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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
December 8 - 14, 2022
Vol. 89
No. 19
Phone: 612-827-4021
Metro Transit upgrades state’s busiest bus route By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer
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www.spokesman-recorder.com
Re-envisioning public transit at George Floyd Square By Al Brown Contributing Writer
ne extremely brisk Saturday morning, at close to 4 am, a Metro Transit rapid bus pulled up to the 8th St. and Nicollet station across from the Dayton building in downtown Minneapolis. These buses, specially painted in red, yellow, and blue, are prevalent on the C Line that runs on Penn Ave. This bus, however, is instead running on the D Line, which will be similar to the C Line except it runs most of where Route 5 runs. The D Line began running on Dec. 3. The route still has some issues to work out, and people still need to adjust to the new route. But commuters are already liking it, and drivers, who struggle to keep up amid a driver shortage, hope it will be safer for them to work. “I’ve ridden the C Line
Currently, only one lane of traffic exists surrounding a community-made roundabout. The learning table was outh Minneapolis residents recently created by the Public Policy attended a com- Project in 2021 and has since munity engagement conducted several on an ■ See TRANSIT on page 5 “learning table” centered on the City’s ongoing efforts re-envision the 38th & Chicago intersection, also known as George Floyd Square (GFS). Many were on hand to listen and share ideas surrounding the reconstruction of the popular intersection, memorialized following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police. The site could easily be clasCounty Commissioner Angela Conley at the D Line grand opening sified as a national monument before; I know it’s a little bit works for almost a decade. It light rail, and for police officers but the streets leading up to faster. Anything that gets me was identified in 2012 as one to patrol for fares. Construc- the intersection were paved to work quicker is fine in my of 10 corridors to receive the tion began in 2020, mostly decades ago and are not built book,” said Cynthia Ramsey, a rapid bus treatment, which concluded in September, and to accommodate modern-day Southside native, as she rode consists of higher-quality shel- cost $75 million to build. increases in traffic, especially Among those excited for the amount of new outside the D Line to work on Satur- ters and fewer stops, priority A community member snow clearing, the ability to the D Line was Hennepin traffic, both pedestrian and day afternoon. speaking at the event. ■ See D-LINE on page 5 automotive. The D Line has been in the pay before you board like on Photo by Al Brown
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Cracking down on police misconduct Oversight of Mpls police remains contentious
State police licensing board proposes tougher standards
By Cole Miska Contributing Writer
By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer
The proposed changes have the support of social justice organizations but are opposed A state body that licenses by police boosters. Today, the POST Board police officers may soon make changes to how back- requires background checks ground checks for officers are for police officer candidates conducted. To ward off racists to scrutinize their names, social media and those who lied in court, addresses, the Peace Officers Standards accounts, police departments and Training Board, known they have applied to in the past as the POST Board, has pro- six years, and their personnel posed changes over the past files if they were ever an officer. They also require candidates three years.
to disclose if they could be impeached in court or hindered by Brady-Giglio impairment because of their behavior. The Brady-Giglio name comes from two court cases that determined the police officer, who must work with the prosecutor to prosecute a case, needs to provide evidence that can be favorable to the defendant as well as to check a witness’ account. ■ See POST BOARD on page 5
A Minneapolis City Council committee voted on Wednesday, Nov. 30 to recommend an ordinance to amend Title 9, Chapter 172 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, which covers police conduct oversight. The amendment would make changes to, but ultimately preserve, the Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR). The city council committee’s 3-2 vote follows criticism from activists. On Monday, Nov. 28, the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) held a press conference at City Hall to oppose the council’s measure. “Minneapolis residents are tired of toothless work groups, panels, and community review boards with little to no power to stop or prevent police violence,” TCC4J’s press release stated. “We deserve
better than a commission with unclear structure that is staffed by law enforcement and unelected yes-men cho-
all communities deserve selfdetermination in how police accountability is handled. TCC4J wants to pass an
Activists gathered at City Hall on Nov. 28. Photo by Cole Miska sen by the mayor’s office. “Ultimately, this is a way for the city council to pretend to do something about police brutality without actual accountability of the police.” Jae Yates, an organizer with TCC4J, said he believes
amendment to the city charter that would create a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), with council members being directly elected. “Currently, the only real police oversight that we have ■ See OVERSIGHT on page 5
Democrats signal a changing of the guard Rep. Jeffries, young and Black, one of several new party leaders
By Stacy M. Brown Contributing Writer On Wednesday, Nov. 30, when House Democrats elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as minority speaker, he became the first Black leader of a party in Congress. Jeffries might be precisely what Democrats need in America’s increasingly contentious political civil war, where most Republicans behave as if it’s a North vs. South redux. For starters, Jeffries is unapologetically Black. During his campaign, he often wore tracksuits. When he presented arguments for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment, Jefferies punctuated his remarks by quoting none other than the late hip-hop icon the Notorious B.I.G. “And if you don’t know, now
More pointedly, Washington insiders—and many outsiders—have argued that it’s time for the younger generation of leaders to take the helm. Both Pelosi and Clyburn are 82. Along with Jeffries, 52, taking over for Pelosi, Rep. Katherine Clark, 59, of Massachusetts was elected to replace Clyburn as whip. At the same time, Rep. Pete Aguilar, 43, of California, ascended to the role of Democratic conference chair. As one journalist pointed out, the “oldest member of the incoming Democratic leadership team is nearRep. Hakeem Jeffries Courtesy of NNPA ly a quarter-century younger than the youngest member of the current you know,” Jeffries said in the quint- nals a much-needed changing of the Democratic leadership team.” “The thing about us,” Jeffries said guard as vets like House Speaker essential mic drop moment. But most importantly, Jeffries’s Nancy Pelosi and Majority Whip during a nationally televised interview this week, “is that while we can ascension into a leadership role sig- James Clyburn step aside.
have some noisy conversations at times about how we can make progress for the American people, what we’ve seen is that under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn, we’ve constantly been able to come together.” Maxwell Frost, the 25-year-old from Florida, perhaps best illustrates the changing of the guard in the Democratic party. Frost won the election this month as the first member of Generation Z to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he’ll serve under Jeffries’ leadership. “I think it’s important that we have a government that looks like the people,” Frost stated. The change in Democratic leadership comes at a time when their ■ See JEFFRIES on page 5