Let’s make fur history! Help Fur Free Minneapolis, ARC, and other coalition partners ban the sale of new fur in Minneapolis.

We especially need people who live in Minneapolis Ward 6 to add their voices. If you live in Ward 6 (Ward 6 map is shown to the left) and want to help, send us a message to find out what you can do. You can email ashleyr@animalrightscoalition.com or info@furfreeminneapolis.org to get involved.

Please sign and share the petition to make Minneapolis the next fur free city!

ARC created a new Guide to being Vegan in the Twin Cities! Use it as a resource for finding Minnesota’s animal sanctuaries, locating restaurants, cafes and food trucks, suggestions for books and blogs to read, movies and documentaries to watch, local vegan organizations to support, and important issues to learn about. You can also search through events ARC participates in, find resources for raising vegan children, and scope out animal-friendly activities for kids and families to engage in together. Save it as an app on your phone or bookmark on the computer for quick and easy access to a comprehensive guide for being Vegan in the Twin Cities!

ARC volunteers had a great time volunteering at one of Youth Farm’s community gardens again in October. We harvested a ton of healthy food and helped get the garden ready for winter. We’re already excited to volunteer next year. Add in lots of laughs, good music, a little dancing, learning some new things, and a whole bunch of good vibes. We even had a visit from retired Vikings player Tyrone Carter, who stopped by as he was in the area making sure people were registered to vote.

Join ARC as we take you through Chicken Run Rescue and meet the birds! We’ll follow along as Mary, CRR founder, moves each bird outside for the day and then watch the birds go through their morning routines and feeding time from their favorite food truck. Meet all 58 birds and hear stories about about some of the birds that were lucky to end up at the sanctuary.

We will be streaming the tour live via ARC’s Facebook page on Sunday, August 23 from 10:00 to 11:00 am CDT. This is a great opportunity to see CRR and to meet these sentient beings that would have otherwise been victims of neglect, abuse and abandonment. RSVP on Facebook or Animal Rights Meetup.

Note: The event will be rescheduled if it rains.

Although the Animal Rights Coalition works to end the suffering, abuse, and exploitation of non-human animals, we speak up against ALL forms of oppression. We are sickened and outraged by the horrific murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. We mourn with the Floyd family and others who have lost loved ones to police violence. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and offer our support and voice to ending police brutality.

Our current world situation is very sad indeed, but it has given us an opportunity to encourage everyone to take pandemics off the menu by moving to a plant-based diet. It is well documented that the current outbreak of the Coronavirus is simply the latest in a long history of viruses that came from our mistreatment of animals.

Dozens of people infected early in the current outbreak worked in a live-animal market in China. While many blame the consumption of wildlife for this outbreak, the primary cause of zoonotic diseases that can jump from non-human animals to humans is not the consumption of wildlife—it’s the consumption of animals, period.

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!