Police Brutality and City Hall

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Michael Cavlan has the expressed permission of the  X Vandals to use this song and video clip Plan B in his article titled Police Brutality And City Hall. Please note that it was written on Friday March 6th, 2015 but due to technical copyright issues was not published in the Twin Cities Daily Planet until Saturday March 14th, two days after two police officers were shot in Ferguson, Missouri. On November 25th, 2014 Jeffrey Patrick Rice of St Paul, Minnesota plowed his car into a protest against police killings in Minneapolis. After knocking over a group of protesters and trapping a 16 year old girl under his car, he sped away, putting others at risk. The Minneapolis police talked to him after the incident and let him go without even a ticket. Their initial report called Mr Rice the “victim” and the young girl that had been trapped under his car and others injured by him as “others.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune initially reported the police version of Mr Rice being the “victim” who was “fleeing the mob.” Continue Reading

Michael Cavlan: Star Tribune article misrepresents the truth

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This is a response to the Star Tribune article November 27th by Strib writer Paul Walsh titled “Driver who hit protester was fleeing ‘the mob’ but is considered suspect” about an incident at Lake Street and Hiawatha outside the 3rd Precinct Police headquarters rally. In response to the Grand Jury acquittal of the Ferguson, MO police officer who killed Michael Brown.I was there and in fact got knocked over by the driver myself.This is a Community Voices submission and is moderated but not edited. The opinions expressed by Community Voices contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TC Daily Planet.First, the title itself is a flat out lie. The article does not get any better. The initial title was “Driver who hit protester was fleeing ‘the mob.” Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Tar sands and Minnesota Public Utilities Commission

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Hat tip for picture above to Gillette of Occupy Minnesota On April 3rd there was an open public meeting by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in St Paul. The topic being addresses by the PUC is wether they should allow the Enbridge Corporation to increase their capacity of oil pipeline #67 going through northern Minnesota on to Superior Wisconsin. This pipeline carries Tar Sands Oil which is crude oil extracted from Alberta, Canada. It is being opposed by indigenous communities and environmentalist groups all over Canada and the United States. The Public Utilities Commission hearings on this has been followed by myself and other activists primarily in Occupy Minnesota, the Indigenous Environmental Network and Minnesota350.org. At this hearing though there was a new group present that we had never seen before. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Keith Ellison, Star Tribune, lies And The TPP

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I no longer read the Star Tribune unless it is one that I found for free and then I read it for entertainment value. Most certainly not for informational content. However I was advised by friends to read an Op Editorial in the StarTribune that was written by Congressman Keith Ellison and Congressman Rick Nolan. This is my editorial response. On March 5th Congressmen you published  Keith Ellison and Rick Nolan’s  “Counterpoint: Don’t Repeat NAFTA Mistakes”. In it both Congressman point out the problems with the Trans Pacific Partnership. Continue Reading

Why I gave Tommy Rukavina the finger

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service  hosted a public meeting Tuesday, January 28th at the RiverCenter In St Paul on an environmental review of what’s proposed to be the first copper-nickel mine in the state.I along with with over 2000 other people attended. Of those 2000 people about half were opposed to the Polymet Mine being proposed in northern Minnesota. The other half were either dressed up in “working class” mining attire replenished with hard hats along with a variety of “suits.” More on that later.During the public testimony there was an impassioned discussion and debate. Those of us opposed to it gave our testimony when allowed. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Uniting people – building progressive power forum

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 In Duluth, on  January 11th, 2014 something exciting happened: progressive activists gathered at the Copper Church in Duluth with the goal of working together in mutual respect, honesty and solidarity. The end result was better than our wildest expectations.  Here is the back story that had not gone public—until now. Activists in northern Minnesota, affectionately known as the “Iron Range”, decided to get together and organize an event. The format was simple but effective. They contacted as many progressive groups and individuals as possible. Each was invited to have a speaker at the event as well as tables with information for their group or topic for attendees. Here is the format and speakers 11:00 Welcome/ Overview 11:10 “Connecting the Dots — What Has Brought UsTogether — and Thinking the Seemingly Impossible:Full Employment for All. Alan Maki, of Uniting People 11:30 “Achieving Livable Minimum Wage Legislation for Minnesota Workers”Liane Gale of the Minnesota Green Party with —David Flaherty, a college student, providing “A Perspective from the Young Adult World” on minimum wage employment.” 12:00: Break-Out Sessions: Mobilizing More Progressives to Join the Minimum Wage Campaign: Visioning,Goal Setting, Strategizing — Recruiting More Peopleto Join the Campaign —Building Broad Support forAll Progressive Campaigns12:30 =========== BREAK ================12:45 Whole Forum Deliberation 1:15 “Getting it Passed: Universal Single Payer Health Care for Minnesota”Buddy Robinson of Minnesota Citizens Federation – Dr. Jim Hart of Physicians for a National Health Program Discussion 2:15 2014: A Year Of Decision; Centuries of Risk; Being Idle No More!Reyna Crow of Northwoods Wolf Alliance and Idle No More Discussion 2:50 ========== SHORT BREAK=============2:40 How Do We Organize in Minnesota?? “ How Do We Push and Achieve Our Broader Progressive Agenda”Michael Cavlan – New Progressive AllianceDennis Leahy: “A Heave-Ho to the Electoral Paradigm” Nathan Ness: “Effective vs. Continue Reading