black panther party members and yellow panthers raise their fists outside the hennepin county government center

Black Panthers and Yellow Panthers Speak Out During Derek Chauvin Trial

Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Original Black Panther Party, led by King Rick, gathered on the south plaza of the Hennepin County Government Center on March 12, 2021, calling for justice to be done in the trial of Derek Chauvin. They spoke to Unicorn…

Justice Families Seek Police Accountability with Derek Chauvin Trial Underway

Minneapolis, MN – “There was many police murders that led up to George Floyd,” said Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence (FSFAV). Families who’ve lost their loved ones to police violence have been gathering in the Twin Cities demanding justice and…

Water Protectors holding banner that says, "We Are Treaty People."

Treaty Rights Asserted During Creation of White Earth Camp

White Earth Reservation, MN – On February 20, 2021, the White Earth Camp opened up as an additional Indigenous Women/Femme-led water protector community. On Sunday, February 21, the camp hosted a treaty rights action at a work site where oil giant Enbridge plans to bore…

Beyond the Barricades: A Look At George Floyd Square [Mini-Doc]

Minneapolis, MN – Since the police killing of 46-year-old George Floyd, the area where Floyd took his last breath has turned into an international sacred space controlled by community caretakers. The autonomous zone called George Floyd Square (GFS) consists of four city blocks around 38th…

Protesters Rally Downtown as First Day of Chauvin Trial Begins

Minneapolis, MN – The long-awaited trial of Derek Chauvin has finally come as hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Minneapolis for the first day. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis Police officer, is charged with second degree murder and second degree manslaughter in the death of George…

Crowd puts flowers on top of the letter X to commemorate Malcolm X on the 56th anniversary of his assassination

George Floyd Square Celebrates Malcolm X

Minneapolis, MN – Nearly 100 people gathered in George Floyd Square (GFS) to commemorate Malcolm X on the 56th anniversary of his assassination. An event organized by the community at GFS featured a vigil for Malcolm X, a discussion on Black liberation movements of past…

Homeless Tenants Union: Unhoused Self-Advocacy in the Twin Cities

Bloomington, MN – In November 2020, Unicorn Riot sat down with a handful of people who are a part of a new union of unhoused community members at an Extended Stay America hotel in Bloomington, MN, where several have been temporarily residing. They told us…

image: Brenda a 60-year-old Native American woman speaks in the center of the frame. She is wearing a white knit hat and a black zip-up jacket. Behind her on the ground is white snow, and to her left in the background is an Indigenous structure known as a Tarpee, a tipi-like structure made with tarps constructed to help elders keep warm while fighting oil pipeline extraction on Native land.

Winter of Coronavirus: Seeking Shelter in Minneapolis During COVID–19

Minneapolis, MN – With winter setting in, many people experiencing houselessness in Minneapolis are forced to choose between living outdoors in freezing temperatures or entering a restrictive and non-private temporary indoor shelter.

A new scientific study finds that over 400,000 COVID cases and nearly 11,000…

Denver Sweeps 300+ Tent Encampment Residents

Denver, CO – The largest tent encampment in the city, which sprung up in October 2019, is being cleared early Monday morning as about 60 advocates protest the move.

Unicorn Riot is on-the-ground covering the sweep, with live coverage starting at 5AM.

Residents at the…

Standing Rock’s Wind Farm to Prioritize People, Land, and Nature Over Profit

Standing Rock Reservation – The tribe that led the fight against Energy Transfer Partner’s Dakota Access Pipeline is expanding its commitment as a leader in addressing climate change with the creation of a public power authority to develop a 235-megawatt (MW) wind farm. 

Anpetu Wi…

Flores Oscuras Platforms BIPOC Artists’ Expressions of Horror

Minneapolis, MN – Eight blocks north of George Floyd Memorial Square, seven artists are using Halloween weekend as an opportunity to showcase the horrors of life under white supremacy for BIPOC-identifying community members.

Flores Oscuras (“dark flowers”) is a live show for Black, Indigenous, and…

Court Protest Aims at Boston Covid Housing Crisis

BOSTON, MA – Thousands of families in eastern Massachusetts face renewed risk of eviction. Governor Charlie Baker opted on October 17 to cease emergency measures to protect shelter that have been in effect throughout most of 2020, triggering a huge surge in “notices to quit”…

Minneapolis Protest Art Collection Becomes Largest of its Kind

Minneapolis, MN – A donation of over 200 plywood protest murals makes the “Save the Boards to Memorialize the Movement” project the largest art collection of its kind. During the height of the civil unrest in the city, following the death of George Floyd, businesses…

image: Masked protester holds "Justice For Elisa Gomez" protest sign. The sign has a picture of Elisa Gomez with long dark hair and an orange blouse, looking down and to the right. It also has an image of a black handprint with "Silenced 10.11.16" white text overlaid. The protester has on a blue medical facemask, is wearing a black sweatshirt and a purple backpack, and has shoulder-length slightly-curled hair that is dyed yellow and pink. They are looking to the right. Several other masked protesters are behind this person.

β€œHe Got Away With Murder,” Says Family of Elisa Gomez

Minneapolis, MN – On the 4th anniversary of a Minneapolis woman being found dead in her home, community members gathered to celebrate Elisa Gomez’ life and question why the hanging death of a newlywed wasn’t investigated as a homicide.

Community members met on Sunday, October…

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…