ARC activists were handing out literature, vegan cheese samples, creating chalk messages, doing TV Outreach, and holding banners and signs at and near the Minnesota State Fair this year as part of our campaign to educate the public about the hidden world of animal suffering at state and county fairs. We focused on how cow’s milk hurts our health, the planet, and the animals, and how cows at the fair suffer tremendously. We’ve already reached thousands, but just because the fair is over doesn’t mean our campaign is. This is a long-term endeavor, and there’s plenty of behind the scenes work to do between now and next August. Please email amyleinen@animalrightscoalition.com to get involved and make your voice count for the cows!

View ARC in action at the State Fair during our sidewalk chalk event, TV outreach, food sampling and banner display. You can also watch us live during TV outreach at the fair on Thursday, August 25th.

The Renaissance Festival is offering elephant, camel, pony, and llama rides yet again this year. While many people jump at the opportunity to get close to animals by buying exotic animal rides at fairs and fests, they probably wouldn’t if they knew about the suffering the animals endure being treated as amusement park attractions.

These animals are trucked around the country to different venues in small trailers and chained for hours each day. If they were allowed to live in the wild, they would have extensive social networks and travel miles upon miles every day. But when they’re sentenced to being “rides,” they’re forced to walk in circles day after day with hundreds of pounds on their backs for long hours, bored and uncomfortable.

There are huge public safety concerns, as well. These are wild animals who are forced to comply with their handlers’ demands by force, and sometimes they will reach a limit, resist their captors and revolt.

Elephants also carry the human strain of tuberculosis (TB) and can easily transmit it. Most companies fail to have valid TB tests performed on their elephants due to the cost and difficulty of administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that this disease is highly transferable from elephants to humans. Yet, despite their knowledge of the inherent cruelty and danger, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival continues to feature exotic animal rides.

Join our protest to help raise awareness about these unethical attractions at the Renaissance Festival and encourage people attending to skip the animal exploitation and instead enjoy the activities that don’t hurt animals. RSVP here:

Facebook:

MN Animal Rights Meetup

Photo taken by Brooke Reynolds (Captured by Brooke Photography)

Vegan University is eager to return to local farmers markets this season and share the benefits of plant-based eating with the community. Farmers markets are the perfect venue to promote eating plant-based because people are there to buy plants! There’s no better place to talk to individuals about a plant-based diet than at a market where there’s already an understanding of the immense power of plants. It’s a great opportunity for people to ask questions, squash common myths and stereotypes, and give individuals the confidence they need to eliminate animal products from their diet. In addition to providing recipes and information, we encourage people to sign up for Vegan University’s free online workshops, cooking classes, and grocery shopping tours, and offer a free vegan mentor for those who are interested. We’re here to help people at each step in their journey toward a plant-based diet.

This season, Vegan University will be at the Linden Hills, Mill City, Bloomington, Minnetonka and Riverwalk markets. If you’re interested in volunteering at a market, email the Outreach Manager at Kelsey@animalrightscoalition.com. Join us in kicking off farmers market season in Northfield at Riverwalk Market on Saturday, May 21st, from 9:00-1:00 pm!

With the weather getting warmer, ARC is eager to head to the streets with TV Outreach at local community events!

The screens highlight what happens to animals when they’re exploited for human use and allows us to engage in conversations with people about animal-free alternatives.

You will see ARC offering TV Outreach at the 2022 MayDay Festival, Open Streets Franklin and Open Streets Minnehaha. RSVP on Facebook and join us to educate our community about the truth behind animal exploitation. This is a great opportunity for those who aren’t familiar with, or interested in, talking to the public. Volunteers are invited to hold signs or screens provided by ARC while ARC representatives help onlookers process the footage on display.

More TV Outreach events will be scheduled as opportunities arise. If you know of an event that would be a good fit for this form of activism, email the Outreach Manager at Kelsey@animalrightscoalition.com.

The Safari Club International is returning to Brooklyn Park this Saturday, the 26th, for the Annual World Hunting Expo held at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest and we need your help in taking action. Here’s how you can do so:
1. Join ARC to protest the expo on Saturday, the 26th, from 10:00-12:00 pm outside the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest. RSVP here!
2. Tell the expo’s local MN sponsors, Rapid Graphics and the Grazzini Brothers & Company, to stop supporting the cruel and horrific practice of trophy hunting.

Grazzini Brothers & Company: 

• Facebook: Grazzini Brothers & Company
• Instagram: @gbcinstallers
• Twitter: @GrazziniBros

Rapid Graphics:  

• Facebook: Rapid Graphics & Mailing Inc.
• Contact Form: http://rgmprinting.com/contact/

Create a post, tweet or add to your story to express your concerns to the sponsors (make sure to tag them!). Here is an example message:

“I was really upset to see Rapid Graphics and the Grazzini Brothers & Company as sponsors of the Safari Club International’s World Hunting Expo held at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest on Saturday, February 26th. The expo exhibits one of the largest taxidermy displays in the Midwest and includes a long list of exploitative vendors, gun raffles and live auctions offering extravagant hunting trips to places all over the world, such as South Africa and Mexico. The Safari Club International claims their role in conservation of certain animals while celebrating the murder of others. It’s a shame Rapid Graphics and the Grazzini Brothers & Company have chosen to sponsor this event that promotes the horrific practice of trophy hunting.”

You can read more information about the expo here: https://www.minnesotasci.com/events/expo/

*Please be polite, civil and diplomatic in your comments*

As we come to the close of another productive year for ARC, we have bittersweet news to share with our supporters: Our effervescent and intrepid Campaign Manager, Ashley Riddle, will be leaving her position as of December 24th. Ashley’s passion for animal rights activism has served ARC well over the last four years. From her tireless work on our Go Humane, Blaine puppy mill campaign to initiating and developing ARC’s newest campaign against animal abuse at the Minnesota State Fair to everything in between, Ashley has been commendably representing ARC at the forefront of the most pressing animal issues in Minnesota. We are very sad to say farewell to this fierce animal activist, but fear not! Ashley will still be doing online workshops and volunteering for ARC as often as possible.

Now the sweet: We have hired Amy Leinen as ARC’s new Campaign Manager! Many of you in the animal rights community already know Amy but for those who don’t, Amy has been an active volunteer with ARC for almost 10 years. She is currently an ARC vegan mentor and one of our dine-out leaders, and she volunteers regularly for Pay Per View and various ARC special events. Outside of ARC, Amy volunteers for several local sanctuaries, runs the Chicken Rescuers in Minnesota Facebook group, and runs a small chicken microsanctuary. Amy has leadership experience as the previous president of the Minnesota Homeschooler’s Alliance and the coordinator for their annual conference. Like Ashley, Amy is well known and well liked in our local community. We’re excited to have someone with such relevant experience and networking skills on board.

Au revoir, Ashley; we love you and miss you already! And welcome, Amy! Great to have you on the ARC team!

On Sunday, October 24th, ARC set up with TVs in the middle of Open Streets Minnehaha to show the public what happens to animals exploited for their flesh, secretions and for their fur. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of positive interactions we experienced with attendees! Numerous people thanked us for standing up for animals or nodded their heads in agreement with the cause as they walked by. We had many positive conversations about switching to a plant-based diet, the wide variety of alternatives available in grocery stores today and the numerous vegan restaurants now open in the Twin Cities.

ARC plans to schedule a couple more TV demos before the weather gets too cold. If you are interested in volunteering, please email the Outreach Manager at Kelsey@animalrightscoalition.com.

Big news!  Ribnick Furs has announced they will be closing their doors at the end of 2021!

ARC has been standing up for victims of the fur industry in a variety of ways since the early 80’s and many of these demonstrations have taken place right outside Ribnick. As more companies decide to stop selling the skin and fur of tortured animals, the time is NOW to put pressure on the Minneapolis City Council to ban the sale of new fur in the city.

YOU can help make this happen!  If you live in Minneapolis, please reach out to your city council member and urge them to support a ban on the sale of new fur.

Our coalition partner, Fur Free Minneapolis has made taking action really easy. There is also action you can take if you’re not a Minneapolis resident.  Check out their site, https://furfreeminneapolis.org/, it will only take a couple minutes, and it could assist in making fur history!

The city of Blaine is considering passing a humane pet store ordinance to stop the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores.

We are asking Blaine residents to contact the City Council to express support for the humane pet store ordinance.  Hearing from their community is very important!

If you live and Blaine and would like a “Go Humane, Blaine” sign for your yard and/or would like to be contacted once the city council has a meeting addressing the ordinance that is open to the public for comment, please contact our Campaign Manager at ashleyr@animalrightscoalition.com and she will help you out!

For further information, please follow our Facebook page, Minnesotans Exposing the Pet Trade. Join us for our regular pet store protests!

If you live in Blaine, click this link to take action.

“Hi ARC Volunteers,

I just wanted to say a few words about tabling and doing outreach at the Farmers Markets and to encourage anyone who has even a remote interest to get involved in these awesome events. This is a great way to encourage and support an ethical lifestyle and to help educate those who are misinformed.  ARC has great materials so it makes it easy to interact with people (even for us introverts).

I have been involved in the tabling at the Farmers Markets for several years and have found it to be fun and rewarding.  When I first started, I only attended them sporadically and I’d wonder if we were really doing any good. Then one summer, I was at the same Farmers Market multiple times, so was able to see and interact with the same people through the summer and see what happened over the course of time. These are just a few of many examples that tell me we do make a difference:

• A woman came up to chat and tell me that she was vegetarian but she could never become vegan because she could never give up cheese.  I talked a little about dairy and recommended several vegan brands she could try. A few weeks later she came back and told me how she had found some of that Miyoko’s cheese on sale and she really liked it.
• A gentleman came up and in a defensive/argumentative manner, asked me many questions about lots of aspects of veganism.  He did ended up taking some of the literature.  Later in the summer he came back and told me he had finally gone vegan and it was going ok so far and asked for some ideas on eating out in the Twin Cities.

We also regularly have people stopping by – especially new vegans – looking for support, recipes and other information.  They are very appreciative of any help we can give and with what we have available so would definitely recommend trying this out if you are looking for a great way to become more involved!” – Dedicated and longtime ARC Volunteer, Shaun.

If you’re interested in volunteering with ARC, please email the Outreach Manager at Kelsey@animalrightscoalition.com.