their student conduct hearings. Now they just have to wait for the panel to decide the outcome. We are expecting administration to give them the results by Friday evening, right before break. Throughout the entire hearing admin has maintained complete control over the process, and has objected to every measure of transparency the students and their legal team have suggested. They have arbitrarily chosen which rules they must abide by and which policies no longer apply. Keep an eye on our social media for updates regarding the hearing.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudentMovement #SDS #HalimyHall #UMN #UMNSDS #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Minneapolis – More than 100 people gathered at the New City Center for “We Keep Us Safe: A Teach-in on the Black History of Community Control of the Police,” hosted by Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). The program featured panelists from National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression branches in different cities – all in various stages of the fight for local community control of the police.

Jae Yates, a leader in TCC4J, opened with a presentation on the Black history of community control. TCC4J is leading the campaign for an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) to establish community control over Minneapolis police.

“At its core, community control of police is about giving power to the communities most-affected by police violence, often composed of the Black working class,” explained Yates. “TCC4J organizes for community control because we believe that’s the first step to dismantling the violent systems of policing and incarceration that are currently brutalizing and tearing apart our communities.”

Yates outlined the history of policing in the U.S., which started with slave patrols and so-called Black Codes to criminalize and repress Black people. They also described the period of Reconstruction, when Black people in the South had democratic community control over how the law was enforced and who enforced it. The end of Reconstruction also symbolized the end of Black political power, including control of law enforcement. Decades later, the Black Power movement revived the demand for community control of police. Yates also described historical connections between the Black liberation movement, and movements in support of gay liberation and Palestinian liberation.

Syd Loving, a national leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke about the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), from its founding in 1973. “The 80s and 90s were tough on the Black Liberation Movement. They killed our leaders, put our leaders in jail and repressed our movement.” During those years, most Alliance branches stopped operating. “The good news is the Alliance was refounded in 2019, and as of today we have 30 branches across the country. The beautiful message there is that the struggle for community control of police is alive across the country!”

Loving also described how the struggles for community control and for Black Liberation are part of “the broader struggle to pull up all forms of oppression and exploitation from the root. In FRSO we talk about our strategy for revolution, and it’s the united front against monopoly capitalism. At the core of that united front is the strategic alliance between the national liberation movements and the entire working class.”

She described how the coalition of the Alliance and other Black-led organizations with working with progressive labor unions was the key to victories in Chicago. “When we come together and recognize that we have a common enemy, that we have something to win, that takes us so much further on the road to pulling up monopoly capitalism from the root and building a world where everyone can be free.”

Toni Jones of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) described how she got involved in organizing: “The movement that had been spurred on by what happened in Minneapolis in 2020 was dying down. The nonprofits were saying things, but they weren’t fighting for anything. They weren’t standing up for our community. So I realized that I would have to be the fight that I wanted to see. We formed NOCOP to stand up for the community.” Jones added, “The end goal of this struggle was never about fighting the police. It’s fighting for power.”

Jones continued, “When we support community control it’s so we can get those police and move them out of our way, so we can directly take the fight to those in city hall, take the fight to those in the Pentagon, take the fight to those in White House, without worrying about our heads getting beaten in for supporting those that we love.”

Merawi Gerima, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) also got involved in the movement in 2020. “The George Floyd rebellion kicked off while I was up here, and I remember seeing a flyer for a National Day of Action with some organization with too many letters in the name. I ended up going. I had never seen anything like that in my life in downtown Chicago.” That organization was CAARPR, which Gerima joined. “The following year, the year that we were able to pass the ECPS [Empowering Communities for Public Safety] ordinance establishing these two bodies in our city which are the beginnings of community control of police in Chicago. It’s the most-advanced, democratic police accountability system in the country and it’s only just beginning.”

Panelists discussed how to respond to community fears that CPAC may stop cops from protecting them, or other concerns about community control of police. They explained that police departments aren’t showing data to prove that massive budgets (hundreds of millions of dollars in large cities) are reducing crime or solving cases.

Gerima said, “We’re fighting to hold the police accountable, for the things that they do, and the things that they don’t do in our communities. Black people are overpoliced and under protected and we want power to be able to change that.”

Gerima also warned listeners against putting a call for police abolition at the forefront, stating, “The fastest way to lose Black people on the Southside is to say we want to get rid of the police. And that’s not to say that it’s not a reasonable goal in the future. It’s to say that conditions right now don’t support that. Black people want to hold the police accountable, they want justice for the things that police do to them, they want them to be punished for the crimes that they commit against us and they want to be able to call them when they need them. The people that we need to win this fight understand the equation perfectly.”

When asked what motivates their commitment to keep working, Jones said, “I know that what’s at stake is the personal stories of the people that we meet in this work. They don’t get to hang up their struggles and the tears when they go home at night. They go to sleep thinking about whether they’ll ever get justice for their sons. If I keep them in mind, I know it’s way too soon to start calling it quits.”

In that spirit, Tiffany Jackson, sister of Allison Lussier, was invited to the stage after the panel discussion. Lussier, a native woman, was murdered by her boyfriend after the Minneapolis police failed to act on numerous 911 calls and orders for protection. Instead of investigating the case as a murder, MPD Chief O’Hara began a public smear campaign against Lussier. He claims her death was caused by a drug overdose, despite the medical examiner’s office saying they were unable to determine how Lussier died. Pressure from family and community supporters recently pushed the city council to order a formal audit of MPD’s handling of Lussier’s case.

Several activists stood beside Jackson, including Alissa Washington, of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Families Council-MN. Washington urged the crowd to keep an eye on this case, “We do need all nations to get together on this, you guys. We are Black, white, native up here. We need everybody to mobilize, because we don’t know what will happen.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackHistoryMonth #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #TCC4J #NAARPR

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

Minneapolis, MN – On February 19, approximately 100 protesters rallied at Senator Amy Klobuchar's office to demand an end to U.S. militarization of the southern border. Despite the frigid temperatures, protesters energetically chanted, waved signs and cheered as passersby honked their car horns in support. The action was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) and Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

The Trump administration has unleashed a barrage of attacks against immigrants, including highly publicized ICE raids which have terrorized communities around the country. Highlighted at the protest was the recent announcement that 5000 active duty U.S. soldiers are now patrolling the U.S./Mexico border – a number that may increase. Speakers at the event were clear in connecting Trump's inhumane attacks against immigrant communities with the United States' long-standing exploitation of Latin America and Global South countries more generally.

“They steal the resources from the homelands of immigrants, they exploit the labor of immigrants and then have the audacity to claim that immigrants are the problem,” said Crista Ocampo, an organizer with MIRAC and the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC). Ocampo then specifically spoke about U.S. economic sanctions, a key driver of immigration as people are forced to leave their home countries due to deteriorating conditions imposed by the U.S.

Simon Elliot, an organizer with MPAC, elaborated on this connection between U.S. foreign and immigration policy, which he called the pattern of “destabilization and criminalization.” Elliot identified the injustices facing Haiti, a country brought into the public limelight recently due to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's racist vitriol against Haitian immigrants in the leadup to the 2024 election.

Elliot stated, “After the 1991 coup against Haiti’s democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, around 40,000 Haitians attempted to flee to the United States. Many were detained at Guantánamo Bay for at least six months under deplorable conditions.”

The current militarization of the border and worrying calls by some U.S. officials for a military operation against Mexico to “target the cartels” comes to mind when we think of the “destabilization and criminalization” pattern.

Another common theme during the event was the connection to the issue of Palestine. Multiple speakers specifically called out the role of Elbit Systems, an Israeli weapons manufacturer which creates bombs and surveillance technologies that play a key role in Israel's genocidal aggression against Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Elbit has also been contracted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to build similar militarized surveillance equipment as part of the U.S./Mexico border wall,” explained Meredith Aby, a founding member of the AWC. Aby then pointed out that the Minnesota State Board of Investments has $1.4 million invested in that very same Elbit Systems, making U.S. public pensioners unwillingly invested in a company that helps to slaughter Palestinians and militarize the U.S. border.

Ocampo, who also spoke about Elbit, called the weapons company “a perfect example of why we have to stand in solidarity with all oppressed people. We are all being oppressed by the same people and systems who are making a profit off of our oppression.”

Far from the chaotic atmosphere of panic and fear whipped up by the Trump administration, this action showed the clarity and focus of a movement that will only become more determined to organize, fight and win. The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee’s next protest will be on Saturday, March 1 starting at noon at the Hub parking lot, 36 W 66th Street in Richfield.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Trump #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – During a heavy snowfall in the evening rush hour on Valentines Day, February 14, dozens of people gathered on the Lake Street /Marshall Avenue bridge between Minneapolis and Saint Paul to demonstrate support for immigrants in our community. Many drivers passing by honked and waved to show their support.

The evening bannering was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), as part of a coordinated statewide Valentines Day of Action to show support for immigrant communities that are in the crosshairs of the racist Trump regime. The statewide day of action was organized by the Immigrant Defense Network, a network of dozens of organizations throughout Minnesota committed to defending immigrant communities.

The day of action also included a morning rally at the same location, a press conference, as well as actions in Rochester and Mankato coordinated by COPAL, MN8, and other members of the Immigrant Defense Network.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 community members packed into a South Minneapolis church for a three-hour training on January 4, and then another 100 people on February 8, to prepare to resist incoming President Trump's attacks on immigrants.

The Immigration Raid Response Trainings were organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), a grassroots immigrant rights organization that's been fighting against deportations and for legalization for all since 2006.

The training walks people through how to observe, document, protest and resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that attempt to detain and deport people in their communities.

Presenters detailed the long history of racist immigration laws in the U.S. under both political parties, and the mass struggles that have been waged to push back against the racist immigration enforcement system. It took many decades of mass struggle for African Americans, indigenous peoples, Mexican Americans, Chinese Americans and others to overturn racist immigration and citizenship laws and policies.

Presenters at the training used photos and videos to show how ICE carries out its operations, what different kinds of warrants look like, and the difference between ICE operations targeting individuals versus ICE raids at workplaces and in communities that target large numbers of people at the same time.

Trump and his top immigration policy nominees have repeatedly said they want to carry out the largest mass deportations in U.S. history and have said this is likely to include larger operations like workplace raids. The last wave of large workplace raids in the U.S. happened in 2006-2008 under the Bush administration, which included raids at meatpacking plants in Worthington, Minnesota and Postville, Iowa that had a devastating impact on those communities and their economies.

The presenters at the training emphasized that everyone in the U.S. has rights, including the right to not open the door for ICE if they don’t display a warrant signed by a judge; the right to remain silent; the right to not sign anything; the right to talk to their consulate if they are a foreign national; and the right to talk to a lawyer.

They also walked through the rights that people have to observe and document ICE operations, and the importance of doing so thoroughly and accurately to document any violations of laws or procedures by ICE officers that could help the legal case of people targeted by ICE operations.

One thing the presenters emphasized is that while it’s good to record video of ICE operations, it’s best not to livestream. This is so an immigration lawyer or immigrant rights organization can review it first to verify it is in fact an ICE operation, and then only post with accurate information about what’s happening, and also to protect the identities of those who are targeted and others who may be in the area. They also emphasized the importance of not posting or sharing unverified rumors of ICE raids on social media, as this can cause panic in the community unnecessarily.

Finally, presenters showed examples of civil disobedience and direct action that have happened in the past to block ICE from taking people away for deportation, explaining tactics people have used and what the legal risks of such actions may be.

One of MIRAC’s presenters at the training, Mira Altobello-Resendez, said, “The training was a big success. Now there are more than 100 people trained and ready to observe and protest any immigration raids Trump might try in Minnesota, and we have more trainings coming up. Our communities will protect our immigrant families, co-workers, neighbors and friends.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #Trump

Minneapolis, MN – 130 U of MN Twin Cities students and supporters gathered outside of the Student Union in the windy, freezing weather on Thursday, February 6, to demand safety for all immigrant and international students on campus.

Shortly after the university announced they plan to comply with ICE orders on campus, UMN SDS announced an emergency rally and march to call for a “Sanctuary Campus” where undocumented students and faculty are protected from the threat of deportation from federal authorities. This message was echoed throughout the various speeches and on signs in the crowd, including, “School is for education, nor deportation” and “My dreams are bigger than your walls.”

After initial chants of “Up, up with liberation; down, down with deportations” rang through the crowd, the first speaker kicked off the protest by repeatedly reminding everyone that “all persons in the United States have Constitutional protections.”

Dr. Montes of the University of Minnesota’s Chicano Studies Department emphasized that students should create a safety plan by sharing emergency contacts with friends and loved ones, as well making sure to understand they have the right to remain silent. If an ICE officer or other official does not have a warrant signed by a judge, people do not have to answer questions or go with them.

After a few more speakers continued to carry on the messages that immigrants belong in the U.S. and on Minnesota campuses, the group walked down Washington Avenue behind banners that read “Stop the deportations; sanctuary campus now” and “Students against the racist reactionary Republican agenda.”

A quick stop outside the UMN Police Station allowed for Emilio César Rodríguez, a UMN student who is running for city council in Ward 3, to speak about the North STAR Act, which prohibits local and state officials from collaborating with federal immigrant officials. It would safeguard immigrants throughout Minnesota as a whole – making it a sanctuary state. The march ended outside of McNamara Alumni Center where three more speakers concluded the rally.

Other groups within the U of MN campus have also called for ICE off campus and for the administration to ensure the rights of student immigrants.

Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS), Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and Mi Gente are three UMN student groups that have upcoming events focused on immigrant rights.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS #MIRAC #MALCS #MiGente #Trump #Deportations #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On February 2, Palestine solidarity protesters marched down Hennepin Avenue in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. The action, called by the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition, was entitled, “Ceasefire is not the end! Stop the attacks on the West Bank!” Hundreds of people rallied at Gateway Park for speeches before taking the streets on foot and in cars.

The protest came on the heels of the ceasefire agreement won by the Palestinian resistance, which took effect on January 19. In addition to a cessation of Israel’s massacres in Gaza and at least partial withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, the ceasefire also won the release of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel.

Despite the victories, Israel and its imperialist backers have hinted at intentions to resume the genocidal attacks on Gaza. Notably, on January 25, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of his hope to “clean out” all the inhabitants of Gaza by forcibly removing them to countries like Jordan and Egypt. In Lebanon, Israel openly flaunted a separate ceasefire won by resistance forces there, refusing to withdraw its troops after a 60-day deadline that expired on January 26.

Since January 21, Israeli forces have initiated new attacks on the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Tulkarm. As of press time, the occupation forces have killed dozens of Palestinians and displaced at least 15,000. Zionist politicians openly compared this new campaign to the 15 months of genocidal violence Israel waged on Gaza. The latest military attacks in the West Bank also coincided with an onslaught of settler violence against Palestinians.

At the Minneapolis protest, speakers urged the solidarity movement to not separate the various fronts of resistance to Israel. “Do not say the ‘Gaza Genocide.’ Say the ‘Palestinian Genocide’,” said Maysoon Wazwaz of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota. “Because Gaza is Jenin. And it’s Ramallah. And it’s every damn city in Palestine.”

Organizers with the Free Palestine Coalition called for an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Several local groups, including the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Minnesota BDS Community, have also called for divestment at the state level from weapons manufacturers and companies complicit in Israel’s apartheid system. The next State Board of Investment is scheduled for March 5; the Anti-War Committee will hold a “State Board of Divestment” indoor rally at the New City Center in Minneapolis (3104 16th Avenue S), on March 1 at 3 p.m.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #MNAWC #MinnesotaBDSCommunity #AmericanMuslimsforPalestine

Minneapolis, MN – On February 2, over 3000 people gathered for an emergency protest on Lake Street, which is home to many Latino and Somali businesses. Under the banner of “Stop the attacks on immigrants,” specific demands included “No more deportations,” An end to all anti-immigrant executive orders, and “Legalization for all!”

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), a grassroots organization that has been organizing since 2006, called the protest to bring attention to the long list of racist, anti-immigrant and repressive executive orders and other reactionary actions taken by newly re-elected President Donald Trump in his first two weeks in office.

The Minneapolis protest was part of the Legalization for All Network’s week of action around the country, which has included mobilizations from Los Angeles to Detroit to Dallas to San Jose and beyond.

There was a huge turnout of the Latino community of all ages, with many signs in Spanish and Mexican and Ecuadorian flags. These are two of the largest Latin American nationalities in Minnesota. There was also a number of Native American organizations in solidarity with immigrants, including people with flags from the American Indian Movement, the Indigenous Protector Movement and others. Significant numbers of Asian, Black and white people also marched to stand up against the attacks on immigrants.

In addition to the thousands of people marching, young people spontaneously began a car caravan to accompany the march, with people displaying Mexican and Ecuadorian flags and protest signs out their car windows and honking. The young people waving their flags and signs from their cars were so motivated that they even kept going after the march ended.

Many people brought handmade signs with slogans like “Families belong together,” “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” in both Spanish and English.

Dancers from the Aztecan group Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue performed and drummed in the streets, while many workers from local immigrant businesses stepped outside to cheer and wave, as demonstrators hoisted their children on their shoulders.

Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20 and two weeks of widespread mobilizations to resist his reactionary agenda, the administration has escalated attacks on immigrant communities and their allies, including trying to illegally end birthright citizenship, allowing ICE to carry out operations in schools, churches, and hospitals, and further militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.

With the status of sanctuary cities hanging in the balance, the protest came at a crucial time, bringing together immigrants and their supporters to fight against Trump’s attacks rather than being scared into silence.

The protest was endorsed and had speakers from a broad multinational coalition of social justice organizations, such as the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Black Immigrant Collective, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, MN Workers United, the Free Palestine Coalition, and many more.

Dieu Do, representing MIRAC, began the march with a call to strengthen solidarity., saying that the administration “will never understand is that our collective liberation is rooted in each other. When you attack one of our communities, you attack all of our communities. So, if they think we’re going to sit down, and we’re going to back down, that we’re going to be quiet and comply. No, we’re not.”

“We must fight, we must organize, we must have each other’s backs,” said Emilio Cesar Rodriguez with the North Star Alliance, addressing the concerns of Latino students across the country. Montha Chum of the MN8 touched on how important it is for immigrants to lead as an example for their respective community. She emphasized, “It is our collective responsibility to take action. We know that the same systems that wage war and destabilizes our lands imprison our people. Reflecting on my story and saving my brother from deportation, I am reminded that change comes from people who resist, fight back, and choose love!”

After leading the crowd in a march along East Lake Street that spanned multiple city blocks in the freezing cold and snow, MIRAC emphasized the need to avoid sharing misinformation about ICE raids, and instead to continue sharing Know Your Rights resources with neighbors and coworkers, and attending their raid response trainings, which are open to community members. The crowd continued to cheer, honk their car horns and wave flags of their home countries long after the program had ended, expressing pride boldly without apology.

MIRAC will continue to mobilize people to resist the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants and respond to ICE operations in Minnesota, building toward a massive mobilization of immigrant workers on May 1, International Workers Day.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #Trump

Minneapolis – On Saturday, January 18, around 40 workers gathered at the Lucy Parsons Institute in Minneapolis to hear from a panel of experienced labor movement figures on the issue of the incoming Trump administration, as well as attend workshops addressing common questions and workplace concerns. Minnesota Workers United hosted the event to educate labor and union activists, both new and old, about the challenges the incoming Trump admin will pose for our shop floor movements.

Emceeing the panel was MWU member and longtime labor activist David Gilbert-Pederson. Panel speakers included Max Vast, president of AFSCME Local 3800, and Neil Radford, an ESP with MFT/ESP Local 59, speaking on behalf of Natasha Dockter, first vice president of MFT Local 59, who was unable to attend the event.

Siobhan Moore, UPS Teamster and a steward in Local 638, explained that “Fighting Trump's reactionary agenda also must involve defending our Immigrant siblings, who are a large part of our class and our unions. We need to raise immigrant rights, the fight against racist attacks and for LGBTQ and women's and reproductive rights as union issues and tell Trump that we won't go back on any of it.”

The panel speakers expressed the need for labor to build a fighting rank and file that can be mobilized to combat the variety of attacks to come from a Trump administration.

After the panel, the group was divided to attend one of two workshop options led by MWU members. One group attended “How to be an Effective Organizer”, led by Anthony Taylor-Gouge and Rajan Nayar. During this workshop, Taylor-Gouge proposed that a good organizer is, “not only friendly and knows how to talk to people, but is also good at their job. People look to leaders they trust, and that trust will be gained by consistently carrying your own weight and demonstrating that you care about your co-workers.”

The second group attended, “Labor Under Attack”, led by Nuala Cacek and Jasper Nordin, that focused on Trump’s proposed labor policy. Among his proposals are waivers granting states exemption from federal labor law, unilateral contract changes for management, gutting enforcement of the civil rights act, and appointing union-busting corporate lawyers to federal labor office. In response to these attacks, Nordin urged attendees to focus on the immediate needs of the workers on the shop floor and, “build up a rank-and-file labor movement capable of carrying out and winning the struggle against Trump and the billionaire oligarchy he represents. That struggle takes place one workplace, one company, one state at a time.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #Trump #MNWorkersUnited