Hundreds march in Minneapolis for Oromos in Ethiopia

Grand Rally Oromo Protest Demands U.S. Stop Funding Ethiopia

Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds marched through downtown Minneapolis Friday afternoon in the Little Oromia North American Grand Rally. The demonstrators, some of whom came from cities like Seattle and Denver, demanded justice after a summer of repression against Oromo protests in Ethiopia. They also called…

image: an overhead shot of the Lake Street Open Growth Space showing garden beds around the perimeter beside 17th avenue and Lake street. To the left of the photo there is a circular garden with herbs and medicinal plants planted alongside flowers around a plum tree. Across Lake street is a local Panaderia / Tortilleria.

Reclaimed Space Sprouts From Uprising’s Embers

Minneapolis, MN – Without waiting for permission, growers began planting vegetables and herbs in an empty lot on Lake Street and 17th Avenue. Their aim was to reclaim the dormant land on behalf of the community who lived nearby, in whatever way they saw fit…

Oromo woman kneels next to mural of Hanchalu Hundessa on the back of the Minnesota Oromo Community Center

Youth Lead Summer of Oromo Protests in Minnesota

Saint Paul, MN – On June 29, famed Oromo singer and activist Hachalu Hundessa was assassinated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sparking renewed rounds of protests by Oromo people across the world.

Hundreds have been killed protesting in Ethiopia since Hachalu’s murder, with upwards of 10,000…

South African Youth Rally as Gender-Based Violence Rises

Durban, South Africa – On Saturday, August 29, thousands of South Africans marched in opposition to rising rates of sexual and gender based violence (GBV). Protesters marched in at least four different cities including Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria.

Unicorn Riot was in Durban…

image: a Black woman in an orange shirt is adding tape to a piece of paper, a list of demands for the Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board Superintendent, Al Bangoura. On the woman's left is a Lakota man with chest-length black hair, as well as a media-maker with their back turned. On the right is a member of Minneapolis Parks & Power; he is wearing a mask and holding a blown-up photograph from when Minneapolis Police assisted in the violent clearing of the sanctuary encampment at Powderhorn Park on Friday, August 14, 2020.

Sanctuary Camp Residents Pressured to Move, No Housing Solution In Sight

Minneapolis, MN – Houseless Twin Cities residents have recently endured arrests, the trashing of their belongings, and violent actions at the hands of Park Police, whose participation in these sweeps has been documented by local photographers.

Several hundred people living in dozens of camps across…

image: a Black woman speaks into a megaphone. She is wearing a fabric mask on her face which is pulled down to allow her speech into the megaphone to be unimpaired. The black fabric mask reads "Guns Down Love Up" -- all the words are white except love is in red. Behind her a protester wearing a mask takes a photo using her smart phone.

Saint Paul Rally Calls for End to Gun Violence

St. Paul, MN – Following the death of George Floyd, community members rallied to end gun violence last Friday amidst an uptick in homicides throughout the Twin Cities. Year-to-date the number of homicides in Minneapolis has nearly doubled.
Marea Perry, mother of a gun violence…

MN Freedom Fighters Form A Community Safety Net

Minneapolis, MN – An armed security force, the MN Freedom Fighters, are now a regular sight providing security at protests and patrolling Broadway Avenue.
It started via a call out for a community patrol group for the Northside from Minneapolis NAACP’s President, Leslie Redmond, a…

From Juneteenth in Minneapolis to Jawnteenth in Philadelphia

Minneapolis, MN – The historic movement for Black lives that has recently permeated the globe reinvigorated 2020’s Juneteenth celebrations. On June 19, 2020, Unicorn Riot reporters documented from two of these celebrations; ‘Jawnteenth’ in West Philadelphia and a celebration in North Minneapolis at a Cub…

George Floyd Memorial Service in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN – Unicorn Riot is covering the memorial for George Floyd at North Central University in Elliot Park, Minneapolis. Floyd died 10 days ago after an apprehension by four now-fired MPD officers in South Minneapolis.
Watch our live feed from downtown Minneapolis:

All four…

Collective Power Grows in Grieving Community of Stolen Lives

Roseville, MN – Dozens of family members from across the United States gathered in Minnesota in March for the third annual weekend of events honoring Cordale Handy and other victims of police terror and community violence.

As family members continue to mourn the loss of…

Another Immigrant Claims Sanctuary from Deportation in Colorado

Denver, CO – Like others who have claimed sanctuary from deportation, Jorge Araiza Ávila decided to skip his appointment with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official on December 10, 2019, and instead, took refuge at Park Hill United Methodist Church and Temple Micah. On…