After city employees went to clean graffiti off the streets of Minneapolis, City Council President Lisa Bender allegedly stopped the process. When Bender first heard about the clean-up work being done, she wrote that she assumed the city employees, “were talked into this [cleaning up the graffiti] by the business association.”
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A Minneapolis restaurant, Broders Pasta Bar, is now adding an ‘equity’ charge to all checks. Broders official statement regarding the new charge says that, “Studies have also shown that there is inequity and built-in bias in the way consumers give tips. In general, Black or Brown servers receive less tips than Caucasian servers. There is gender bias as well.”
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The University of Minnesota’s UMN AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, demanded that the University of Minnesota disarm their police force and create a Civilian Police Accountability Council.
The negotiations started this month between the University of Minnesota’s management team and four unions represented by AFSCME.
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The Osseo Area school board has been pushing to introduce a new Gender Inclusion Policy for the Osseo District 279, which they say would help to create a new inclusive space for students of all genders, gender identities, gender nonconformities, and sexual orientations. The proposed policy reads that the school district will, “Respect all students’ sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and gender nonconformity.”
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St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said that he will pay reparations to Black residents of St. Paul and not just talk about doing it. Mayor Carter was one of the founding members who helped to launch the group, Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE).
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A Native American man who owns a construction company, Gordon Construction, spoke out against those who destroyed his equipment and claimed to speak for Native Americans. Matt Gordon, a Native American, owns one of the construction companies contracted to help finish the Line 3 project, a pipeline carrying oil from Canada into the United States.
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In a TikTok video dating May 8, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison appears to be registering voters with the “gatekeeper” of George Floyd Square, Marcia Howard. In the video, Howard says that she is there protesting for the “24 Demands,” while Ellison nods and smiles along.
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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. The tour – taking place across Minnesota – aims to educate parents and others about Critical Race Theory and the danger that they say it poses to schools.
Catrin Wigfall, a presenter during the tour, says there are ways to teach the history of America without implementing critical race theory as a teaching tool. She explained, “The problem with Critical Race Theory is it puts a race-based lens on everything.”
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9-year-old Novalee, who attends elementary school in Lakeville, Minnesota went viral after her speech to the school board regarding masking children in schools and the Black Lives Matter movement. Novalee recently shared at a Mask Off MN meeting, calling out Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for his inaction regarding masking requirements for children.
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Many parents attended a recent school board meeting for ISD 728, which includes Elk River, Ostego, Rogers, and Zimmerman, speaking out to oppose critical race theory. The parents who spoke were opposed to the implementation of critical race theory in school curriculum.
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A poll conducted by the American Experiment shows that a majority of Minnesota residents don’t trust Governor Tim Walz to take care of crime. According to the findings of the Thinking Minnesota poll, 55% of Minnesotans do not approve of Governor Walz’s response to the riots that have been taking place in Minneapolis. This is almost opposite of the results of the June 2020 Thinking Minnesota poll, where 59% of Minnesotans approved of Governor Walz’s handling of the riots.
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A black man, Marvin Applewhite, was trying to clean up streets in Uptown Minneapolis when he was chased away by protesters. Applewhite, a Minneapolis local, started an effort to organize youth to clean up the city of Minneapolis to give youth jobs and opportunities. Applewhite continued this in the aftermath of protesting and rioting in Minneapolis. This summer Applewhite and his team of youth and other concerned residents have gone out each morning and clean up the graffiti from the night before. In raw footage of the incident, a woman can be seen screaming, “We are doing this for your people, man.”
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The Minneapolis City Council pushed back against Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to allocate $359 thousand of the city’s COVID-19 procurement order to the Agape Movement to assist in clearing the George Floyd Autonomous Zone in Minneapolis.
In the June 17 City Council meeting, Ward 3 Council Member Steve Fletcher said, “I think it is a scandal. This is a misuse of the COVID-19 authorization. It is not appropriate as a COVID-19 expenditure, and it is something that should have come through council.”
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A citizen walking down a street in Minneapolis stumbled across a human leg, wrapped in plastic, behind the Ukrainian American Community Center. This prompted an investigation where other human body parts were found in various parts of Minneapolis. Another Minneapolis resident found human remains in his neighbor’s driveway. The police have not disclosed what other body parts have been found, other than that the injuries would be fatal.
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Instead of calling 911 to report crime, Minneapolis residents are now being told to call 311 if the crime is not currently in progress or if it is non-violent. The 311 line is staffed by civilian city workers who will take complaints and file reports instead of having Minneapolis police officers dispatched. Some residents have reported up to a 30 minute wait time on the 311 line.
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Many businesses have been impacted by the increasing rates of violence in Minneapolis. One, a salon that has been located in Uptown Minneapolis, announced their decision Monday to permanently close their location that has been open for over 35 years. The owner and founder of the salon, Juut, said in a Facebook post that they “decided to close due to the continued escalation of crime and violence in our neighborhood.”
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Two competing Republican bills have been brought forward seeking to end Governor Tim Walz’s emergency powers and ensure that it will never happen again. One of the bills, HF28 was introduced to the Special Session on Monday and was authored by Representative Cal Bahr (R-MN-31B), along with Representative Jeremy Munson (R-MN-23B), Representative Eric Lucero (R-MN-30B), Representative Shane Mekeland (R-MN-15B), Representative Steve Drazkowski (R-MN-21B), Representative Mary Franson (R-MN-08B), Representative Sondra Erickson (R-MN-15A), and Representative Tim Miller (R-MN-17A).The other bill, HF2204, or the Unilateral Emergency Powers Repeal Act, was authored by Representative Erik Mortensen (R-MN-55B), and Representative Jeremy Munson (R-MN-23B), Representative Steve Drazkowski (R-MN-21B), Representative Tim Miller (R-MN-17A), and Representative John Poston (R-MN-09A). This bill was first brought forward in March, but according to Action 4 Liberty President Jake Duesenberg, it was later not supported in the legislature by some of the same lawmakers who signed it.
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Minneapolis has a second No Go Zone, despite efforts from law enforcement and city officials to remove barricades blocking an intersection in Uptown Minneapolis at Lake Street and Girard Avenue. This is the second autonomous zone in Minneapolis. The other is located at the place of George Floyd’s death, which is still occupied by protesters despite the city’s efforts to clear and reopen the area.
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Due to the huge wave of violent crime sweeping Minneapolis, the City Council Committee has recommended that the Minneapolis Police Department receive $5 million in overtime funds after major budget cuts were implemented following the death of George Floyd.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo requested that the Minneapolis City Council assist in funding the projected $9.5 million dollar overtime bill for the Minneapolis Police Department. Overtime for officers during the murder trial of ex-Police Officer Derek Chauvin alone totaled over $2.9 million, due in part to a shortage of officers.
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Minnesotans held a “Never Again” protest in response to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s extension of his emergency powers for the 15th time. The Never Again protest was in support of Representative Jeremy Munson’s (R-MN-23B) HF 28 Bill that would limit the emergency powers of governors and outlines the citizens responsibility in a public health crisis.
The protest was held in front of the Minnesota State Senate building before the Special Session convened regarding Governor Tim Walz emergency powers, and then moved into the State Capitol building as the session began.
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A woman died after a car plowed into the recently occupied ‘No-Go Zone’ in Uptown Minneapolis, near Lake St. and Girard where a wanted man, Winston Smith, was shot by police. The car drove into a group of protesters in the street shortly before midnight.
Deona Marie Knajdek was pronounced dead at the scene and three others were injured by the vehicle, with two reportedly in critical condition.
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In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to address the new autonomous zone in Uptown Minneapolis, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that they want to advance racial justice but that they need to “acknowledge that the atmosphere has substantially changed.” The second Minneapolis No Go Zone was established after Winston Smith was killed by U.S. Marshals after he pulled a gun and resisted arrest. Frey said, “We cannot allow the unauthorized closure of streets. When there are not clear delineators of where you can drive and where you can not, it risks people getting hurt.” Mayor Frey emphasized the use of “de-escalation tactics” in the continued policing of Uptown and surrounding areas. Frey discussed the continuing removal of the barricades and he said that the barricades were removed and will be removed again, but that they did not have a plan to do so at that time, calling the street being blocked a “major safety concern.” During the same press conference, Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said that they will stand with Winston Smith’s family in demanding transparency. She also shared that there were “shortcomings of relying on a police-only system of safety.” Bender stated that last summer…
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The Minnesota Court of Appeals voted 2-1 on Monday to continue with the Line 3 replacement project, despite protests drawing over 1,000 people. Judge Lucinda Jesson stated that, “With an existing, deteriorating pipeline carrying crude oil through Minnesota, there was no option without environmental consequences.”
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Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) wrote a letter to the United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking him to expand the DOJ investigation into Minnesota Police Departments.
The investigation was initially requested for the Minneapolis police force after the death of George Floyd in May 2020, but Omar wants the investigation to cover “Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Minnesota State Patrol (SP), Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), the Brooklyn Center Police Department (BCPD), the Richfield Police Department (RPD), the Edina Police Department (EPD) and the St. Anthony Police Department (SAPD).”
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In a recent interview, Minnesota Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan did not take a position regarding the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. Carnahan was being interviewed regarding the location of the Minnesota GOP convention where a candidate will be selected to run against current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
When Carnahan was asked if the 2020 election was “stolen” from former President Donald Trump, she refused to say one way or the other. Instead, she acknowledged the concerns that many voters have and that if there are concerns, they should not be overlooked. She said, “If there’s ever any question or doubt, or people don’t feel that they have the full transparency on enough things, what is wrong with just looking into things and answering those things?”
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The Northern Lights Task Force in Minnesota arrested several people protesting Line 3 last weekend. Comments on social media led officers to believe that the protesters would be trying to confront law enforcement, leading to the arrest of up to 1,000 people.
The Northern Lights Task Force said in an official statement, “Many protesters did not abide by the law and engaged in actions that forced the hand of law enforcement and dispersal orders were given.”
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Brooklyn Center, Minnesota implemented new changes to policing in a 4-1 vote in the city council meeting, following the death of Daunte Wright in April. The changes include a new department of public safety that will have unarmed officers to conduct traffic stops and a mental health division.
Daunte Wright was shot and killed by former Brooklyn Park Police Officer Kim Potter, after it was discovered he had a warrant out for his arrest. Wright did not follow police instructions and reentered his vehicle while the officers were attempting to arrest him.
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A 50 year old murder was recently solved when police arrested Barry Lee Whelpley of Mounds View, Minnesota for the murder of 15 year-old Julie Ann Hanson. The murder took place in Chicago, Illinois when Whelpley was 27, in 1972.
The girl was stabbed 36 times and was sexually assaulted. Her body was discovered in a field in Naperville, Illinois after she had been reported missing. At the time, no suspects were arrested in the case.
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The Minneapolis Democrat Farmer Laborer (DFL) Party moved their caucus process online and are now being accused of discrimination. Three DFL leaders, DFL Party activist Ken Vreeland, and former Minneapolis Council members Tony Scallon and Lisa MacDonald, have come out in opposition to the online system, saying that it prohibits people who don’t have the resources to access the online system from participating.
They say that the online system has led to the “disenfranchisement of thousands of voters, fraudulent registrations, and preferential treatment of campaigns.” According to Vreeland, MacDonald, and Scallon it disproportionately affects minorities and the elderly, because of a lack of resources to access the online caucus. Scallon also said that “the party’s request for voters’ ages amounts to discrimination.” According to the Star Tribune, Scallon said that “They [caucus participants] thought they were done when they got done registering. We’ve never had a required verification before and so a lot of people have been denied and they did not get to be delegates. It’s just really a mess.”
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The brother of Winston Smith, a wanted man who was shot and killed in an officer involved shooting incident after he pulled a gun on police, has spoken out about the need for police. He feels his brother’s death was an injustice but wants to work together with police to improve the justice system.
Winston Smith’s brother, Kidale Smith, was seen shaking hands and hugging police officers who were out on the streets monitoring the protests that had been taking place since his brother’s death. He reported that he felt like maybe the police officers needed a voice too.
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Activists from out of state will be coming to Minnesota to protest the Line 3 pipeline. On a Facebook post from Minnesotans for Line 3, they write that “Minnesota will soon be hosting some visitors in early June, including Chris Balch from New Hampshire.”
According to the Monadnock Ledger, “Chris Balch of Wilton and Kai Parlett of Manchester are among New Hampshire residents who are making the trip to Northern Minnesota on the weekend of June 5 to participate in the ongoing protests against the construction of the pipeline.”
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Riots and protests broke out on Thursday after city officials began taking apart George Floyd Square to reopen the section for traffic. At the same time, a wanted man was killed in an officer involved shooting.
Protests had already been occurring at George Floyd Square where workers were busy dismantling barriers and opening the roads again for traffic. There was pushback from those who were there protesting and some barriers were replaced.
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According to Fox News, the City of Minneapolis began removing barriers and trying to reopen the intersection on Thursday, after over a year of the section of street being occupied by protesters.
George Floyd Square, which has been occupied by protesters since the death of George Floyd in May 2020, was “a makeshift shrine and focus of protests” and “a semi-autonomous, pedestrian territory symbolizing community resistance.”
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A man, Winston Smith, 32 with multiple warrants out for his arrest was fatally shot on Thursday in Minneapolis after pulling out a handgun while being stopped by police. Riots broke out against police brutality again, due to the race of the man shot.
This instance took place while the city of Minneapolis was removing barriers at the monument that had been erected to honor George Floyd, the man killed by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin last May.
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After the former State Fair Police Chief retired, the Minnesota State Fair has gone back to the drawing board for assembling a police presence for the upcoming fair. Rather than have their own force, as they have had for over 40 years, they will be working with a local department to provide security for the 2021 fair.
The former state fair police officers were much like other police officers. Former State Fair Police Chief Paul Paulos said “State Fair police officers are armed. And they’re licensed and trained like any other officer.” In prior years, the State Fair Police Department would be made up of retired police officers, other trained officers, and police officers working in their spare time.
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An email from the city of Minneapolis, written to all city employees, reveals that the employees are being asked to sign a letter acknowledging the “devastating intergenerational harms of systemic racism and racial injustice.”
The letter was read to the public during the May 28, 2021 Minneapolis City Council meeting, by Daniel La Croix, with Minneapolis Regulatory Services.
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Minneapolis just announced a new community safety program in an attempt to stop the increase in violence that has occurred over the last year.
This new initiative is backed by the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, as well as other leaders in the community. The goal is to help stop the explosion of gun crime in recent days, through an effort called Community Safety Specialists (CSS).
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Hamline University, along with Sankore Consulting, is hosting an online Equity Education Edcamp this summer for the Northeast Metro School District 916.
The event, titled Minnesota Educational Equity Edcamp, is to equip teachers to better help families and students of color. The session is called “Decolonizing Forgiveness: Moving from Apologies to Accountability.”
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In the middle of a gathering at George Floyd Square on May 25, 2021 commemorating the one year anniversary of the death of black man, George Floyd, while undergoing arrest by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, 30 shots were fired, sending one victim to the hospital.
The gunfire erupted on live television, as seen on the ABC News live stream. A voice can be heard yelling at people to get down.
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100 parents were reportedly in attendance at a school board meeting in Lakeville, Minnesota on Tuesday to speak out against Critical Race Theory being implemented.
Two concerned parents spoke at the meeting and protested the “indoctrination” of Critical Race Theory and said that Critical Race Theory is opposed to their Christian faith. The couple, Jim and Keisha, said that they were there to speak for the “millions of black Americans who disagree with the Black Lives Matter movement.”
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As violent crime in Minneapolis continues to skyrocket, three young children were shot over the course of ten days. Prominent government officials have made no official statement regarding the violence that sent La’Davionne (10), Trinity (9), and Aniya (6) to the hospital in critical condition.
Aniya died in the hospital of her injuries on Wednesday, May 19th. The other two remain hospitalized.
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