Midwest
FLASHBACK: Walz backed 'alternatives to policing' package at height of defund movement
Days after the city of Minneapolis was crippled by violent riots after the death of George Floyd and at the height of the “defund the police movement,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz endorsed a package of progressive police reforms that included “alternatives to policing.”
“Minnesotans are demanding real change,” Walz said during a June 11, 2020, press conference endorsing a police reform package put together by the Minnesota People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus. He called it one of his “legislative priorities.”
“We stand united with House and Senate leaders and the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, ready to get to work during the upcoming special session. I stand with the legislators who have coordinated a powerful set of reforms to make meaningful changes to our law enforcement system in Minnesota.”
A daily update that year from the Minnesota House of Representatives also noted, “Members of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus joined Gov. Tim Walz Thursday to present 18 bills they plan to introduce during the special session that begins Friday. Each bill deals with an aspect of police policy, training or discipline that caucus members believe will improve public safety and relations between officers and the communities they serve.”
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign event Aug. 7, 2024, in Detroit. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“This is a coordinated and powerful set of reforms,” Walz said at the time. “Minnesota will change the way we do policing.”
The “powerful set of reforms” included a call to create an Office of Community-Led Public Safety Coordination, which would “promote and monitor alternatives to traditional policing models” and award grants for “healing circles.”
The proposal states that “$7,450,000 is appropriated for grants to promote healing support in the black, indigenous, and communities of color in Minnesota. The Office will provide grants to community-based organizations that provide programs and direct intervention to promote wellness and healing justice. Grants would be made available for, but not limited to, the expansion of community organizations that provide healing and wellness services, providing healing circles, restorative justice circles, and community coach certification programs.”
FORMER MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS UNLOAD ON HARRIS’ ‘PARTISAN’ VP PICK TIM WALZ: ‘VERY THIN-SKINNED’
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, arrive at a campaign rally in Philadelphia Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“We’re supporting that slate of legislative proposals,” Walz said during a press conference June 10, 2020, three days after the Minneapolis City Council pledged to disband its police force.
Walz ultimately signed police reforms into law as part of the Minnesota Police Accountability Act. However, the legislation did not include an Office of Community-Led Public Safety Coordination.
The family of Daunte Wright gathers on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death May 25, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa, File)
“This bipartisan bill follows decades of advocacy by communities of color,” Walz said when the legislation was approved. “And it is a good first step. These are long overdue changes, but they do not end the conversation we’re having about police accountability. The POCI Caucus has shown tremendous leadership on this issue, and I look forward to continuing our work with them to bring meaningful reform.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris/Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
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Midwest
Chicago teacher disappears, husband pleads for help finding her
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A Chicago special education teacher has disappeared, leaving her family fearful and desperate for answers.
Linda Brown, 53, was last seen on Saturday in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, police said.
Brown was heading to the Wicker Park area for an acupuncture appointment but never arrived, according to a missing person flyer the Chicago Teachers Union posted online.
Brown’s husband, Antwon Brown, told FOX32 Chicago that he and his wife watched a movie before going to bed early Friday night. When he woke up the next day, Brown was already gone.
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Linda Brown vanished Saturday from Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, police said. (Chicago Teachers Union)
“I’m broke down, I don’t know what to do,” he told the station. “I’ve done everything. I’m talking to people; we got people searching for her, I’m out of options. I don’t know what to do.”
Linda Brown is a special education teacher at Robert Healy Elementary School in Bridgeport. (Chicago Police Department)
Antwon Brown said that it was out of character for his wife not to show up to the scheduled acupuncture appointment.
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“I woke up at 8:45 a.m. and she was gone,” he said. “She took her purse and credit cards, but I’m thinking she was at acupuncture.”
The family called police on Sunday after multiple calls and messages to Brown went unanswered.
Chicago police said Brown may be in need of medical attention. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images, File)
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Antwon Brown said Linda, a special education teacher at Robert Healy Elementary School in Bridgeport, has a history of mental health issues. He said this was the first time she has gone missing.
Police said Brown may be driving a blue Honda Civic with Illinois plates and that she may need medical attention.
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Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.
A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.
As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.
Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.
The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.
Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.
This is a developing story.
Milwaukee, WI
Chief marketing and communication officer named to Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 | Marquette Today
Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer, was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
Griffith leads Marquette’s Office of Marketing and Communication, a team of 30 talented professionals who work to elevate and differentiate the Marquette brand via strategy and planning; brand management; media relations; internal communication; presidential communication; social media; issues and crisis management; advertising, digital and creative services; video; and editorial content, including the university’s flagship alumni publication, Marquette Magazine.
Under Griffith’s leadership, Marquette’s marketing and communication team has been recognized for excellence, winning multiple National Collegiate Advertising awards, Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter Paragon Awards. In 2024, the university’s digital storytelling strategy was named a Ragan’s PR Daily award finalist. Marquette is ranked a top 55 most trusted higher education brand in the U.S. by Morning Consult and its social media is No. 5 in the country for higher education social media engagement by RivalIQ.
During her nine years at Marquette, Griffith has been tapped for multiple university initiatives, including co-chairing the university’s Crisis Management Team, co-leading the university’s Convention Steering Committee ahead of Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024, and serving on Mission Priority Examen and presidential inauguration planning committees.
An engaged member of the Milwaukee community, Griffith serves on the board of directors of Menomonee Valley Partners and on the marketing committee of VISIT Milwaukee. She is a member of TEMPO Milwaukee and the Arthur W. Page Society, as well as the Marquette Mentors leadership council, on which she also serves as a mentor. She recently completed the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ 18-month Ignatian Colleagues Program for lay leaders.
Griffith is a two-time graduate of Marquette, earning a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and writing intensive English and a Master of Business Administration.
40 Under 40 honorees were selected based on the impact they have had in their jobs, in the community and on Southeast Wisconsin overall. The Milwaukee Business Journal reviewed hundreds of nominations to curate its 34th 40 Under 40 cohort.
In addition to Griffith, seven alumni were named to the list:
- David Griggs, co-founder of One 5 Olive LLC
- Jordan Komp, senior principal and Milwaukee office director at Thornton Tomasetti Inc.
- Avery Mayne, attorney at von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
- Brian McClaren, principal of H. Knox Development Company
- Emily Tau, director of public affairs for Milwaukee County
- Jessica Shepherd, director of financial planning and analysis at Baird
- Mike Wanezek, partner at Colliers | Wisconsin
The 40 Under 40 honorees will be celebrated in a forthcoming special edition of the Milwaukee Business Journal and at an awards presentation on Wednesday, March 11, at the Baird Center.
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