👥 The community groups holding ICE accountable

How Twin Citizens are Resisting ICE

Groups of residents around the Twin Cities are organizing with their neighbors and in Signal chats to spot and respond to ICE activities. Supercharged by Trump's recent inflammatory comments against the Somali community, advocates use these chats to identify and follow ICE vehicles, rally community members in response to raids, and organize neighborhood watches in communities with high immigrant populations. [MPR]

• Interrupting sleep: When Sunrise Twin Cities received information on where ICE agents may be staying, they sent protestors with bullhorns to make noise outside of the Hilton hotel at Mall of America. The organization has also advocated for leaving negative reviews for several other hotels where they believe ICE agents are staying while emphasizing the importance of not harassing or being rude to hotel staff. [Sunrise Twin Cities]
• Tracking and protesting 'ICE flights': Commercial flight data analyst Nick Benson has been taking photos of the planes that have been bringing supplies in and taking detainees out of the Twin Cities. Speaking at a recent protest of these flights at MSP, Benson shared ways that ICE has been trying to make it more difficult to keep track of their flights, and how he has been using open source resources like adsb.lol to stay up to date anyway. Benson called on bureaucrats and regular folks alike to look for "peaceful, safe, legal, and creative ways to slow this down until it stops." [Unicorn Riot]
• Supporting immigrant-run businesses: A group of community members met in the Central Ave. Business District over the weekend to discuss the importance of patronizing the many immigrant-run businesses in the area, as sales are suffering and many employees are afraid to go to work in light of recent ICE activity. State senator Doran Clark attended the event and spoke about the importance of knowing your rights and talking to your neighbors about them. Residents brought homemade info booklets and 3D-printed whistles to share with their neighbors. [KARE11]

New lease on nine lives: Eighteen kitties at risk of euthanization have found new homes. The cats were among 47 (!) rescued from a hoarding situation. Friends of the Minneapolis Animal Control and Care posted an urgent call to save these cats when the shelter reached capacity, and who could say no to a face like this? [Bring Me The News]

Pour one out: Downtown Minneapolis’ “king of clubs” has passed. Peter Hafiz owned Déjà Vu, Gay 90’s, and The Office, and was a substantial shareholder in Smack Shack. Former council member Lisa Goodman called him a “mensch.” [Twin Cities Business]

Ski champ’s victory lap: Minnesota’s cross-country Olympian Jessie Diggins won her 30th World Cup victory this weekend in Trondheim, Norway. Diggins plans to retire at the end of the 2025-2026 season – what an exit! [MPR]

Northeast needs some love: Businesses in Northeast Minneapolis are going through it. Fair State Brewing Cooperative closed its taproom yesterday (although the brand will live on). The co-op brewery filed for bankruptcy protection in 2024. Plus, MOMO Sushi said in a Facebook post that their landlord is not cooperating with needed repairs after the business suffered a fire in August. According to the post, “there is no certainty that we will rebuild at the same location.” [Bring Me The News / Facebook]

Sprucing up downtown: Tiffany spotted these eye-popping utility box designs in St. Paul. The city’s parks and recreation department partnered with Forecast Public Art to wrap the humble utility box in art. The designs tell the stories of Southeast Asian food, native flora and fauna, the "Red Caps" of Union Depot, and important historical figures and places. [City Cast Twin Cities]

Tuesday, Dec 9

• 📚 Kaveh Akbar | Hopkins Center for the Arts
• 🌍 Human Rights Day Symposium 🆓 | Humphrey School of Public Affairs
• 📖 Mary Lucia (Book Release) | Granada Theater
• 🎶 Community Sing-A-Long 🆓 | Loring Park
• 🍸 Ana Gasteyer: Sugar & Booze | Parkway Theater
• 🎞️ Contemporaries Winter Party: British Arrows Awards | Walker Art Center
• 🎹 Travis Anderson Trio’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” | Dakota

Wednesday, Dec 10

• 🧵 Mending Night 🆓 | Twin Cities Maker Artifactory
• 🎬 Lisztomania (50th Anniversary Screening) | The Trylon
• ⛰️ Banff Mountain Film Festival | Riverview Theater
• 🥃 Holiday Bitters Gift Workshop | King Coil Spirits
• 💃 Pop Up Dance Party 🆓 | Bryant Square
• 🪕 Monroe Crossing: A Bluegrass Christmas | Crooners
• 🏒 USA Hockey Rivalry Series Watch Party | A Bar of Their Own
• 🍿 Hundreds of Beavers | Parkway Theater
  

See our list of curated events for the week, recommended by host Sean McPherson and contributor PaviElle French.

• CanGrow Grants Coordinator at Cannabis Management Office | $57k - $83k per year
• Philharmonic Conductor at Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies | $21k - $26k per year (PT)
• Sports Editor at Minnesota Star Tribune | $125k - $145k per year
• Photographer at Minnesota Senate | $26.13 per hour (Temp)
• Community Health Reporting Fellow at MinnPost | $56k per year