Congratulations to our coalition partner, Fur Free Minneapolis on reaching a major milestone with the introduction of their fur free ordinance at Minneapolis city hall, which will prohibit the sale of new animal fur products in Minneapolis! Huge thanks to city council authors Alondra Cano and Cam Gordon.

The ban will not force any Minneapolis businesses to close. Companies which currently sell animal fur will have a phase-in period, during which they can transition to selling fur-free products. There is an exemption in the ordinance which protects the rights of Native American tribes to sell fur for traditional and spiritual purposes and secondhand stores are also exempt.

If the ordinance passes, Minneapolis will join Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and West Hollywood, which have similar ordinances. New York City has also introduced an ordinance to end the sale of fur.

Minneapolis residents, sign the petion to ban fur in Minneapolis. Check out Fur Free Minneapolis’ upcoming events for this campaign.

U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is covered with reflective glass that birds can’t distinguish from the sky, resulting in hundreds of fatal collisions. Before the stadium’s completion in 2016, many organizations—including ARC—contacted stadium officials asking them to alter the building’s design to prevent bird collisions. But no action was taken, the stadium was completed, and reports of bird fatalities began to pour in. Rather than taking immediate action to save birds, officials decided to undertake a lengthy study to determine how many birds were being killed. The results, which were finally released in November 2019, show that at least 111 birds died after colliding with the stadium in one year alone. Officials now say that they need several more months to consider the study results before taking action to prevent further deaths.

Please take a moment to send a polite e-mail to U.S. Bank Stadium (John Drum, Interim General Manager at https://www.usbankstadium.com/connect-with-us/contact-us) and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (James Farstad, Executive Director at james.farstad@msfa.com) telling them that they have delayed for too long! There are many ways to retrofit the stadium to prevent these tragedies while maintaining its aesthetic appeal including patterning the glass and using window films, decals and tape, screens, grilles, shutters, exterior shades, awnings, and overhangs. Tell them to take immediate action to prevent further bird casualties!

The food will be bountiful and delicious when you join ARC and friends for the 26th Annual Turkey-Free Friendsgiving Potluck on Sunday, November 10. All are welcome. You do not have to be vegan or vegetarian to attend.

This is a wonderful event to bring your friends and family to and show them how delicious vegan holiday eating can be. We are looking forward to sharing a special meal with all of our friends, longtime and brand new.

Beverages will be provided, along with a variety of vegan cheeses and vegan turkey roasts to sample. Bring a vegan main dish, side dish, or dessert to share, along with a serving spoon (vegan = no meat, dairy, eggs, gelatin, honey, or refined sugar). Your dish should serve at least 10 people. Please bring a list of ingredients so we can be allergy-friendly and also bring your own plate and utensils if possible. Location is Living Spirit United Methodist Church, 4501 Bloomington Ave. in Minneapolis from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Please RSVP at the Facebook or Vegan Meetup event so we know how many people to expect. Thanks to The Herbivorous Butcher for their support and donation of their delicious vegan cheese and turkey roast.

Save the date! On Monday, September 9, Dr. Will Tuttle will speak at Unity Church, 4000 Golden Valley Rd. in Golden Valley on Healing Our World: A Deeper Look at Food. Author of the international best-seller, The World Peace Diet, published in sixteen languages, Tuttle connects the dots between ethical, ecological, health, cultural, and spiritual issues and our civilization’s ten thousand year-old practice of herding and exploiting animals for food and other products.

Winner of the Courage of Conscience Award (along with the Dalai Lama, Rosa Parks, and Pete Seeger), Tuttle will share an inspiring vision for a “true revolution of non-violence” on our planet.

Socializing and refreshments from 6:30-7:00 p.m, presentation and Question and Answer session from 7:00-8:15 p.m. Following his talk, Dr. Tuttle will be available to sign The World Peace Diet, as well as his five other books.  A donation is suggested, but not required, to attend this event.

“Human freedom, justice, and harmony require that we liberate animals,
and that we show respect, harmony, and justice in our daily meals and in our way of living.”

We are so honored to receive an award from VegFund, an incredible organization that makes much of our work possible! The award reads “Since 2011, the Animal Rights Coalition has carried out more than 98 VegFund-supported food samplings and PPV (Pay Per View) outreach activities. We’re pleased to recognize ARC for its relentless outreach in Minnesota and surrounding states and its work to build a true coalition by empowering young activists with resources and support.” Thank you VegFund for your support of our work to help animals!

Fur Free Minneapolis, the Animal Rights Coalition, and other advocates are urging the Minneapolis City Council to pass an ordinance that bans the sale of new fur products within the city. Please sign the petition urging the city council and mayor Jacob Frey to make Minneapolis the next fur free city. West Hollywood, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have already passed ordinances banning  the sale of fur products, and these bans have been successfully defended in court. And 14 countries in Europe have banned fur production entirely. Let’s add Minneapolis to this list and show that we will no longer condone the brutal and cruel fur industry.

Join us for an ARC Volunteer Day at Chicken Run Rescue on Sunday, May 26 from noon to 3:00 PM. RSVP at AR Meetup as soon as possible as this popular event is limited to 12 people. Now that Spring is here, there will be plenty of clean up outside to get things ready for the birds to soak up the sun and take their dust baths. At this chicken chore party we will help to get the birds’ playgrounds ready for Spring. We will be performing any tasks that need doing, including garden work. There will be plenty of variety for all levels of strength and mobility. Vegan refreshments will be provided. CRR is located about 30 minutes south of the Twin Cities.

For security reasons, CRR is a closed sanctuary open only to staff, volunteers, and invited guests. We will send out the exact address to those who RSVP YES prior to the event.

Last July we protested, once again, along with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), outside Hennepin County Medical Center, urging HCMC to stop their use of live animals in emergency medicine residency training. ARC staff helped PCRM deliver over 72,000 petitions to the Hennepin HealthCare board of directors after the demo.

In a big victory for animals, Hennepin Healthcare, which operates HCMC in Minneapolis and trains residents from the University of Minnesota, recently announced that it had finally ended its use of live sheep and rabbits in invasive procedures (up to 150 rabbits and 150 sheep were used annually).

PCRM has now filed a complaint with the USDA against the Mayo Clinic contending that Mayo is violating the federal Animal Welfare Act by operating a training program that includes surgery on live pigs. Mayo is one of only 15 programs in the country that continue to use live animals to train medical residents in emergency medicine. According to PCRM, most training programs have switched to simulators to educate new doctors in surgical techniques such as inserting breathing tubes or opening chest cavities.