Trampled By Turtles Announce Benefit Concert for Minnesota Immigrant Rapid Response Fund
Trampled By Turtles, photo by Zoe Prinds
Trampled By Turtles have announced a benefit concert this Saturday, Jan. 31, to raise funds for the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund.
As Minnesota rallies to resist the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s deadly occupation, the Duluth-based progressive bluegrass outfit will take the stage at St. Paul’s Turf Club for a “midday hootenanny celebrating the resilience and community that lies at the center of Minnesota’s unstoppable loving heart,” the band expressed in an announcement post. They’ll be joined by Minneapolis alt-rock group Bathtub Cig, with all proceeds going to the mutual aid fund distributing resources to legal defense, emergency services and community protection for the communities most impacted by immigration-related violence.
“Through the federal occupation of our communities here in Minnesota, we have seen not only the rule of constitutional law, but nearly any regard for human dignity thrown out the window,” Trampled By Turtles’ vocalist and guitarist Dave Simonett told Minnesota’s Bring Me The News. “Parents torn from children, workers taken in the middle of shifts, people afraid to leave their house for medical care or groceries, kids missing school. This is not the America we wish to see.
“Saturday’s concert is but a small drop of water in a big lake of people here working to provide for their neighbors. And, to be clear, the people being kidnapped, tear-gassed, and killed are our neighbors. We believe that love will win in the end, and we are trying very hard to remain on the side of love.”
Trampled By Turtles’ performance at the intimate 350-person capacity club arrived after weeks of the Trump administration’s lawless Operation Metro Surge; the deployment of over 3,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities and surrounding areas has resulted in the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as widespread violence towards immigrants and citizens alike. Last Friday, Jan. 23, resistance demonstrations and a general strike drew 50,000 people to the streets of Minneapolis to voice outrage at the Department of Homeland Security’s largest immigration enforcement operation to date.
“There are many people right now who need medical care yet are too afraid to leave their homes to receive it, including expectant and recent mothers,” the band detailed in their announcement post. “If you can swing it, there will be nurses from HCMC Labor and Delivery on site collecting much-needed diapers, baby wipes, and formula. These will be distributed directly to families in need.”
Tickets for Trampled By Turtles’ Immigrant Rapid Response Fund benefit concert are available now. Find more information at trampledbyturtles.com.
Last Friday, Trampled By Turtles joined Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Mexico for a collaborative tribute to the Grateful Dead. Read more here.
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