Crowd of environmental justice activists holding signs reading "Delay = Harm," "Freedom to Breathe," "Hunger Strike Ready," and "Striking for Our Future" outside a county board room. Text overlay reads: "Hunger Strikers Give Hennepin County a Deadline on HERC" by Clint Combs, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Caption: "Four environmental justice activists plan to stop eating April 10 if Hennepin County commissioners don't commit to closing the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) by the end of 2027." Zero Burn Coalition logo. #FreedomToBreathe.
Natasha Villanueva speaks at an outdoor microphone in front of a crowd holding Freedom to Breathe signs. Quote reads: "I came to organize for closure of the trash burner known as HERC a year ago when I began hearing about what 37 years of burning trash has done to our community. I witnessed a pattern of being complicit and complacent that has led decades of elected officials to allow this trash burner to keep operating even though it is long overdue for closure." MSR article header. #FreedomToBreathe.
Audua Pugh, Executive Director of the Jordan Area Community Council, speaks at a microphone in a wheelchair before a crowd holding "Freedom to Breathe" and "Delay" signs. Quote reads: "In 2024 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have no genetic history of this disease in my family. What I do have is a lifetime of living surrounded by polluters." MSR article header. #FreedomToBreathe.
Bold text on red background reads: "Four Hennepin County community members plan to stop eating April 10 if Hennepin County commissioners don't commit to closing the HERC trash burner by the end of 2027. We demand an immediate vote, a closure date of December 31, 2027, and a formal, community-led task force to deliver a just transition to a zero-waste future where all of us have the Freedom to Breathe fresh air." Zero Burn Coalition logo. bit.ly/dontburntrash. #FreedomToBreathe.
A trash burner has operated in a BIPOC working-class #mpls neighborhood for 37 yrs. After years of being ignored and misled, four community members are going on hunger strike on 4/10 to demand Henn Co end the delay. Delay=Harm. Story from MN Spokesman-Recorder: spokesman-recorder.com/2026/03/26/h...