PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
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Read about author Isabel Wilkerson’s upcoming visit to the Twin Cities on page 7.
THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
April 6 -12, 2023
Vol. 89
Phone: 612-827-4021
No. 36
CITY COUNCIL RATIFIES AGREEMENT TO REIN IN MPD By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer
T
he Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to ratify a courtenforceable agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (DHR) to rein in the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The agreement, which will address community engagement, use of force and pretextual stops, comes after a two-year-long investigation by the DHR over the MPD’s patterns of racist and misogynistic policing and lack of effective accountability mechanisms. The investigation was initiated days after George Floyd was murdered by former police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. The City continues to await the findings of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is conducting its own investigation
Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero into the Minneapolis Police Department’s patterns of practice. Once the city reaches a consent decree with the DOJ, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights will modify the court-enforceable agreement so that it does not conflict with
the consent decree. The Department of Human Rights engaged community members and police officers in a series of meetings last year, to understand what should be part of the agreement. This agreement, which originated
Photo by H. Jiahong Pan with calls for humane treatment of residents and clarity from its police officers, is different from past policies and procedures because it forces the city to make the changes. “The City cannot walk away from this ■ See MPD on page 5
Biden visits Twin Cities to tout green investments Minnesota pols turnout for president’s visit
By H. Jiahong Contributing Writer
P
resident Biden visited the Twin Cities on Monday to tour a manufacturing plant in Fridley, and to tout his investment addressing climate change in his attempt to make the United States the leader in clean energy manufacturing. The plant, run by engine manufacturer Cummins, announced a new line of hydrogen engines in March and is converting 100,000 square feet of their assembly lines to produce electrolyzers, which shocks water with electricity to produce hydrogen. Cummins says the investment is made possible because of increasing demand and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as well as their goals to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. “As a result of this legislation, we saw demand for U.S.-made
Cummins employee Brandon Moore introduced Biden. electrolyzers skyrocket. And what we’ve seen here today is our ability to capitalize on that demand, and create 100 new jobs here in Fridley,” said Cummins Senior Vice President Tony
www.spokesman-recorder.com
Opposition to MPD settlement agreement By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer
settlement agreement and your published narrative.” The settlement agreement aims ocal police reform advocates to reconstruct the city’s police gathered on Monday morning department following the murder to call for a moratorium on the of George Floyd by former MPD implementation of Minneapolis’s set- officer Derek Chauvin. Last year, tlement agreement with the Minnesota the DHR issued a report that found Department of Human Rights (DHR), the police department were in viobecause the city took no accountability lation of state law and exhibited a in the state agency’s findings. pattern of racial discrimination. The Minneapolis City Council The Unity Community Mediaapproved the settlement with an tion Team (UCMT) held a press con11-0 vote, which was signed by ference on April 3, in response to the settlement agreement between Mayor Jacob Frey and Departthe city of Minneapolis and DHR on ment of Human Rights CommisFriday, March 31. They expressed sioner Rebecca Lucero last Friday. their frustration in feeling as though Commissioner Lucero and Maythey were left out of the process or Frey both refer to the agreement despite having an influential role. as “a framework” to help guide the Rev. Ian Bethel, a pastor at city in a direction that addresses New Beginnings Baptist Ministries race-based policing and upholds the where the press conference was integrity of public safety. Though held, was joined by members of the the agreement is seen as legally UCMT to voice their disapproval binding, the city of Minneapolis of the signed agreement. The and its police department admitted organization, which dates back to no fault to the findings of the DHR. the early 2000s, is a multicultural This lack of accountability is what group of residents working to bring members of the UCMT believe falls solutions around public safety and short in the agreement. public health issues. “My biggest concern, as a Black Rev. Bethel serves as the man, is the lack of acknowledgegroup’s chair and played a role in ment of the wrongdoing that our a 2003 agreement, which called police officers have done to us,” for the reform of the Minneapo- said AJ Flowers, project coordinator lis Police Department then. The for the Young People’s Task Force. UCMT believes that their history “If we cannot acknowledge the disin leading police reform and their crimination and abuse that we have involvement in reaching a settle- suffered, our African American brothers and sisters and our Native ment agreement were ignored. “The content of the settlement brothers and sisters, along with all agreement is really a reinstatement our melinated brothers and sisters of the memorandum of under- within this city of Minneapolis, then standing negotiated and signed by we will never move forward on a the Unity Community Mediation path of true justice.” Team and the Minneapolis Police Minneapolis City Attorney Department and vetted by the Kristyn Anderson has stated that City Attorney’s office,” Bethel said. it is typical for a settlement agree“The Unity Community Mediation ment not to have an admission Team objects to being erased from of liability. The agreement, she history, and we insist that you cor- stated, was to come together for rect the record and acknowledge negotiations of reform. the key role of the UCMT, and the diverse organizations and com- Abdi Mohamed welcomes reader munities represented on the Unity comments at amohamed@ Community Mediation Team in the spokesman-recorder.com.
L
Photo by Chris Juhn
Satterthwaite. Their Fridley in green jobs and technology. facility will be the first in the The act brings $8.5 billion in United States to manufacture large-scale clean power generation and storage to the state, them. The IRA, which passed Con- as well as associated jobs, over gress in August 2022, invests ■ See BIDEN on page 5
Rev. Ian Bethel is part of a group opposed to the DHR agreement. Photo by Abdi Mohamed
North Minneapolis businesses concerned over Met Council’s proposed light rail extension By H. Jiahong Pan ContributingWriter
W
est Broadway business owners are among the latest group of people in North Minneapolis who are worried about the Metropolitan Council’s proposed plans to run a light rail line through their neighborhood. Some of the concerns include parking removal, as well as how traffic and buses would be affected. They’re also worried about changes to buildings to accommodate street widening for the light rail, and concerns about how businesses, many of which are BIPOC-owned, would be affected during and after construction. “I think the light rail will destroy the commercial corridor, the only commercial
corridor that we have in North Minneapolis that has viable potential,” said Dean Rose, who owns the Broadway Liquor Outlet, as well as the building with 103 affordable housing units above it, on the northwest corner of West Broadway and Penn. The Met Council’s consideration of an extension of the Blue Line light rail down West Broadway on the way to Brooklyn Park is a relatively recent development. The project, which has been in the works for almost a decade, was initially rerouted out of North Minneapolis because of gentrification concerns. The agency is again proposing bringing the route back into the community because they were unable to Damon Williams (front) and Teto Wilson, owner of the barber shop and an convince Burlington Northern Santa aspiring developer, is worried about the light rail’s impact on his plans to redevelop buildings along the corridor. Photo by H. Jiahong Pan Fe Railroad to run the light rail along-
side their tracks through Theodore Wirth Park. These concerns come as Lyn-Park homeowners are worried about how the light rail would affect their property values and their ability to build generational wealth. They persuaded the Met Council to study running the route closer to Washington Avenue. Business owners like Rose are concerned about how the light rail would affect buildings along the West Broadway corridor. As part of the 2007 West Broadway Alive plan, Rose worked to develop guidelines that require new buildings to build up to the sidewalk, as opposed to having off-street parking in front. “We have been looking and developing West Broadway,” said Rose. ■ See BLUE LINE on page 5