Our Movements Are Stronger Than Their Hate

We are devastated and outraged by the assassinations of Melissa Hortman, Minnesota Speaker Emerita and House DFL Caucus Leader, and her husband Mark, as well as the attempted assassinations of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Our hearts are with their loved ones, and the entire Minnesota community reeling from this horrific targeted act of violence.

Authorities report that the shooter left behind an anti-abortion manifesto and a hit list targeting more than 70 individuals: abortion providers, elected officials, and reproductive freedom advocates. This is not just a personal tragedy. It is a clear act of political violence rooted in anti-abortion extremism, fueled by white Christian nationalist ideology, and part of a broader assault on our democracy. The federal government’s embrace of Project 2025 and its assault on bodily autonomy, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice has created fertile ground for this kind of political violence.

As we were drafting a response to state violence against immigrant communities this weekend, this tragedy occurred. It is a devastating reminder that xenophobic, transphobic, and anti-abortion ideologies are not separate forces, but part of the same violent agenda.

For decades, anti-abortion violence has been used as a tool to instill fear, silence dissent, and deny people, especially Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities, the right to self-determination. What happened in Minnesota is not an isolated incident; it is the deadly consequence of an extremist movement that seeks to strip us of our bodily autonomy, our public leadership, and our fundamental freedom to consolidate power for the 1%.

At Groundswell Fund, we believe in the power and promise of a multiracial feminist democracy. In this society, everyone is free to define their bodies, families, and futures. That vision is fundamentally incompatible with political violence, white supremacy, and efforts to impose a single religious worldview on us all.

We mourn. We rage. And we recommit to this fight.

This violence will not stop the tides of change, and we will not be terrorized into silence. To those working every day to protect reproductive freedom, advance gender justice, and defend democracy: we see you, we are with you, and we will continue to resource your resistance and resilience.