Minnesota: SDS rallies in -20 to protest killings by police

Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of February 3, over 35 people braved temperatures nearly 20 degrees below zero to make a powerful stand against police terror, as well as to demand justice for all stolen lives. 

The action was organized by the University of Minnesota chapter of Students for a Democratic society, in response to the most recent high-profile and brutal police murders of Tyre Nichols, Keenan Anderson, and Manny Teran. The murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis in particular has caused an immense deal of national attention and outrage. 

Protesters gathered at the student union on the University of Minnesota campus before marching to the office of the U of MN police department. The action was attended by both students and community members. Speakers at the action, representing both SDS and various progressive organizations that fight for change in the Twin Cities area, condemned police terror and called on all killer cops to be arrested and convicted. 

Mira Altobell-Resendez, speaking for Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “Since it was conceived in this country, the point of policing has been to protect ruling-class wealth at whatever the cost.” The violent murders of Tyre Nichols, Keenan Anderson and Manny Teran, along with every other life stolen by police only confirms this – that the police as an institution exist and have always existed to protect the ruling class from the mass of people below them. 

Other speakers at the action included Gracelyn McClure from Students for Climate Justice, Wyatt Miller from the Anti-War Committee, Gina VanArnam from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, Sorcha Lona from Students for a Democratic Society, and Charlie Berg from the Climate Justice Committee. 

Speakers pointed out important connections between the struggle against police oppression and terror and other people’s struggles. Manny Teran, who was murdered by the Atlanta Police Department, was a forest defender deeply dedicated to protecting the environment and fighting against climate change. The police exist to disrupt and suppress these people’s struggles. As CJC’s Berg pointed out: “Capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy, and climate devastation [are all] maintained at the end of a baton, the husk of a tear gas canister, and the barrel of a gun.”

Participants confirmed their dedication to resisting police terror and continuing the fight for total liberation. Despite the freezing temperatures gripping Minneapolis, the many attendants of the protest confirmed that SDS and all the progressive organizations fighting against oppression and for liberation stand in solidarity against police violence. The people’s resolve shall never waver in the face of state terror and repression.