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Dear Neighbors,
We have come through a heavy and tense few weeks as we awaited the verdict in the trail of Derek Chauvin. Then earlier this month, Duante Wright was killed by a police officer in Brooklyn Center. I feel the hurt in our community along with many of you. Please take care of yourself, and reach out if you need help.
With the guilty verdict, it is good to see that Mr. Chauvin will be held accountable for murdering George Floyd. My heart continues to go out to Mr. Floyd's family.
There is still much work to be done, and the work we are doing in the Minnesota House is putting us on the path towards reaching true justice. That means we live in a state where police no longer kill Black people. A safe Minnesota means ending the obstruction to police accountability measures so that we transform how and when police engage with community members. We must lead the transformation to community-led public safety that includes investment in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our mental and physical health and wellness.
Justice will come when we ensure that our BIPOC communities have access to and training for jobs that pay a living wage. Justice will come when we ensure that our communities have the access to quality healthcare. Justice will come when we increase resources in our communities for truly affordable housing, so everyone has a place to call home.
I will keep working to ensure that Black people in Minnesota receive justice. Black lives matter.
Public Safety Reform
A big part of the necessary change for Minnesota will come from public safety reform at the state level, which we passed off the House floor last night. I’m incredibly proud to be working alongside my fellow colleagues in the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus, who have been leading the charge for meaningful police accountability measures. Important changes were passed into law in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, but they were always meant to be the first of many steps. Now, the DFL House has the following as part of their official Public Safety, Judiciary, and Civil Law Budget:
- Allowing local governments to establish civilian oversight councils
- Enhancing training and requiring the development of new model policies
- Supporting community organizations working to prevent crime
- Issuing body cameras and prohibiting altering, destroying, or withholding the footage
- Prohibiting white supremacists from become police officers
- Limiting the use of no-knock warrants
- Strengthening the police officer misconduct database and building a more effective early warning system to identify bad officers and keep them off the streets
- Limiting police officers’ authority to stop or detain drivers for certain violations
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