A report released by the Zero Burn Coalition documents years of surveillance conducted against activists pushing for clean air in Minneapolis. The revelations came from documents that the organization obtained through public information requests.

At the center of this is the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), a nearly 40-year-old trash incinerator neighboring Target Field in Minneapolis permitted to burn 365,000 tons of garbage annually. Activists, including those with the Zero Burn Coalition, have advocated for its closure for years, citing the amount of pollution it produces and the disproportionate effect on marginalized communities.

A short walk to the west of the facility is historically Black and working-class neighborhoods of North Minneapolis, which bear the brunt of the plant’s pollution.

Coinciding with the release of the report on Oct. 22, community members and Minnesota Environmental Justice Table (MNEJT) activists and leaders convened along Olson Memorial Highway in the Heritage Park neighborhood for a press conference, in full view of HERC’s foreboding smoke stacks on the other side of Interstate 94.

“Instead of addressing the concerns raised by residents, the county has devoted staff time and resources to tracking the people organizing for change,” MNEJT Associate Director Adina Black said. “This raises serious questions about accountability, transparency, and the county’s treatment of the communities it has a responsibility to serve.”

The eight-page report details seven separate instances of the county surveilling activists and the role former environmental justice leader Joe Vital played in that.

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