The Communications Workers of America is rallying support for two members of the union who face criminal charges resulting from their participation in the massive protest against police brutality and racism at Mall of America in December.
Todd Dahlstrom and Kandace Montgomery, members of the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, TNG-CWA Local 37002, are among 10 activists charged with unlawful assembly, trespassing and other crimes that, Bloomington authorities allege, occurred during the peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration that drew thousands to the mall Dec. 20.
Guild President Janet Moore and CWA State Council President Mona Meyer have made appeals to union members in recent weeks, seeking support for a defense fund established for the accused activists, who face thousands in legal fees and potential fines. [Click here to contribute.]
“It’s another twist on the corporate dominance in our country,” Meyer said in an e-mail appeal. “The Supreme Court in Citizens United gave corporations the right to steamroll our democracy by lifting all limits on spending corporate profits to silent our voices in the name of corporate free speech. Now those same profits are being used in the court system against our members to silence them for having actually exercised free speech.”
Dahlstrom is organizing director of the state’s largest labor federation, the Minnesota AFL-CIO. Montgomery is an organizer with the progressive advocacy group TakeAction Minnesota.
TakeAction workers voted to form the Guild’s newest unit last fall.
Union Advocate 
It may be time to contact the ACLU to get legal advice.