Protesters in Red Cloaks and White Bonnets Call Attention to Civil Rights

A protest at the State Capitol puts in question people’s rights. Then, a warning about a new scam targeting Minnesotans. And, why the state is lowering walleye limits for a popular lake.
—–Executive Producer: Victor Palomino Producer: Katharine DeCelleAnchor: Chantel SinGs Reader scripting: Victor Palomino Fact checking: Joel Glaser, Victor Palomino Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

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Transcript

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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.

ANCHOR: Today, a warning about a new scam targeting Minnesotans, Then, a march at the state Capitol questioning people's rights, and why the state is lowering walleye limits for a popular lake.

I'm Chantel SinGs.

Officials are warning residents about scam text messages claiming to be from the State of Minnesota or the Department of Human Services. The texts ask for EBT card numbers, which stand for Electronic Benefits Transfer, PINs (which are personal identification numbers), or other personal information. The text often links to fake websites. Authorities say neither the state nor counties will ever request EBT information by text. Anyone who receives a suspicious message should delete it, avoid clicking links, and report it by calling the EBT Customer Service line.

In today's main story, hundreds of people recently gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol and in cities across the nation to raise awareness about civil rights concerns. Katharine DeCelle was there and has this story.

Deb: Mothers, daughters, teachers, students, neighbors, nurses, women from every walk of life, standing together side by side in the same red that says, "We will not bow. We will not be silenced."

Katharine DeCelle: That's Deb, co-founder of the Handmaids of Minnesota. She's speaking at the National Handmaid's Day of Action at the Minnesota State Capitol earlier this month, an event aimed at protecting civil and reproductive rights.

Deb: Every cloak, every bonnet, every single flash of crimson in this crowd. It's a symbol, a flare of defiance against a system that would rather we stay silent.

Katharine DeCelle: Inspired by Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale, Deb and many other attendees wore red capes and white bonnets to symbolize their resistance to restrictions of civil rights.

Deb: When this all began, it was just a few of us, a handful of women, standing on the steps of the Capitol. We didn't plan to start a movement that day. We couldn't wait for someone else to make the move. It would have to be us.

Nat Sound: My body, my choice, my future, my voice.

Katharine DeCelle: Also speaking at the event, Kristen, an organizer from the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee.

Kristen: We fight for bodily autonomy, trans liberation and reproductive justice.

Katharine DeCelle: The Minnesota Abortion Action Committee was founded in 2022 after the overturning of Roe v Wade. This ended the nearly 50 year constitutional right to abortion in the US, giving each state the decision to choose its own abortion laws. Minnesota is one of seven states where abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy.

Kristen: Every time I drive past the Planned Parenthood Clinic, I see protesters organized by groups like Pro Life Action Ministries ready to harass anyone who tries to access essential health care.

Katharine DeCelle: Some in Minnesota want to put an end to abortions. Debra Braun works as an education director for Pro Life Action Ministries, a St Paul-based organization that started in 1981.

Debra Braun: The heart of our ministry is sidewalk counseling, where we go out to the abortion clinics and we offer women alternatives to abortion and help them through the pregnancy.

Katharine DeCelle: There are currently eight clinics in Minnesota that provide abortion access.

Debra Braun: We have sidewalk counselors at all of the abortion clinics in the state of Minnesota. This year, so far, we've documented 49 babies saved.

Katharine DeCelle: According to the Minnesota Department of Health, in 2023, 2,860 women traveled to Minnesota for abortions from states that have restrictive abortion laws. The Handmaids of Minnesota are working to keep Minnesota a state where women have freedom of their reproductive rights. For North Star Stories, I'm Katharine DeCelle.

Anchor: listening to North Star Stories.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, is reducing the winter walleye limit on Upper Red Lake to four fish, with only one over 17 inches allowed. That's down from five during the open water season. The DNR Fisheries Manager says the lake's popularity is prompting the change. Walleye management is a joint effort between the Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR.

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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.