From Iraq to Minneapolis, nonviolence group worked to prevent voter intimidation during election – Minnesota Daily
Nonviolent Peaceforce, which is stationed in conflict zones around the world, brought unarmed civilian protection tactics to the Twin Cities during election week.
Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), a global nonprofit that typically stations in countries facing violent conflict, trained Twin Cities volunteers to provide unarmed civilian protection against voter intimidation during election week.
NP uses nonviolent means to prevent civilian violence in conflict zones around the world, including in South Sudan and the Philippines. The group used these same unarmed de-escalation strategies in the Twin Cities to guard the polls on Election Day from people who sought to intimidate voters.
On Nov. 3, 250 volunteers donned bright orange vests marked with Democracy Defenders and worked at 30 polls in the Twin Cities area for one of NPs first civilian protection projects in the U.S.
We had to prepare folks for how to de-escalate [voter intimidation], how to position ourselves in a safe way interacting with them by killing them with kindness, said Frank McCrary III, a captain for volunteers at North Minneapolis polling sites and an organizer with Service Employees International Union Local 26 (SEIU), a regional labor union.
NPs work centers around principles of nonviolence and nonpartisanship but the group ensures that locals lead the work. The organization has paid staff in the other global locations who work to ensure safety for elections, funeral parades and trips to escort refugee women when they leave their camps.
Why [NP is] so important is planting the seed, McCrary said. So, lets plant the seeds so this can be germinated and other folks can take this information and train the trainers to get that stuff out there, so this can keep on going.
The group started training U.S. volunteers in June, which it had only done once before a few years ago during the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock reservation.
For Election Day, NP and SEIU Local 26 trained volunteers from local community organizations about situational awareness and de-escalation tactics before they were stationed at polling sites and helped escort a Minneapolis protest a few days later.
Last Saturday, about 20 volunteers suited up to marshall the March to Decide Our Future protest as the group moved down East Lake Street.
We wanted to come to the United States because theres so many indicators of ongoing violence, political polarization, economic difficulties, racial injustice, said Marna Anderson, director of NPs U.S. office.
The groups U.S. branch, headquartered in St. Paul, has mainly done advocacy and fundraising to support other branches in South Sudan, Myanmar, Iraq and the Philippines. Leadership decided to start offering unarmed civilian protection in the U.S. after the George Floyd protests.
Christopher Grathwol, a University of Minnesota student completing a masters degree in human rights, had just started researching nonviolence organizations, including NP, on behalf of the Universitys Human Rights Lab.
It was interesting in that aspect as well, to kind of take what I have learned about South Sudan and the Philippines and Colombia and have it be applied to my own neighborhood here in the United States, said Grathwol, who acted as a poll watcher with NP.
Mel Duncan, NP co-founder and director of advocacy and outreach, said the group only offers its services when local community organizers request help and collaboration.
They know their communities, Duncan said. Anything thats sustainable will have to depend upon those communities taking responsibility and doing the work. Well only be there for a limited period of time.
McCrary said he plans to continue working with NP for local initiatives, like training people in Twin Cities neighborhoods about de-escalation, so they could have resources to make the police the last resort instead of the first one.
NPs other work in Minneapolis has included de-escalation training for resource officers in Minneapolis high schools in June after the district severed ties with the Minneapolis Police Department.
But Duncan said that unfortunately, the group is prepared to attend more events and train more volunteers in the U.S. in the coming months.
Scabs have been ripped off of old wounds, 400-year-old wounds, and if they arent addressed properly there will be continued mass protests, Duncan said. And thats important, and there will be then the opportunity for provocateurs to try to derail that and bring violence.
He added that the group will be ready to respond to potential trigger points that may prompt protests, such as the president refusing to leave the White House or an unacceptable verdict in the trial of the murder of George Floyd.
And so there will be a need to help to make sure that people can express themselves and get their message out and it doesnt turn into a message about destruction and violence, Duncan said.
Read more here:
From Iraq to Minneapolis, nonviolence group worked to prevent voter intimidation during election - Minnesota Daily
- An Iraq War vet is facing deportation. This veterans' group is demanding his release. - USA TODAY - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Iraq's top court throws out challenge to new laws, including one increasing Islamic courts authority - The Associated Press - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- 'Don't be afraid to try': Chardon woman injured while serving in Iraq channels pain into writing career - WKYC.com - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Former Fort Carson Iraq war veteran gives up the fight to stay in the U.S. - The Denver Gazette - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- US breach of promises to Iraq after the 2003 invasion - Mehr News Agency - English Version - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Turkey, Jordan, Iraq to hold first anti-ISIS summit this month: Turkish official - Al-Monitor - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Iraq reviews cooperation with Czech-based Aero Vodochody, UNIS - Iraqi News - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- USAID shutdown by Trump-backed DOGE puts Iraq in peril, hundreds of development projects under threat - The Economic Times - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Invisible Force Dragging Iraq Down: Scientists Warn of Unseen Threat Beneath the Middle East That's Reshaping the Land - The Daily Galaxy --Great... - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- IRAQ RECAP: Securities Commission signs five-year MoU with Egyptian counterpart - MSN - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- US warns Iraq's PM over captivity of researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov - The New Arab - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Historic landmarks in Iraq's Mosul are reopening as the city heals from Islamic State devastation - The Associated Press - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iraq: How the world helped Mosul rise from the rubble of war - UN News - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Bill would rename Sakonnet River Bridge in honor of Tiverton soldier killed in Iraq War - Rhode Island Current - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iraq to stop taking Iranian gas by 2028 - Arabian Gulf Business Insight - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Former Iraq PM urges action to stop massacres against Syrian Shias under HTS rule - Press TV - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Former Iraq PM calls for Shia intervention into Syria to oppose the great sedition - Middle East Monitor - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Historic landmarks in Iraq's Mosul are reopening as the city heals from Islamic State devastation - News-Press Now - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Navigating the Challenges of Environmentalism in an Increasingly Authoritarian Iraq - - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iraq, US review strategies to enhance financial cooperation - Iraqi News - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Historic landmarks in Iraq's Mosul are reopening as the city heals from Islamic State devastation - The Independent - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Drone attack targets gas field in northern Iraq - Long War Journal - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- 'The Worst Idea Since Iraq'Experts on Trump's Gaza Plan - Newsweek - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- "Environmental Pollution and Global Warming" exhibition held in Iraq - Xinhua - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- US, Allies Conduct Airstrikes on Terrorists in Somalia, Iraq, and Syria - Air & Space Forces Magazine - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Ancient Oceanic Plate Rips Apart Beneath Iraq and Iran - SciTechDaily - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- The Government of Italy Provides Additional Contribution to UNMAS in Support of Mine Action in Iraq [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- US-backed forces kill five ISIS operatives in Iraq, capture leaders in Syria - The Jerusalem Post - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Back in Iraq BP Puts $25B On the Table - OilPrice.com - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Ocean plate from time of Pangaea is now being torn apart under Iraq and Iran - Livescience.com - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iraq denies allegations of purchasing or re-exporting Iranian crude oil - - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Major tectonic tear found beneath Iraq, Turkey, and Iran - The Watchers - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Iraq denies claims of buying Iranian oil, citing strict controls - Shafaq News - Shafaq News - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Iraq to stop 78% of flared gas by the end of 2025 - Iraqi News - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Iraq's ancient lake bed reveals hand axes dating back 1.5 million years - The Jerusalem Post - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Long Island soldier killed in action in Iraq 20 years ago honored in Wantagh - News 12 Long Island - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Telegram Outlet Linked To Iran-Backed Militias In Iraq: Tehran Is Preparing Nuclear Bases To Set The Region On Fire - Middle East Media Research... - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Al-Mashhadani in Tehran: Strengthening Iraq-Iran ties - Shafaq News - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- 'US invasion of Iraq created ISIS, was based on lies and fabrication': Tulsi Gabbard in her confirmation hearing - OpIndia - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Big winners at Sundance 2025: An Iraq War satire, profiles of Black farmers, a true-crime dissection - Salt Lake Tribune - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Iraq Hercules crash victims remembered 20 years on from tragedy - BBC.com - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Iraq arrests former security official over execution of Shiite cleric who opposed Saddam Hussein - The Associated Press - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Report: Israel in Talks to Release Iraq-held Hostage in Exchange for Hezbollah Detainees - Haaretz - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Iran-backed Parties in Iraq Reverse Push for US Troop Withdrawal - Kurdistan24 - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Kurds Must Avoid Repeating Iraq Pitfalls in Syria - Middle East Forum - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Iraq arrests 5 former Baath officials over execution of top cleric Sadr - Press TV - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- UN and Iraq Launch ONE UN Plan to Support the Return, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration of Iraqis from Al-Hol Camp [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- From Iraq to Morocco, Umm Kulthum is the voice of the Arab world - Iraqi News - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Speech by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq and head of UNAMI, Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan, at the launching... - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- De-Baathification in Iraq in spotlight as Syria grapples with its past - Amwaj.media - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- How viable is a Trkiye-Syria-Iraq triangle to fight terrorism? | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- 'Brothers After War': A Filmmaker Teams Up with Gary Sinise to Reunite Iraq War Veterans 20 Years Later - Military.com - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Iraq Arrests Cell Behind Execution of Those Opposing Saddam Hussein - Asharq Al-awsat - English - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Does A Rush Of New Agreements Mean The West Is Regaining Its Influence In Iraq - OilPrice.com - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Kurdish indignation will affect a possible Al-Sudani mandate in Iraq - Atalayar EN - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- It's Time to Go After Jihadists In Afghanistan, Iraq, & Syria, Says Trump's NSA - Afghanistan International - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- The release of the 2003 Iraq War cabinet papers and what we were not told - Pearls and Irritations - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Frail Egos and Sandpit Colonialism: Australia, the United States and Invading Iraq - CounterPunch - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Iraq turns to Turkmenistan to plug Iranian gas gap - Arabian Gulf Business Insight - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- 36 terrorists neutralized in northern Iraq and Syria - News.Az - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Iraq: Back to the Future - International Policy Digest - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Advisers urged Tony Blair to rein in George W Bush over Iraq war mission from God - The Guardian - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Member of the Indiana National Guard died in Iraq - GIANT fm - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Frail egos and sandpit colonialism: Australia, the US and invading Iraq - Middle East Monitor - January 6th, 2025 [January 6th, 2025]
- Iranian officer charged with orchestrating murder of US citizen in Iraq - ABC News - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Murder and terrorism charges brought against Iranian officer in 2022 killing of American in Iraq - The Associated Press - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Warfare': A Real-Time Iraq War Combat Film from a Navy SEAL and the Director of 'Civil War' - Military.com - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- BP, Iraq agree on technical terms to redevelop Kirkuk oil fields - Reuters - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Iraq begins Gulf Cup 26 campaign with a victory over Yemen - Iraqi News - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Pope Francis reveals two attempts on his life during 2021 visit to Iraq - CNN - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- First look at Warfare brings viewers into tenacity of Iraq War - Military Times - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Pope reveals he was almost assassinated in Iraq in 2021 - POLITICO Europe - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Pope Francis reveals he survived two assassination attempts during visit to Iraq - America: The Jesuit Review - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Ibrahim Al-Sumaidaie, Advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister: Militias in Iraq Should Dismantle and Integrate into the Political System; Our Regime Is in... - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Pope in autobiography reveals an apparent bombing plot during his 2021 visit to Iraq - The Associated Press - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Pope Francis reveals he was nearly assassinated during historic Iraq trip - The Catholic Thing - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Pope Francis reveals he survived two threats to his life in Iraq - Catholic News Agency - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Suicide bombers 'planned to attack Pope Francis' on visit to Iraq - Sky News - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- First Warfare trailer paints a harrowing picture of Iraq War combat - Task & Purpose - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Syrian rebel leader urges Iraq to keep Hashd al-Shaabi factions out of Syria - Reuters - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]