State Issues 18 , CD3 DFL

Law enforcement has received $500,000 in Enbridge money for work related to Line 3

Canadian energy company Enbridge has spent more than $500,000 to cover law enforcement expenses related to construction of its Line 3 oil pipeline in northern Minnesota, according to documents obtained by the Reformer through a public records request.

The payments come from a requirement in project permits, which mandated that Enbridge create a trust to reimburse law enforcement and social service organizations for wages, mileage, training and protective gear related to Line 3 construction.

The stipulation was intended to prevent Line 3 from becoming a strain on local agencies’ budgets, as small, rural police and sheriffs departments contend with increased traffic and hazards brought about by construction. But experts and pipeline opponents say they’re concerned the fund could influence officers’ activities as relationships between law enforcement and protesters become increasingly tense. Continue reading.

Officer Kim Potter to be charged with manslaughter in Daunte Wright’s death

Kim Potter, the former police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright outside Minneapolis on Sunday, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput told the Star Tribune Wednesday.

Why it matters: The shooting of the 20-year-old Black man in Brooklyn Center, Minn., just ten miles from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year, has reinvigorated Black Lives Matter protests and led to three consecutive nights of unrest.

Context: Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, according to Minnesota law. Continue reading.

DFL Party Postpones Founders Day Dinner

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party announced it will be postponing its Founders Day Dinner, originally scheduled for April 15th. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Minnesota is once again overcome with grief and anger at yet another senseless and tragic murder of a Black man at the hands of law enforcement. The ongoing trauma that Black and brown communities face at the hands of those who are supposed to protect and serve us deserves our full attention and most importantly, it deserves immediate action. Events of the last few days have underscored the need for Minnesota to enact further police reform and accountability measures in order to build a public safety system that serves and protects every single Minnesotan.

“As a result, the DFL Party has decided to postpone its Founders Day Dinner in order to stand in solidarity with our community seeking answers and justice for Daunte Wright. The ongoing pursuit of justice and fairness has been at the heart of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party since its founding almost 77 years ago. Those values continue to drive our movement to this day, and we are committed to delivering a more fair and just public safety system for the Minnesotans rightly calling out for reform.”

DFL Party Hires Coordinated Campaign Director

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party is pleased to announce the hiring of Alyse Maye Quade to serve as the party’s Coordinated Campaign Director for the 2022 election cycle. Maye Quade has been with the DFL Party in a variety of roles since 2017 and brings a wealth of experience to her new position.

Prior to joining the DFL Party, Maye Quade was the Midwest Organizing Manager for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. Since then, Maye Quade worked as the Field Director for the Coordinated Campaign in 2018 and as the Deputy Campaign Director for the Coordinated Campaign in 2020, where she oversaw their voter protection, coalitions, and get out the vote programs.

The Coordinated Campaign is made up of a coalition of DFL Party-endorsed candidates and partner organizations which pools resources to accomplish the shared goals of each campaign and organization. This typically encompasses field organizing, training, voter turnout and protection, community engagement, opening and running campaign offices across Minnesota, and much more.

Officer Kim Potter resigns after fatally shooting Daunte Wright

Kim Potter, identified as the officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a weekend traffic stop near Minneapolis, resigned from her position “effectively immediately,” Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said in a statement Tuesday.

Background: Potter had been with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years, per the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. She shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop just before 2 p.m. Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minn.

Police said Monday that Potter had inadvertently pulled out her gun instead of a Taser during the traffic stop. She was placed on administrative leave on Monday. Continue reading.

Legislature’s POCI Caucus and UBLC Condemn Police Shooting of Daunte Wright, Outline Police Accountability Bills

Saint Paul, MINNESOTA – Today, members of the Minnesota Legislature’s People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and United Black Legislative Caucus (UBLC) discussed the police shooting of Daunte Wright and actions DFL legislators are proposing to improve accountability for law enforcement, including:

allowing local governments to establish civilian oversight councils
banning the alteration, erasure, or destruction of body-worn camera recordings and withholding footage
prohibiting peace officers from affiliating with white supremacist groups
providing funding for community organizations working to prevent crime

“We are once again dealing with the trauma of the killing of a Black man by police. It feels like we are taking one step forward, and two steps back,” said Rep. Vang, Chair of the POCI Caucus (DFL – Brooklyn Center). “My city is hurting to see a beloved member of our community killed so recklessly as we are left with an occupied city that is damaged nearly beyond recognition. We cannot keep doing the same things and expect a different result, we must do better to ensure justice for victims and peace for our future.”

Chief: Officer meant to use Taser, not firearm, on Daunte Wright

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the officer as Kimberly A. Potter, 48, who has been a police officer for 26 years. She has been put on leave.

The traffic stop that would end Daunte Wright’s life played out on a Brooklyn Center police officer’s body camera. Officers appeared to try to handcuff him; then he slipped back into the driver’s seat.

A female officer yelled, “Taser, Taser,” and then fired her gun. “Holy shit, I just shot him,” she said.

Once again, a Black man died during a police encounter. In an instant, the world’s focus on Minnesota shifted from the trial of Derek Chauvin to a new outrage that brought street protests, promises of reform, and anguish over a relentless pattern of deadly police misconduct. Continue reading.

Four hours of debate — and 50 proposed amendments — but climate and energy omnibus approved

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Is renewable energy cheaper, cleaner and capable of making Minnesota a more self-sufficient state? Or is it dirty, inefficient and expensive?

It depends upon who you ask. But it seems to be the direction the vast majority of electrical utilities are going. And moving Minnesota’s energy production and use toward a carbon-free future is the overriding focus of the omnibus climate and energy finance bill.

The bill, as amended, was approved by the House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee Friday, but not before navigating through 50 proposed amendments and four hours of debate that stretched over two days. Continue reading.

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: April 12, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Once again, our community is in a state of shock at the death of an unarmed black man in an encounter with law enforcement. Daunte Wright should be alive today, but instead his life was cut tragically short in a matter of seconds. My condolences and heart goes out to his family, his friends, and our entire community as we grieve over his death.

It has not even been a full year since the murder of George Floyd, and with the eyes of the world on Minnesota, another black man has been killed by a system that is not working. It is up to each of us to play a role in taking the steps necessary to achieve true accountability and reform, and to ensure that justice comes.

UBLC statement on killing of Daunte Wright

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The United Black Legislative Caucus issued the following statement after the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of a Brooklyn Center Police Officer on Sunday:

“Our community has been forced to withstand unthinkable trauma over the past year, and we’re angry that another young Black man has been taken from us by law enforcement. This is unacceptable and the constant cycle of police officers killing Black Minnesotans must end. The outcome Daunte Wright faced is an outcome we – as Black parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members – constantly worry about for our loved ones and ourselves. This shouldn’t be the norm, it can’t be the norm, and as lawmakers, it’s all of our responsibility to do whatever we can to ensure it no longer is the norm.

“We need accountability and we need it now. The Minnesota House is advancing much-needed solutions to identify bad officers and keep them off the streets, strengthen community oversight, and ban white supremacists from serving as officers. Daunte Wright should still be with us. His family deserves justice, and our community deserves changes to our laws that will ensure officers can be held accountable and trust can be built within our communities and those charged to protect and serve.

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