The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and others filed a lawsuit against the state fair because of their gun restrictions. They argue that the Minnesota State Agricultural Society does not have the authority to bar people from carrying guns at the state fair. According to Minnesota Public Radio, “Ramsey County, whose sheriff is directing fair security this year, is also named as a defendant.”
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The Sartell-St. Stephens school district equity survey allegedly violated district policy. The consulting group hired by the district, Equity Alliance Minnesota, released the questions to parents and a concerned citizens group, Kids Over Politics 748, after they obtained legal counsel. As was reported by The Minnesota Sun, “Sartell-St. Stephens parents and Kids Over Politics 748 have retained lawyers with the Upper Midwest Law Center after the consulting group hired by the school district failed to release the contents of the equity audit.”
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The Minneapolis DFL Chair Devin Hogan said in an op-ed that the burning down of the Third Precinct last summer was an “act of pure righteousness.” Hogan wrote a column in the Southside Pride, saying that lighting the precinct on fire was a “genuine revolutionary moment.”
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The University of Minnesota announced that they will require the COVID vaccine for students if the vaccine is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. As long as the plan to mandate the vaccine is approved by the Board, the University has said that they will offer some exemptions, the email from University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel said. The vaccine will not be required for faculty or staff.
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Andy Slavitt, who has been helping the Minnesota Department of Health to vaccinate school children, said in a Twitter thread that going to public events is not a constitutional right. Slavitt was a former Biden COVID Response Senior Advisor and worked in the Obama administration as the head of Medicare and Medicaid.
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The proposed changes to Minnesota’s social studies curriculum would embrace Critical Race Theory. According to the Center for the American Experiment, “The Critical Race Theory framework can be found throughout the second draft of the social studies standards.”
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The Minneapolis Greek Festival, Taste of Greece, canceled their 2021 festival because of recent unrest in Uptown. Organizers cited the safety and security of festival-goers as a primary reason for cancellation. A statement from the festival’s website reads that they felt they would be “unable to find a successful solution to ensure the safety and security” of all those participating in the festival. The festival was supposed to take place September 9 through September 11.
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A firm conducted an analysis of how the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety handled the unrest of 2020. The report notes some pros, some cons, and some communication issues. As was reported by WOOD, “one core issue was the erosion of the public’s trust amid a breakdown in communication.” The report and study was conducted by the OIR Group, who have conducted similar reviews in Oregon, California, and others.
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MAPLEWOOD, Minnesota – Over 250 protesters showed up at the first of several Stop The Mandate protests at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, Minnesota. St. John’s is part of the M Health Fairview network which mandated COVID vaccines for their employees last week. M Health Fairview is requiring employees, volunteers, students, vendors, and all contracted staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID by October 31.
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More than 500 University of Minnesota faculty, staff, students, and alumni signed a letter asking the university to mandate the COVID vaccine for the 2021 school year as cases continue to rise. According to WCCO, a statement released by The University of Minnesota chapter of the American Association of University Professors says that there is “broad frustration and deep anger among faculty at Twin Cities that has been building over the summer about the unsafe reopening policies put forward by the administration.”
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School administrators from seven Minnesota districts are being required to take critical race theory training, as was reported by Child Protection League. The course is taught by Muhammad Khalifa, through his leadership institute. According to Julie Quist, the Board Chair for Child Protection League, an administrative staff from one of the districts who wishes to remain anonymous shared handouts from the required sessions.
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Sartell-St. Stephens parents and Kids Over Politics 748 have retained lawyers with the Upper Midwest Law Center after the consulting group hired by the school district failed to release the contents of the equality audit. As reported by The Minnesota Sun, the Sartell-St. Stephens district came under fire after a fourth grader said her teacher told her to never repeat equity survey questions to her parents. The questions reportedly were on topics regarding sexuality, gender, and race.
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The man who allegedly beheaded his girlfriend on Shakopee Street is confirmed to be an illegal alien. Alexis Saborit-Viltres was arrested and charged last week with murder following the death of America Thayer, Saborit-Viltres’ longtime girlfriend. Saborit-Viltres allegedly used a machete to behead Thayer in her vehicle. After that, Saborit-Viltres allegedly dumped her body in the street and left.
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The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Minnesota’s permit-to-carry law for handguns is constitutional. A man, Nathan Hatch, convicted of a gross misdemeanor for carrying a loaded pistol without a permit in 2018 attempted to strike down the law, saying it was “unconstitutional.” According to The Star Tribune, Hatch claimed that the law requiring handgun owners to obtain a permit to carry the firearm in public violated his right to bear arms.
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Several Minnesota medical groups are pushing local K-12 schools to require masks when school resumes in the fall. They are asking the school districts to enact masking mandates that follow the latest federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
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Minnesotans are organizing a protest for medical freedom following several Minnesota healthcare providers requiring employees to take the COVID vaccine or lose their jobs. The protest will be held at the Minnesota State Capitol on August 28. Mayo Clinic, Allina Health, and M Health Fairview are three major healthcare providers that will be requiring employees to take the vaccine. The organizers are holding the protest to “demand informed consent and transparency in matters of health choice and medical freedom without coercion.”
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The We Vote Michigan Rally took place on Wednesday, where Michigan lawmakers said that the GOP voting bills are trying to ‘punish’ seniors, young voters, and Black people. Progress Michigan, a progressive activist group who helped to sponsor the event, tweeted out that “Michigan is facing a number of attacks on voting rights.”
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The Minnesota State Fair is still happening, but fair officials are anticipating that masks may be required to enter. While a decision has not been made yet regarding possible capacity limits and masking requirements, Jerry Hammer, the fair’s general manager, said, “Based on what we know today, that’s a likely scenario.”
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Another Republican has thrown their hat in the ring for the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial elections. Dr. Neil Shah’s campaign site says that he is a “husband, father, physician, business owner and son of immigrants.” In an email announcing his candidacy, he said that, “it’s time to remove the cancers of unilateral emergency powers and radical leftism.”
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The Mankato Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program is having a “Parenting for Equity” course to teach parents “strategies for anti-racist parenting.” The class description says it’s for children between three and five years of age and their parents. The course description also says it will foster “brave conversations.”
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The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) called for a “response” and “potentially further action” from the City of Bloomington following comments made by Bloomington Human Rights Commissioner Anita Smithson. In a letter, the MPPOA called Smithson’s comments “grossly inappropriate” at best and “appalling, divisive, and bring suspicion to the Human Rights Department” at worst.
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Five out of the six “newly reported” COVID deaths for Minnesota were actually from February. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) heralded Monday as having the highest number of newly reported deaths in the last two months. A tweet, from a person who analyzes the Minnesota data showed the specific dates that the “newly reported” deaths were from.
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The woman in Winston Smith’s car when he was killed is suing local authorities for “emotional trauma” and claims her civil rights were violated. She also has made mention of suing the U.S. Marshals service as well. Norhan Askar, Smith’s girlfriend, was sitting next to Smith when U.S. Marshals shot and killed him while trying to apprehend him for a weapons violation.
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The city of Bloomington is hosting a pride event with drag performances, saying that the event is for all ages. A local group has called out the city for spending taxpayer money on drag performances, saying that is not an appropriate use of money. The Bloomington Patriots Facebook page has questioned the city for participating in “sexually grooming little children.” Human Rights Commissioner Anita Smithson called its concerns about the event “homophobic.”
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The Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) has filed lawsuits against several Minnesota institutions, including a school and the Hennepin Health Care System for “critical race theory bullying and retaliation.” A press release from UMLC says, “Our clients seek an end to the ‘official’ propagandizing of CRT and the bullying and retaliation which accompany it, and appropriate remedies for the harm caused to them and others. UMLC will pursue these charges and lawsuits until we can achieve justice for them and a vindication of the American principle reaffirmed by Martin Luther King, Jr., of judging people by the ‘content of their character,’ not the color of their skin, or their willingness to submit to CRT ideology.”
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Minnesota has begun its “Vax to School” campaign to try to get students and families fully vaccinated against COVID before the start of the school year. To kick off the campaign, the Minnesota Department of Health partnered with teachers across Minnesota to make a “Vax to School” video.
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The Shakopee Police Department has labeled a beheading a “stabbing incident.” As reported by The Minnesota Sun, a person was beheaded in Shakopee on Wednesday afternoon, near the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street. Witnesses to the incident described the scene as “scary” and that they have “no words.”
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The City of Bloomington’s Human Rights Commissioner Anita Smithson called a Bloomington Back the Blue Rally “fascist radicalization.” While Smithson’s Twitter account is private, a member of the Bloomington Patriots Facebook group was able to provide screenshots of the tweets she sent regarding the event. Smithson tweeted out that “these people stuck in a cycle of fear and division don’t define us and don’t speak for us.”
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A local peace activist and the grandfather of Aniya Allen, a young girl who was shot and killed in Minneapolis, says he is leaving the city. K.G. Wilson, who has been helping to combat crime on the streets of Minneapolis for almost two decades, says he is done. Wilson told FOX 9, “I’m done. I’m through, and today right here I’m announcing my retirement. I am done as an active peace activist in Minneapolis; this is my end right here so today I say goodbye to Minneapolis.”
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14 Minneapolis barber shops are participating in a national program called “Shots at the Shop” which is seeking to increase COVID vaccination rates in the Black community. The campaign is “a White House-led effort that is working with 1,000 barbershops and beauty salons across the country.” Some of the barber shops are even offering the COVID vaccine on site, including one Minneapolis shop.
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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released their annual report on Tuesday, showing that Minnesota had a record number of murders in 2020. According to Bring Me The News, the report “shows there were 186 murders in Minnesota in 2020, a 58.1% increase compared to 2019, and 2020 marked the most murders in the report’s history, exceeding the previous record of 183 murders in 1995.” Of the 186 murders, 82 were from Minneapolis and 32 were from St. Paul. The number of murders look on track to be even higher in 2021, as Minneapolis alone has already seen 50 murders so far.
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Some Minneapolis city officials are seeking to overturn a ruling made by a judge requiring the city to hire more police officers. In a recent court case, Judge Jamie Anderson ruled that the city of Minneapolis had until the end of June 2022 to have at least 730 police officers on staff. That number is based on population levels and the ratio of residents to officers required in the city’s charter agreement with the Minneapolis Police Department. As reported by The Minnesota Sun, “Minneapolis’s city charter mandates the city fund a police force of at least 0.0017 employees per resident, according to the lawsuit. The city, which is projected to only have a police force of 649 officers by the beginning of 2022, failed to fulfill its duties under its charter, according to the order.”
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Representative John Thompson said in an interview with the Star Tribune on Sunday that while he did speak with the officer who pulled him over, he did not apologize. As was reported by The Minnesota Sun, “St. Paul Police spokesman Steve Linders said in an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, ‘John Thompson did show up unannounced at our Western District offices … so he could apologize to the sergeant who pulled him over on July 4.’”
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A former Minneapolis police officer started a nonprofit with the goal of helping fellow officers to overcome PTSD. Former Officer Chris Steward served the Minneapolis Police Department for over 14 years. Steward said, “This was my opportunity to serve the community that I loved and respected. I love my profession. I loved the people I served. I loved the people I worked with.”
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A foundation that is run by George Soros is helping to fund the Yes 4 Minneapolis initiative which is seeking to replace the Minneapolis Police Department. An arm of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Open Society Policy Center, donated $500,000 to Yes 4 Minneapolis. The Star Tribune reported that, “On Nov. 5, the executive director of Local Progress e-mailed Council President Lisa Bender, introducing her to Gretchen Rohr, who was leading a team at the Open Society Foundations working on justice-related programs in Minneapolis.” Local Progress, a national group that’s goal is to help progressive politicians share their ideas, is also funded in part by George Soros’ organization.
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Stop Line 3 activists have gotten a restraining order against Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes after activist Winona LaDuke was arrested last week during a protest.
LaDuke is the leader of Honor the Earth, an environmental group that has been protesting Line 3.
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A homeless encampment in Minneapolis is a growing problem and is causing concerns among residents. The encampment has been near Sheridan Memorial Park since the summer of 2020, on property belonging to the city. City Council Member Steve Fletcher called removing the encampment “not a good strategy.”
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Representative John Thompson allegedly apologized to the St. Paul police officer that he accused of “racial profiling” who pulled him over on July 4 for driving without a front license plate. St. Paul Police spokesman Steve Linders said in an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that, “John Thompson did show up unannounced at our Western District offices…so he could apologize to the sergeant who pulled him over on July 4th.”
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The Minneapolis City Council is frustrated over the slow review of the city’s response to the unrest in 2020. Minneapolis was plagued by riots as well as peaceful protests after the death of Goerge Floyd on May 25, 2020. Due to the massive amounts of damage and the repercussions of the violence, the city contracted a third party consulting group to assess the city’s response to the situation. As reported on FOX 9, “A final report and its recommendations aren’t due until January of next year but some city council members say that’s too long to wait.”
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The St. Paul School District is considering closing some schools as enrollment is low. “School board members are listening to the most recent update on how to make schools more equitable in resources and programs,” FOX 9 reported.
The district says that there will not be enough students to fill classrooms, so in the interest of best utilizing resources, they are considering closing some elementary schools. This is not an issue isolated in St. Paul. In fact, schools statewide are experiencing losses of students. Federal data suggests that public school enrollment in Minnesota has gone down by over 17,000 students. Homeschooling rates have increased dramatically, along with a slight increase in private school enrollment.
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The Minneapolis City Council made steps to move forward with an amendment which could potentially replace the Minneapolis Police Department. According to FOX 9, “under the plan, the police department would be replaced in the charter with a public safety department but doesn’t outline how the department will work or be structured.” The amendment that passed the policy and government oversight committee was put together by a local community advocacy group called Yes 4 Minneapolis Committee.
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Winona LaDuke, the leader of the Honor the Earth environmental group was arrested along with six other women while protesting the Line 3 pipeline. As was reported on WCCO, three of the arrested water protectors “locked down one of Enbridge’s drills on Tuesday morning, halting drilling under the Shell River.” The women are facing trespassing charges. These arrests bring the total number of protesters arrested to over 600.
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The Osseo School Board voted on Tuesday night to accept the adoption of the new gender inclusion policy, despite major critique from district residents and parents. In footage of the school board meeting, two board members, Heather Douglass and Tanya Simons moved to strike the vote on the policy, citing concerns that citizens have not been able to give enough input into the decision. Their motion to strike that from the agenda did not pass, and the gender inclusion policy was passed on a 4-2 vote.
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A Minneapolis restaurant burned to the ground during the riots in May 2020 and now the owner’s delivery van was stolen. Ruhel Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant, was the owner of Gandhi Mahal, a restaurant that burned down in 2020. Islam got attention after he took to social media saying “let my building burn. Justice needs to be served.” A Go Fund Me was started and raised over $125,000 for Islam to rebuild. The fundraising site reads, “Thanks for your outpouring of support. And for continuing to demand justice for George Floyd.”
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A Sartell-St. Stephens fourth-grade student shared at the board meeting on Monday that her teacher told her to never repeat the questions found on a mandatory equity survey to her parents. Haylee Yasgar explained that this took place while she was distance learning from home. The “Equity Survey” was distributed virtually to the fourth graders, where they were forced to take it and told to answer all the questions.
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The organization Twin Cities Pride is asking the city of Minneapolis to remove the requirement that large events be staffed with police officers. In a statement on the Twin Cities Pride website, it said it has “joined the chorus of community voices to strongly call on the City of Minneapolis to suspend the current requirement for event planners and organizers to contract with off-duty Minneapolis Police Department officers for security at large events.”
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Minneapolis residents spoke about their concerns regarding the rising violence in Minneapolis after the 50th homicide of 2021. As was reported on WCCO, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arrandondo and Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson held a community conversation where they heard the concerns of the citizens of Minneapolis.
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Minnesota Representative John Thompson is currently on trial for a misdemeanor obstruction charge. He is accused of trespassing and obstructing legal process from a November 2019 incident in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.
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Representative John Thompson has challenged the authenticity of the abuse allegations brought against him. Thompson has become the focal point in Minnesota news after it was discovered that he has never held a Minnesota driver’s license and that his Wisconsin license was suspended for failing to pay child support.
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The Center for the American Experiment’s (CAE) Raise Our Standards Tour made it to Duluth after four venues declined to host the event, where attendees were met by protesters. According to the Duluth News Tribune, the event drew about 30 attendees and 40 protesters. Before the event started, “protesters gathered along Minnesota Avenue with flags and signs promoting racial justice.”
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