Ron Edwards Honored With Memorial Plaque at Minneapolis Fire Station 1
Ron Edwards, a civil rights activist and longtime Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder columnist, was honored with a golden memorial plaque at Minneapolis Fire Station 1 for his decades of work advancing racial equity and diversifying the Minneapolis Fire Department. Edwards’ legacy as an advocate, journalist, and community leader continues to shape public safety and civic life in Minneapolis.
Ron Edwards, the civil rights activist and former Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder columnist, was honored with a memorial plaque at Fire Station 1 on 299 S. 5th Ave. on Dec. 19. Credit: “The Ron & Don Show”
Civil rights activist and longtime Minnesota Spokesman‑Recorder columnist Ron Edwards was honored with a golden memorial plaque at Fire Station 1 on 299 S. 5th Ave on Dec. 19, recognizing his decades of work to diversify the Minneapolis Fire Department and advocate for racial equity in public safety.
Edwards, who died of natural causes in 2020 at age 81, moved to Minneapolis from Kansas City in the 1940s and became active in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. He served as president of the Minneapolis Urban League in the 1970s and joined the steering committee for a consent decree in 1972 that required the fire department to hire more firefighters of color.
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A memorial plaque commemorates Ron Edwards’ life as a civil rights icon, activist, author and columnist. Credit: Clint Combs/MSR
The impact of that activism is seen today in a department that remains more diverse than many across the country: about 14-16% of Minneapolis Fire Department firefighters are Black, compared with roughly 8% nationally, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data and local city statistics. Meanwhile, about 31% of the Minneapolis department’s sworn personnel are people of color overall, reflecting decades of gradual change since the all‑white force of the early 20th century.
“We all grew up together around Ron Edwards, and he taught all of us about spirit, believing in yourself, and being true to who you are,” said Walter “Q Bear” Banks, who had known Edwards since childhood.
Edwards’ advocacy helped shape programs that expanded opportunities for Black and Indigenous firefighters and, later, for police officers. “He opened doors for Black and Indigenous fire and police officers,” said Lisa Clemons, a Minneapolis police officer who joined the department in 1987. “He made it possible for all of us to have careers in public service.”
Charles Rucker, president of the Minneapolis African‑American Firefighters Association, credited Edwards with creating the EMS pathway program, which became a primary source of diversity in the department. “The next firefighter class was 97% white, male. Ron Edwards helped change that,” Rucker said.
Indigenous activist Crow Bellecourt (front center) acknowledges Ron Edwards’ role in paving the way for a more inclusive Minneapolis Fire Department, including the establishment of an all-Native fire station. Credit: Clint Combs/MSR
The ceremony included tributes from members of the community, public safety officials, and local leaders. Crow Bellecourt, who attended the event, said Edwards’ legacy should inspire future generations. “We need more young people to follow in his footsteps,” she said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey praised Edwards’ lifelong dedication. “If you hear about the work Ron Edwards did, you know he cared about diversity, equity and inclusion before it was even an acronym,” Frey said. “He understood that public safety must reflect the people it protects, and that reflection is now visible in this fire department.”
Beyond his work in public safety, Edwards was a journalist, writing columns for the Minnesota Spokesman‑Recorder from 2003 to 2019. His work included reporting on civil rights issues, criticizing media bias, and covering incidents of systemic injustice, including alleged illegal wiretapping by the Minneapolis Police Department.
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“I learned so much from Ron Edwards about journalism and respecting people,” Banks said. “He knew how to communicate across different levels of education and experience.”
Edwards’ influence extended across generations of public servants. Police officers, firefighters and journalists alike credit him for opening doors and setting a standard for civic engagement. Former Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and officers like Dolores Dunn, who joined the department in 1973, trace their careers back to Edwards’ mentorship.
“It’s only fitting that Ron Edwards, who worked tirelessly as a columnist, radio co‑host and community advocate, now has a permanent marker of his legacy,” said Tracey Williams‑Dillard, publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman‑Recorder. “He was a man of indispensable knowledge who shaped Minnesota’s public safety and civil rights landscape for decades.”
The golden plaque at Fire Station 1 now serves as a lasting tribute to Edwards’ lifelong commitment to justice, equity and inclusion, and as a reminder of the change one person can inspire in a community.
Clint Combs welcomes reader responses at combs0284@gmail.com.
An ICE agent facing several assault charges in connection with a January shooting involving two Venezuelan people in Minnesota has been arrested in Texas, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
Christian Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
CNN is working to determine whether Castro has an attorney and has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Castro faces those charges in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man shot in the leg through the front door of a Minneapolis home. The incident took place during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement blitz in the Twin Cities.
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Originally, Sosa-Celis and his cousin Alfredo A. Aljorna were facing federal charges after DHS said they had attacked an agent, prompting him to fire a defensive shot.
But the Justice Department dropped the charges in February, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said two of its agents, who made false statements about the incident under oath, were placed on administrative leave.
FOX 9’s Erika Mrazik has your Thursday evening and extended forecast. Our temperatures continue to feel more like July than May, and we’ll continue to see plenty of sun.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities starting Friday.
Air quality alert in Twin Cities
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What we know:
MPCA says that ground-level ozone will be at unhealthy levels in the Twin Cities on Friday. An air quality will be in place from noon to 9 p.m.
An air quality alert in the Twin Cities. Graphic courtesy of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (Supplied)
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Sunny skies, low humidity and warm temperatures make for favorable conditions pollutants to react with sunlight to make ground-level ozone. MPCA says the ozone will subside as the sun sets.
Who is most affected by poor air quality?
Dig deeper:
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People with asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema will be affected by poor quality. They can experience symptoms like difficulty deep breathing, shortness of breath, throat soreness, wheezing, coughing and unusual fatigue.
Additionally, children, teenagers and people of all ages who are doing heavy physical activity outside.
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What you can do:
MPCA recommends taking it easy while outside and limiting physical activity.
To help reduce pollution, use public transit or carpool when possible, fill up your car’s tank at dawn or dusk and avoid backyard fires.
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The Source: A press release from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
After the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police Department lost hundreds of officers and was a “depleted police department,” a statement from former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara’s attorney said.
The chief “made significant progress in rebuilding community trust and pride within the ranks of MPD,” the statement reads.
At the memorial to Alex Pretti, who was killed during Operation Metro Surge, part of the attorney statement hits home. It says the city was constantly on the “precipice of igniting the spark that would set the city on fire again” and it claims O’Hara helped mitigate the violent clashes.
Most people WCCO spoke with around several Minneapolis neighborhoods say O’Hara had their respect.
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“I was watching the Twins game on my phone and the announcement came over and I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s that all about?’” said Marta Knick as she was heading to the Guthrie Theatre.
“I was very sad because we’re more than the sum of our mistakes,” said Minneapolis resident Howard Dotson.
Hours after the announcement, community members were eager to learn more about the one challenged with leading the most scrutinized police department in the country.
“What’s heartbreaking the most is he was in a high-level position of leaderhip and he dropped the ball,” said Michael Wilson, who works at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen.
Some are giving grace more than others.
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“He may have made a mistake but that doesn’t erase his four years of transformational work in the MPD,” Dotson added.
O’Hara joined the department in November 2022, two-and-a-half years after the murder of Floyd.
“You have to reestablish culture. I feel like he did an amazing job at that and was front-facing, which is good,” said Wilson.
That wasn’t the chief’s only challenge. Just within the past year, he responded to the Annunciation Catholic School shooting and Operation Metro Surge.
“I was pleased with the whole way he handled the Metro Surge thing,” said Ruth Lipker on the Stone Arch Bridge.
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In the statement from his attorney, O’Hara says he was “proud to serve Minneapolis and remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did difficult work under extraordinary pressure.”
“Yeah, he was invested in his job and the community. but he had personal investments in that job as well,” said Minneapolis resident Donald Turner.
Now, Minneapolis residents are looking ahead.
“We have change, again, and because we have change, I think we’re in the place to create a positive outlook or negative outlook,” Wilson told WCCO.
“I always have hope for the city. The city’s bigger than any of us and I love living here,” another man added while walking the Stone Arch Bridge.
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In the recent statement from his attorney, there was zero comment on the investigation that occurred. Those WCCO spoke to continued to have questions about that.
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