BACP-BLUE June 1, 2026, Meeting Minutes

1. Review the Saturday, May 16, protest held in Crosby. Monthly protests are held every third Saturday of the month in Crosby, near the Red Raven Bike Shop and Cafe, to protest the Trump Administration's authoritarianism, abuse of power, imperialist wars, and deplorable environmental record. BACP-BLUE supports the Crosby protests. No one in attendance was at the protest.
 
2. Review the Spring BACP-BLUE Adopt a Highway cleanup held on Saturday, May 23. Good weather! Went well. Five people collected 11 bags of trash.

3. Discuss the Kitchigami Regional Library System (KRLS) Board's decision during their meeting on Thursday, May 21 to fire two supervisors who abused their positions of power. The AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) union which represents KRLS staff fought for accountability for nearly a year. BACP-BLUE supported library workers and the union's demands to hold the supervisors responsible for their actions and create an environment free of bullying, harassment, and discrimination. The Board was unanimous in their decision and also approved the contract that the librarians presented. Trisha read a message from the librarians in which they thanked the community for the support over the last year.

4. Plan for the Saturday, June 6, vigil demanding an end to the Iran War and Israel's genocide in Gaza. Discuss whether the vigil will be held at the intersection of Sixth and Washington Streets, Brainerd or return to the intersection of Highways 210 and 371, Baxter near Kohl's.

It was decided to move the demonstration to 210 and 371 for the summer and because of the construction on 210. The demonstration this week will start at 12 noon because of the Pride event in Cass Lake.

5. Plan for BACP-BLUE hosting a table at the Leech Lake Pride Event on Saturday, June 6th. The Leech Lake Pride Event will be held at Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake from 4 to 8 p.m.

Dean will bring the table and canopy and meet Trisha at the event. Larry and Gayle will come up after the demonstration.

6. Plan for BACP-BLUE marching in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade. The Brainerd Fourth of July parade will be held on Saturday, July 4, at 6 p.m.

We would like to encourage participation in the parade as the public is more accepting of our message than they have been in the past. We will prepare a flyer to hand out with an anti-war message on one side and an environmental message on the other. Dean will set up a Zoom meeting on a Monday about 2 weeks before the parade to finalize plans.

7. Discuss possibly holding a peace vigil in Little Falls this summer.

The group is agreeable and supportive of a demonstration in Little Falls. Larry will contact the people he knows in Little Falls that may be interested.

ADDENDUMS

Dean will inform the group about the June 14th protest in Crosby.

Trisha reported on the Paul Douglas presentation on climate change. He predicts longer periods between rain events and heavy rains when they come this summer due to an extra strong El Nino.

DSA was receptive about having a fair booth that we could share. They need to determine if they are eligible for the insurance that is required.