A highschool in Owatonna has introduced an elective class about critical race theory. The course is applicable for college credit. The course description says that taking Introduction to Education is strongly encouraged as a prerequisite. The description says that students will be taught the five tenets of critical race theory (CRT) and will be shown how to “isolate race.”
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After the Star Tribune did a report regarding some destroyed records from the Minneapolis Police Department’s 2nd precinct, an investigation was opened regarding the circumstances surrounding the destruction. The officers involved got rid of files while the 3rd precinct was burning after being looted just blocks away. The report reads investigators disposed of “inactive case files, search warrants and records of confidential informants.”
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Hamline University announced that they will be requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID before classes commence in the fall. The University’s President Fayneese Miller said, “We want, and need, to be together as a community. We value a sense of community at Hamline and all that entails, but to return to what we value and who we are, mandating a COVID-19 vaccine is necessary.” The announcement was made on Thursday with the expectation that students will be fully vaccinated before returning to campus in August.
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Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order on Thursday, banning the use of conversion therapy in Minnesota. The Minnesota Family Council called the order an example of “executive overreach” and said it was an attack on the constitutional rights of Minnesotans.
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A man set fire to a dumpster behind Stella’s Fish Cafe, in Minneapolis, which led to tens of thousands of dollars in damage. According to Bring Me the News, “security footage shows two men going into the alley area by Stella’s dumpsters around 3:04 a.m. on July 6. One man… was wearing a bulletproof vest.”
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On Wednesday night, riots and protests erupted again after the city of Minneapolis and 7 Points Uptown decided to remove the “peace garden” where a memorial for Winston Smith was located. The garden, also known as Boogie World, was a second autonomous zone established in Minneapolis after a wanted man, Winston Smith, was shot and killed by U.S. Marshals on June 3.
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Many concerned parents showed up to speak out against Critical Race Theory at the Rochester school board meeting. Attendees were seen holding signs saying things like “Critical Race Theory = Race Pimps Monetizing Hate.”
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The Minneapolis police cleared out the “peace garden” that has been located in Uptown on Wednesday morning. The garden, also known as Boogie World, has been located at Lake St. And Girard Ave. since the death of Winston Smith in early June.
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In Minneapolis, the staffing shortage for police officers has reached new lows. According to a statement by the head of the Minneapolis Police Department union, there are many days that are staffed well below the minimum requirement.
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Minnesota Representative Eric Lucero filed an ethics complaint against Representative John Thompson following an outburst from Thompson during a legislative session. According to Lucero, Thompson repeatedly spoke out of order when Lucero was discussing an amendment to a bill regarding the importance of supporting law enforcement officers, particularly the spouses and children of public safety officers killed in the line of duty.
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The Minneapolis City Council has proposed bringing back a model called Single Room Occupancy (SRO) in order to combat homelessness and provide more affordable housing options. Minneapolis City Council Members Cam Gordon, Lisa Goodman and Jeremy Schroeder are putting together an ordinance to make it easier to have Single Room Occupancy buildings in Minneapolis.
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Judge Peter Cahill announced that he will not change the memo regarding former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has requested that Cahill change the memo to reflect the supposed trauma that the young girls experienced. As was reported on FOX 9, Judge Cahill has declined Ellison’s request to change the wording of the memo.
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Representative John Thompson released a statement on Monday regarding a traffic stop where he was pulled over for not having a front license plate and was cited for driving with suspended privileges. Thompson had claimed that the traffic stop was racially motivated, but failed to give any evidence to back up his claims. There have been calls by lawmakers to release the bodycam footage of the incident. The statement from Thompson says that while the officer won’t be seen doing anything not “by the book,” but that the book needs to be rewritten.
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A three year old was shot in Minneapolis over the weekend. In video footage obtained from a security camera, dozens of shots were being fired in a Minneapolis neighborhood, ending in a three year old child being hit in the leg. Due to the volume of blood he was losing it was obvious that his injuries were very serious. In order to save the child’s life, Minneapolis police officers applied a tourniquet and drove him to the hospital themselves.
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Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher was accused of racism after making a comment about criminals leaving town by “sundown” during a Live on Patrol video. Critics called his comment “disgusting” and “unacceptable.” In the clip of the incident, Fletcher says, “100 years ago, though, we woulda just told them, ‘OK, son, you got ’til sundown to get outta of town.’”
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According to Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes, many of the over 300 Line 3 protesters they have arrested have been bailed out by people bringing in bags of cash. Aukes said, “Time and time again, a protester makes a phone call and someone shows up with a duffel bag full of cash to bail them out. A bag full of $100 bills; in fact, $52,000 on one occasion. That is a lot of cash to be carrying around in a duffel bag.”
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Many Minnesota restaurants are struggling to find enough staff to be open at full capacity. A Champlin couple who were opening a Pizza Ranch franchise had to delay their grand opening two months to fill the labor shortage with teens out of school. Even with the school-age employees, the Pizza Ranch that opened in June still has to close one hour earlier than normal due to the shortages.
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Minnesota Representative John Thompson (D-St. Paul) was ticketed for driving with a suspended license on Sunday. Thompson was pulled over for not having a license plate on the front of his car, but he claimed that the incident was racially motivated.
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Those who were involved in prosecuting former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin want the judge to change wording in the memo. According to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, they want the wording to be changed to indicate that the girls who witnessed the death of George Floyd did in fact experience trauma.
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The violence in Uptown has continued almost every night since early June, with limited police intervention. A video from Wednesday evening shows a driver doing donuts in the middle of the street as a passenger shoots a gun into the air. The shots were fired by the “peace garden,” the new name for the area protesters gather at where Winston Smith was killed.
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The family of the man, identified as Ricardo Torres, killed by an Olivia police officer, Aaron Clouse, on Sunday is demanding an FBI investigation of the incident. As reported by The Minnesota Sun, the suspect was shot and killed on Sunday morning after the person supposedly approached the police officer with a weapon in an alleyway.
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The Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis was canceled for 2021, because of “unanticipated challenges.” A statement from the executive director of the Uptown Association said that having the 2021 fair was “not something that we can feel comfortable with, for safety reasons and for our artists.” She cited dumpster fires and an increase in drag racing as some of the safety concerns.
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Minnesota Representative Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-01) announced that he has kidney cancer again after having his cancerous kidney removed. In his official statement he said, “Be assured, I will continue to fight for America and serve the people of MN01 with the highest level of energy and enthusiasm.”
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The University of Minnesota’s Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity will be getting $300,000 to research maternal care inequities. The funding was given to the center in the newly passed Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act.
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Anti-Line 3 protests have continued as the project has been given a go-ahead by Minnesota government. Last weekend, 31 more protesters were arrested after they were blocking a highway and chaining themselves to equipment on an active work site.
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A police officer from Olivia, Minnesota shot and killed a suspect on Sunday morning after the person supposedly approached them with a weapon in an alleyway. The shooting happened around 2:00a.m. and the race of the people involved has not been specified. Police said that there was an “altercation” but no other details surrounding the death of the person have been given.
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More human remains have been discovered in Minneapolis, this time near the Stone Arch Bridge. Crime Watch Minneapolis posted that, “Reportedly a major body part found.” Dismembered human remains were also discovered in mid-June by officials in several locations. According to reports, the head of the person was discovered on a park bench, after different human body parts were found scattered around Minneapolis all supposedly belonging to the same person.
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The commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Laura Bishop, resigned Tuesday and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer-Labor Party called her resignation the result of a “temper tantrum.” Bishop resigned ahead of a vote that would have more than likely fired her. Bishop said in her resignation letter that, “For many, the agency can never go far enough in our protections, while at the same time, a segment of the Republican caucus will always believe the agency goes too far.”
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The city of Minneapolis has agreed to a contract with a mental health group that has only existed for one year, according to screenshots obtained from city websites. This group, Canopy Mental Health & Consulting, will be assisting with the city’s plan to replace and restructure the police. They are contracted to pay the group $6 million to provide 24/7 mental health services in “crisis response teams” for the next two years. According to WCCO, there is an option to extend the services for a third year if the cost does not exceed $3 million.
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Several large law enforcement coalitions are suing the state after changes were made to Minnesota’s deadly force laws. The organizations based the lawsuit on the idea that the changes “violates officers’ rights to self-defense and unconstitutionally compels officers to forfeit their rights to refuse to testify against themselves in deadly force cases.”
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A dumpster full of old books was found outside a Minneapolis Elementary School. A neighbor discovered the dumpster outside of Bryn Mawr while on a walk. According to Bring Me the News, the school went through it’s books to get rid of ones that were damaged or “the inclusion of content that isn’t culturally or historically accurate.”
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The Mankato School District paid a group $67,000 to the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership to assess the curriculum and policies in place. The group suggested that Mankato update it’s mission statement, values, and have a “list of equity questions to ask with every major decision.”
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Activists in Minnesota called for a local food co-op, Valley Natural Foods, to remove a brand from their store after the owner spoke out against Critical Race Theory at a school board meeting. Lareen Narva, the owner of Bittersweet Bakery, a small gluten-free bakery in Minnesota, spoke up at a local school board meeting to oppose the implementation of Critical Race Theory.
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Council members Steve Fletcher, Phillipe Cunningham and Jeremy Schroeder withdrew the proposal they had written to replace the police force with a new agency, a Department of Public Safety. The City Council members withdrew their proposal after a community group also came forward with a similar proposal that made it onto the November ballot which would replace police with a community-led group.
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According to Minnesota State Senator Gene Dornik, the Senate Democrats asked Republicans to remove their Thin Blue Line lapel pins that symbolized their support for police officers. The Democrats made the request under the Senate rule that prohibits advocacy. The Thin Blue Line symbol has been criticized in other public venues as well. In Maryland, a judge banned court employees from wearing Thin Blue Line face masks, citing “bias.”
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After getting a large donation of bulletproof vests and helmets, St. Paul firefighters will start to wear them on some of their emergency calls. St. Paul Deputy Fire Chief of EMS Kenneth Adams said, “Twenty years ago we worried about having the best turnout gear and the best air packs, and nowadays we’re having to worry about, ‘Are we going to get shot?’”
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A homeless encampment that has been located in West Nashville for years is still growing and it’s making local business owners concerned. As was reported on Fox 17, “One restaurant manager says people from the camp are coming in and begging dinner-goers for food.”
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A recent audit of the Minneapolis police department shared areas in need of reform. Minneapolis city officials and Minneapolis Police leaders made up the audit committee and they presented the findings this week. City Council Member Linea Palmisano said, “Today’s report offers a path forward for ensuring influential Field Training Officer roles are staffed by officers who embody core community values.” She went on to say that the findings of the report and the resulting action will work to create “meaningful change.”
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A paper in Mankato took issue with the Center for the American Experiment’s Raise Our Standards tour. The Raise Our Standards tour has been traveling around to various towns in Minnesota. The tour has already undergone much scrutiny and at one stop protesters showed up. As was reported on The Minnesota Sun, a Black Lives Matter activist was arrested for ripping an “All Lives Matter” button off a participant at the Moorhead stop of the Center for the American Experiment Raise Our Standards tour. They also ran into issues with their venue for the Duluth stop.
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The Minnesota Senate voted 45-21 to pass a public safety bill that included police reform. The reforms are part of a bigger public safety budgeting bill. The omnibus bill had Republican support in both the House and the Senate, but some Democrats who said it didn’t go far enough voted against it.
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On Sunday, during the Taking Back Pride March, Black Lives Matter activists blocked Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins’ vehicle in the street. The activists can be seen screaming at Jenkins and the other white woman with her. It was reported that she spent over two hours stuck in her car surrounded by the activists.
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A Black owned juice bar in Minneapolis has been the target of crime ever since they opened in late May. “Day 5 of being open the juice bar was broken into,” Catiesha Pierson, the owner of The Dripping Root, wrote after the latest burglary. “Day 12 I got a hateful letter in the mail. Day 15 of being open the juice bar was broken into again & really I am just trying to keep it all together.”
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An empty lot owned by a church in Minneapolis has become the location of a growing homeless encampment. Fox9 reported that the church’s chairman Andualem Emiro said, “They have no place to go, but at the same time I don’t think it’s appropriate to just go and conquer private property.”
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A Target store in St. Paul came under fire for their Juneteenth display in their employee break room which had hot sauce, red Kool-Aid, and watermelon. Someone, presumably an employee, shared photos of the display on social media, leading to public backlash. One of the public comments called “every single Target employee who thought that the display represented Juneteenth,” racist.
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Hundreds attended the Taking Back Pride March that was held in Minneapolis last week, where activists demanded that the other officers involved in the death of George Floyd be convicted. This was the fifth annual Taking Back Pride March in Minnesota, where participants came to celebrate Pride Month. The marchers also called for, “no police officers at Pride festivals, justice for those killed by police, protection for Black trans people and community control over police.”
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Minneapolis installed a mini park at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago, the location of George Floyd Square where George Floyd was killed by former police officer Derek Chauvin. According to the city, the seasonal spaces, or parklets, are designed to slow nearby traffic and to provide an area for seating, flowers and greenery, bicycle parking, and art for the public to enjoy.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive action on Monday requiring law enforcement officers to release bodycam footage of deadly incidents involving police within five days of the incident. The Governor’s Office says that the new legislation will “increase transparency and accountability” in Minnesota public safety.
The executive action will also allot $15 million in violence prevention grants. The order says that, “The funding will fill critical gaps in Minnesota’s public safety response as the pandemic has had a disproportionate response on communities of color.”
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a press conference that, “Today’s sentencing is not justice, but it is another moment of real accountability on the road to justice.” Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty for the murder George Floyd on all counts in his trial that took place in April.
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162 Minnesota school principals have joined in an effort to decenter Whiteness, called Good (Trouble) Principals. Their website reads that the principals who commit to causing Good (Trouble) will work towards decentering witness by, “Understanding that traditional organized Whiteness ensures domination through forms like PTAs and Unions. We purposefully call out and lift up historically non-represented voices of color in our spaces to hold weight and power.”
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The second autonomous zone in Uptown Minneapolis was the epicenter of another night of violence, despite law enforcement trying to keep the streets clear. The Uptown autonomous zone, or Boogie World, was established in early June after U.S. Marshals fatally shot a wanted man, Winston Smith.
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