Brainerd Area Coalition for Peace (BACP) held our monthly meeting on Monday, May 1, 2023, at 7 p.m.   The meeting took place in the Brainerd United Church of Christ (UCC) upstairs library.   Judi and Richard Schiller, Larry Mjolsness, and Doug Olson joined the meeting.

Meeting participants reviewed the Brainerd May Day March held on Saturday, April 29.   Brainerd Lakes Area Democratic Socialists of America (BLA DSA) and Brainerd Trades and Labor hosted the Brainerd May Day March.   BACP endorsed the Brainerd May Day March.  The Brainerd May Day March is an annual pro-union march which advocates workers' rights and economic justice.   The Brainerd May Day March goes from Brainerd AFL-CIO headquarters, located at 804 Laurel Street, Brainerd to Brainerd city hall, located at 501 Laurel Street.   

This year's Brainerd May Day March supported proposed legislation in the Minnesota legislature providing workers earned paid sick time and family leave.   [The legislature passed and Governor Walz signed the earned paid sick time and family leave legislation.   The earned paid sick time and family leave law goes into effect on January 1, 2026.]   

The Brainerd May Day March went very well.   13 people joined the Brainerd May Day March.  Doug and fellow BACP members Pat Scott, Isaiah Oleson, and Holden Hollister joined the Brainerd May Day March.   The march received a mostly positive response from passing motorists.   March participants enjoyed an excellent potluck dinner, prepared by local labor leader Wayne Fleischhacker, after the march.


BACP is committed to hosting our booth at the Crow Wing County Fair.  The 2023 Crow Wing County Fair will be held from Tuesday, August 1 through Saturday, August 5.   The BACP booth is open every day of the Fair from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Larry, Doug, Richard, and Judi plan to volunteer at the booth.   Larry volunteered for the 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. shifts on Wednesday, August 2 and Thursday, August 3 and the 8 to 10 p.m. shift on Wednesday, August 2.

Richard and Judi will turn in the booth application and check for the booth.   Richard will send out a booth schedule with shifts available for booth volunteers to the BACP listserv in July.    Fellow BACP member Elaine Kain plans to create pro-peace buttons for the booth.   The pro-peace buttons Elaine creates are very popular with fairgoers who visit the BACP booth.


Meeting participants discussed BACP marching in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade.   The Brainerd Fourth of July parade will be held on Tuesday, July 4.  [Brainerd Community Action recently posted information about the 2023 Brainerd Fourth of July parade.   The parade will be start at 6 p.m. and have the same route as last year's parade.   The parade information can be found at https://brainerdcommunityaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Parade-Route-Map-scaled.jpg]

Meeting participants believed the BACP name should be used for the Brainerd Fourth of July parade unit instead of the Brainerd Democracy Alliance (BDA) name used in 2022.   (BDA is an informal coalition of Brainerd area progressive groups, including BACP, BLA DSA, Brainerd Lakes United Environmentalists (BLUE), Lakes Area Move to Amend, and Brainerd Lakes Pride.)  Almost everyone who joined the parade unit last year was a BACP member.   Since this will probably be the case this year, meeting participants felt the BACP name should be used for the parade unit.   Members of fellow BDA organizations are welcome and encouraged to join the BACP parade unit.   [BLUE endorsed the BACP Brainerd Fourth of July parade unit at the Thursday, May 11 BLUE meeting.]

Doug will verify with fellow BACP members Larry Fisk and Gayle Nielsen BACP is marching in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade.   Larry and Gayle have the vehicle and float used for the BACP parade unit.   [Gayle and Larry confirmed at the Tuesday, May 9 BLA DSA meeting BACP will march in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade.]


Meeting participants discussed the Spring BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup scheduled for Saturday, May 6.  Cleanup volunteers will meet in the parking lot of the former Knottys on 371 restaurant at 11 a.m. for a short assembly to plan the cleanup.    The former Knottys on 371 restaurant parking lot is located north of Little Falls off Highway 76.   The cleanup usually takes a few hours.   If bad weather forces the cleanup to be cancelled, the Spring BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup will be rescheduled for Saturday, May 20.

[The Spring BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup on Saturday, May 6 went well.   Five volunteers joined the cleanup:  Judi, Richard, fellow BACP member Isaiah Oleson, Doug, and Doug's dad Joe Olson.   Cleanup volunteers used 13 garbage bags for the cleanup.  The weather cooperated for most of the cleanup as the rain held off until near the end of the cleanup.]


The next monthly BACP meeting will be held on Monday, June 5 at 7 p.m.    The BACP meeting will be held in Gregory Park.   Gregory Park is located at 511 North Fifth Street, Brainerd.   Meeting participants will meet at the entrance of Gregory Park and find an available table for the meeting.

If bad weather prevents a meeting in Gregory Park, the BACP meeting will be held in the Brainerd UCC upstairs library at 7 p.m.   The Brainerd UCC is located at 415 Juniper Street, Brainerd near Gregory Park.


The BACP meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.   


BACP Meeting Notes Submitted by Doug Olson