Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis council member curses at activist during meeting

Published

2 years ago

January 25, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis council member curses at activist during meeting

Mpls council member curses at activist

A heated council meeting boiled over on Thursday when Council Member Jeremiah Ellison swore at an activist.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Tempers at a Minneapolis City Council meeting on Thursday boiled over as a council member swore at an activist.

Ward 4 Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison directed the curse word at longtime community advocate Al Flowers, telling Flowers to “shut the f— up.”

The incident unfolded during a vote to approve a liquor license for Merwin Liquors store at Broadway and Lyndale, a heated issue in the community. Historically, the area around Merwin’s has been a hot spot for violence. The measure had been opposed by Flowers and other community members.

The audio is difficult to hear, but it appears Flowers said, “We lost again, Jeremiah” to which Ellison responded with an expletive.

Ellison was then escorted out of the chambers by Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, and the council subsequently went into recess. Vetaw later went to the hallway to speak with Flowers, when FOX 9 caught up to her.

“Of course, he was out of line, absolutely,” Vetaw said when asked about Ellison’s outburst. “I’m pretty sure he would tell you he was out of line.”

FOX 9 is told Ellison followed up with text messages to Flowers. In the messages, Ellison addressed the liquor license issue and then insulted Flowers, calling him a “lying sack of s***.” Flowers replied in disbelief, and Ellison further accused him of being a liar and a bigot, claiming that Flowers attacked his religion, adding “I’m letting everybody know about your hate for Muslims.”

In the council chambers, it appears Flowers implied that Ellison, being Muslim, should oppose the liquor store, but the specifics of his statement remain unclear. Flowers told FOX 9 that he is not anti-Muslim. It is clear that several people were rattled by the confrontation.

Bridgette Stewart from the Agape Movement in Minneapolis commented on the impact of the exchange, saying, “It’s heartbreaking because what you’re witnessing right now with [Flowers] walking away, that is every black man in our community right now.”

“Two Black men that I love, we come from the same community,” added Vetaw. “We work on all these issues. And to see them divided like that, to see Jeremiah speak to him like that… It’s not okay. And I told Jeremiah that.”

FOX 9 texted Ellison for a response about the incident and his subsequent texts to Flowers. Ellison replied, “I’m sure it’ll make a nice little story.” However, he did not respond to further inquiries regarding what he found offensive in the situation.

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Minneapolis, MN

Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video

US federal agents were filmed dragging a woman and pinning her down in the snow for several minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday. Bystanders pleaded with the agents to let the woman go and threw snowballs at them. The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, criticised the ICE tactics after the incident

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Minneapolis, MN

‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral

Published

14 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violently dragged a woman in Minneapolis this week, and pinned her face down on snow-filled streets as onlookers screamed. According to ICE officials, they were deployed for ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ when protesters swarmed the agents. Soon after several onlookers including journalists saw an ICE agent holding a woman on the ground. The video of the incident has now gone viral on social media with people criticising ICE for their violent methods. The Minneapolis police chief criticised federal immigration enforcement tactics after the chaotic scene.

What exactly happened?

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According to the video, ICE agents handcuffed a pregnant woman, and violently pinned her to the ground by forcing her onto her stomach and pressed their body weight into her even as the crowd shouted that she was pregnant. According to ICE, the incident happened during ‘Operation Metro Surge.’

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that ICE did not appear to take steps to de-escalate the situation as bystanders shouted at agents and threw snowballs in an attempt to save the woman. “We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation, but unfortunately that is … often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city,” O’Hara said. O’Hara also accused ICE of stoking fear, including the practice of hiding their identities with masks and unmarked clothes.

This comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has increased immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minnesota – Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Trump called Somali immigrants there “garbage” and said they should be deported after dozens of people, including Somali immigrants, were charged in a fraud scheme.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed concerns about the “instability” created by the ongoing ICE operations in Minneapolis during a sit-down interview on FOX 9 All Day on Wednesday.

O’Hara on ICE operation

What they’re saying:

Speaking with FOX 9’s Amy Hockert, Chief O’Hara said the issue isn’t necessarily what the agents are doing in enforcing federal law but rather the tactics they are using to go about their business.

“I think it’s been very destabilizing for a lot of people in the community,” explained Chief O’Hara. “A significant portion of the city are immigrants and that sort of instability is something that criminals and bad actors can take advantage of and that’s been the concern.”

Identifying ICE

Big picture view:

O’Hara says he is also concerned about masked federal authorities. Often, ICE agents will be masked, in unmarked squads, and not wearing visible identification of their law enforcement status. Chief O’Hara said a bad actor posing as law enforcement is a legitimate concern, pointing to the murders of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at the hands of a man posing as a police officer.

“Two or three months ago, the FBI put out a law enforcement bulletin saying that there were people committing violent crimes in cities around the country that were posing as ICE,” O’Hara said. “And it urged ICE to better identify themselves during law enforcement operations. And so that’s not just something I came up with – that’s something the FBI has been recommending.”

O’Hara says the department has also responded to calls from people who’ve encountered federal law enforcement and were unsure if they were legitimate.

“We have had calls from people who aren’t sure,” said O’Hara. “We’ve responded, and it turns out it was federal law enforcement. In other cases, it turns out it wasn’t. It was someone with a gun. We’ve had it happen both ways.”

ImmigrationMinneapolis Police DepartmentCrime and Public SafetyMinneapolis

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