PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
To Subscribe Scan Here
M
M
U
L
T
I
M
E
D
I
U
L
T
I
M
E
D
I
A
A
THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
November 20 - 26, 2025
Vol. 92
No. 16
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
Supreme Court weighs Jamar Clark’s mother damages for inmate’s keeps son’s legacy alive forced haircut By Clay Masters and Ngoc Bui
By Damenica Ellis
ASHINGTON (HUNS) — Damon Landor, a Rastafarian who had taken a Nazarite vow to grow his hair in locks, was transferred to Raymond Laborde Correctional Center for the final three weeks of his sentence. He arrived with proof of religious accommodation from two previous facilities, along with a court ruling showing that Louisiana recognized his practice under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA).
A guard discarded Landor’s documents and called in the prison’s warden, Marcus My-
to a chair, and shaved his head. After completing his sentence, Landor sued the Louisiana Department of Corrections, the prison, Myers, and the department’s secretary, James LeBlanc, in both their official and individual capacities. Twentytwo organizations, including religious groups, former correctional officers, and the United States, filed amicus briefs supporting him. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Nov. 10 Damon Landor State of Louisiana in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections to deterers. When Myers asked to see mine whether individuals may additional proof of Landor’s sue state officials for monetary damages over RLUIPA violations. Louisiana argues that individual-capacity claims are barred. Landor’s attorney, Zachary Tripp, countered that RLUIPA clearly allows “appropriate relief,” which includes damages. Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned whether that clarity exists, noting that both the district court and the 5th Circuit sided with the officials before appeal. Tripp argued religion, he no longer had it, that the law holds the governand two guards carried him to ment, and individuals acting another room, handcuffed him ■ See HAIRCUT on page 5
aturday, November 15, marks 10 years since the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark by Minneapolis police. Sixty-one seconds after two police officers first encountered the 24-year-old Clark outside of a house party on the North Side, an officer shot Clark in the head. He died the next day. Clark was unarmed, and the officers were never charged.
“It don’t never click in that this thing is real and so you have to be jerked, in a sense, back to reality that is real.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, there were questions of whether Clark was handcuffed at the time of the shooting, and whether Clark had reached for an officer’s gun. And in the absence of conclusive video, there were concerns over whose accounts investigators and
Irma Burns, Jamar Clark’s mother, at her home in Minneapolis Kerem Yücel | MPR News prosecutors considered when deciding not to file charges — the police officers, or other witnesses to the shooting. The shooting prompted protests, including an occupation outside the city’s 4th Precinct that lasted 18 days. Even though it’s been 10
years since the shooting, Clark’s mother feels as though no time has passed at all. “It still feels like yesterday,” Burns said. “It don’t never click in that this thing is real and so you have to be jerked, in a sense, back to reality that ■ See JAMAR on page 5
Mpls street renamed Lena Smith Blvd. corrects a historic wrong
By Lizzy Nyoike Contributing Writer
has been documented by the Mapping Prejudice Project, which highlights how segregation shaped neighborhoods across the city. As the effort gained momentum, organizers realized that simply removing Walton’s name was not enough. They wanted to replace it with a name carrying intention and meaning. In 2024, a ninemember naming committee was formed to recommend a replacement, ensuring diverse voices were included. “We recognized that the core group was primarily white,” said Kristen Eddy, a committee member. “We felt responsible to try to correct a historic wrong, but we worried we were in an echo chamber, so we broadened our outreach.” The committee required that any final name recommendation be unanimous. Criteria included a connection to Minneapolis, ties to racial justice or community repair, and the ability to inspire learning. After community input, Lena Olive Smith emerged as the clear choice. Nearly 600 residents participated in the public survey. Born in 1885, Smith became Minnesota’s first Black female lawyer in 1921. She served as president of the Minneapolis NAACP, fought Lena Olive Smith was Minnesota’s first Black female attorney. against police brutality, and Reclaiming Edmund defended Black homeowners facing racial intimidation. The renaming follows a vent Black families and other Her work preceded the Civil five-year, community-driven people of color from buying Rights Movement by decades. “Lena Smith challenges us initiative called Reclaiming homes in Minneapolis. The Edmund Boulevard, founded impact of these covenants to see our city in a fuller, more in 2020 by Joe Larsen and Mark Brandt. The pair said the project was inspired by MinA Minneapolis street along neapolis’ reckoning with racial the Mississippi River has been inequality after the murder of renamed Lena Smith Bou- George Floyd. “Edmund Boulevard was levard to honor Lena Olive Smith, Minnesota’s first Black never a reflection of our female attorney and longtime shared values,” one committee member said. “Reclaiming civil rights advocate. The street, formerly known it allows us to replace a name as Edmund Boulevard and rooted in exclusion with one named for segregationist de- grounded in justice and beveloper Edmund Walton, is longing.” Walton, the original street’s part of a broader effort to confront systemic racism in namesake, had used racially restrictive covenants to prethe city’s history and spaces.
“Symbols matter. The renaming is a signal to all our community members: You belong here.”
Lizzy Nyoike/MSR honest light,” the Reclaiming the committee continued Edmund Boulevard commit- supporting residents by holding drop-in sessions to help tee said. The initiative prioritized update mailing addresses and community engagement other documentation. “Symbols matter,” Eddy said. throughout the process. Organizers partnered with the “It’s a signal to all our comLongfellow Community Coun- munity members: You belong cil, Council Member Aurin here.” For Larsen and Brandt, the Chowdhury’s Ward 12 office, local schools, churches, and renaming represents a broader movement to confront neighborhood groups. “We wanted this process to racial inequalities in housing be inclusive and community- and history. “What began as driven,” Eddy said. “As neigh- an effort to remove a name bors working to address a misaligned with our comlegacy of racial exclusion, we munity’s values grew into an made it a priority to listen and opportunity to educate and connect across communities.” uplift powerful figures from After the City Council ap- underrepresented groups in proved the change in 2024, our local history,” they said.
Eddy reflected on the personal lessons learned during the process. “I learned something new about myself during this process: that urgency can be a form of oppression,” she said. Now, Lena Smith’s name stands not just as memory, but as presence, direction, and a way forward, inviting residents to learn her story and understand that the fight for justice in Minneapolis extends across generations. Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student with interest in community stories, investigative and multimedia journalism.