A New Year’s resolution made on Facebook by St. Paul’s police chief could lead to the elimination of language in the Minnesota Constitution that says slavery is acceptable when it’s used as a criminal punishment.
The phrase, among the very first sentences in the 14-article Constitution that ushered Minnesota into statehood in 1858, drew the attention of St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell a few months ago when he read about other states confronting slavery passages in their constitutions.
“For some time now, I’ve been troubled by a clause in the Minnesota State Constitution,” Axtell wrote Tuesday morning on Facebook, sharing with his followers that his 2020 resolution was to “ignite a movement” to have it removed. Continue reading