In 1919, the Volker Act was signed into law; by 1920, it became the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 1933, the 18th Amendment was repealed; the repeal became the 21st Amendment. The 18th Amendment was enacted against the will of the majority and was circumvented by the people.
In the 1920's, my Grampa Lee, my mom's father, went to 'work' as a small-time bootlegger in the basement of his modest South Minneapolis home. By day, he was a railroad man working for the Northern Pacific Railroad, a form of conveyance that made the oxcart trails obsolete, and, after working his way up through the yards, an account clerk. The money was tight and his own thirst for alcohol in times when there was little in the way of a reliable supply got him thinking, and acting, to fill the desire for both interests. Long before he went into the production phase of his plan, he painted the windows black and came up with easy answers when the neighbours questioned the change in the appearance of his house. Then, he slowly began to bring glassware, tubing, grain, grape juice, thermometers and other supplies into the house under the cover of night. After setting up his equipment, he began turning out the sweet elixirs, letting the men trusted at work in on his secret operation. He set up a signal system, his 'Open For Business' tells, so folks knew when to come by to tap on his basement window for the goods they desired; they'd give the secret raps, he'd open the window, and through the small opening, he'd hand 'em a jar in a paper bag. Thereafter, his customers would scurry away into the darkness. Grampa squirrelled away the money he made in a safe. He knew better than to spend extravagantly or to make unusual deposits at the savings and loan. Yet, he and Gram Lee kept the roof over their heads, the lights on, food in the larder, and warmth in their home (and in Grampa Lee's belly). And, on Saturday nights, they went to house parties with their many friends, dancing the evening away, always making sure to bring a sample along. Prohibition served them well.
— jester
Upcoming Events ^
Sent to us from across the region
We have lots to share including our local Earth Day
& May Day events.
Keep up the momentum!
Defending the Vote
Secretaries of State on the Front Lines of American Democracy.
- When:
- April 13, 1:30pm
- Where:
- Online
Across the United States, the right to vote is being tested again. Some of the pressure is loud and political. Some of it is quieter and shows up in rules, paperwork, and confusion that make it harder for ordinary people to cast a ballot.
Dr. Wendell Smith, CD8 candidate
hosted by Indivisible—Iron Range
- When:
- April 14, 6:00pm Monthly Meeting
- Where:
- The Hive, Aurora MN
Dr. Wendell Smith is a general surgeon, Air Force veteran and longtime physician serving the Iron Range community for 2 decades. After proudly serving in the USAF, he made his home in northern Minnesota, where he has spent the past two decades caring for patients from all walks of life. Through his work in medicine, Dr. Smith has gained a deep understanding of the real challenges
people face from access to care to the everyday pressures of working families. It is this commitment to patients and community that he plans to bring to Washinton, where he will work to ensure every American has access to affordable healthcare, strengthen rural health systems, and support policies that put patients and providers first. Dr Smith holds a B.S. in Microbiology, and an M.D. He completed his surgical training in Bilox, MS.
He served in South Korea and at the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Training: Communities Not Cages
Prepare for the National Day of Action
- When:
- April 14, 7:00–8:00pm CT
- Where:
- Online
The warehousing of human beings is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. These procurements are a threat to the basic human rights of our immigrant neighbors and the due process rights of everyone in this country.
There's a role for everyone to play in blocking and opposing these mass detention centers, whether you're in a community with a proposed warehouse facility or not. We'll make sure you leave with everything you need to take action on April 25 and beyond.
You’ll hear directly from organizers at a frontline site about what they're planning, receive resources to find out if a detention center is being planned in your area, and get tools and support to host a safe, peaceful and effective event in your community.
Community Strike Readiness Training
hosted by Freedom Trainers and Strike Ready Corps
- When:
- April 16, 5:00pm CT
- Where:
- Online
This training offers practical training for community members who want to be ready when collective action escalates. The training will cover the basics of how strikes work, the roles communities play beyond the workplace, and how to coordinate support that can be sustained over time.
Note that there are also trainings available on April 22 & April 26. See the Strike Ready Corps website for more information.
Iron Range Earth Fest
Presented by Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability
- When:
- April 18, 9:00am
- Where:
- Iron Trail Motors Event Center
388 Eagle Ave, Mountain Iron, MN
- Theme:
- No Place but Home
Earth Fest is the signature event of the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability. We celebrate Earth Fest with a nod to our organizational values:
Promote Sustainability, Bring People and Communities Together, Raise Awareness, Focus Locally, Engage Multiple Generations, Foster Personal and Planetary Health
How deep canvassing can FLIP THE HOUSE
from Seed the Vote
- When:
- April 20, 7:00–8:00pm CT
- Where:
- Online
"We've been doorknocking in Bakersfield since 2025 using a research-proven method called deep canvassing that helps volunteers have more effective and meaningful conversations with voters. We've been tracking the results of our conversations closely and have been excited to learn that they WORK."
Writers Speak Out: People Have the Power
Featured readers followed by open mic
- When:
- April 21, 6:00pm
- Where:
- Wussow's Concert Cafe
Duluth, MN
Come and join us! We support civl rights and democracy. Our featured writers are Ellie Schoenfeld, Eris Vafias, Jade Marielan, Nathan Larson, Eric Chandler, Mickey McGilligan, and Angie Mason. For the open mic, we invite you to bring a short piece of writing or poem of witness, a personal testimony, a call to action, a vision for a better future, a balm for hard times, a manifesto or a mantra or a blessing! Hosted by Sheila Packa, Liz Minette and Zomi Bloom.
Communities Not Cages
National Day of Action
- When:
- April 25
- Where:
- Details soon
On April 25, Indivisible National is joining Detention Watch Network and Disappeared in America for a coordinated, nationwide mobilization against the Trump administration's reckless expansion of ICE warehouse detention centers.
Our partners will host six major events at frontline sites — communities where new detention centers are actively being proposed. We’re also asking folks to host visible, peaceful, non-violent actions in your own communities to draw attention to the cruelty of Trump’s detention agenda and to pressure our local officials to resist the construction of new detention centers.
Plan your event
May Day Virginia!
Regional Celebration
- When:
- May 1, 5:00pm
- Where:
- Details soon
May Day Duluth!
hosted by Twin Ports Democratic Socialists of America and Duluth 50501
- When:
- May 1, 4:30–6:00pm
- Where:
- City Hall
Duluth, MN
"Join us this May Day as we organize against the billionaire control of our economy and government. From Trump on down, billionaires have too much power, and it's time for workers to take it from them. They pit us against each other as we fight for the few good jobs they allow us, and they pit us against each other as they send us to bomb people in other countries, using money that could be spent on schools, healthcare, homes and infrastructure."
May Day Nationa!
International Workers Day & National Day of Action
- When:
- May 1, 2026
- Where:
- Nationwide
"We are building a day of power. Because when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them...
"On May 1, 2026, workers, students, and families rally, march, and take action across the country to demand a nation that puts workers over billionaires, with many refusing business as usual through No School. No Work. No Shopping."
— May Day Strong
Start planning!
Ongoing events ^
Signing & Resisting Events
Each Friday at noon at the following locations:
- Cook: Hwy 53 and River Street
- Tower: Mainstreet by the locomotive
- Ely: Sheridan St. & Central Ave
Signs should include issues common to everyone like good jobs, enough money for food and healthcare, and a good education.
Free Community Meal
Strength through Community
- When:
- First & Third Sundays, 12:00–3:00pm
- Where:
- 510 Chestnut Street
Virginia, MN
Join us for:
- Free hot meal
- Food distribution
- Clothing distribution
- Free store table
Note that food, hygiene, clothing donations are needed!
Trainings and Briefings, Strategy & Policy Solutions
Rural Urban Bridge Initiative
"To preserve our democracy and rebuild our fractured nation, we need a broader, more united movement—one that lifts up working-class people across race and geography."
Indivisible Calls & Trainings
"Learn, organize, and take action with Indivisible. Join our calls and training to build power and defend democracy together."
STAC Trainings
States at the Core
"A running list of upcoming trainings from States at the Core" — Ice Watch Related.
Inspiration ^
Make the Refusal to Quit Go Viral
from the Anti-Authoritarian Playbook
"We’re not exhausted. We’re seasoned. There’s a difference."
"The refusal to give up will not go viral because we broadcast it. It will go viral because we build the conditions for complex contagion: dense, trusted, overlapping communities where people witness the refusal in people they know, again and again, until it becomes who they are too.
"Build those communities. Make them joyful. Address the loneliness. Celebrate the small wins. Tell the stories of the people who refused. Create the ritual. Demonstrate, in how you operate, that the democratic alternative is not grim.
"The demonstration is the argument. The community is the mechanism. The refusal is the product."
Beyond Resistance
Rural Urban Bridge Initiative — Reclaiming our nation for the workers who build it.
"In addition to resistance today, we need a strategy for winning the future tomorrow.
"This isn’t about softening resistance, it’s about making it durable.
"Movements win when people can imagine a life on the other side, not just an enemy to defeat. Economic justice isn’t a distraction from fighting authoritarianism. It’s how you make sure it doesn’t come back wearing a new name."
Mutual Aid ^
Cook Area Neighbors Network
Updates from CANN
Hi neighbors! Here are the latest updates from the Cook Area Neighbors Network (CANN):
Community Forum on Local Healthcare
The Timberjay Newspapers did a wonderful job summarizing Keith Harvey's insights about our local healthcare services presented at CANN's community meeting last month.
You can read the article on the Timberjay's website.
Coming soon: Tech Help Session
We're working on finding a date to hold a tech-help session with volunteers available to help answer seniors' questions about how to use their cell phones and computers. Email us if you'd like to help or have suggestions.
CANN Facebook group
99 people have joined CANN's Facebook group and it's getting pretty active on our page. Folks are posting needs and offers and other community information. Check it out if you're using social media!
To share a Need or Offer, please email us at cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com
to be included in the next update or post a message on CANN's Facebook group. We do not publicize names.
Thanks so much for your support of CANN. Let us know if you have other ideas and would like to volunteer for CANN!
Other Mutual Aid Opportunities
Stand with Minnesota
"Because of the crisis in Minnesota, families who were stable just weeks ago are staring at eviction notices. To address this crisis, we are launching a campaign focused solely on paying March rent for the most vulnerable families."
Northland Legal Mutual Aid Fund
Urgent assistance needed
Northland Legal Mutual Aid Fund is a collective of friends & community, union organizers, and electeds from northern MN/WI working directly with individuals and families in need of legal and financial support, including people unjustly detained in the Douglas County Jail under an intergovernmental I.C.E. contract.
There is an urgent need for funds as a result of the ongoing administration's attack on our immigrant community and neighbors. Right now, community members are confronting unexpected legal and immigration costs, lost income, and urgent basic needs — and they need support now.
The Northland Legal Mutual Aid funds raised will go towards:
- Immigration attorney and legal fees
- Bail bond and filing costs
- Travel and communication expenses
- Basic family and financial needs while their loved ones are detained
Letter Writing for Immigrants in Detention
Host Your Own Powered by Love Gathering
Over the past month, we've watched ICE spread fear throughout our communities, detaining children like five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos on his way home from preschool. We've also seen the incredible resistance of children and parents detained in Dilley, Texas, fighting back from inside a family detention center that should never exist. We refuse to keep watching families suffer. Join us to turn this anger and grief into tangible love and solidarity for our immigrant neighbors in detention.
