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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
August 31 - September 6, 2023
PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
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Vol. 90
No. 5
Phone: 612-827-4021
www.spokesman-recorder.com
Surge in Encampment Evictions No shelter from the summer heatwave
By Cole Miska Contributing Writer
Nicole Mason of the American Indian Movement
ast Thursday morning, August 25, Minnesota State Patrol and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDoT) officials evicted an encampment at East 22nd St. and Little Earth Trail, known as the “Wall of Forgotten Natives.” The encampment, located in the East Phillips neighborhood, was composed of mostly Native Americans from 14 different reservations. Shortly thereafter, another encampment sweep occurred at 31st and Nicollet, in what appeared to be a coordinated effort that left the homeless with few options this past weekend leading up to a forecasted Labor Day heatwave. The Spokesman-Recorder confirmed with Hennepin County that shelters were at 100 per-
cent capacity and no shelter beds were available countywide on August 26. Just before state officials carried out the encampment evictions, activists held a press conference at the Wall of Forgotten Natives encampment. Nicole Mason of the American Indian Movement opened the press conference by saying that encampment evictions lead to relatives going missing. “Please listen to the people this time,” Mason said. “The camp is clean, people are getting rest, being fed, and hydrated. They are no longer alone.” Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez also spoke at the press conference and called for money being used by the city for evictions to be reallocated to provide housing for unhoused residents. “I just want to say I’m sorry
on my end,” Chavez said. “I don’t think that I, as a council member, have done enough to support our unhoused neighbors and help them find dignified housing. But we have folks back here today that have power to make decisions and we’re here to help support in any way we can.” At the press conference, the demands included the creation of community hubs with resources for unhoused people, livable public spaces with warming and cooling centers, replication of successful programs such as the Avivo Village, and safe-use sites for drugs to reduce overdoses and the debris of used needles. Although they did not speak at the press conference, council members Aisha Chughtai and Robin Wonsley were present. The state patrol arrived shortly after the end of the press conference. Activists and
Minneapolis police chief under fire Complaints arise amid efforts to reform department
By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer inneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has come under investigation following three complaints filed with the Office of Police Conduct Review, the office tasked with handing complaints against the police department under the Office of Civil Rights. This news comes months after the city came to a settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and while negotiations are ongoing with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which has yet to finalize its consent decree. The complaints were first obtained by another news outlet and are considered active investigations. None of the accusations against the chief have been substantiated. The first complaint was filed less than a month after O’Hara was sworn in as chief, amid reports that he was abusive and unprofessional toward a fellow officer in the Edina Police Department after demanding
officers argued while police blocked the area forming a human barricade, but no physical confrontations occurred, and no arrests were made. Mason argued that the camp could not
be swept as they were having a Spirit Fire ritual for Dan Robertson, a camp resident who passed away from heat stroke the day before. Mason alleges ■ See ENCAMPMENT on page 5
Sixty years later, economic equality is still a dream
MPD Chief O’Hara at DOJ press conference in June a report that wasn’t public. and the DOJ’s findings regard- police officer. Chief O’Hara acknowlThe second complaint ing MPD’s reporting on the against O’Hara was filed in use of force. edged that he was present for February regarding an incident The last complaint filed Timberlake’s final interview on Jan. 27, in which the “chief against Chief O’Hara comes but denied that he was aware of police used reportable force, from his comments surround- of the officer’s troubling histobut did not do a force report,” ing the hiring of Officer Tyler ry. “I did not know of the exisaccording to the complaint. Timberlake, who joined the tence of video capturing a use Many critics of the depart- department in January after of force incident involving this ment have found this incident being charged with misde- individual until after receiving troubling given the Minneapo- meanor assault during his time a media inquiry,” O’Hara said lis Police Department’s history as a Fairfax County, Virginia ■ See OHARA on page 5
Blue Line extension plan delayed Transparency and funding concerns sidetrack project
By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer lanning for the Blue Line extension is delayed because the Met Council failed to approve two important agreements that would move the project forward. The agreements, which members voted 9-5 to postpone until September 13, would require Hennepin County to give Metro Transit up to $75 million to plan and engineer the project ahead of when local communities vote on whether or not to allow the project to be built next year. It would also allow Metro Transit to execute a contract with an engineering firm to refine the
State troopers at Wall of Forgotten Natives encampment eviction Photos by Cole Miska
Intersection at 10th Ave. N., where the Met Council was considering Blue Line extension route Photos by H. Jiahong Pan Blue Line Extension’s design so the agency can present it to local communities to vote on next year. The measures failed to pass the Met Council’s transporta-
tion and management committees by unanimous vote, which is unusual given the members’ voting history. Several Met Council members expressed concerns about how Met Coun-
cil staff make decisions and explain their work to councilmembers. Those council members cited an August 21 announcement that the Met Council and ■ See BLX DELAY on page 5
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire
defaulted on this promissory note to Black citizens,” stated Chuck Collins, an IPS ixty years after Dr. Mar- senior scholar who directs tin Luther King Jr. deliv- the Program on Inequality ered his iconic “I Have and the Common Good in a Dream” speech during the Washington, DC. “Six decades later, deMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a ground- spite incremental progress breaking new report has laid on some fronts, the check bare the stark truth of ongo- of opportunity has still ing black economic inequal- come back with insufficient funds.” ity in the United States. Dedrick AsTitled “Still A Dream: Over ante-Muhammad, “The findings 500 Years to chief of race, of this report Black Economic wealth, and comare sobering Equality,” the munity for NCRC, and demand report, co-aulamented, “It is immediate and deeply troubling thored by promicomprehensive that, 60 years nent experts after the March Dedrick Asanteaction to on Washington Muhammad, address the Chuck Collins, for Jobs and economic Omar Ocampo Freedom, Black disparities and Sally Sim, economic equalfaced by and published ity remains nothAfrican by the Institute ing more than a for Policy Studdream for most Americans.” Black Americans.” ies (IPS) and National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), Sixty years later, economic underscores the enduring disparities persist disparities faced by Black “The revelation that it Americans and highlights the would take more than 500 pressing need for concerted additional years to close action to address these dis- the economic gap for Black Americans is a stark remindparities. “Sixty years ago, Dr. King er of the systemic inequities observed that America has ■ See DREAM on page 5