Category: Community
A Look Inside Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59 as they Gear up for Strike
Minneapolis, MN – Education Support Professionals and Minneapolis Federation of Teachers have rallied over the course of months and have had bargaining information sessions going back till August 2021. Today, March 8, 2022, they go on strike.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day ESP and…
🦄 Community
Jahmari Rice Vigil Sheds Tears and Light on Community Violence
Richfield, MN – Community and family members of Jahmari Rice gathered for a vigil on February 2, 2022, outside the South Education Center (SEC) in Richfield, Minnesota. 15-year-old Jahmari Rice, son of community activist Cortez Rice, was a student at SEC for only two days…
🦄 Community
Minneapolis and NYC Rally in Solidarity With Portland Shooting Victims
Minneapolis, MN – A politically motivated mass shooting of five people during an Amir Locke march in Portland left Brandy “June” Knightly, a 60-year-old advocate for the vulnerable, dead. Two days after the act of domestic terrorism, solidarity rallies were held across the country, including…
Killed by Police, Amir Locke’s Funeral Draws Hundreds [Photos]
Minneapolis, MN – The funeral for 22-year-old Amir Locke was held two weeks after he was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Mark Hanneman during the execution of a no-knock warrant. Elected officials and a high-profile reverend joined hundreds at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in North…
Amir Locke Killing Draws Thousands Downtown, Presser Disruptions, and Protest Outside Police Chief’s Home
Minneapolis, MN – Despite below freezing temperatures, community disdain over the killing of Amir Locke on February 2 has been widely shown to the authorities in a variety of ways in the days following.
Graffiti referencing Locke has been sprayed across the city landscape, including…
🦄 Arts & Culture, Community
Museum Holds Event Series, New Exhibit for Black History Month
Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota’s only African American history museum is celebrating Black History Month by holding a series of virtual events available for the public and featuring a new history exhibit on African Americans in Minnesota.
Operating for more than three years now at the…
Thousands Strike in Colorado for Better Labor Practices at Local Grocery Chain
More than 8,000 employees at Kroger’s King Soopers stores, and a few City Markets, are on their third day of striking for better labor practices in Colorado. Unicorn Riot spoke with Gigi Jones, a union captain at a King Soopers in Denver, about reasons for…
🦄 Community, Land & Housing
Evolve Education Center: Abandoned Indianapolis School Reclaimed
Indianapolis, IN – A pastor is leading the charge of reclaiming an abandoned school and creating a community-and-trades center on the east side of Indianapolis. Pastor Denell Howard’s vision of The Evolve Education Center is slowly coming to fruition after years of planning, praying and…
Winnemucca Indian Colony Defends Against Bulldozing of their Homes
Humboldt County, NV – In early November, Elisa Dick got an unexpected call at work. Her housemate told her to get home quickly—there were men with front end loaders preparing to level her home.
“When I got here, they were here with the machines and…
Family of Elisa Gomez Calls for New Investigation of Her Suspicious Death
Minneapolis, MN – Five years after the mysterious death of Elisa Gomez, her family has lost faith in the Minneapolis Police (MPD) and are calling for a new investigation. Gomez was 47 years old when she was found dead just hours after being married to…
🦄 Arts & Culture, Community, Police
Community Members Craft Messages of Love for Daunte Wright’s Family Outside the Courthouse
Minneapolis, MN – When the Kim Potter trial for killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright began in late November, two activist-archivists made it their duty to make sure the Wright family felt solidarity from the community. Jeanelle Austin and Sharolyn Hagen spent the day outside the Hennepin…
Protest After First Day of Kim Potter Trial Attacked by Car Driver
Minneapolis, MN – A person drove his car through a crowd of protesters outside the courthouse after the first day of the Kim Potter trial ended, injuring several people. A half hour before the car attack on November 30, a fourth juror was empaneled by…
Families of Loved Ones Killed by Police Demand Justice on Eve of Kim Potter Trial
Minneapolis, MN – Grieving family members impacted by law enforcement killings demanded accountability for police violence on the day before the Kim Potter trial began. A press conference was held Monday morning just blocks away from the Hennepin County Government Center and featured a dozen…
🦄 Community, Racism & Far-Right
Tyler Newby Trial for Killing Unarmed Teen Ends in Hung Jury
Indianapolis, IN – A jury couldn’t agree on convicting Tyler Newby of killing Dorian Murrell, ending Newby’s murder trial in a hung jury with a 6-6 split decision on October 7, 2021. A new jury trial date is set for January 4, 2022. [UPDATE –…
Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Speech Disrupted by Water Protectors
Minneapolis, MN – Water protectors opposing the recently completed Line 3 oil pipeline disrupted Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar’s speech during a political fundraising event and demanded to meet with her before she abruptly left the stage.
During the evening of November 11, 2021, water protectors…
🦄 Community, Police, Racism & Far-Right
Daunte Wright’s 21st Birthday Brings Healing and Reflection
Brooklyn Center, MN – A celebration for what would have been Daunte Wright’s twenty-first birthday took place on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at the Brooklyn Center Community Center not far from where he was killed by police six months earlier.
Friends and family, including Daunte’s…
Durban Warehouse Fire Leads to Chemical Leak and Criminal Investigation
On July 12, 2021, a warehouse owned by India-based agricultural chemical giant UPL Limited was set on fire near Durban, South Africa. The fire was allegedly started by arsonists, as part of a week-long insurrection which left hundreds of people dead, thousands arrested and billions…
🦄 Community, Racism & Far-Right
20th Annual Four Directions March Honors Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Denver, CO – This Monday marks the 20th anniversary of Denver’s Four Directions All Nations March, which celebrates and honors Indigenous people and calls for Columbus Day to be repealed. This year’s event is the first since the repeal of Columbus Day in Colorado, an…
Dozens March Against Sexual Violence from Frat Houses
Minneapolis, MN – Dozens participated in a nighttime march down University of Minnesota’s ‘Frat Row’ protesting sexual assaults on September 10, 2021. The march happened on a Friday night around 10 p.m. during ‘Rush Week’, when students are choosing which fraternity to join and fraternities…
🦄 Arts & Culture, Community
Celebrating Black Joy Virtually as Black Storytellers Festival Hits 31 Years
Continuing their legacy of carrying on Black culture and traditions through storytelling, elders Nothando and Vusumuzi Zulu and the Black Storytellers Alliance are holding their 31st annual storytelling festival. This year’s ‘Signifyin & Testifyin’ festival is titled “Black Joy: Stories Celebrating Hope, Resilience and Love.”…
Open Carry March for Teenager Killed in Downtown Indy
Indianapolis, IN – Led by the family of Dorian Murrell, a teenager who was killed during George Floyd protests, an open carry march snaked through downtown Indianapolis demanding justice for Murrell and calling for Black unity. Murrell was 18 years old and unarmed when he…
From Pain to Power: Twelve Years After Justin Teigen
St. Paul, MN – Toshira Garraway’s life was turned upside down following the death of her fiancé, Justin Teigen, twelve years ago. Teigen is the father of Garraway’s child and was 24 when he was found dead in a recycling center after an encounter with…