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SaintPaulMN

By staff

Protest Jan. 6, 2012 against cutoff of bank transfers to hawalas in Somalia

St. Paul, MN – Hundreds of Somali American families gathered on the State Capitol grounds, Jan. 6, to protest shutdown of hawalas. Hawalas are the only way that Somalis in the U.S. can send money to relatives in their homeland. 3 million people in Somalia depended on these remittances for survival. Because of U.S. government restrictions stemming from the ‘war on terror,’ Sunrise Community Bank, the one bank that used to process funds for all of the hawalas in Minnesota, stopped working with hawalas in late December. This is a cause of great anguish for people fearful for their families in Somalia. One demand is for the U.S. to grant a waiver so the bank will resume processing wire transfers via hawalas.

#SaintPaulMN #SaintPaul #warOnTerror #SomaliImmigrants #Somalia #Hawalas #Africa

By staff

_Activists call on Gov. Dayton to take executive action to assure nobody dies from new anti-immigrant law _

Saint Paul, MN – On Dec. 29, immigrant rights activists and supporters spoke out at a press conference against a new anti-immigrant law slated to cut immigrants off of Emergency Medical Assistance on Jan. 1, 2012. They called on Governor Dayton to take immediate executive action to stop it.

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By staff

Welfare Rights Committee protests at Legislative hearing on Viking's stadium

St. Paul, MN – “There should be no public funds used, from any source, to pay for a rich man’s stadium,” said the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout’s Linden Gawboy, testifying at a Dec. 6 state Senate committee hearing. The off-session hearing looked at financial options for building a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings football team.

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By Brad Sigal

No More Deportations action at the State Capitol in May

Saint Paul, MN – Amidst the flurry of budget cuts hastily pushed through on July 19 and signed on July 20 on the 20th day of the state government shutdown, immigrant rights activists claimed one victory and one defeat amidst the chaos.

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By staff

St. Paul, MN – Service Employee International Union (SEIU), Healthcare Minnesota and SEIU Minnesota State Council President Julie Schnell condemned the budget compromise reached July 14 by Governor Dayton and GOP legislative leaders.

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By staff

Angel Buchner and Angela Khan of the Welfare Rights Committee

St. Paul, MN – On July 13, members of the Welfare Rights Committee rolled out a huge banner on the steps of the Minnesota state capitol building. The Republicans have pushed the state into a shutdown, throwing more than 22,000 state employees out of work and causing dramatic cuts to state services. The banner reads, “Tax the rich! No cuts to poor and working people!”

Tax the rich banner at Minnesota state capitol building

#SaintPaulMN #CapitalismAndEconomy #PoorPeoplesMovements #TaxTheRich #GovernorMarkDayton #governmentShutdown

By mick

_Make the rich pay for the crisis _

Protest on eve of MN government shutdown

St. Paul, MN – Members and supporters of the Welfare Rights Committee gathered on the steps of the state capitol building here, June 30, unfurling a huge banner reading “Tax the rich! No cuts to poor and working people.” Unless Democrat Governor Mark Dayton goes along with the Republican plan to slash the social safety net, the government will shut down at midnight.

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By staff

_Mick Kelly states he will donate settlement money to anti-war activists fighting repression _

St. Paul, MN – The case of Mick Kelly, whose lawyers filed the first lawsuit resulting from police violence at the 2008 Republican National Convention on his behalf, was resolved in a settlement conference at the U.S. Courthouse here.

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By Deb Konechne

_Demands Governor Dayton veto Health and Human Services Bill _

Welfare Rights Committee at State Capitol

St Paul, MN – As the legislative session nears its final day, Republicans continue to push the state toward a government shutdown. For working and poor, disabled and elderly Minnesotans, a government shutdown would by far be a better outcome than the deadly cuts that Republicans are trying to force down our throats.

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By Brad Sigal

No More Deportations protest in State Capitol

St. Paul, MN – On May 20, protesters from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc) and the No More Deportations campaign marched through the State Capitol chanting “‘Secure Communities’ divides families – no more deportations!” and “Immigrant workers are under attack – what do we do? Stand up fight back!” At the same time, several other progressive groups also protested noisily inside the capitol as the end of the session looms with unprecedented cuts and attacks on every front.

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