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THOUGHTS

Thank you Artemis II crew members, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen for talking about the beauty of life and the good fortune of having this oasis called earth! Their mission highlights the importance of science AND the arts. They are serving us poetry and pictures. A reminder that we must cherish and protect this sacred space that we all share.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING COMMUNITY  EVENTS

WCI Connections

Annandale, Buffalo, Delano, Monticello, St. Michael-Albertville

Saturdays, Emmer Do Better Otsego Rally

April 11

11-Noon

Wednesdays, Sherburne County Detention Vigil

April 15

3:30-4:15 pm

ACTION

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS

Amy Klobuchar: (202) 224-3244   klobuchar.senate.gov

Tina Smith (202) 224-5641  smith.senate.gov

EVENTS

“EMMER DO BETTER”

OTSEGO RALLIES

EVERY Saturday 11:00-Noon

PLEASE JOIN US!!!

Rallies Make a Difference!

9201 Quaday Ave NE, Otsego.

Meet on Parrish Ave.

Park at the Otsego Dental Office or the Wyndham hotel.

SHERBURNE COUNTY GOVERNMENT VIGIL

Over 100 immigrants are in Detention at the Sherburne County Government Center. Consider joining us!

• Every Wednesday 3:30 – 4:15 Sidewalk next to Business Center Drive

• Sherburne County Government Center

  13880 Business Ctr Dr NW, Elk River, MN 55330

The Wright County jail is making space to hold 120 folks who have been incarcerated at the Sherburne County Jail.  Because Sherburne is boarding detainees for ICE, they need more room. So, they are sending their non-ICE related arrests to WC because they make more money off of ICE detainees. Botton line: Wright County is making money off of ICE detainees as well because we are boarding for Sherburne County.

Help Communities Resist Data Centers

Monticello Community Center / 505 Walnut St., Mississippi Room

Mon. April 13 and 27, 6:30 pm: city council meetings.

DONATIONS

Neighborhood Gardens

Immigrant Aid of Wright and Sherburne County is looking for individuals interested in growing and sharing produce with neighbors.

If you enjoy gardening and would like to donate some of your produce to help immigrant families or others in need, please let us know at WciImmigrantAid@gmail.com.

We will store and distribute the product as it becomes available. Products which are especially needed include: corn, peppers (Jalapenos, Serranos, habaneros), zucchini, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, onions and apples or other fruits.

Items Needed for the Homeless

The recent immigration enforcement crisis has driven a number of people into homelessness, especially young men. Immigrant Aid is looking for the following items: men's and women's socks and underclothes (bras and underwear), Men's pants sizes 26 to 38.

You can email WciImmigrantAid@gmail.com if you have items to distribute or drop them off Sun - Fri between 9 am and 1 pm at Buffalo Presbyterian Church 507 Calder Ave NE, Buffalo. No random clothing please, only items listed.

Help a Single Mother Impacted by Ice

https://gofund.me/03b64c9d0

Jessika, a single mother and a survivor of domestic violence, has always worked hard to provide a better life for her children. Earlier this year, during what should have been a routine immigration appointment, Jessika was unexpectedly detained and spent seven difficult weeks in a detention facility in Texas. While she was away, her oldest child stepped up to care for their younger siblings, ensuring the family stayed together. Jessika’s savings quickly disappeared as she struggled to cover rent and living expenses from afar, all while worrying about her children’s well-being.

Donate to Mother's Day Self-Care Kits!

In honor of Mother’s Day, one of our volunteers is putting together self-care kits to celebrate the resilient mothers we support through Immigrant Aid. Nina has created an Amazon wishlist for easy giving, but you’re also welcome to purchase items on your own to contribute (see list of desired items below). Nina, based in Otsego, can coordinate pickups or accept drop-offs—please reach out at 301-385-2388.

In a meaningful shift, the kits will be assembled by the mothers themselves, many of whom have expressed a desire to give back in gratitude.

Thank you for helping make this a special way to honor and empower them.

*Desired items: individually wrapped chocolates or other sweets, salty snacks (chips, nuts, etc.), 12oz coconut waters, small body and hand lotions, lip balms, hair and face masks, fabric headbands, journals, etc. Feel free to text me about other items. The goal is to keep things relatively small to fit in the gift bag.

Thank you for your donations!

I94 Billboard Update - 164,000 vehicles a day!

We rent the billboard jointly with Indivisible North Metro and Indivisible Twin Cities.

We've been using it to hold Tom Emmer accountable — rotating messages to match whatever atrocity the week brings — and to promote events like No Kings rallies. Some of our recent messages are shown below.

Here's the challenge: We need to raise money to keep it running through the midterms. And the cost just jumped from $1,200 to $2,000 for four weeks, now that we're in "election season."

Can you help? Every dollar keeps those eyes informed.

• Mail a check to: WCI, PO Box 1410, Monticello, MN 55362, put billboard in the memo

• Give online Click Here

AND MORE!!!

MN Legislative Process

Make your voice heard at the capitol - Knowledge is Power!

On March 31, 2026, members of Richfield Indivisible for All, Indivisible Twin Cities, and Northeast Minneapolis Indivisible gathered online with former State Senator Patricia Torres Ray. We reviewed the MN legislative process and learn about how to be a strong issues advocate at the MN Legislature.

To watch the recording: Click Here

Find out who your Representative is: Click Here

The Legislature returned Tuesday from spring break.

Nothing significant has passed since the Legislature began its work in mid-February, so there’s a lot left to consider, including new measures to fight social services fraud, a bonding bill for projects throughout the state, gun-safety measures and a rescue plan for HCMC.

The Legislature doesn’t need to pass a budget this year, so it’s not legally required to do anything. But if members do nothing, then why exactly are we paying them to show up at the Capitol?” To read Star Tribune article click here

What’s Next - May 1

Building power by flexing power: May Day 2026

Thurs. April 9, 6-7pm CT / Online

Join a national call to hear the latest from the May Day Strong network.

Also, visit the May Day Strong page to learn more about this national event.

WCI doesn’t currently have plans to organize any events for May 1st. Watch this space for updates.

We Must Not Tolerate War Crimes or Genocidal Threats

These are the words of a madman: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” Donald Trump’s Tuesday morning apocalyptic threat bore the whiff of both insanity and desperation. Over the course of several days, he has made repeated, unequivocal threats to commit war crimes — the deliberate obliteration of civilian infrastructure and power plants — escalating to civilizational destruction. To read Jennifer Rubin’s article click here

The American people spent the whole day wondering if their mad king would destroy the world, only to find out he was terrorizing them in order to protect his ego after starting a disastrous war. Throughout the day, Democratic members of Congress have called for Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to recall the Senate and for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to recall the House of Representatives from break to end the war in Iran and start the process of removing Trump from office. To read Heather Cox Richardson’s article click here

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

These are not the words of Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao, or Pol Pot, or Assad, or Putin. These are the words of the president of the United States, today.

Do not be distracted by circumstances. Of course there are emotions, personalities, politics, a war. None of this excuses that sentence. The reason we have a notion of genocide, and a convention on genocide, is to define certain actions as always and definitively wrong.

Are these “only words”? No, they cannot be “only words.” As any historian of mass atrocity knows, there is no such thing as “only words.” The notion of killing a whole civilization, once spoken, remains. It enables others to say similar things, as when another elected representative compared the entire country of Iran to a cancer that had to be removed. To read Timothy Snyder’s article click here 

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