PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
To Subscribe Scan Here
THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934 May 28 - June 3, 2026
Vol. 92
No. 43
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
Six years later, George Floyd's memory stands strong at 38th and Chicago By Chris Juhn Contributing Writer ellow roses were laid one by one at the place where George Floyd took his last breath six years ago. Family members, activists, and community leaders gathered at the memorial site at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, each stepping forward to place a flower, pause, and remember. Among them was Floyd's girlfriend, who knelt at the memorial, laid down a yellow rose, kissed her hand, and pressed it gently on top. Six years have passed since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on May 25, 2020, sparking one of the largest protest movements in world history. Much of the country has moved on. But at 38th and Chicago, the memorial still stands. The keepers of the site have fought the city repeatedly to preserve it, insisting that it remain as a
reminder of what happened here, and of what continues to happen to Black people at the hands of police across Minneapolis, across Minnesota, and across the country. The day began with the Day of Remembrance Brunch, hosted by the organization Win Back. Approximately 200 people gathered to honor community members and invest in the next generation of leaders. The event featured discussion about the events of 2020 and the work that still lies ahead. Two recipients of the 2025 Economic Development and Advocacy Fellowship, Myleeyah Holbrook and Jade Hill, spoke about how the scholarships they received have shaped their paths since. The message from organizers was clear: remembering George Floyd means more than ceremony. It means investment. "You guys are a big corporation. You guys have an influence. Come with us when we're trying to pass laws. Because if they won't listen to
Photo courtesy of Chris Juhn/MSR us, maybe they'll listen to y'all. Because one thing that people in higher places respect is money," said community advocate Brandon Williams, one of three panelists at the brunch. Williams was joined on the panel by actor, singer, and songwriter Tristan Wilds and Deborah Watts, cousin of Emmett Till and co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foun-
dation. The panel was moderated by Leslie Redmond, community activist and executive director of Win Back. The Spokesman-Recorder sat down with Redmond to discuss the day's events and the enduring legacy of George Floyd. "The legacy is that when we don't remember, we repeat," Redmond said. "For too long, people wanted to forget
about what happened with George Floyd. That's one of the reasons why I started doing the Day of Remembrance… because we were right here in Minnesota and people were sweeping it underneath the rug like, let's not talk about it anymore. And that's a problem for me." She drew a direct line from Floyd's death to more recent losses. "Even Renee Nicole
Good. Alex Freddie, that just happened a couple months ago and we barely even talk about it. And if we don't remember, we will keep repeating the cycles." Redmond pointed to the tenth anniversary of Philando Castile's death approaching this summer as another reminder of how little has changed. "It keeps happening ■ See GEORGE on page 5
Minnesota’s next Minneapolis launches generation of dedicated unit to investigate Black lawyers non-fatal shootings won’t back down By Jasmine McBride Editor
By Clint Combs Contributing Writer
here, and what are you bringing with you? Their answers efore the Minnetell the story of a community apolis Police Det a time when the that refuses to be left without partment created a rights of margin- representation. dedicated non-fatal For many of these gradu- shooting investigative unit, a alized communities are under ates, the road to law school surviving victim’s case might sustained attack, from voting began not in a classroom but land on the desk of a proprights rollbacks to DEI restric- in a living room, a courtroom erty crimes detective, a traffic tions to immigration enforce- gallery, or behind prison walls. investigator, or whoever hapment, a new class of Black Ebra Brock of Mitchell Ham- pened to be on duty that night. lawyers is entering the legal line carries perhaps the most “The homicide unit was profession with something to striking origin story. At eight being assigned not just hoyears old, she met her father micides but also non-fatal say and someone to fight for. shootings, however, they would only respond to the scene when a homicide happened,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. “So what that meant was we rotate duty investigators during non-business hours, at night and on weekends, so tonight it might be a property crimes investigator, on Saturday it might be a traffic investigator.” That approach left non-fatal shootings among the most under-investigated categories of violent crime in the city. Now, Minneapolis is changing course. The Minneapolis City Kyle Fluker (left) and Jadyn Lovelady. Camille Davidson Council allocated $1.7 million
Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley speaks outside the Minneapolis American Indian Center about her effort to secure nearly $2 million in funding for the Minneapolis Police Department’s new non-fatal shooting investigative unit, known as the Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST). Clint Combs/MSR
just like when there is a homicide, an investigator assigned to the FAST team will respond immediately to the scene and start working the case, instead of having a detective who typically investigates some other crime start it and then wait for an investigator to be assigned Monday morning,” O’Hara said. The FAST team currently includes a lieutenant and seven Minneapolis officers, four agents from the Minnesota Seven graduates from for the first time through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehenthe University of Minnesota, walls of Louisiana's Angola sion, intelligence support from Mitchell Hamline School of State Penitentiary. That visit the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Law, and the University of planted a seed. Last year, beOffice, a Ramsey County SherSt. Thomas School of Law re- fore her first day of law school, iff’s deputy, and a Metro Trancently crossed the stage into a Brock advocated for her fasit Police officer. Detectives profession that has historically ther's release after 22 years from the Bloomington Police excluded people who look like of incarceration. She will conDepartment are expected to them. The Minnesota Spokes- tinue as a summer law clerk at join next month. man-Recorder sat down with the First Judicial District Pub- Official data from Minneapolis on how many non-fatal shootThe urgency is rooted in each of them to ask a simple lic Defender's Office. data. Minneapolis’ clearance ing cases have been cleared in the last five years. question: what brought you ■ See LAWYERS on page 5 City of Minneapolis rate for non-fatal shootings in the 2026 budget to fund the department’s new Firearm Assault Shoot Team, known as FAST. The unit represents the city’s most significant commitment yet to treating shootings where victims survive with the same urgency as homicides. It works in coordination with the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT), which focuses on apprehending suspects once they are identified. “What is different now is,
had historically hovered near 30 percent. In 2025, it climbed to 47 percent, still well below the 80 percent clearance rate achieved for homicides that same year.
“The FAST team will respond immediately to the scene and start working the case.” City leaders pointed to St. Paul as the model. Before launching its own dedicated unit, St. Paul solved just 38 percent of non-fatal shooting cases in 2023. By the end of 2024, that rate had jumped to 71 percent. Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley ■ See POLICE on page 5