PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
Inside this Edition... To Subscribe Scan Here
Read the TC Black Film Fest recap on page 7.
THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
September 29 - October 5, 2022 By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer
I
Vol. 89
No. 9
Phone: 612-827-4021
www.spokesman-recorder.com
Historical Society enshrines local hip hop legacy
n 2017, hip hop became the most popular music genre in the U.S. according to Nielsen’s year-end report on the music industry, surpassing rock, which had dominated for decades. Although the hip hop scene has been dominant in New York and Los Angeles since its inception, there were several cities throughout the country developing their own sound as the wave of music traveled in the early 1980s. Minnesota had some of its own early pioneers in hip hop who have been commemorated recently by the Minnesota Historical Society with a photo induction at the History Center on Sept. 9. The event was hosted by Twin Cities DJ, author, activist and historian Ryan Dillard, commonly referred to as DJ Stage One, who has organized three previous “A Great Day in Hip Hop” photo shoots in which he brought together generations of hip hop artists from the Twin Cities to document the region’s history over the years. Fans and a who’s who mix of artists all gathered together for an intimate event to reminisce about the hip hop scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s in Minnesota and how the art form developed through the years. (back, l-r) Ez El pee, Travis Lee, Derrick “Delite” Stevens, Ralph Crowder, Tawala Storay, Sean “Slug” Daley, DJ Chuck Chizzle; (front, l-r) Derek Delgado, DJ Photo by Abdi Mohamed ■ See HIP HOP on page 5 Smoke Dee, Rya “DJ Stage One” Dillard, Mark Campbell, and DJ Mixie Da Boss
Big Lie candidates running in November Conspiracy theories feed White nationalist hate
By Mary Turck Contributing Writer
News Analysis By Sara Kamali
FIRST IN A SERIES This is the first of MSR’s “Elections Under Attack” series that looks at four threats to our elections growing out of the Big Lie that the former president won the 2020 election. Articles in the series look at each of these threats to democratic elections in the United States, with an emphasis on Minnesota. In Minnesota, Republican Kim Crockett is running for Secretary of State on a Big Lie platform. She calls the 2020 election “lawless,” “illegitimate” and “rigged.” She wants to severely restrict absentee and mail voting, saying that postal workers cannot be trusted to deliver ballots. Her lies about elections put her squarely in the ranks of Republicans running on the Big Lie platform this year—and she’s running for the statewide office that has the most to do with election integrity. Across the country, right-
wing proponents of the Big Lie have launched attacks against voting rights, election processes, and election officials. Besides these ongoing attacks, dozens of Big Lie candidates are running for key state offices that will give them control of election machinery. The Big Lie about U.S. elections has two parts: first, that the former president actually won the election, and second, that widespread election fraud stole the election from him. “Big Lie” is a term that originated
with the Nazis in Germany. The term means that if you tell a big enough lie and repeat it often enough, people will believe it. The truth: the former president lost the 2020 election and no significant election fraud has been found anywhere. Even Republican investigators, hired by Republican legislatures, have not found fraud. As a Big Lie candidate, Crockett is not alone. A large majority of Republican candidates for offices that have authority over elections are
In September 2022, President Joe Biden convened a summit called United We Stand to denounce the “venom and violence” of White nationalism ahead of the midterm elections. His remarks repeated the theme of his prime-time speech in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2022, during which he warned that America’s democratic values are at stake. MGN “We must be honest with election deniers. These include each other and with ourcandidates for secretary of selves,” Biden said. “Too state in at least 11 states, as much of what’s happening in well as some candidates for governor and attorney general offices. The Arizona candidate for secretary of state marched on the Capitol on January 6, insists the 2020 election was rigged, and wants to allow state legislators to reject election results. In Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is an ■ See BIG LIE on page 5
our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” While that message may resonate among many Democratic voters, it’s unclear whether it will have any impact on any Republicans whom Biden described as “dominated and intimidated” by former President Donald Trump, or on independent voters who have played decisive roles in elections, and will continue to do so, particularly as their numbers increase. ■ See HATE on page 5
MGN
Lane gets three more years for role in Floyd killing Former Mpls cop already serving 2½-year federal sentence
By Henry Pan Contributing Writer Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, one of the four involved in the murder of George Floyd, was sentenced in a brief virtual hearing on Wednesday, September 21 to three years in prison for pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the manslaughter of George Floyd. Lane, along with his then-partner J. Alexander Kueng, was the first officer to respond to 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, in response to allegations that Floyd provided a fake $20 bill to cashiers. The incident
“We will never move on.” ended in former officer Derek moving on with their lives, Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s which is understandable,” said neck for nine minutes and 29 Judge Peter Cahill during sentencing. seconds, killing him. The sentencing is a five“It is a very wise decision to accept responsibility and move month departure from the on with your life, even though presumptive sentence of 41 the Floyd family has problems to 57 months, in part because
his admission to helping kill Floyd, as well as video evidence played in court showing Lane attempting to save his life, influenced Judge Cahill in his sentencing. For pleading guilty, the court dismissed the aiding and abetting murder charge. The prosecution also did not ask Lane for restitution. Lane receives 31 days credit for time served as part of his two-and-a-half year sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. He is currently serving that sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Englewood, Colorado, a Denver-area suburb, where he will also serve his state sentence. Federal and state sentencing guidelines
combined call for Lane to begin serving supervised release in late 2024. He will also be unable to own firearms for the rest of his life and must register as a predatory offender, to which he responded shortly after the hearing ended, “I have to register as a predatory offender?! What the f*** is that?!” “We will never move on,” the Floyd family said in a statement read aloud by attorney Matthew Frank in the virtual courtroom. The statement also mentioned being subject to a public grieving process and countless trials, hearings, guilty pleas, and sentencings. “The killing of George Perry
Floyd, Jr. will forever continue to hurt anyway.” Meanwhile, Chauvin is serving both his federal and state sentences at Federal Correctional Institution in Tuscon, Arizona. His scheduled release date is November 18, 2038. The two remaining officers involved in Floyd’s murder, Kueng and Tou Thao, will stand trial beginning October 24 at 9 am. Both opted not to pursue a plea agreement in August, with Thao saying it would be a “lie and a sin” to do so. Both also begin serving their federal sentences next month. Henry Pan welcomes reader responses to hpan@ spokesman-recorder.com.