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Justice & Public Safety

News Bites: Minnesota Immigrants, ICE, and Politics

A noise demonstration is scheduled in Albert Lea Sunday on behalf of a 23-year-old man with serious health issues who has been in ICE-related detention for 14 months. And Keith Ellison updates campaign volunteers on cases against ICE agents.
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DEEP DIVE: The Values of Trust, Data, and Strategy in Solving Violent Crimes

With the Minneapolis police budget under scrutiny for effectiveness commensurate with dollars spent, analysis of how Saint Paul public safety programs have been effective in some ways as a comparison, and the Hennepin County attorney election in play, I revisited notes from a conference held a year ago by the Minnesota Justice Research Center titled “Committing to Progress in Policing.”
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EXPLAINER: Minneapolis Policing Budget (updated 10/15)

As Minneapolis faces proposed property tax increases amounting to 11.3 percent — alongside cuts to public services, park hours, and municipal positions — public debate has intensified over funding priorities and fiscal oversight. Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposed budget allocates $246.8 million to the Minneapolis Police Department — more than the combined budgets of the Fire, Public Works, and Health departments. Of every $1,000 in 2027 property taxes, about $223 goes to policing.
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Part 2: Restorative Justice Seeks Accountability Without Prison

How a community-based group is helping youth and adults take accountability for their actions, without incarceration.
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Part 1: Discussing Gun Violence Remedies in Bloomington

"The system will fail us if we wait for the system to solve itself.”
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Whipple Watchers Describe the Current Needs and Situation in ICE Detention Center

U.S. Congresswomen, Haven Watch representatives, and other local advocates spoke at a Friday news conference about conditions that remain at the Whipple federal building, and the impact and needs of Minnesota families dealing with detention and deportation.
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Single Mothers Lost Income Hiding From ICE — and Can’t Afford to Renew Immigration Papers (The 19th)

Single mothers are already more likely to be low-income, facing higher rates of food and housing insecurity. Even three months of work disruption could put them in a precarious position, at risk of losing their housing and not having enough to feed their children.
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Minneapolis police review: “No progress has been made”

“The City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department remain far from achieving the transformational change necessary to address the root causes of race-based policing” — the Minnesota Department of Human Rights
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Excerpts from the Human Rights Watch Report on ICE-Related Violations

Excerpts from the Human Rights Watch report about accountability, needed reform, and community investment required to recover from the ICE occupation, including anecdotes from 150 interviews.
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Commentary: Emilia Gonzalez Avalos Speaks About Human Rights Violations Report

"This year, they will dress themselves in white, red, and blue, and ask us to celebrate 250 years of America. So let us read our own founding document: 250 years ago, people declared independence from [the British] government. These are their words, not mine. 'Send hither swarms of officers to harass our people, a government that kept standing armies without the consent of our legislatures, a government that made the military superior to civil power.'"
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Values Voiced by Minnesota Legislators in Response to ICE Accountability Measures 

One of my questions as a voter: Why did votes for bills to protect Minnesotans, increase transparency, and enforce civil rights fall along party lines in almost every instance?
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Petitions, Sit-in, and Group Advocacy at Capitol Today to Require a House Vote on Gun Violence Prevention Measures

"Students are done begging lawmakers to care about our safety. More than 7,000 people signed this petition in just one week because Minnesotans are demanding action on gun violence, not excuses and delays. Students across Minnesota are watching, organizing, and ready to hold them accountable if they continue to block these lifesaving policies.”
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Talk & Do: Mothers in Greater Minnesota Call for Anti-Racist Education and Accountability (Part 1)

Yes, kids will be kids, “until you teach a child what they can and cannot do, and then they're going to be a different kind of kid.” By humanizing school systems, kids can “show up as whole people, not scared, not timid, and not head on a swivel — learning is not taking place in those situations, when we're just trying to get through a day.”
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“250 Years”: How We Could Reduce Crime Better

"We must create systems that allow people to rebuild and rehabilitate. Just like poverty can drive crime, deprivation inside prison creates that same cycle. When you have nothing, you do what you have to do to survive. Survival mode is not rehabilitation.” ... Research over decades “has repeatedly shown that incarceration is among the least effective and most expensive approaches to crime prevention.”
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NEWS: Freedom To Breathe Hunger Strike Launched

“The obligation to stand in solidarity with people who live at the margins — it's with that commitment to justice and more for my community that today I'm going on hunger strike.” According to the Zero Burn Coalition — a network of 70 groups that organized the strike — residents in the 55411 zip code seek medical treatment for asthma at the highest rate in Minnesota.
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