Minnesota House POCI Caucus
PRESS RELEASE
Minnesota House of Representatives
State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lindy Sowmick
989-289-8593 or lindy.sowmick@house.mn
April 7, 2022
POCI Caucus statement on no charges in Amir Locke case
SAINT PAUL, MN - On April 7, 2022, the House POCI Caucus of Minnesota released the following joint statement:
“Our legal system has once again failed Amir Locke. With no charges today against the officer who caused his death, it is clear that legislative action must be taken to ensure that Black lives will no longer be lost at the hands of the police. Someone must be held accountable for Amir Locke’s death, but the current system does not allow for citizens to have relief in these situations. Our communities are hurting today, and we hurt with them.
“We are working at the State House to ban no-knock warrants in Minnesota. This would be a just response to the situation, and a preventive measure to save more lives. The bill has made it through the committee process and now awaits a final vote on the House floor. We urge our colleagues to work with us to pass this life-saving legislation.
“No-knock warrants are an unacceptable, unnecessary, and too-often deadly tool that should become a thing of the past. The wide majority of police departments in our state do not use no-knock warrants, and have better results. This tool is dangerous for both officers and residents.
“When the law fails our communities of color, we will work to change the law.”
The House People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus includes Reps. Esther Agbaje (Chair, 59B), Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Cedrick Frazier (45A), Aisha Gomez (62B), Hodan Hassan (62A), Kaohly Her (64A), Athena Hollins (Chair, 66B), Fue Lee (59A), Carlos Mariani (65B), Rena Moran (65A), Mohamud Noor (60B), Ruth Richardson (52B), Samantha Vang (40B), Jay Xiong (67B), Tou Xiong (53A)
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