Safety in Our Space
Read about how we’re making our small but mighty pharmacy a
physically and socially safe space for our patients & patrons
A federal campaign to “crack down on crime” has recently brought thousands of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other federal agents to the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, leading to chaos, violence, and the kidnapping of both peaceful immigrants and legal U.S. citizens. Read below to learn more about how you can help keep yourself and our community safe.
ICE UPDATES
A note from our owners
To our beloved community,
At SPCD, we believe in the sanctity of ALL human lives—regardless of legal status—and are horrified by the recent actions of federal ICE agents, most especially the fatal shooting of 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother, Renee Nicole Good, this week in Minneapolis. Our hearts are hurting for our community for what feels like the umpteenth time in recent years as our state and Twin Cities have experienced unprecedented civil unrest and violence. In our hearts and minds, this is not a political or partisan issue, but one of basic human rights.
There have now been several verified sightings of ICE patronizing local businesses in the Highland and Mac-Groveland areas. We want you to know that we stand by the sign now hanging on our front door: ICE will not be welcome in our store, and certainly not in our business’ private spaces. St. Paul Corner Drug’s intention will always be to remain a safe space for all humans.
If you are interested in how you can help or want to know more, information has been added to the Safety in Our Space page on our website and will be updated as needed.
Stay safe. Be brave. Hug your loved ones. Protect your neighbors. We’ve survived hard times before and will again, but only by sticking together and spreading love instead of hate.
Yours in health,
The Hoeschen family
Where to start
Know your rights, and help educate others about theirs. If you’d like a Know Your Rights card to keep in your wallet, we will soon have these available at our store for anyone to take.
Attend a legal upstander/constitutional observer training so that you know how to keep yourself and others safe, as well as how to respond effectively if ICE is in your area. Upstander/observers observe, document, and report—nothing more, nothing less.
Witness and document interactions involving law enforcement and immigration authorities
Focus on accuracy, neutrality, and safety
Never interfere with, obstruct, or escalate a situation
NOTE: Many trainings being offered over the coming weeks are already AT CAPACITY. If you’re unable to attend a training as soon as you’d like, CLICK HERE to view Monarca’s Upstander Taining booklet; this should NOT be considered the equivalent of attending a training, but can provide some foundational information to get you started.
There are other kinds of trainings being offered regularly as well, including how to patrol/commute as a part of ICE rapid response (RR) networks, how to serve as an RR dispatcher, and being a street medic. If you need help getting connected to one of these trainings, ask to be connected with our Nurse, Hildie.
If you’re a local business owner, hang “ICE is not welcome here” signage (you can find a few options from Monarca here) and prepare your staff so that they know what to do if ICE attempts to patronize your business or, worse, kidnap someone from your space. You can also offer your patrons whistle kits and/or Know Your Rights cards!
On Wednesday, January 14th from 6:30-8:30pm via Zoom, Monarca will be hosting a training specifically for workplaces and institutions re: asserting your 4th amendment rights. CLICK HERE to sign up!
If you see ICE
The Immigrant Defense Line at (612) 255-3112, and/or the COPAL hotline at (612) 255-3112 immediately and provide as much detailed information about the sighting as you can (CLICK HERE to see a Facebook post re: using the SALUTE acronym to provide key information). They will notify the appropriate RR networks and get trained legal observers to the area as quickly as possible.
NOTE: The Monarca hotline ((612)-441-2881) has been overloaded. They’ve asked that their lines be kept open for people reporting IDENTIFIABLE INFO about a person who’s been detained by ICE.
For evidence of abuses or excessive uses of force against IMMIGRANTS please send to info@monarcamn.org
For excessive uses of force against CITIZENS please fill out the ACLU form
If you feel comfortable sticking around (there is NO shame if you don’t!):
BLOW YOUR WHISTLE and/or HONK YOUR HORN like you mean it!
Document, document, document. Whether it’s filming on your phone or writing down what you see, it’s important to make a record of who’s present and what’s happening. If you’re filming, remember that everything in your view is being recorded, including people around you; try and stick to filming ICE agents and their behavior, clothing, badges, etc.
Stay safe, stay peaceful, and stay smart. Remember your rights and adhere to the following guidelines:
Remain calm
Keep your hands where officers can see them
DO NOT:
Run, argue, resist, or fight the officers
Talk to officers if you do not want to
Provide false documents
Lie
Post unverified information on social media
Organizations to check out
“Believe.”
— Ted Lasso
Just like our favorite coach, we believe that we can help make the world a better place by providing the highest quality pharmacy care possible, in the safest space possible, and spreading love while doing it.
How we’re spreading the love
At St. Paul Corner Drug, ALL ARE WELCOME. We are a team of diverse individuals who are honored to be caring for a diverse population of patients and patrons from all walks of life. Our space will remain one where the dignity of all persons—including our BIPOC community members—is respected, with no room for hate, prejudice, or intolerance. We will also continue to support women in their reproductive decision-making in all forms and honor the identity of all queer individuals.
While we are proud of the ways in which our team has grown and adapted in recent years alongside a rapidly changing world, becoming a well-known safe space for patients in the Twin Cities, we also know that there is always room to grow. If there is ever a way in which we can serve you more compassionately, we want to hear about it.
We appreciate your patronage and for helping make our corner store the haven of kindness that it has been and will continue to be for the Mac-Groveland neighborhood and surrounding communities. Team work makes the dream work, and we all do better when we all do better!
Click here to read our
Name and Gender Recognition Policy for
Transgender, Transitioning &
Gender Non-Conforming Patients
At St. Paul Corner Drug, we utilize ActivePure® Technology to continuously clean and sterilize the air and all surfaces in our store, 24 hours a day. Each of our Beyond Guardian Air by Aerus machines is capable of purifying the air and surfaces of a 2000 square foot space at 1 ACH (Air Change per Hour). We deploy 2 of these units in our 1200 square foot store. In addition, we operate our fresh air exchanger 100% of the time that our space is occupied, continuously bringing in outdoor air in exchange for indoor air. All that taken into consideration, we are confident St. Paul Corner Drug is one of the safest indoor spaces in the Twin Cities. Watch this short video for an overview of how this technology works to destroy bacteria, mold, and viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
At this time, masking is optional if you visit our store in person. However, we strongly encourage you to wear a mask if:
You’re experiencing any respiratory symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing
You have concerns about being exposed, such as if you’re immunocompromised
All of our staff follow a team COVID & Illness Prevention Policy that we update as needed.
If you suspect you may have COVID or know you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID, start precautions IMMEDIATELY according to CDC guidelines and follow these precaution guidelines when visiting our store. Click here to read the CDC’s precaution guidelines and access their Isolation and Exposure Calculator.
If you have tested positive for COVID, isolate IMMEDIATELY according to CDC guidelines and DO NOT ENTER OUR STORE during your isolation period. Click here to read the CDC’s isolation guidelines and access their Isolation and Exposure Calculator. We are happy to bring any products you need, including a filled prescription for Paxlovid, outside/to your car or provide home delivery for a small fee.
All items, whether prescription or over-the-counter, are available for in-store pickup, curbside pickup, home delivery, or shipping via USPS (within the state of Minnesota ONLY for prescription medications).
Need COVID tests? We currently sell individually boxed 15-minute at-home rapid antigen tests.
How we’re not spreading “the love” (i.e., illness)
While COVID is no longer impacting daily life in the way that it once was, the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID, still requires vigilance, especially in healthcare spaces where sick and immunocompromised individuals are present on a regular basis. These are things that we are doing as a community-based healthcare provider to keep you and us safe.
