Anna Pratt, Writer

Late Friday afternoon, a crowd assembled on a vibrant street corner in Minneapolis to protest the recent immigration raid of the Agriprocessor, Inc., meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa — which they say has earned little play in Minnesota media outlets even though Monday’s historic roundup of nearly 400 undocumented workers surpassed all others across the country. MORE »

The Headwaters Foundation for Justice, a local organization that fights for social justice causes, recently announced it would boycott a venue catered by D’Amico & Partners to show support for the 15 Latino workers who were let go from the metro-area restaurant chain on March 31. Its annual “Allies for Justice” dinner will be held Wednesday at the Minneapolis Hilton instead of the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Center, where D’Amico has an exclusive contract. MORE »

Jorge Emilio Esquivel-Munoz, 31, who is from Mexico but has lived in Minneapolis over the past four years, probably didn’t imagine that hanging out with a friend who was drunkenly fooling around with a toy BB gun would trigger his arrest and deportation. But last Sunday, April 20, that’s exactly what happened, according to his girlfriend, a 24-year-old Latina who says her name is Judy. MORE »

As in previous community meetings that were convened throughout December last year, attendees at an April 3 town hall forum at the Minneapolis Urban League were asked to prioritize various Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) strategies. These provisions fell under the categories of education, economic development, family and community health, and a community research and review board. MORE »

Community stakeholders in North Minneapolis are generating a wish list for what they hope will come out of the University Northside Partnership (UNP), a redevelopment plan for the intersection of Penn and Plymouth Avenues North. Those needs and wants will eventually work their way into what’s referred to as a “Community Benefits Agreement” (CBA). MORE »