After hunger strike, organizers calling for shutdown of HERC say their effort will continue

A 12-day hunger strike over a trash incinerator in downtown Minneapolis is over — but a campaign to close the facility will continue. Activists have pushed for years to close the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, or HERC. They say the facility next to Target Field is endangering the health of residents of the area, including a predominantly Black neighborhood on the city’s north side.In 2023, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to shut down the HERC between 2028 and 2040. Environmental and labor groups are pushing the commissioners to commit to a deadline. Sahan Journal reporter Andrew Hazzard has been covering the HERC for years and he joined Minnesota Now to talk more about the latest developments.