Minneapolis, MN
University of Minnesota is closing these 13 buildings ahead of pro-Palestinian rally
MINNEAPOLIS — Several buildings on the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus in Minneapolis are closed on Monday due to more pro-Palestinian demonstrations organized by students.
U officials announced early Monday afternoon that 13 buildings were closed at 2 p.m.:
- Coffman Memorial Union
- Ford Hall
- Hasselmo Hall
- Johnston Hall
- Kolthoff Hall
- Morrill Hall
- Murphy Hall
- Northrup Auditorium
- Smith Hall
- Tate Lab
- Vincent Hall
- Walter Library
- Weisman Museum
All other East Bank campus buildings will only be accessible to those with U Cards.
Organizers from UMN Divest announced on the rally’s flier, “The time for escalation has come.” They’re calling for U students, faculty and community members to attend Monday’s rally, which started at 2 p.m. outside Coffman Union.
Protesters also demonstrated on campus over several days last week, with eight students and a faculty member arrested on Tuesday morning for setting up an encampment on the Northrup Mall.
Demonstrators are calling for the U to divest from companies they say are aiding Israel in its “ongoing genocide in Gaza,” including Boeing, General Dynamics, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin. They also want to ban those companies from recruiting on campus.
U officials released a statement on Monday’s rally and closures, saying in part:
“We recognize that with freedom of expression comes responsibility. Protesters are expected to uphold the safety of others, not interfere with normal campus operations, and adhere to student and employee conduct policies. We urge everyone who engages to remain nonviolent, peaceful, and follow both state laws and University policies, including restrictions prohibiting tents and encampments on campus. Discriminatory vandalism and defacements such as stickers and graffiti—some of which promote violence—are hurtful to many and violate University and Twin Cities campus policies.”
The Council of Graduate Students, an organization representing the U’s grad students, called the short notice ahead of Monday’s closures “unacceptable,” and described it as an “attempt to halt the exercise of free speech and a right to demonstration.”
“Not only are students, staff, and faculty being blocked from sites that they should have access to as members of this community, but additional steps like turning off water fountains and blocking restrooms show a commitment not to safety but to escalation against protesters,” the organization said in a statement.
Similar protests have spread across college campuses over the past few weeks, resulting in hundreds of arrests. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared the protests to rallies in Nazi Germany.
The demonstrations at the U have been unnerving for many Jewish students who fear the rhetoric used by protesters could lead to violence.
A former U staff member is also suing the school after she says she was fired for posting a pro-Palestinian message on Instagram.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Last week, President Joe Biden signed an aid package to provide $26.4 billion to Israel.
This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO.com for more.
On the eve of Stephen Colbert‘s final Late Show, the host invited Bruce Springsteen to the stage for a fitting performance of his protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis.” Earlier this year, the musician and the E Street Band live-debuted the track during their politically charged Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
In a way that felt bittersweet, Colbert announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.” As his spotlight faded and focused on the singer, Springsteen made it clear why he was there for the late-night series penultimate episode. “I’m here in support tonight of Stephen, because you’re the first guy in America who lost his show because we’ve got a president who can’t take a joke,” Springsteen said. “And because Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his ass to get what they want.”
He added, “Stephen, these are small-minded people who got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about. This is for you.”
The singer then launched into an emotional performance of “Streets of Minneapolis,” which was written in reaction to ICE’s brutal immigration crackdown in the city, and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Last year, CBS announced it was cancelling The Late Show, claiming the move was “purely a financial decision.” It’s been speculated that CBS’s parent company Paramount pulled the plug to curry favor with Donald Trump — who Colbert frequently called out during his show — and the FCC to ensure a merger between Paramount and Skydance would go through. As Springsteen highlighted before his performance on Wednesday night, Paramount is helmed by David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle.
A procession of stars have lined up for Colbert’s closing weeks, with guests including Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and original host David Letterman, who returned to throw CBS property off the Ed Sullivan Theater roof. Recent musical guests include David Byrne, the Strokes, Michael Stipe, Chris Stapleton, and Foo Fighters, who previously served as the final musical guest of Letterman’s Late Show.
When speaking to The New York Times last month, Colbert discussed his decision to cover political topics and lean into current events, and how that often drew the ire of the Trump administration. “Comedians are anti-authoritarian by nature,” Colbert said. “And authoritarians are never going to like anybody to laugh at them. The number of newspeople who have said to me or Jon Stewart or any of the guys who do this, ‘God, I wish I could say what you say on air.’ And we can. I think that upsets them. I think it might be upsetting that we really do not live in their world of principalities and powers.”
Two women have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the death of a decorated U.S. Army veteran.
Amos Ferrier, 38, was responding to an attempted auto theft in south Minneapolis on Friday. Police say Ferrier, who was an Army medic, confronted the suspects as they tried to steal his car. He was either struck by or jumped on the hood of the suspects’ getaway car.
Ferrier was badly hurt and later died after he was thrown from the hood, police say.
So far this year, the Minneapolis Police Department has seen about 2,300 motor vehicle thefts. That’s a 24% increase from this time last year.
“Post-2020, post-George Floyd, all that stuff, the auto thefts went on a huge increase,” said Bryan Hermerding, a lieutenant who supervises the auto theft task force for Hennepin County.
This year, the sheriff’s office officially teamed up with the Edina, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park police departments to crack down on car crimes
“Outside of Minneapolis, we’ve seen a significant decrease in auto thefts in some ofthose suburban cities,” he said.
Through April, the task force has recovered 228 stolen vehicles and arrested 72 people, primarily kids.
“Any time that you can multiply resources and get people working on the same page and working together towards one common goal is huge,” he said.
While Minneapolis isn’t a part of the task force, Hermerding says they do work together and there have been talks of them joining.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Star Tribune is out with its new ranking of the 50 largest public companies in Minnesota.
The list, compiled by Star Tribune business reporter Patrick Kennedy, offers a snapshot of some of the state’s biggest employers and best-known businesses.
UnitedHealth Group remained Minnesota’s largest public company, according to the list.
The 50 largest public companies in the state produced $861 billion in revenue, up 6.8 percent, according to the report. However, net profits fell 2 percent in 2025.
The ranking also showed employment declines among many of Minnesota’s biggest public companies. Overall employment among the top 50 fell by more than 43,000.
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