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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934 June 18 - 24, 2026
Vol. 92
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
No. 46
The Karmelo Anthony case and the families left behind
By Jasmine McBride Editor
n June 9, 2026, a Collin County, Texas jury sentenced 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony to 35 years in prison for the murder of 17-yearold Austin Metcalf, a white student fatally stabbed during a high school track meet in Frisco in April 2025. The verdict, reached in less than three hours by a jury that was not adequately diverse, sent shockwaves through communities already questioning whether equal justice exists for Black Americans. Anthony, who was 17 at the time, maintained he acted in self-defense after Metcalf repeatedly confronted and physically pushed him. The jury rejected both a self-
termined. “He was convicted a Hispanic teen and received when he walked out of the a 10-year sentence after a jury jail. It was not innocent until rejected the murder charge proven guilty… he was already and convicted him of criminalguilty.” Both parents described ly negligent homicide instead. ongoing death threats and The contrast has become a called the trial fundamentally flashpoint for advocates arguflawed. They plan to appeal. ing race continues to shape The racial dimensions are how juries evaluate self-deimpossible to ignore. None of fense claims and culpability. the 12 jurors were Black. The Ten years ago, another famstate struck three potential ily was thrust into the center Black jurors during selection, of a national reckoning over citing their profession as edu- race and justice in Minnesota, cators. The defense objected; and Diamond Reynolds is still the judge allowed the strikes. living with the weight of it. Critics have raised Batson Reynolds was in the car challenge concerns, pointing on July 6, 2016, when St. AnSupporters for Karmelo Anthony demonstrate in front of the Collin County courthouse, June to the Supreme Court’s rul- thony police officer Jeronimo 11, in McKinney, Texas. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez ing that lawyers cannot use Yanez shot and killed her peremptory challenges solely boyfriend, Philando Castile, tend to hurt anyone. My son based on race. defense claim and a “sudden tencing, pleading for mercy. during a traffic stop in Falcon The day after, both parents was defending himself. And passion” finding that could The case has drawn point- Heights. She livestreamed the that’s what hurt so bad.” have reduced the sentence. broke their silence. ed comparisons to that of aftermath, her young daughHis father, Andrew Antho- Caysen Allison, a white Texas ter in the back seat. Yanez was “My son is no murderer,” His mother, Kayla Hayes, was the sole witness during sen- Hayes said. “My son didn’t in- ny, said the verdict felt prede- teenager who fatally stabbed ■ See STOLEN on page 5
Federal bill Metro surge’s toll: $700 million and three lives could gut state
By Clint Combs Contributing Writer
sands detailed in a sweeping new report estimating that Operation Metro Surge inflicted nearly $700 million in economic damage on Minneapolis. A figure city officials say is likely an undercount, with the true toll closer to $1 billion. The 50-page report, released Wednesday, found that businesses lost an estimated $445 million in revenue and workers lost more than $152 million in wages over four months. Nearly 40% of residents avoided urgent care or hospital visits out of fear. Minneapolis Public Schools served roughly 441,000 fewer meals over three months as student attendance collapsed. Three people died. Federal agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Interior of Colonial Market on Lake Street. Victor Manuel Diaz died in a Photo courtesy of Clint Combs/MSR Texas detention facility after
Colonial Market in South Minneapolis with 25 workers, $3 million invested and a vision aniel Hernandez for serving the Latino comarrived in the munity along the Lake Street United States at corridor. Eighteen months af16 chasing the ter opening day, he is closing American Dream. Twenty-four the doors. His story is one of thouyears later, he opened a third
being arrested in the city. A 2-year-old child was transported to Texas despite a court order. Rachel Sayre, who spent a decade leading humanitarian responses for USAID in Yemen, Syria and Ukraine, said what she witnessed in Minneapolis was unlike anything she expected to see at home. “People with masks, without any sort of seeming chain of command or rule of law… The way they were taking our residents out of the street, shipping them away without any sort of due process. Those are all conditions that you see in conflict zones that I’ve worked in,” Sayre said. For Hernandez, the collapse was swift and unrelenting. Within weeks of Trump taking office, sales were cut in half. By
protections for kids on social media
By Anya Armentrout Contributing Writer
is trained to push beauty products, disordered eating content and ads for GLP-1 7% of Black youth say weight loss drugs onto her they are on social media feed. The company produces “almost constantly,” and insecurity, and then profits off 47% say they frequently en- of it. counter racist comments on This is just one of the agthose platforms. gressive tactics that pushed
■ See METRO on page 5
Georgia Fort honored for courage in journalism amid federal charges By Alaysia Lane Contributing Writer
on my way back to Minnesota when I found out,” she said. “Just really moved and touched ndependent journalist to have an international instiGeorgia Fort has been tution recognize my work and named a recipient of the dedication to journalism. It’s 2026 Courage in Journal- just really humbling.” Fort is currently facing fedism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation, eral felony charges related to known as the IWMF, an honor her coverage of a Jan. 30 prorecognizing women journal- test in St. Paul. She has pleaded ists who report under risk and not guilty and is awaiting trial. While the legal proceedpressure around the world. Based in Minneapolis and ings have drawn national atthe founder of BLCK Press, tention, IWMF officials said Fort is among this year’s re- the award recognizes Fort’s cipients, which also include broader career in journalism. “The IWMF selected Fort journalists from Iran, Myanmar and the Philippines. The because she has demonstrataward is dedicated to recog- ed courage throughout her nizing women who persist in long career,” said Elisa Lees their reporting despite facing Muñoz, president of the orlegal threats, imprisonment, ganization. “This award recognizes journalists for their violence and censorship. Fort said she was notified longstanding dedication to while traveling back to Min- the industry and to supporting issues that are fraught in nesota. “I was actually at the airport their communities.”
Muñoz said Fort’s nearly sustained commitment, not a two-decade career across single moment. Still, she said the timing of radio, television and independent media reflects the the recognition also reflects organization’s intent to honor ■ See COURAGE on page 5
cottonbro studio
Georgia Fort
Courtesy
Minnesota is no exception to these statistics, taken from a 2024 survey by Common Sense Media. “Social media companies have designed their products to be harmful and addictive, especially to children,” Minnesota state Sen. Erin K. Maye Quade said. “They know the harm that they’re causing, and they’ve decided to double down on the tactics that bring about that harm.” When Instagram, owned by Meta, identifies that a teenage girl has posted a selfie and then deleted it, the algorithm
Maye Quade to author HF 4138, also known as the Stop the Harms from Addictive Social Media Act. The bipartisan act, signed into law in May, requires age verification and parental consent for children under 15 to access social media, limits addictive design features, requires account settings to default to maximum privacy and limits targeted advertising to minors. But if the federal Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, known as the KIDS Act, passes, state legislators like ■ See KIDS on page 5