Minnesota Activist Groups Protest Trump’s ‘Fake National Emergency’ Across the State

Resistance groups across the state organized protests Monday against President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration. The statewide protests were part of a national grassroots effort to oppose the president’s “fake national emergency.”

According to USA Today, rallies took place all across the country, many of which were organized in conjunction with MoveOn.org.

“We’re mobilizing rapid-response events on President’s Day against Trump’s fake crisis and racist deportation force and to stand with immigrant, Muslim, and black and brown communities to stop Trump’s dangerous and illegal power grab,” MoveOn.org explains.

A map of events provided by MoveOn.org shows that at least five protests happened across Minnesota, including ones in the Twin Cities, Mankato, Rochester, Winona, and Alexandria. The Minnesota Sun found that these protests were organized by a somewhat covert protest group called “Indivisible Minnesota,” which consists of affiliate groups like “Indivisible MN-03” and “Indivisible St. Peter and Greater Mankato.”

“If progressives are going to stop Trump, we must stand indivisibly opposed to him and the members of Congress who would do his bidding,” a Facebook description of Indivisible Minnesota states.

One of Monday’s protests took place outside of Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) Minneapolis office, according to a statement from Indivisible MN-03.

“Indivisible MN-03 will participate in the President’s Day protests to fight Trump’s fake crisis and racist deportation forces, organized by MoveOn.org,” the group said on Facebook. “If you cannot make the protest, please call our representatives to say no to Trump’s power grabs, no to his racist border wall, no to xenophobia, and no to hate.”

Indivisible St. Peter and Greater Mankato hosted a Monday night protest, which featured 2018 Democratic candidate for Minnesota’s First Congressional District, Dan Feehan.

“Join Indivisible St. Peter and Greater Mankato as we stand together in a national day of protests with Indivisible, MoveOn, and other progressive groups against President Trump’s cruel and wasteful wall,” they said on Facebook. “Our theme and message to Congress: be a light in the darkness against presidential abuse of power; no border wall, no national emergency.”

In an event description for Monday’s protests on MoveOn.org, the group states that the “wall would be a disaster for asylum seekers, vulnerable communities, the environment, endangered species and butterflies, and all of us.”

“We will not let Trump get away with this. Trump is setting up a dangerous precedent to justify almost limitless future abuses of presidential power,” it adds. “Abuses that can result in far-reaching harm to us all, especially communities disproportionately at risk.”

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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Obstruction of Justice” by Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato.