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Minneapolis general strike of 1934

1934 in Minnesota1934 labor disputes and strikes1934 riotsGeneral strikes in the United StatesHistory of Minneapolis
Labor-related riots in the United StatesLabor disputes in MinnesotaLabor disputes led by the International Brotherhood of TeamstersMinneapolis Police DepartmentPolice brutality in the United StatesRiots and civil disorder in MinnesotaTrotskyism in the United States
Battle strike 1934
Battle strike 1934

The Minneapolis general strike of 1934 grew out of a strike by Teamsters against most of the trucking companies operating in Minneapolis, the major distribution center for the Upper Midwest. The strike began on May 16, 1934 in the Market District (the modern day Warehouse District). The worst single day was Friday, July 20, called "Bloody Friday", when police shot at strikers in a downtown truck battle, killing two and injuring 67. Ensuing violence lasted periodically throughout the summer. The strike was formally ended on August 22. With a coalition formed by local leaders associated with the Trotskyist Communist League of America, a group that later founded the Socialist Workers Party (United States), the strike paved the way for the organization of over-the-road drivers and the growth of the Teamsters labor union. This strike, along with the 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike and the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike led by the American Workers Party, were also important catalysts for the rise of industrial unionism in the 1930s, much of which was organized through the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Minneapolis general strike of 1934 (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Minneapolis general strike of 1934
Minneapolis Skyway, Minneapolis

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N 44.981111111111 ° E -93.276944444444 °
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5th Street Ramp B

Minneapolis Skyway
55401 Minneapolis
Minnesota, United States
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Battle strike 1934
Battle strike 1934
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2026 Minnesota general strike
2026 Minnesota general strike

The January 23, 2026 Minnesota ICE protests were large-scale protests held on January 23, 2026 across the state of Minnesota in opposition to expanded federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and the Donald Trump administration's mass deportation policies. The protests emerged amid a period of escalating federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota that preceded and continued through January 2026. Tensions rose after the Trump administration significantly increased funding and deployed thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents statewide as part of Operation Metro Surge, drawing sustained criticism from local leaders and activists. Public outrage intensified following the fatal shooting of Renée Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7, and further escalated as Minnesota officials and community members decried the lack of criminal accountability for Ross and the broader federal operation. In the weeks that followed, persistent ICE activity, aggressive raids, and confrontations with residents contributed to growing calls for a coordinated protest. On January 23, 2026, statewide demonstrations to oppose ICE operations and demand accountability and policy changes began. Organizers estimated that tens of thousands attended associated protests in subzero temperatures, and hundreds of businesses across Minnesota closed in solidarity with the action. Even some workers whose employers did not close still went on strike. Subsequent polling commissioned by the May Day Strong coalition and conducted by Blue Rose Research found that roughly one in four Minnesota voters either participated directly in the January 23 shutdown and protests or had a close family member who did. Among those participants, approximately 38 percent reported staying off the job that day, either by choosing not to work or because their workplace closed.

Butler Square
Butler Square

Butler Square (originally the Butler Brothers Company building) is a former warehouse and office building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The building is located within the Minneapolis warehouse district and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is significant for its restrained Chicago School design by major Minneapolis architect Harry Wild Jones, and as a leading example of the older warehouse/office buildings in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Jones designed other buildings in Minneapolis such as the Minneapolis Scottish Rite Temple, Calvary Baptist Church, the Lakewood Cemetery Chapel, and the Washburn Park Water Tower.It was originally built as a warehouse for Butler Brothers, a mail-order firm, on the land that formerly housed the Athletic Park baseball stadium. It had rather heavy construction in keeping with its function as a warehouse, featuring thick interior masonry walls with thin, recessed windows topped by corbelled parapets. The interior is built with heavy timber posts and beams, cut from Douglas fir grown near Aitkin, Minnesota. The columns are 24 inches (61 cm) wide at the bottom level, gradually diminishing to 9 inches (23 cm) wide on the top level. The basement included a horse stable, to accommodate deliveries, and the building had three large coal-fired boilers for heating. Mechanical elevators were used to move goods throughout the building. The building had a rail spur to facilitate boxcar loading. Gradually, as truck transportation became more competitive with rail transportation, the urban location of the building rendered it inefficient as a warehouse.In 1972 real estate developer Charles Coyer purchased the building with plans to rebuild the east half of the building as an office-retail complex. As part of the renovation, a central atrium in the eastern half of the building was built to allow natural light into the building. This made the retail and office space more marketable, since the large floor space and small windows made it difficult to get enough natural light into the interior. James H. Binger purchased the building in 1979 with similar plans to develop the west half of the building. The atrium on western side was built with more of the heavy timber construction exposed, and more efficient mechanical systems were installed. The renovation of the building has served as a catalyst for additional development and preservation within the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

Athletic Park (Minneapolis)
Athletic Park (Minneapolis)

Athletic Park was the home of the Minneapolis Millers baseball team from 1889 to mid-season 1896. The park was located behind the West Hotel at 6th St and 1st Ave North in Minneapolis near where Target Center and Target Field are today. The park was originally built in 1889 under the supervision of local architects Fremont D. Orff and George W. Orff. Bleachers seating roughly 1,600 people were added in 1890; a grandstand with capacity for 1,800 people was built in 1892. The park burned down in 1893, but was rebuilt the next year and further improved.Athletic Park's playing field was very small with distances estimated at between 200 feet (61 m) to 250 feet (76 m) to the left and right field foul poles. This meant home runs were common in an era otherwise not known for them. Perry Werden's 42 home runs in 1894 and 45 home runs in 1895 were several times higher than contemporary American Association or National League players and would not be challenged until Babe Ruth's rise in the 1920s. The park's shallow outfield meant hits (particularly to right field) still required batters to run hard to first base to avoid being thrown out. High fencing and wire mesh in the outfield helped prevent balls from leaving the field. The park's small dimensions also required some ground rules for ruling whether outfield hits were counted as a ground rule double or home run.The park was the stage for one major league game: a contest between Columbus and Milwaukee of the American Association on October 2, 1891. Milwaukee won 5-0 thanks to excellent pitching from former Minneapolis Miller Frank Killen. Several other games had been planned, but cold and rainy weather prevented playing on October 1st and 3rd. This would be the last major league baseball game played in Minnesota until the Minnesota Twins were founded in 1961.Ice hockey was played here in 1896 when the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team played the Winnipeg Victorias. The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team also made use of the field. The ballpark was sold during May of the 1896 baseball season and the Millers were evicted. They returned from a June road trip and opened their hastily-constructed new facility, Nicollet Park. The site remained open as a site for various events, until finally being turned over to developers. In 1901, the so-called "baseball block" was purchased by T. B. Walker and later developed into the Butler Square warehouse.