Minnesota Stands Tall

 

Yesterday, Minnesotans let their feelings be known about the Malignant Fascist's domestic terrorist goons occupying their city:

Thousands of protesters shut down parts of Minneapolis-St. Paul on Friday as hundreds of businesses closed their doors, and workers and students stayed home to demand an end to the sweeping immigration crackdown that has roiled the Twin Cities for weeks.

The action on Friday, which unfolded in subzero temperatures, was the most widespread and organized demonstration since federal agents arrived in Minneapolis more than six weeks ago. It was aimed at pressuring the federal government to pull thousands of its agents from the streets.

Businesses, many of them locally owned, closed their doors to halt economic activity, saying that losing a day’s revenue was worth the cost to be part of the effort to end the immigration enforcement.

“There’s a time to stand up for things, and this is it,” said Alison Kirwin, the owner of Al’s Breakfast, a Minneapolis restaurant that closed on Friday. “If it takes away from a day of our income, that is worthwhile.”  [snip]

The largest of the protests on Friday descended on downtown Minneapolis from late afternoon into the early evening, as thousands marched to the Target Center, the home arena of the state’s two professional basketball teams. Protesters carried signs and chanted over and over for ICE to leave the city.

Those in the crowd cited different indignities that drove them to the streets. Ms. Good’s killing. The aggressive tactics deployed by federal agents against demonstrators. The viral image of a five-year-old boy detained by ICE alongside his father.  [snip]

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, delivered an impassioned speech at the Target Center, praising Minnesotans for taking a day away from their typical activities to make their voices heard.

“We are meeting ICE violence with nonviolence,” she said. “We are meeting their chaos and cruelty with passion and community.

It makes us prouder than ever that we have Minnesota roots in our family.  

Here are some pictures of the protests in Minneapolis-St.Paul:

(Alex Kormann, Minnesota Star-Tribune)

(David Guttenfelder, New York Times)

(David Guttenfelder, New York Times)

Minnesotans are giving true meaning to the State's motto:  "Star of the North."