Tag: Minneapolis

Minnesota Group Wants Unemployment Insurance for Illegal Immigrants

Anthony Gockowski

A progressive group in Minnesota wants state and national lawmakers to pass a “stronger unemployment insurance package” that includes benefits for illegal immigrants.

TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive community organizing group, released a list of policy proposals that it would like to see included in any stimulus package passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Shelter in Place Order Now in Effect in Minnesota: Here’s What You Need to Know

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Tim Walz has issued a statewide shelter-in-place order for Minnesota to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The order took effect Friday at midnight and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10. As opposed to a complete lockdown, a shelter-in-place order still allows for many everyday activities and permits numerous industries to continuing working.

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Mike Lindell Doing His ‘Due Diligence’ on Run for Governor, Wants to Be ‘Dream Candidate for Everyone’

Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota’s next gubernatorial election is still more than two years away, but MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said he is warming up to the idea of running.

A January article in The Star Tribune claimed Lindell was “open” to the possibility and suggested he would make a “dream candidate” for Republicans, given his fame, wealth, and inspiring life story.

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Somali Democrat Planning Bid for Fifth District Calls Omar a ‘Disgrace’ to ‘Baffled’ Somali Community

Anthony Gockowski

  Leila Shukri Adan, a Somali-American Democrat, plans to announce a campaign against Rep. Ilhan Omar in the coming days for the DFL nomination in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District. Adan recently published an op-ed at Powerline in response to Omar being named the “2019 anti-Semite of the year” by an organization called StopAntiSemitism.org. “It is with dismay that I read the article describing our congressional representative as the anti-Semite of the year. She brings unwanted attention and shame to the Fifth District by her views. Those of us in the Somali community see her words and deeds as a disgrace. She has put us on the map in all the wrong ways,” Adan writes in her article. According to Powerline’s Scott Johnson, Adan is expected to announce her candidacy “shortly” and wants it to be known “that Omar does not speak for the Fifth District’s Somali community.” “What mainstream media outlets do not know is that Omar is not representative of our community. She does not speak for us,” Adan continues, noting that Minneapolis’ Somali community includes “Somalis who claim Jewish ancestry.” “Somalis are not anti-Semitic and we continue to see the path Omar is on as a danger to…

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Minneapolis Official Calls for End to Car Ownership

Anthony Gockowski

  Sam Rockwell, president of the Minneapolis Planning Commission, suggested in a recent op-ed for The Star Tribune that in order “to save the planet, we have to get over cars.” “The way we live our lives is how we got into this climate catastrophe in the first place. Of course we have to change. And that means driving less, not just switching which model sedan we buy. It means transforming how our personal needs relate to stewardship of our Earth and our communities,” Rockwell said in the article. He was responding to a May 20 article published in The Star Tribune that “paints a picture of an electric-vehicle-filled world,” which he doesn’t think would be enough. Rockwell pointed to Minneapolis’ “2040 Plan,” which explains that “even with the adoption of electric cars, a 38% reduction in passenger miles traveled by automobile is needed.” “If we are obliged to reduce car travel—and perhaps even ownership—does that mean we’re stuck with Jordan’s ‘dreary post-apocalyptic future’? Only if you believe Paris, Vancouver, and New York fit that description. These communities and many others are built around comprehensive transit systems,” Rockwell continued. “Success of these systems, and the dense land uses that support…

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Minneapolis Temporarily Cancels City Staff Segregated Race Talks

Zachery Schmidt

  Minneapolis city officials have temporarily canceled segregated race-relations talks with city employees, and all fliers promoting the event around Minneapolis City Hall have been pulled down, according to the Star Tribune. “Sacred Conversations with City Staff” was scheduled to take place in May, June and July. The first discussion was supposed to take place on May 30 but was postponed. These conversations centered around the 400-year anniversary of African slaves coming to Jamestown, Virginia. “It came to my attention … that sessions had been promoted publicly in a way the city does not condone, as we cannot nor will we divide people based on race, ethnicity or any other protected class,” City Coordinator Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde (pictured above) wrote in a statement to the Star Tribune. As the Minnesota Sun reported, these talks planned to segregate city staff into “black-bodied” and “white-bodied” staff to have a discussion about “how they relate to the enslavement, resistance and continual push for liberation for African American people.” The talks were meant to allow city employees to reflect on “what they are learning related to their role in the City.” Each month of these talks had a specific topic planned for these race discussions.…

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Minneapolis Will Host Segregated Race Talks for ‘White Bodied’ and ‘Black Bodied’ City Employees

Zachery Schmidt

  Minneapolis is holding segregated race talks amongst its city employees this summer. During “Sacred Conversations with City Staff” black and white employees will be separated to reflect upon the “how they relate to the enslavement, resistance and continual push for liberation for African American people.” The talks will be once a day in May, June, and July. Each month has a special topic for its talks. May’s theme is “Remembering Who We Are,” June’s theme is “Recovering the Narratives of Oppression and Liberation” and July’s theme is “Re-imagining a Future without Harm.” The discussion in May was postponed, according to its website. Discussions for what they deemed “black-bodied staff” and “white-bodied staff” will take place in separate places. City staff will be provided a number of resources and a time to reflect on “how what they are learning related to their role in the City.” Minneapolis will host speakers to talk to the city’s employees about how the institution of slavery has affected Minnesota. On August 20, an event will take place to commemorate the exact date the British brought over African slaves 400 years ago. Also, during this event city staff and community members will have a discussion…

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Former Minneapolis Police Officer and Convicted Murderer Mohamed Noor Sued for Pulling Gun on Man During Routine Traffic Stop

Anthony Gockowski

  Former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor is now being sued by a man who claims Noor pulled a gun on him during a routine traffic stop just months before the murder of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. The lawsuit, which was obtained by KSTP, was filed by Minneapolis resident Brian Oman, and lists Noor, Officer Justin Schmidt, and the City of Minneapolis as defendants. Dash-cam video of the May 2017 incident was first released in February and does, in fact, show Noor pointing a gun at Oman’s head while he approaches the vehicle. The prosecution in Noor’s murder trial asked to use the video to show that he had a history of “unnecessarily escalating force,” according to KARE 11. Noor’s attorneys claimed at the time that the prosecution’s description was “grossly misleading” and that Noor was justified in pulling his gun. In any event, Noor, who was found guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the shooting of Damond, is now being sued by Oman in response to the incident. The lawsuit claims that Noor and his partner violated Oman’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. It goes on to state that the officers “assaulted, maliciously prosecuted and…

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Minneapolis Wants to Ban New Drive-Thru Windows to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Anthony Gockowski

  Minneapolis wants to ban all new drive-thru windows citywide in order to cut down on carbon emissions produced by idling cars. The City Planning Commission has been considering a drive-thru ban since 2017, but the idea didn’t really start to come to fruition until the 2018 conversations surrounding the “Minneapolis 2040” comprehensive city plan. Now, according to a report prepared by the planning commission, a new ordinance wants to take language included in the comprehensive city plan and “expand the prohibition of new drive-through facilities to all zoning districts citywide.” “A text amendment that specifically addresses regulations is timely given the number of proposals for new drive-through facilities that have been considered by the City Planning Commission in the last few years and the undesirable impacts these uses have,” the report states. “Said impacts include noise, extended idling, proliferation of curb cuts, conflicts with pedestrians, and traffic generation.” The report lists seven pending proposals to build new drive-thru windows within city limits for businesses such as banks, pharmacies, coffee shops, and fast-food restaurants. Some, however, think the ban would have an adverse impact on the most vulnerable residents, such as the elderly and disabled, or even parents with young…

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President of Minneapolis Parks and Rec Says Lake Calhoun Residents Live on ‘Stolen Dakota Land’

Anthony Gockowski

  President of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Brad Bourn recently said that homeowners on Lake Calhoun are living “on stolen Dakota land.” The comments were made in the midst of an ongoing legal battle over the name of the popular Minneapolis lake. In January 2018, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources approved of renaming the lake to Bde Maka Ska, its original Dakota name. But an April 29 ruling from the Minnesota Court of Appeals found that the DNR “exceeded its authority” in renaming the lake. Renaming privileges, the ruling stated, are reserved for the State Legislature in cases when a name has been in use for 40 or more years. The DNR later announced that it would petition the ruling to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Despite the ruling, Bourn claimed that the lake will continue to be called Bde Maka Ska “for generations to come.” “The most beautiful lake in Minneapolis has been called Bde Maka Ska for generations before white settlers stole it from the Dakota,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “While it saddens me that 318 property ‘owners’ on stolen Dakota land around Bde Maka Ska calling themselves ‘Save Lake Calhoun’ have prevailed at…

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Minnesota Leftists Claim Noor Verdict Was Based on His Race

Anthony Gockowski

  Former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor’s Tuesday guilty verdict marked an unprecedented moment in Minnesota’s legal history. He was the first officer in the state’s history to be convicted of murder for a shooting committed in the line of duty. The Noor case flipped the racial narratives surrounding police brutality on their heads. Noor is a black, Muslim, Somali immigrant who killed a white female. Many are looking at this as proof that his conviction was racially motivated, including the Somali American Police Association (SAPA). “SAPA believes the institutional prejudices against people of color, including officers of color, have heavily influenced the verdict of this case. The aggressive manner in which the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office went after Officer Noor reveals that there were other motives at play other than serving justice,” the group said in a statement. The organization praised Noor for joining the police force “to make a difference and reflect the community he serves.” “And while historically it has not been uncommon for minority officers to receive differential treatment, it is discouraging to see this treatment persist in 2019. SAPA fears the outcome of this case will have a devastating effect on police morale and make…

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Ilhan Omar Speaks to Elementary and Middle School Students Behind Closed Doors

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was back in her home district Friday visiting students at elementary and middle schools throughout the area, but parents and press were allegedly not allowed to attend. On Thursday evening, ahead of Omar’s visit to St. Anthony Middle School in Minneapolis, conservative activist Alley Waterbury altered her followers on Facebook to a protest that would be occurring. “We must protect our children,” Waterbury said. “The school is asking for permission for their children to attend this event, but the parents are not allowed to attend themselves. This is a problem and no cameras.” “Lecturing our kids behind closed doors with no parents is a no go,” she later added. Waterbury and her fellow protesters contacted the school to express their concerns after Waterbury’s initial alert quickly spread on social media. “Thank you for your feedback. Congresswoman Omar serves as the U.S. Representative for the 5th Congressional District, which includes St. Anthony. We understand some members of our community did not vote for Congresswoman Omar. When our local, elected representatives reach out to learn about our schools and school district, we always open our doors,” Principal Amy Kujawski wrote to Waterbury in response. “Congresswoman Omar’s visit will…

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Nearly Four Dozen Arrested on Sex-Trafficking Charges During Final Four Weekend in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) arrested nearly four dozen people on child sex-trafficking and related charges during the Final Four weekend in Minnesota. The final games of the NCAA’s basketball tournament were hosted at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. The BCA, with the assistance of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments, conducted a four-day sting operation during the tournament. According to a press release from ICE, a total of 47 people were booked into Hennepin, Anoka, or Ramsey county jails on probable cause solicitation of a minor or solicitation of prostitution of people under 16 years of age. Of those 47, 11 were booked on charges of probable cause sex trafficking or promotion of prostitution. The operation also rescued 28 victims from sex-trafficking situations, including one minor. “This operation is an example of the aggressive steps necessary to stop traffickers and johns who buy and sell people for sex in our communities,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “We can’t let this crime continue, and we must work together to stop it.” The operation was a part of HSI’s Operation Predator initiative, which has arrested more than 19,000…

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