BY CLINT COMBS
From the nosebleed seats in the Minnesota Senate Building, anti-war activists see Attorney General Keith Ellison in a state of perpetual bewilderment looking down at his papers, never once looking up to make eye contact. Occasionally his fingers ruffle through packets of paper, still looking disengaged. “Hey Keith, wake up! There’s free coffee in the back!” one person barked. The room exploded with shrieks of laughter.
The State Board of Investments meeting used to be a formal setting where state leaders discuss the assets of the three Statewide Retirement Systems. Now the meetings have turned into a roast party as activists with the MN Anti-War Committee file in, demanding the state sell its assets tied to Israel.
Years ago, Minnesota halted investments in companies linked to apartheid South Africa, with little debate. State funded pensions have $94 million dollars of assets tied to Israel as well as to Israeli companies that bank on the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza (Elbit Systems and Bank Leumi) — in case finances got so desperate in Minnesota that we might finally have to resort to a stake in illegal land grabs.
Stacey Gurian-Sherman, 67, was surrounded by Holocaust survivors growing up. She initially believed that the state of Israel was necessary for the protection of Jews. An estimated 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military in response to a Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack that killed 700.
State Auditor Julie Blaha subbed in for Gov. Tim Walz as he hit the campaign trail as Kamala Harris’ VP Pick. Walz told former White House Press Secretary turned MSNBC talking head Jen Psaki, “You know there’s something wrong with people when they talk about freedom: freedom to be in your bedroom, freedom to be in your exam room, freedom to tell your kids what they can read. That stuff is weird.”
“Weird” has turned into a viral sensation of attacks against the Trump campaign, replacing critiques historically described as “a threat to democracy.”
Sherman finds it odd that Democratic leaders have created a double standard that ignores the plight of Palestinians.
“The State Department can turn on a dime when Russia invades Ukraine or countries that commit ‘gross human rights violations,’” Sherman said.
“Where’s the logic?” one person heckled.
“There’s nothing more gross than what is going on in Israel,” Sherman said. “To know this is going on and not use your authority to stop it is weird.”
The crowd erupted in laughter.
A time clock set to five minutes sits on the table reserved for public testimony. “You cannot use your rules to diminish people talking because you don’t like the free speech that we are given,” Sherman said. “So I expect to honor our right to free speech, your commitment to public comment and let everyone speak full.”
“I want to remind the groups that the five minute time limit is for the groups,” State Auditor Blaha said.
At this point Blaha seemingly loses control of the meeting while Gov. Walz makes his first solo campaign stop in Los Angeles.
“Let them speak!” the crowd chanted.
The timer buzzes and the clock hits zero. Two others speak after Sherman. It’s now expected the board will waive any infraction when that buzzer sounds.
Activists hold signs featuring children who have died as a result of an Israeli airstrike. One poster featured Hind Rajab, a six-year-old who was killed by close-range shots fired by an Israeli war tank. Rajab’s story was featured in the June edition of Southside Pride and was the subject of Al Jazeera’s Fault Line documentary, The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza.
Activists ask the state board to stand and join them in a moment of silence honoring Palestinian civilians who have died. The clock hits zero again. SBI Board members stay seated.
A familiar voice shouts, “Shame that you stayed seated! You work for us!”
Hours before the SBI meeting, Taher Herzallah woke up and started strolling through Instagram. Herzallah was cycling through posts of dismembered body parts, bone fragments and blankets used to collect dead bodies, thinking “Why would you do that and just leave?” Herzallah realized that not doing a proper burial for the charred bones of dead bodies is an act of last resistance against Israel’s military.
The challenger to District 7 Anoka County Commissioner Mandy Meisner charged that SBI Board members are positioning themselves for a future cabinet position should Harris/Walz win in November.
“If their political future is going to ride on the continuation of this genocide then so be it,” Herzallah said. “That’s the message they’re sending to us. That’s why Keith Ellison can’t even look you in the eye.”
Sabry Wazwaz, a familiar face in the Palestinian activism community urged people to donate to Herzallah’s campaign to fend off Israel’s special interests like AIPAC. He also joined the chorus against the board for refusing to stand in solidarity with dead Palestinians.
“You’re no different than them,” Wazwaz said warningly. “We ain’t going nowhere, motherfuckers.”
After the meeting, some activists take the Green Line train from St. Paul back to the University of Minnesota. Among the riders is a retail cashier whose parents are from Bangladesh. He’s considering studying computer science. Seated next to him is a professor who spoke to SBI board members earlier. They discuss options for college: Normandy Community College or a branch campus at the U. The subject later turns to A.G. Keith Ellison as they exit the East Bank stop. “He never looks up,” the cashier said. “That’s weird.”
