BCA requests full personnel files of officers in Damond shooting case

by MinnPost staff 09/06/201709/06/2017

You’d think this would be a pretty standard request in cases like this. The Star Tribune’s Libor Jany reports: “The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is continuing to dig into the backgrounds of the two Minneapolis police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond nearly two months ago. … Their latest request: The unredacted personnel files and medical records of the officers, Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity. … Damond, 40, a native of Australia, was shot and killed July 15 by Noor, who was responding to her 911 call about a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her Fulton neighborhood home. The case drew international outrage and led to the ouster of chief Janeé Harteau.”

Nice profile of Minnesota musical treasure Charlie Parr. In City Pages, Erica Rivera writes: “Charlie Parr is under siege. … His enemies: depression and suicidal thoughts. The roots musician has been battling these forces since his teens, but a resurgence over the past few years has tested his will to live. … Parr is no quitter. The lifelong Minnesotan has been making music for 42 years. He’s released 13 albums and built a fervent fan base at home and abroad, including seven tours in Australia and a dozen in Ireland. He played 272 road shows in 2016 alone. But his biggest achievement might be staying alive. That Parr is here, drinking coffee on a sunny Saturday afternoon at a hilltop farm-to-table restaurant in Duluth, is a testament to his endurance.”

How many more articles like these are we going to see between now and 2020? For Cosmopolitan Robin Marty spent a day at the Fair with the Senator Next Door: “Senator Amy Klobuchar tells anyone who asks that she isn’t running for the Democratic nomination in 2020. ‘I am happy where I am right now, focused on the needs of Minnesotans,’ I hear her say more than once in August at the Minnesota State Fair — the event of the year for any local politician with county, state, or national aspirations.”

Hey, a Minneapolis development story not including the phrase “luxury apartments.” The Southwest Journal’s Michelle Bruch reports: “Lowry Hill neighbors pressed for details Tuesday on the financing, operations and demographics of a youth housing project proposed for the former Bradstreet site at 1930 Hennepin Ave. … An architect for the John and Denise Graves Foundation presented a design for 41 units of affordable housing in a four-story building that includes commercial space and aims to blend with the scale and aesthetic of its neighbors. Fifteen permanent supportive housing units would target youth in Hennepin County’s extended foster care program earning below 30 percent of area median income. The remaining apartments would rent to tenants with income levels of about $30,000–$35,000, with rents of about $800 per month for a studio. … Foundation staff said they would engage the renters to serve as mentors for the lower-income youth in the building. Maximum capacity in the building would be 82 people. … Lowry Hill resident Mike Roess said he thinks the project is good, but attention must be paid to parking problems and early morning trash pickup issues. Resident Toni D’Eramo said she fears congestion that began with Burch Steak would be aggravated by the development.”