4 Protests
Today I attended 4 social justice events. First, I went to "Homecare Demands Action: Car & Wheelchair Capitol Caravan Action". Per their event description:
"Enough talk, it’s time for action! Minnesota lawmakers have shown again that they will leave Disabled folks and Homecare workers to fend for ourselves — even as we hold back a health crisis. They would rather abandon workers to unemployment than compensate us for the added work and risk we carry. Rather than provide resources for reliable in-home care, they would sooner force Disabled Minnesotans into institutions where nearly a thousand people have died of COVID-19 in MN. If lawmakers can’t bring themselves to act, we will. Join us for a safe, socially-distant event to demand action from our state lawmakers. We will circle the Capitol complex as a single-file caravan of cars and mobility devices to maintain our distance and safety, while making ourselves heard.
12pm: Gather in the Education MN parking lot to paint our demands on our cars, wheelchairs, signs, and more. Permanent and chalk markers, ribbon, tape, and other supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own as well.
1pm - 2pm: Caravan procession will make several loops around the State Capitol, Senate Building, and State Office Building. There will be a speaker program live-streamed to this event for caravan participants and others to watch."
After that event, I headed to "Stillwater: Promoting Anti-Racism, Honoring George Floyd - Peaceful/Socially Distanced Gathering". Per their event description:
"Stillwater had some major hate and white supremacy happen this week. Read about it here.
Join us as we show up with our physical bodies to demand reform in all of our systems when they do not honor and celebrate Black lives. We're also not even close to being done remembering George Floyd. He deserves our respect, our grief, our outrage and our commitment to disarm racism. Let's gather in peaceful, socially distanced solidarity to show George's Family our love and support. Please bring your families, signs, your mask and respectfully stand with distance from one another. This will be peaceful and purposeful: Black Lives Matter!
At the event, there will be:
- sign making stations
- snacks/ water (bring a water bottle if you can!)
-Letters you can write/bring to businesses in the area
Let us know if you can help out with/at any of the stations. Hate is Not Welcome Here! Please join us for a peaceful rally in Lowell Park in Stillwater on Wednesday, July 1 at 1 pm. In light of the hate group presence downtown Stillwater on Saturday night, our Community needs to come together and make a strong statement that Hate Is Not Welcome Here. Further details will be provided, including speaker announcements. Please look for a second event to occur on Saturday, July 4 as well. Please show up for both if you can. We are working to engage local leaders and politicians, as well as business owners, so that a strong showing of solidarity can be achieved."
After that, I headed to "Rally at MPRB: Preserve Parks As Sanctuary!". Per their event description:
"Join us at 4:30 at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board headquarters to demand they preserve parks as sanctuaries! On June 17th, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board took a historic step by affirming our community’s call to designate all Minneapolis parks as sanctuaries for people experiencing homelessness. Now, under pressure from some elected and administrative officials representing the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and state of Minnesota, the board is considering an amendment that would immediately restrict sanctuary spaces to 10 tents at only 10 parks and terminate the status of parks as sanctuary on Sept. 1, 2020. No one at any level of government has offered concrete steps towards long-term solutions to our ongoing housing crisis. This amendment threatens to further displace unsheltered people who have nowhere to go. This is inhumane, and we will not stand for it.
Contact your elected officials today!: bit.ly/preserveparksevent
Sign on to our sanctuary demands: minneapolissanctuary.org/take-action
Join the work on the ground: bit.ly/PPSanctuarySignUp
Learn more on our website: minneapolissanctuary.org
Housing is the cure!"
And lastly, I went to "BLM Somali Independence Day march! ReOpen Isak's Case". Per their event description:
"Gather on the public sidewalk along Nichols Ave, north of east parking lot (near Saks'). Join us on Somali Independence Day for a rally & march to honor Isak Aden one year after he was murdered by police in Eagan and to demand:
* RE-OPEN Isak Aden's case, along with other cases
* FIRE, PROSECUTE, & CONVICT Isak's murderers
* AN OUTSIDE, INDEPENDENT PROSECUTOR - corrupt Dakota county prosecutor James Backstrom declined to prosecute Isak's killers
TO SYMBOLIZE WHAT ISAK WAS WEARING THE DAY HE WAS MURDERED, WE ENCOURAGE ALL ATTENDEES TO WEAR GREY SWEATPANTS (or skirt), AND AN ORANGE SHIRT (or hijab)."
