Mohamed Ibrahim is MinnPost’s environment and public safety reporter. He can be reached at mibrahim@minnpost.com.
As the state prepares to build out its budding cannabis industry, those in the “legacy market” have a decision to make: do they stay in the illicit market, or attempt to legitimize?
Though Minneapolis crime data suggests burglaries and other property crimes are down compared to this time last year, the city has seen a recent increase in thefts from garages.
Last week, the Minneapolis Police Department and the University of Minnesota Police Department began a joint effort called Dinkytown Safe Streets — an extra enforcement campaign on weekend nights targeting the increased activity in the area.
The new option is meant to bridge the divide on the issue between community members and city officials.
The court order, which aims to bring about substantial reforms to the city’s police department, officially makes the agreement — years in the making — legally enforceable.
The report describes a three-pillar plan: preventative services like violence prevention groups, responsive services that provide real-time assistance to people seeking emergency services and restorative services that heal trauma and find root causes of community safety challenges.
While state lawmakers did not adopt a total ban, the father of Amir Locke says, “Everything has to start somewhere.”
DOJ officials said the city has agreed to negotiate toward a consent decree, and recommend 28 “remedial measures” that may serve as a framework for the ensuing agreement.
More staggering than the reduction in non-public safety stops were the data around the racial disparities.
MinnPost talked to some of the newly appointed commissioners, who say they recognize the body won’t immediately solve issues of lack of trust, transparency and accountability in law enforcement. But they say they aim to get the ball rolling on remedying those problems.
The money does include a few limitations on how it can be spent — and due to its one-time nature, isn’t likely to be useful in paying ongoing expenses like salaries — but local governments have a lot of discretion in how to use the funding to meet their public safety needs.
The city where George Floyd was murdered has seen many calls for reform in the time since, from proposals to defund the city’s police department to bans on police practices like chokeholds, pretextual stops and no-knock warrants. Here are some that have come to fruition — and some that haven’t.
The House is expected to vote on the package on Monday, where the DFL majority has the votes to pass the spending bill and get it to Gov. Walz’s desk.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said 10 people were either arrested or cited for various offenses over the weekend — seven of the 10 were juveniles, and one of them was arrested on all three nights and remains in custody.
The monitor will be the eyes and ears of the public and will track the city’s progress in instituting changes outlined in the settlement agreement between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
While incarcerated, individuals can take courses to get an Associates degree or certificate from Minneapolis College, and then decide to continue their studies and receive a bachelor’s degree from Metro State.
The Minneapolis and St. Paul Police Departments are preparing for the summertime uptick as they do every year, but in recent years, say they have shifted a focus on intervention over enforcement.
Members of Minnesota’s Muslim communities and advocates asked lawmakers to pass legislation that would expand reporting of bias-motivated crimes.
DFL lawmakers in both the House and Senate have been lukewarm about the coalition’s proposal as they tout spending proposals that are more specific in how money is used and by whom.
Joined by more than a dozen residents, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero and Ward 10 Council Member Aisha Chughtai fielded questions Thursday night at a Bryant Square Park forum.
