Community Voices
Qualified immunity: Fix It
As for prospects for reform, what do we have? A mute Supreme Court and a likely-to-be hogtied Congress.
Politics & Policy
National
What Congress is proposing to do about police reform
Both houses of Congress propose creating a national database to track police misconduct. There was less agreement on other provisions like ending qualified immunity for police officers.
State Government
Special session gives lawmakers second shot at eliminating Minnesota’s ‘ban the box’ loophole
For years, Minnesota has prohibited both public and private employers from asking job-seekers about their criminal history on initial application forms. Yet it somehow still allows the question to appear on applications for one class of job: appointments to state boards and commissions.
Eric Black Ink
The popular vote loser has won the U.S. presidency five times
There are various proposals to modify the system for electing presidents, including some that would not require constitutional amendments, such as the “National Popular Vote” compact.
MNopedia
The Minnesota Eight’s attempts to destroy draft files during the Vietnam War were mostly unsuccessful
Around midnight on July 10, 1970, four teams of two or three people each broke into Selective Service offices in Little Falls, Alexandria, Winona, and Wabasha, intending to destroy as many military draft files as possible.
Greater Minnesota
How common is it for Minnesota police departments to authorize chokeholds, ‘neck restraints’?
More than a dozen police departments contacted by MinnPost said their officers are not allowed to use neck restraints or chokeholds, with many saying the tactics had been out of use for as long as they could remember.
Eric Black Ink
New media, Trumpism have undermined the values of ‘objective’ journalism
The so-called “objectivity” model of journalism is under tremendous pressure. It may be dying or already dead. It was always highly imperfect. But if it is abandoned, I believe it will be missed.
State Government
Trio of lawsuits challenge Minnesota absentee balloting requirements amid COVID-19
The main target of the suits is the state law requiring an absentee voter to have another registered voter witness the voting process — and the voter’s ballot signature.
Macro, Micro, Minnesota
Rebuilding Lake Street: Lessons from Plymouth Avenue in 1967
After much of Plymouth Avenue was destroyed by an uprising in 1967, one Minnesota corporation committed to investing in north Minneapolis.
Eric Black Ink
Trump’s average approval ratings show biggest negative gap in more than a year
On a positive note, from a Trumpian viewpoint, it’s not his worst negative gap. That was late in 2017, his first year in office.
D.C. Memo
D.C. Memo: George Floyd’s brother asks Congress for change
George Floyd’s brother testifies; a conversation with Rep. Ilhan Omar; and a look at the disaster in D.C. that wasn’t.
Eric Black Ink
Remembering Jeannette Rankin on her 140th birthday
Rankin was the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress in her own name (not just to serve out the last portion of a dead husband’s term).
State Government
From reforming the police to curtailing the governor’s powers, Minnesota’s House and Senate have vastly different priorities for special session
It’s not as though the DFL-controlled House and GOP-controlled Senate can’t or won’t acknowledge each other’s goals. It’s just that it isn’t going to be a top priority for what will be a unique special session of the Minnesota Legislature.
