Minneapolis, MN
Group still needs thousands of signatures to get ballot question for MPD oversight commission
Group still needs thousands of signatures to get ballot question for MPD oversight commission
Following more than three years of campaigning for their cause, which included gathering more than 10,000 signatures, a grassroots group will have just more than a week to gather thousands more to reach their goal.
On Thursday, the City of Minneapolis, led by the city clerk, updated the City Council that the group Minneapolis for Community Control of Police did not have enough valid voter signatures, being 3,498 short.
The group’s goal is to change the city charter by getting a question on the November ballot asking voters to approve a community-led group called the Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) to have sweeping power over the Minneapolis Police Department.
CPAC would be a 13-member elected commission that would, among other things, have authority on police policy, the ability to investigate misconduct and the ability to fire the chief of police. The group is also calling on members to have offices at police precincts and receive the same six-figure salary current City Council members receive.
“We have a policing problem in this city that is so tremendous, it needs the full attention of a set of individuals who that’s their one job,” said Jess Sundin, organizer with Minneapolis for Community Control of Police.
Sundin says while they expected some problems, they did not expect it to this magnitude. The group has 10 days from May 9 to get the nearly 3,500 signatures.
Ward 3 City Council Member Michael Rainville says he feels this effort is too extreme.
“The basic idea has some pretty strong suggestions in there. It would be very costly,” said Rainville, who sits on the Public Health and Safety Committee.
He has confidence in the work current city leaders have put forth surrounding policing — including the investments into the court-enforceable agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and a federal consent decree with the Department of Justice.
As for the grassroots group, it says it’s already working to get the needed signatures and they haven’t ruled out taking legal action.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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