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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934 July 30 - August 5, 2026
Vol. 92
No. 52
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
Righteous 39, Minnesota 15 defendants speak out as judge orders grand jury disclosure in Fort case By Clint Combs Contributing Writer udge Doug Micko partially granted a request from lawyers representing independent journalist Georgia Fort for the government to turn over grand jury testimony and exhibits to the court at a motion hearing last Friday, a ruling that came amid mounting allegations that government lawyers mishandled evidence and misled the grand jury that indicted Fort and the rest of the Righteous 39. Government lawyers, through their responses in court, confirmed that Pastor Jonathan Parnell, the Cities Church pastor at the center of the alleged confrontation, is a key witness in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neville Hedley told the court, “The grand jury transcript of Pastor Parnell has been turned over.” Micko raised concerns about how the grand jury had been presented with information about Fort. “The grand jury may have been misinformed that Ms. Fort was among the
From left at mic, Minnesota 15 defendant Cameron Kennedy; Righteous 39 defendant William Kelly; and Minnesota 15 defendant Isaac Sant speak to supporters after a court hearing in St. Paul on July 24. Clint Combs/MSR people,” Micko said. Hedley pushed back, maintaining Fort was present at key moments described in the indictment. “Ms. Fort was identified at a pre-meeting,” said Hedley. “That’s probable cause.” The meeting took place at a
grocery store parking lot in St. Paul, and Hedley’s comments appeared to reference probable cause tied to allegations that the group blocked Parnell from leaving Cities Church. Hedley added, “She’s on video at the church.” But Hedley also acknowl-
Micko responded by underedged missteps in the government’s filings. “There was a scoring the stakes of any inacmistake in the affidavit,” said curacies presented to grand Hedley. “It was a mistake. It jurors. “I am concerned about was a mischaracterization.” the integrity of the proceedHedley clarified Fort was not ings,” he said. Hedley insisted the govaccused of chanting: “We did not allege in the indictment ernment had nothing to hide. “We’ve been transparent,” said that Ms. Fort was chanting.”
Congresswomen visit inside Whipple’s detention facility before vans head to deportation flights By Izzy Canizares Contributing Writer s Reps. Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal held a press conference outside the Whipple Federal Building on July24, a parade of immigration transport vehicles were seen leaving the building, met with outrage from local protesters. This came as the two lawmakers reflected on their tour of the facility and shared what they saw. “Today, when we went into Whipple Detention Center, we saw that there were dozens of people that are being held, being processed to be Reps. Pramila Jayapal (left) and Ilhan Omar at the Whipple Federal building, July 24. deported out of the country,” All photos courtesy of Izzy Canizares/MSR Omar said. “We were able to would be having those ankle get information on the dif- Jayapal of the Whipple Deten- Guerrero. ferent countries of origin and tion Center on Wednesday. Despite being unable to chains on people from the how that process is going to The visit comes weeks after speak with any of the detain- time they’re picked up to the play out.” a surge of ICE killings around ees being held, Omar and time that they’re released.” During the press conferOmar announced she the country, including the Jayapal described seeing them would be conducting a con- deaths of Lorenzo Salgado in holding cells, some with 10 ence, four ICE vans were seen gressional oversight visit with Araujo and Joan Sebastian to 12 people to a cell, with a with detainees inside, being maximum of 30. They were transported to the airport. separated by country of ori- The caravan of vans was met gin. According to Omar, one with outrage from community cell was for Laos, another for members picketing outside Mexico and a third for “non- the facility. According to Jayapal, DHS officials told them Mexican Latino” countries. “I was shocked to see that the detainees would be transeveryone in here has leg re- ported to a facility in New Orstraints. That is not a common leans before being deported. “The primary place they told practice in holding facilities and detention centers or even us they were taking them is in jail,” Jayapal said. “We saw to New Orleans, and that is one individual who was in where they will be deported a cell by herself with leg re- from,” Jayapal said. “I think for straints and ankle chains on me, we have been trying to her, and she was by herself. make sure that we are shining Apparently that is the practice light on what’s happening. We when you are picked up to are trying to ensure accountA parade of immigration transport vehicles were seen leaving when you are released. It feels ability through our hearings, the Whipple Federal Building, July 24. very inhumane to me that we ■ See WHIPPLE on page 5
Hedley. “We’re happy to turn over the grand jury transcripts.” Fort’s attorney, Matthew Ebert, went further, asking the court to order disclosure of communications between government prosecutors and the grand jury, a request ■ See COURT on page 5
St. Paul native Dr. Elizabeth M. Adams brings community values to the fight for responsible AI By Tiffany Johnson Contributing Writer rtificial intelligence is a topic that, for many, still feels new and unfamiliar. While popular chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude have become among the most common ways the public interacts with AI, many people are surprised to learn that the technology, and even the term “artificial intelligence,” dates back to the 1950s. Now, as the ways people leverage AI continue to expand, so do questions about
Dr. Elizabeth M. Adams Photos courtesy of Dr. Elizabeth M. Adams its broader impact. The rapid growth of data centers has raised environmental concerns, ■ See AI on page 5