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Minneapolis, MN

Opinion | Minneapolis Hasn’t Recovered From George Floyd’s Death

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Opinion | Minneapolis Hasn’t Recovered From George Floyd’s Death


Jon Lundberg

didn’t need to depart town. He and his spouse, Aimee, knew their North Minneapolis neighbors and have been lively of their church. Their Jordan neighborhood may very well be tough, however Mr. Lundberg believed residing there was worthwhile due to the service his household gave to the neighborhood. Every little thing modified in late Might 2020. That’s when the taking pictures began.

Mr. Lundberg observed the gunfire nearly instantly after

George Floyd’s

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demise on Might 25. What had been occasional turned every day. Pictures generally rang out throughout the college day when Mr. Lundberg’s youngsters have been distance studying. As soon as he slammed their computer systems closed and hustled the household to the ground. He discovered a bullet gap about 6 inches from his entrance door and one other close to his daughter’s bed room window.

In August 2020 the Lundbergs and 6 of their neighbors sued town, alleging that by flirting with the defund-the-police motion, the native authorities was actively inflicting officers to retire, stop or take medical depart. The division’s numbers had dipped nicely beneath the minimal of 743 officers required by town constitution. As an alternative of defunding the police, the Lundbergs argued of their swimsuit, town ought to adjust to its constitution and rent extra officers, practice them rigorously, and “for the sake of Minneapolis, cease the harmful actions and rhetoric and guarantee your residents that you simply intend to guard them from violent crime.” The case is earlier than the Minnesota Supreme Court docket, the place it will likely be heard in June.

In February 2021 the Lundbergs have been badly shaken by a taking pictures on their block. Mr. Lundberg says he counted greater than 30 rounds fired in speedy succession. A physician recognized his 12-year-old son with post-traumatic stress dysfunction after the household discovered him convulsing in mattress along with his eyes rolled to the again of his head.

“At that second, I needed to make the choice to cease seeing the scenario via the eyes of a neighbor,” Mr. Lundberg says. “And I needed to see it as a father.”

The household moved to Plymouth, a western suburb of Minneapolis. They stored the Jordan home, in hope that they might sometime return. However others have left the realm solely. Almost 14,000 individuals moved out of Hennepin County final yr, a pattern influenced by elements together with public-safety considerations. The homicide fee in Minneapolis almost hit a document final yr with 96 homicides, double the quantity from 2019. That enhance coincided with a mass exodus from the police division. Greater than 300 officers out of 825 have stop since Mr. Floyd’s demise.

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To the customer, the shortage of order is most readily obvious in George Floyd Sq.. The obstacles that blocked site visitors throughout the previous two years are gone, however the four-block space continues to be basically an autonomous zone. Metropolis buses don’t cease there. Vehicles are sometimes deserted in the course of the highway. The trashed Speedway gasoline station has turn out to be a makeshift outside front room. The town has proposed refurbishing the sq. as a neighborhood plaza, however the combination of racial-justice activists, residents, and native gangs vying for management make it unlikely.

“That is nonetheless an lively protest area,” says activist

Susan Heineman.

“So we are saying, ‘Meet our calls for after which we’ll discuss.’ ”

These calls for embrace firing quite a few metropolis leaders, ending certified immunity for law enforcement officials, and giving lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} to the assorted teams occupying George Floyd Sq.. In response to a manifesto posted within the sq., activists received’t consent to the community-plaza proposal as a result of “the George Floyd Memorial is initially a spot of protest, not commissioned by the Metropolis however by the individuals in opposition to the Metropolis.”

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This kind of intransigence will maintain Minneapolis from therapeutic, says

Don Samuels,

a former metropolis councilman, who has emerged because the chief of a criminal-justice reform motion that explicitly rejects defunding town’s police. Mr. Samuels, who marched within the preliminary protests after Floyd’s demise, says that as quickly as he noticed rioting start, he understood that the motion could be hijacked by extremists.

Mr. Samuels factors to Rep.

Ilhan Omar,

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in opposition to whom he’s operating within the Democratic main, as a typical instance of a frontrunner who embraced a damaging slogan to burnish her political credentials. Even in the summertime of 2020, Mr. Samuels says, the concept of defunding the police was unpopular with Minneapolis residents and virtually unworkable. It was irresponsible for politicians to court docket its backers. Floyd’s demise was a time for a critical reassessment of policing protocol, Mr. Samuels says, “not a name for leaders to grab the second to demand one thing that simply will get an increase out of the general public at an emotional time.”

Mr. Samuels nonetheless thinks there’s a path to restoration, although it will likely be troublesome for cooler heads to prevail: “We now have to grab this second, not lose it by extremism.”

However Mr. Lundberg doesn’t see himself returning to Minneapolis anytime quickly. And as he watches his previous house from the surface, he’s unsure town has even hit all-time low. “It all the time will get to a breaking level earlier than actual change occurs,” he says. “All people must be damaged, sadly. And I don’t know if we’re there but.”

Mr. Rowan is managing editor of the Lamp, a Catholic literary journal.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis PD searches for missing teen

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Minneapolis PD searches for missing teen


Ashton Ferrero (Minneapolis PD / Facebook)

The Minneapolis Police Department is asking for the public’s help as they search for a vulnerable teen reported missing on Thursday.

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Missing teen in Minneapolis

What we know: The Minneapolis Police Department issued an alert on Thursday evening for 16-year-old Ashton Ferraro who went missing in the afternoon hours.

Police say he was last seen in the area of Hennepin Avenue East and Central Avenue Northeast around 1 p.m.

Ashton is described as a thin, 5’8″ tall, with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was wearing a blue puffy Hilfiger jacket with a white stripe, a black hoodie, black pants, and black shoes.

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The backstory: Police say Ashton doesn’t live in Minneapolis but was in the city with his family when he jumped from their vehicle and ran away.

Police say Ferraro is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and is on the autism spectrum.

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How to help: Police ask anyone who sees Ferrara to call 911 immediately. Anyone with potential information on his whereabouts can call non-emergency dispatch at 612-348-2345, email policetips@minneapolismn.gov. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crimestoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org.

Missing PersonsMinneapolis Police Department



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Minneapolis, MN

Speeding Driver Runs Red Lights, Kills 2 In Minneapolis: Prosecutors

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Speeding Driver Runs Red Lights, Kills 2 In Minneapolis: Prosecutors


MINNEAPOLIS — A 38-year-old Minneapolis woman is accused of speeding through multiple red lights before causing a crash at Emerson Avenue North and 26th Avenue North that left two people dead and two injured.

Teniki Steward, 38, faces two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation. If convicted, she faces up 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

The crash killed Esther Jean Fulks and Rose Elaine Reece.

“Our office has been in close communication with the Minneapolis Police Department regarding this case, which was submitted to our office on Thursday and charged Friday,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.

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“This was another completely avoidable incident of a car being driven irresponsibly with disastrous consequences. Our thoughts are with the surviving victims and with the families of the two members of our community who were killed.”

On Dec. 16, Minneapolis police responded to a crash at the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and 26th Avenue North.

Prosecutors said Steward was driving a Buick Enclave at a high rate of speed when she ran a red light at Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, nearly causing a collision.

Steward continued driving northbound on Emerson Avenue North at high speed, according to authorities.

As she approached 26th Avenue North, the traffic light for northbound traffic was red. Despite this, Steward entered the intersection at high speed and struck a Ford Explorer traveling eastbound, which was lawfully entering the intersection on a green light, authorities said.

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The collision killed both individuals in the Ford Explorer. The force of the impact caused the Explorer to hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk, resulting in a third victim.

The passenger in the Buick Enclave also suffered injuries in the crash



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Minneapolis, MN

Twin Cities enjoy 'white Christmas'

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Twin Cities enjoy 'white Christmas'


After last year’s brown Christmas, the big question people had in the Twin Cities metro this holiday season was will it be a white or brown Christmas? It was officially a white Christmas once again in Minnesota’s big cities.



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