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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
November 6 -12, 2025
Vol. 92
No. 14
Trapped abroad Families speak out on two Black Americans jailed in China
By Jasmine McBride Managing Editor ASHINGTON, D.C./Shreveport, La. — For more than a decade, Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Mitchell Hunt have been imprisoned in China under circumstances their families say are unjust. The two African Americans, held in separate facilities, remain largely unreachable, and their loved ones say they have struggled for years to get the U.S. government to act. “We thought it was a scam at first,” said Nelson Wells Sr., recalling the first phone call from China in 2014. “They told us our son was in trouble, and that they were going to kill him, then hung up.”
The Wells family spent weeks confirming Nelson Jr.’s captivity and attempting to communicate with him. “It felt like the embassy was just a glorified mail carrier,” Wells Sr. said. “We weren’t getting the support we needed.” A veteran family with a love for travel, the Wells say Nelson Jr.’s arrest stemmed from a visit to China, where he was later convicted of smuggling drugs. According to the “Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Mitchell Hunt Unjustly Detained in Communist China Act,” introduced to Congress, Wells Jr. was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced to 22 years in 2019, leaving him incarcerated until 2041. In testimony before the Congressional-Executive Commis-
Nelson Wells Jr., whose family says he is falsely imprisoned in China going on 12 years Photo courtesy of the Wells family
sion on China in 2024, Wells Sr. described how his son had traveled to China for a necessary medical procedure. While recovering, he says, Nelson met an acquaintance who asked him to carry bags of gifts to Japan, unaware that they contained drugs. His family maintains there was little evidence supporting his guilt and that he was denied a fair opportunity to defend himself. Separated from his wife and three children, Nelson had almost no meaningful access to due process, and it took months before his parents could confirm what had happened. Nelson Jr. has faced serious health issues during his detention, including seizures and high blood pressure. His parents describe sleepless nights ■ See DETAINED on page 5
Dawn Mitchell Hunt prior to her arrest during vacation allotted by a complimentary sweepstakes Photo courtesy of the Hunt family
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
Remembering Wallace “Jack” Jackman: A life of leadership, laughter, and legacy By Jasmine McBride Managing Editor allace “Jack” O’Neil Jackman, known affectionately as Jackie or simply Jack, passed away peacefully on October 27, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to community. A loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Jack’s life was a master class in combining heart, hustle, and humor. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Jack moved to Minneapolis at the age of 13, growing up in a family whose roots ran deep in service and community. The son of Launa Quincy (Jackman) Newman and Wallace O’Neil Jackman, he was also guided by Cecil E. Newman, the legendary founder of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Newman became a father figure, mentor, and model for young Jack, a bond that would later Remembering Wallace “Jack” Jackman, a inspire him to co-publish the newspaper with critical part of the Minnesota Spokesmanhis sister, Norma Jean Williams. Recorder’s legacy, gone but not forgotten Jackman brought a visionary approach to (Nov. 4, 1944 - Oct. 27, 2025). the MSR. While Norma focused on writing and Photos courtesy of the Jackman family administration, Jack oversaw operations, modernizing the newspaper’s technology and infrastructure at a time when many Black news- with the International Leadership Institute papers were still using typewriters. Under his took him to Eldoret, Kenya, where he joined a guidance, the MSR transitioned to computers delegation of Minneapolis firefighters to train and modern printing systems, giving staff the local emergency responders and deliver muchtools to produce quality journalism efficiently. needed equipment, including fire trucks and He even orchestrated a major remodeling of an ambulance. the building, converting space that had once “Jack served as a cultural bridge,” said retired housed a printing press into offices equipped Judge LaJune Lange. “He helped the firefightwith the latest technology, investments that ers immerse themselves in African work culcontinue to benefit the MSR decades later. ture, stayed in touch, encouraged donations, “He was friendly, enthusiastic, and no-non- and ensured that our work had lasting impact. sense,” recalled longtime colleague Jerry Free- His commitment never wavered.” man. “He encouraged us to pursue stories that Colleague Michael Chaney, who worked mattered, trusted us to deliver, and fiercely de- with Jack on numerous initiatives, called him fended us from unjust criticism. Jack’s loyalty “the ultimate outreach person. Always seeking was unmatched.” the next connection, Jack brought people toJack’s influence extended far beyond the gether, amplified the voices of the Black comnewsroom. Known as a connector and a munity, and carried the MSR’s influence far bridge-builder, he helped strengthen Minne- beyond Minneapolis.” apolis’ ties with the African diaspora. His work ■ See WALLACE on page 5
Court orders Trump Administration Families say MPD fails to to restore SNAP Benefits, protect women of color but USDA halves November aid Minnesota-led lawsuit forces $5 billion contingency fund use, Ellison criticizes partial funding and refusal to tap additional resources
Trump Administration continues to double down on SNAP cuts. The USDA announced it would only provide 50% of SNAP benefits for November, despite having authority to fund full benefits using both the contingency fund and an additional Section 32 Child Nutrition fund. By Scott Selmer Assigning Editor
By Scott Selmer Assigning Editor nder gray skies on the afternoon of Oct. 30, relatives of two women, one Black, one Indigenous, gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center accusing Minneapolis police and city officials of failing to protect women of color from domestic violence. The families came seeking justice for Mariah Samuels, a 30-year-old African American mother who was shot 10 times by her ex-partner, and Allison Lussier, an Indigenous woman found beaten to death in her home after repeatedly calling police for help.
eral government shutdown, including about 440,000 Minnesotans, among them hen Minnesota At- 180,000 children, 67,000 setorney General Keith niors, and 52,000 people with Ellison sued the disabilities. “It’s impossible for me to unTrump administration last week for suspending the Supplemen- derstand the cruelty required tal Nutrition Assistance Program to use 42 million hungry (SNAP), he called the move Americans as political lever“cruel and unlawful.” Days later, age,” Ellison said. “Instead of a federal court agreed, ordering using available funding, the the U.S. Department of Agricul- Trump administration tried to Both women, relatives ture (USDA) to use its $5 billion take food off the table of kids said, “did everything right.” contingency fund to continue and families across our state They filed police reports, oband across our country.” providing benefits nationwide. tained protection orders, and The court determined that reached out for help. Yet both The temporary restraining order, issued October 31, re- USDA’s suspension of SNAP were killed by men they had stores nutrition support for payments “was based on the warned police about. Their more than 42 million Ameri- erroneous conclusion that the deaths, they argue, reveal a ■ See SNAP on page 5 deeper truth: that Black and cans during the ongoing fed-
Native women are treated as less worthy of protection than their White counterparts. “My sister should be here today celebrating my dad’s birthday and her son’s birthday, but she’s not,” said Selina Owens, Samuels’ sister, her voice breaking as she addressed the crowd. “She called the police. She begged for help. They said she didn’t seem scared enough. What does that even mean? How scared does a Black woman have to be before anyone listens?” Both families described a pattern of indifference and evasion from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) when handling domestic vio-
MPD domestic violence unit understaffed
With no High Risk Team, more deaths likely By Clint Combs Contributing Writer
Her ex-boyfriend, David Wright, has been charged with second-degree murder. ennepin County Dis- Earlier that morning, Samuels trict 2 Commissioner had called 911 to report that Irene Fernando said Wright had violated a restrainthe city failed to assign an ing order by sending harassing investigator to the domestic text messages. violence case of Mariah SamAccording to the restrainuels before her death, despite ing order, after Samuels told internal claims that one had Wright she wanted to end been appointed. their relationship, he pistol-
Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando speaks with reporters on Oct. 30 about her attempts to reach Mayor Jacob Frey. Clint Combs/MSR “The letter says that an investigator was assigned,” Fernando said at a press conference at the Hennepin County Center on Thursday, Oct. 30. “So on paper, the city has asScott Selmer/MSR serted that an investigator lence cases involving women was assigned. I say all of this of color. because they haven’t providLussier’s relatives said po- ed an explanation. I had barely lice ignored repeated warnings been formally informed that that her abusive partner was they didn’t assign an investistalking her in the days before gator.” her death. When her body was Samuels, 34, was shot and discovered, officers initially killed Sept. 14 outside her ■ See SAMUELS on page 5 North Minneapolis home.
whipped her outside her home, threw her against a fence, and choked her. Fernando said MPD’s failure to assign an investigator between the Aug. 21 assault and Samuels’ killing “represents a systemic breakdown” that may have contributed to her death. She also criticized the Frey administration for refusing, for more than seven weeks, to provide basic staffing data on MPD’s domestic violence unit despite repeated ■ See FERNANDO on page 5