Protected Spaces and Show Your Faces Bill (SF 3699)

from North Star Alliance

When:

May 11, events all day

Where:

MN State Capital

On MONDAY, MAY 11, first, we're joining friends from UnidosMN for their "End of Session Rally" at the MN State Capitol Rotunda, 9:30–11:00am.

The "Protected Spaces and Show your Faces bill" (SF 3699) is going to be debated on the floor of the Minnesota Senate the afternoon of Monday May 11! Show up with us and our allies at the North Star Alliance to pack the capitol to support this bill. The protections in this bill include:

• Permitting every child in Minnesota to attend public school, regardless of citizenship status
• Requiring identifying insignia for all public safety officers AND
• Requiring that law enforcement officers must present a valid judicial warrant and staff supervision is required for entry into "sensitive spaces" such as childcare, schools, colleges, courthouses, hospitals and clinics, and nursing homes.

This bill is a good first step in protecting our neighbors from the civil liberties abuses we saw during metro surge. We'll be back for more next year with the new Minnesota legislature!

Demand a Two-Year Moratorium on Data Center Development!

Sign the Petition

Sign & share this petition to the Governor and leaders in the House and Senate to implement a two-year moratorium on data center development until a regulatory framework can be created. This petition will be delivered on June 26th ~ let's get to our goal!

A moratorium is necessary to prevent irreparable harm while policymakers and regulators develop clear, transparent, and science-based standards governing resource consumption, environmental impacts, land use, and community protections. In the absence of such regulations, continued development poses significant and potentially irreversible risks to human health and water supplies.

Thank Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL)

for his support of the comprehensive gun violence prevention package

Hauschild's moving speech was so personal and so strongly in favor of common sense gun laws. It took real courage to take this stand. He is being targeted by MAGA and those who are stridently pro-gun-availability, so he could use some letters or calls in support.

Be a walking voter registration booth

Talk to neighbors, friends, family, co-workers — Make sure everyone has a plan to vote.

We have business-size cards you can print & distribute. Download & print on your own, send a digital version to your contacts, or arrange for us to get you already-printed cards.

Once you have a card in hand you can help people you encounter use a handy QR code to get straight to an online voter registration portal.

We've got this!

Updates from Cook Area Neighborhood Network

(CANN)

Offers: Now that spring has arrived, let's build up our list of offers. What skills, interests, and expertise can YOU share with others in our community? Email CANN today (cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com) to be added to the next update.

Questions? Do you have a question about community programs, services, or assistance? Email CANN today (cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com) and volunteers will help find an answer.

Needs: If you can help with any of the following needs, please let CANN know by sending us an email at: cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com

• Someone is asking for help with housekeeping tasks.
• A Cook resident is asking for help splitting wood.
• A local family is looking for a volunteer to provide a few hours of occasional companion care to a senior citizen so their spouse may have a break from primary caregiver responsibilities. Reply to this email for more details.
• Help spread the word about CANN by sharing this email with your family, friends, and neighbors

To share a Need or Offer, please email us (cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com) to be included in the next update or post a message on CANN's Facebook group. We do not publicize names in this email.

Minnesota Has the Power to Stop Twin Metals

Here’s How

Today, as HJR 140 evaporates federal protections, we revealed that Minnesota has a clear legal pathway to protect the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel sulfide mining.

For months we’ve watched the Trump administration and Representative Pete Stauber launch attack after attack on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Most recently, they’ve twisted the Congressional Review Act to overturn the 20-year mining ban protecting 225,000 acres of public land near the wilderness. It’s been relentless, and frankly, demoralizing.

But today at a press conference, we announced something that changes everything: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has the legal authority to cancel one of Twin Metals’ state mineral leases.

This isn’t wishful thinking. This is a concrete, actionable legal pathway that exists right now under state law. And it’s within reach if we act.

Indivisible Calls to Action

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Pick an action & make a call

Movement Growth

Tactics Trainings for Groups

When:

May 13, 3:00pm

Where:

Online

Groups employ several tactics in their Indivisible actions. Knowing what to do is only half the battle — knowing when to do it, and whether it's working, is what separates groups that stall from groups that win. In this session, we'll work through how to use power mapping to identify your path to a goal, how to choose tactics that match the moment, and how to honestly assess whether an action moved the needle or whether it's time to escalate. You'll leave with a practical framework for making sharper tactical decisions before, during, and after your group's actions.

Post-Session Debrief Webinar

from Rise & Repair

When:

May 26, 6:30–7:45pm

Where:

Online (RSVP required)

We'll be hosting a "Post-Session Debrief" to help us unpack the outcome of the 2026 session and take a look at the roadmap over the summer through elections & next session.

Freedom Trainers

Register for free online trainings

Today, Freedom Trainers is a decentralized network of experienced educators and organizers, including leaders from the Horizons Project, Beautiful Trouble, and Free DC. Together, we work to counter democratic backsliding by equipping people with the skills and strategies of strategic noncooperation.

Our trainings are grounded in three core pillars:

• Know the authoritarian playbook — Understanding how authoritarians consolidate power.
• Understand the pillars of support — Develop a sense of how authoritarian power is vulnerable.
• Build noncooperation skills — Developing the noncooperation practices that fracture authoritarian support.

New podcast!

from Northern Civil Defense Network and Democracy Defenders

"We at Northern Civil Defense Network and Democracy Defenders are introducing a new podcast. Our goals are to reach a wider audience of like-minded people in Northern Minnesota, to offer another way for people to be informed about news that matters, and to serve sight-impaired people and non-readers who prefer audio communications to those that are visual. It is becoming clearer every day that mass media doesn't cut it anymore; many media outlets have been taken over by Big Brother and corporate interests. Many small town and local newspapers have gone out of business, as well.

"We aim to present our take on what's happening in our country as well as to offer new ways forward through action and thoughtful insights by people who live, work, and recreate in our Great North Woods. Because we are a grassroots and amatuer endeavour, we will begin with a lot of experimentation which includes interviews with community members and local newsmakers alike, story telling, events calendars for folks who are looking for ways to be in community and to make some noise, deep dives into topics that affect Northlanders, and things we haven't thought of yet. And, that's where you come in! You will have an opportunity to suggest topics and people you'd like to hear from. We will need your feedback to make each show better than the last one; we welcome your constructive comments, ideas, and questions.

"We will be printing flyers that will be distributed from Bemidji to Two Harbors and the North Shore, and everywhere in between. If you like what you hear, spread the word! If you don't like it, change the channel and let us know why. We hope you enjoy this new effort and, if you are able, please make a donation. New podcasts will air on every Sunday, unless circumstances are prohibitive. Watch for a first episode next week!"

Great photos from the May Day Festival

Mayday festival in Minneapolis, usually a celebration of spring, grieves neighbors lost to ICE surge

"Thousands of people gathered in south Minneapolis for the Mayday parade, ceremony and festival on Sunday. The annual spring celebration was marked by themes of resilience, grief and anti-ICE sentiments."