A protest concert and a rally against the immigration crackdown in Minnesota drew crowds braving single digit temperatures to downtown Minneapolis Friday.
The First Avenue protest concert kicked off at noon with fans gathered to see Tom Morello and a special guest, who turned out to be Bruce Springsteen. The show was scheduled to wrap up by 2 p.m. in time for a “day of action” protest march through downtown. Last Friday, tens of thousands turned for a rally across downtown and images of massive crowds drew global attention.
An hour before the concert, only a few protesters were on the street corner outside First Avenue, but they stood out. One wore a white bunny costume, with the sign “Some Bunny Hates ICE.” Another was in a green frog costume and held a sign with Neil Young lyrics on one side and words from Morello’s Rage Against the Machine on the other.
Dozens of fans braved below-zero windchills to see if extra tickets to the sold-out show would became available. One woman held up in fingerless glovers a purple Post-It note saying “one ticket.” One man had a message written on the medical mask he wore: “I need one. Can I be your guest?”
Extra tickets
Ryan Johnson from Mound arrived a half hour before the show with additional tickets and brought two older ladies, including one big Springsteen fan who was waiting in the cold since before 8 a.m. That woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said she came downtown after ensuring kids in her neighborhood weren’t bothered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on their way to school Friday morning.
Johnson heard how long she had been waiting outside First Ave. and said, “We need to get you out of the cold.”
Dozens of music fans waited for the small chance to get inside went from shivering to whooping when a few of them got rewarded. They cheered as if they had just won a prize on a TV game show.
One man in a Minnesota United jacket wasn’t able to bring his kids, so he gave extra tickets to some men in line, including one who said he drove up from Iowa City, Iowa, on the off chance he could get to the show.
“Wooo!” the Iowa man shouted as he strode inside the venue. “(Expletive) ICE!”
‘It’s just not right’
Tom Albers of St. Paul planned to attend the march after the concert.
“I just can’t believe that the government is behaving like they are,” Albers said. “It just flies in face of everything I thought this country was about. It’s just wrong. I can’t justify it in my brain. I’ve never done anything like this before. I just can’t sit still. It’s just not right.”
The most-upsetting thing to Albers is the federal government’s narrative. For instance, their description of Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 did not align with actions seen in the witness videos.
“I can’t believe they lie about what is taking place,” Albers said. “That is the biggest offense to me. I can’t stomach what they are doing, but I really can’t stomach the boldface lies they are telling and want people to believe that is happening.”
Albers said he and his wife Jean have been delivering food for people in need. He said they have a Latino housekeeper who is documented, but won’t come to work. Albers understands her situation and is continuing to pay her.
“I think people are just afraid that their neighbors don’t look like them,” Albers said. “That is really upsetting. I think that is what Minnesota recognizes. I’ve heard a lot of talk about what makes Minnesota different and why we are reacting like we are. We care about people and that is what this is about.”
Meanwhile, organizers have called for a “nationwide day of action” Friday and officials from nearly 2,000 organizations have said they plan to participate, including labor, community and student organizations, as well as hundreds of small businesses, organizers say. The rally in Minneapolis was to take place in front of the Hennepin County Government Center.
Organizers also called for a general strike Friday, similar to the one a week ago in which they urged “no school, no work, no shopping.”
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