|
| |  | U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen for the District of Minnesota speaks at a press conference on fraud in May 2026. (David Berding / Getty Images) |
| Feds Crack Down on Rapid Response Networks | Yesterday morning, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announced charges against 15 anti-ICE protesters, taking particular aim at what prosecutors called “antifa” groups. Rosen is charging members of Direct Action Minnesota and Black Cat Worker’s Collective with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers. This is a major move against rapid response networks that formed during Operation Metro Surge. Often created neighborhood by neighborhood, these grassroots efforts sought to track ICE actions and detainments. Notably, Rosen didn’t provide a definition for “antifa.” [Associated Press / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | - Protected actions or illegal planning? “ These defendants have been charged, not for what they said, but for what they did. They all joined an agreement, a conspiracy, to interfere with lawful immigration enforcement operations,” Rosen said at Tuesday’s press conference. When reporters asked for evidence of defendants’ injuring of law enforcement, Rosen declined to provide examples. Instead, he played a video from one of the defendants encouraging protesters to arm themselves against federal officers, critiqued Black Cat Worker’s Facebook header, and highlighted two instances when Direct Action Minnesota members set up a blockade at the Whipple Federal Building.
- What’s in the indictment? The bulk of the evidence provided in the 94-page indictment includes Signal messages exchanged between organizers and their movements related to the Whipple blockades – seemingly to prove defendants were planning to engage in violent acts. Self-identified “antifa” activist Kyle Wagner appears the most often; Wagner has been in custody since February for allegedly threatening ICE agents. [CBS Minnesota]
- Interesting: Federal prosecutors have already dismissed many charges against Minnesotans accused of assaulting agents. When asked by reporters what made these cases different, Rosen said: “You watch how this case plays out. You watch how the evidence plays out.” [Star Tribune / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]
| |
|
|
|
| | | Celebrate the World Cup and community at the Vida y Deportes World Cup Street Fair on July 4 at Utepils Brewery! Enjoy live match viewing on a massive screen, international food vendors, live music, family activities, youth soccer, giveaways, and cultural celebrations. Proudly supported by Medica, Plunkett’s Pest Control, Minnesota United FC, Latino Radio, Amor, and the Latino Chamber of Minnesota. Admission is free — bring your family, friends, and community spirit for an unforgettable day |
|
|
|
| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Cheat code: Are you taking full advantage of your library card? On today’s show, we talk about how you can get into music venues and state parks through local libraries. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | | Bathhouse ban: Have thoughts on the city unbanning adult bathhouses? The City Council expects a packed hearing today as they field comments from the public. The meeting will specifically focus on the “health and sanitation” portion of the ordinance. A new city law wouldn’t automatically legalize adult bathhouses, but would allow the city to regulate them in the future. [MPR News] | | More chances for corn: After a six-year pause, the Ramsey County Fair is coming back to Maplewood on July 16-19. Fair organizers and county officials have been in conflict over a large barn on the fairgrounds. Seems like fair organizers were able to meet the county’s fire safety and accessibility concerns after long negotiations. [Star Tribune] | |  | A rainbow of lawn flamingos in South Minneapolis. (Tiffany Bui / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| Neighborhood spotting: I loved seeing these colorful lawn flamingos lined up in ROYGBIV order. Found something cool on your daily walks? Reply to this email with a picture, and we might feature it in an upcoming newsletter! | | MPD progress report: A March report on how well the Minneapolis Police Department is meeting its reform goals seemed promising. Now, it seems like the department’s falling behind. The independent group Effective Law Enforcement for All said MPD has not meaningfully cleared the backlog in its internal affairs unit, which is 55-cases long. The report underscores the discord within MPD when it comes to handling complaints against officers. [MPR News] | |
|
|
|
| | | Wednesday, June 17 | | | Thursday, June 18 | | | |
|
|
|
| | | A family-friendly and/or date-night appropriate, spectacular concert featuring the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, celebrating LGBTQ+ life, love, family and pride. This show draws musical inspiration from iconic Disney films including The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Mary Poppins to modern classics such as Coco, Zootopia and others with curated video clips from the Disney vault, all interwoven with universal storytelling. Kids’ ticket discount available. June 20-21 at Orchestra Hall; get your tickets now! |
|
|
|
|
Hippocampus is releasing exclusive merch with Aurora FC at their game tonight to celebrate the team’s five-year anniversary. We’ll be tabling at the match; come say hi! 👋 |
| |
|
|
|
