Tag: Minneapolis

New red flags about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak come after Trump focused on upsides in televised briefing

Dr. Deborah Birx, a leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, warned state and local leaders in a private phone call Wednesday that 11 major cities are seeing increases in the percentage of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 and should take “aggressive” steps to mitigate their outbreaks.

The cities she identified were Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

The call was yet another private warning about the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreaks given to local officials but not the public at large. It came less than a week after the Center for Public Integrity revealed that the White House compiled a detailed report showing 18 states were in the “red zone” for coronavirus cases but did not release it publicly. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips: Our Legacy-Making Moment

Neighbors,

The Twin Cities raised me. This community provided me opportunity, loved me, and I love it back.

It has been over a week since George Floyd was killed at the knee of an MPD officer; over a week of unimaginable grief for those close to him, for our community, and for our country. He is remembered by friends and family as a man with a quiet personality and a beautiful spirit. Someone who found joy in making people smile and helping anyone in need. George moved to Minnesota to start a new life. He was a father, a friend, and a beloved member of his community in Minneapolis — a community he should still be sharing his life with today. Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips: Our Legacy-Making Moment”

Tensions on streets slowly ebb in wake of George Floyd’s death

Minnesota leaders hoped cautiously Monday for continued de-escalation of tensions in the aftermath of George Floyd’s deadly encounter with Minneapolis police, even as President Donald Trump threatened to mobilize the military to tamp down unrest elsewhere in the country.

Gov. Tim Walz talked of pulling back a portion of more than 7,000 National Guard members that had been called in to help quell violence in the metro area. Hours were reduced on a Twin Cities curfew first issued days earlier, and officials planned to leave freeways open, unlike previous nights.

The state was in “a much more stable position,” National Guard Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen said Monday, though he emphasized that the Guard’s presence in the Twin Cities would look the same as it had over the weekend. Other units, which had been waiting at armories to step in if needed, could return home if leaders deemed it OK, he said. Continue reading.

How Minneapolis, One of America’s Most Liberal Cities, Struggles With Racism

New York Times logoThe Midwestern city that has been the site of unrest views itself as embracing multiculturalism. But it also struggles with segregation and racial gaps on education.

MINNEAPOLIS — Residents of Minneapolis swell with pride over their city’s sparkling lakes, glassy downtown, beautifully kept green spaces and bicycle friendliness that draws comparisons to Copenhagen. They see themselves as public spirited, embracing of multiculturalism and inspired by Minnesota’s liberal icons, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone.

The Minneapolis City Council, made up of 12 Democrats and a member of the Green Party, includes two transgender members, both of whom are black. The city has for years held a popular community celebration and parade for Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery.

But there remains an extraordinary racial gap for Minnesotans when it comes to education outcomes and health care. Black families own their homes at far lower rates than white families, among the largest such disparity in the country. And the city’s predominantly white police force, which has been accused of racist practices for decades, rarely disciplines officers with troubled records. Continue reading.

Message from Sheriff Hutchinson: May 31, 2020

This has been one of the most challenging weeks in our community’s history. We know that most of you are feeling emotionally drained. We are too. But I’ll be out on the streets with my deputies tonight and every night to help keep the peace. We are working shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement officers from across the state and the National Guard. It’s a unified, organized front with the goal of protecting our community from a violent element bent on destruction.

At the same time, all over Hennepin County, we have seen an outpouring of support from citizens that is staggering. People are making sure that streets are cleaned and that those in need are sheltered, clothed and fed.

On behalf of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, thank you to everyone who has worked to help their neighbors in this extraordinarily difficult time.

Right now, the only thing we ask of you is to stay home – abide by the curfew. My pledge to you is that we will continue to provide the public safety services that are worthy of this great community.

– Sheriff Hutchinson

Message from Sheriff Hutchinson

Last night, my deputies and I were on duty at the Hennepin County Government Center when a group of demonstrators took a knee and held a minute-long moment of silence for George Floyd. It was a very powerful moment. These protestors, though upset, were peaceful and respectful.

Sadly, our great community suffered a tremendous amount of property damage when some people turned a righteous display of anger into a criminal display of bad behavior. This must stop. People should voice their outrage without harming the property and livelihoods of people who are already struggling to get by in an extraordinarily challenging time.

As the elected Sheriff of Hennepin County, I know how important it is to reflect the values of the community we all serve. The mission of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is “Serving and protecting all in our community by furthering equal justice, safety, and wellness.” Our job is to care for and protect the people in our community, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or their status in life. By following our mission, we will honor the memory of George Floyd.

– Sheriff David Hutchinson

Minneapolis mayor: We saw Trump stiffing cities for his other rallies, so we told him to pay up

Washington Post logoThanks to an administration in Washington committed to cutting federal funding for local government and a Congress plagued by gridlock, city leaders often face difficult choices without reliable outside support. And lacking the ability to levy an income tax, cities are then forced to rely on regressive property taxes for essential work.

So late last month when President Trump announced that he would hold a campaign rally in Minneapolis, where I’m the mayor, I had two questions about resources. First, how much extra work would city employees need to do? Second, how could the city secure reimbursement for those excess costs on behalf of the city’s taxpayers?

The venue the campaign chose, Target Center, is publicly owned but privately operated. Under the terms of the city’s contract with the operator, Minneapolis is entitled to reimbursement for certain costs. In our view, those include excess costs for public safety and traffic control, among other services. Had the venue been privately owned, we wouldn’t have had as much leverage to recoup costs.

View the complete commentary by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on The Washington Post website here.

Trump rally in Minneapolis follows his attacks on big cities, Democrats

At Mpls. rally, he’s likely to focus on crime in big cities.

In July, as he threatened widespread immigration raids, President Donald Trump took aim at Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and three other minority congresswomen by casting aspersions on the left-leaning urban districts they represent:

“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” Trump tweeted.

On Thursday, Trump will bring one of his signature rallies to downtown Minneapolis, ground zero of Omar’s district, where the urban-rural divide underlying his attack will be on full display. Following an intensifying strategy of campaigning against big cities and the Democrats who lead them, Trump is expected to highlight many of the same problems he pointed to this summer when he portrayed Baltimore as a crime-ridden city where residents are “living in hell.”

View the complete October 7 article by Torey Van Oort on The Star Tribune website here.