On Jan. 30, hundreds of labor leaders, faith leaders and community members gathered outside the Whipple Federal Building — the headquarters of the deadly federal Operation Metro Surge — to protest the arrest and charging of at least 22 legal observers in Minnesota with impeding their operations. At least four people were arrested by Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputies.

As thousands of masked and violent federal agents flooded the streets of the Twin Cities, hundreds of community members voluntarily took the role of legal observers to provide transparency and alert neighbors of potential impending violence and dangers. Dozens of these legal observers have been arrested over the last few months. This protest at the headquarters of the federal Operation Metro Surge, was arranged after the first mass charging of observers. More below.