Many of us have felt overwhelmed by Donald Trump’s dizzying array of attacks on other countries, workers, marginalized communities, and our democracy. But after a year of grappling with Trump’s onslaught, the working class of Minneapolis rose to the challenge and fought back.
On December 1, the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, flooding “the Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and Saint Paul with four thousand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. They blatantly racially profiled people of color, violently detained over four thousand people, and deported hundreds.
In response, tens of thousands of working-class people from different backgrounds joined together to organize protests, mutual aid for immigrant neighbors, and community patrols to inhibit ICE activities.
On January 7, ICE killed Renée Good, sparking a massive outcry. Calls for accountability and the demand for ICE to be kicked out of Minnesota reverberated across the state. Democratic politicians echoed demands like “ICE Out” once it became unavoidable but have refused material measures like an eviction moratorium, despite calls from unions and community organizations to protect immigrant workers who are too afraid to leave home for work and therefore cannot make rent.
Renée Good’s killing provoked such a huge backlash that a few progressive union leaders in the Twin Cities took the rare step of calling for “No Work, No School, No Shopping” on January 23. AFL-CIO establishment leaders initially resisted this call to strike but were ultimately forced to support it by the resounding anger and pressure of rank-and-file members. Three days before January 23, the Minnesota AFL-CIO finally endorsed the strike.
On January 23, airport workers and clergy disrupted airport operations. Telecom workers and Saint Paul Public Schools educators shut their workplaces down. Over one thousand small businesses were…
Auteur: Ramy Khalil
