THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
June 22 - 28, 2023
Vol. 89
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The Challenge of Police Reform
Despite the DOJ’s efforts some doubt the MPD will change By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer n Friday, June 16, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had concluded its investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and disclosed that officers had engaged in patterns and practices of discriminatory policing. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the conduct—which included using excessive force and unlawfully discriminating against Black and Native people, as well as violating the rights of those exercising protected speech and those suffering a mental health crisis—violated the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. In addition to violating free speech and Constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure, the MPD violated the Safe
over 2,000 testimonies from people affected by Minneapolis police officers’ misconduct, listed the following findings: MPD officers shoot first, ask questions later, citing Mohamed Noor’s killing of Justine Damond in a Southwest Minneapolis alleyway in 2017. Noor is no longer with the MPD and has served his sentence in prison; MPD officers tend to tase children and people with behavioral health issues; MPD officers use excessive force on people accused of minor offenses or no offense at all, including confronting and pinning against the hood U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at Friday’s DOJ press conference Photo by Chris Juhn of a car at gunpoint a teenager accused of taking a $5 burrito Streets for All Act, the Ameri- sible,” said Attorney General the community long before.’” without paying; The report, which was cans with Disabilities Act, and Garland. “As one city leader MPD officers did not entold us, ‘These systemic issues partially informed by Com- sure the safety of those in their the Civil Rights Act. “The patterns and practices didn’t just occur on May 25, munities United Against Po- custody. Aside from failing to we observed made what hap- 2020. There were instances lice Brutality (CUAPB) in its get medical help for George pened to George Floyd pos- that were being reported by all-volunteer effort to collect Floyd, they also failed to get
an ambulance for a woman detained by police who was having an asthma attack; MPD officers stop Black and Native American people six times more often than White people, and stopped collecting racial data for the people they stopped after May 25, 2020; MPD officers retaliated against those exercising their right to free speech, including assaulting journalists and bystanders who were criticizing their work, actions protected under the Constitution, regardless of whether or not profanity was used; MPD officers responded unnecessarily and overacted to people experiencing mental health crises, at times escalating those situations; Marginalized communities were no strangers to Minneapolis Police Department ■ See DOJ on page 5
Protests erupt over U of M budget cuts By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer hop from the top! That’s the message that University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff have been chanting at recent protests against the university’s 2023-24 budget cuts and current administrative changes. In late April, students rallied outside McNamara Alumni Center after word spread about the university’s plan to significantly cut the budgets of the ethnic and gender studies programs. According to a statement released by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the university planned to cut 50 percent of American Indian studies, 30 percent of Chicano and Latino studies, 27.5 percent of African American studies, and 10 percent of Gender, Women, and Sexuality studies programs. The student-led group,
along with other unions tied to the university, demanded that these programs be fully funded and that any necessary financial changes should first be taken out of the “bloated” administration. Siobhan Moore is a member of Students for a Democratic Society, a national studentled organization with a history dating back to the 1960s, where students fought for racial equality and protested the Vietnam War. As a prospective transfer student to the U of M, Moore doesn’t want to see these programs cut before she gets a chance to enroll. “We think it’s fundamentally wrong that such a bloated, overpaid university administration is able to off-load these budget cuts onto the backs of students, staff and faculty at the university and say that we have to, well, tighten their belts while they’re raking in six, seven-figure salaries annu-
ally. President Gabel is getting a $200,000 sendoff bonus,” Moore said. Former University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel resigned from her role following criticism of her joining the board of directors at Securian Financial. Several critics called for an investigation into Gabel’s relationship with Securian, since the financial service company had several ties to the university that accounted for more than a billion dollars. The controversy only underlined concerns by UMN Protests over University of Minnesota budget cuts students and staff as Gabel’s base pay started at $706,000, graduate student workers at County of $37,025. Sumanth Gopinath, an assowith performance pay and re- the UMN voted to form a union, tirement contributions. The after a 2,487-70 vote. They vot- ciate professor of music theory, proposed budget cuts coming ed to unionize to secure work- was also present at the April soon after the news of the uni- ers’ rights and higher pay. protest along with other UMN As it stands, the minimum faculty. Gopinath was elected versity president’s conflict of interest was enough to draw pay for a graduate student president of the U of M’s camworker at the UMN is $16,000, pus chapter of the American more scrutiny. In the past year there’s been with a maximum stipend of Association of University Proan uptick of union activity at $25,000. That’s compared to fessors (AAUP), an organizathe university. In the spring, a cost of living for Hennepin tion founded in 1915 with the
Photo by Abdi Mohamed aim of advancing academic freedom and helping shape the standards for higher education. Gopinath has seen his organization take on more issues since the onset of the pandemic, as they advocated for more safety and protections for faculty and staff at the university when there was an effort to return ■ See U of M on page 5
Twin Cities could see extended summer smog By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer ast week, the air in the Twin Cities was hazy, smokey, and extremely bad for your health, especially if you have pre-existing heart or lung conditions. On that day, air quality readings in Minnesota were above 250 on the air quality index, which is calculated based on the level of pollutants in the atmosphere in a cubic meter. Air quality readings over 100 are considered un-
remain above 50 through the end of the week, when cleaner air from above the Great Lakes will blow over the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency believes the air quality readings set a new record for the worst in the Twin Cities since data collection began in 1980. The air pollution is primarily caused by wildfires in Ontario, Canada, which is just across the border to the Photos by Chris Juhn northeast of Minnesota. For healthy. Readings between healthy for those with pre-ex- Wednesday’s spike in pollution, part of the day, air pollution 50 and 99 are considered un- isting conditions. But despite the air quality is expected to was also aggravated by ground
level ozone pollution from smog, which is emitted from vehicles, production plants and refineries. The air quality caused both the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and St. Paul Parks and Recreation to cancel all outdoor activities and events Wednesday evening. Canterbury Racetrack in Shakopee also had to call off their races, and the Minnesota Aurora, an all-women’s soccer team, had to relocate ■ See POLLUTION on page 5