Civil Rights
Line 3 prosecutor reprimanded for sexually harassing jailed clients at prior job
An Aitkin County assistant attorney prosecuting numerous Enbridge Line 3 criminal cases was formally reprimanded last month for misconduct that occurred at a previous job with the Fargo Public Defender Office. In 2021 and 2022 Garrett Slyva sexually harassed two jailed female defendants, propositioned one of them for a date, and suggested that her answer […]
Latino advocates offer translation at DVS locations in celebration of Drivers Licenses for All
The anticipation was palpable among those braving the midday heat Sunday to line up outside the Eagan Drivers Vehicle Services office. For many Americans, a trip to the driver’s license office is a fearsome drudgery, but for the people here Sunday, it was a blessing, a chance to be a legit driver no matter their […]
Minnesota cops didn’t take as much cash from people in 2022
Minnesota cops took less cash and property from people in 2022 than they did the year prior, according to the latest asset forfeiture report from State Auditor Julie Blaha. “Asset forfeitures are down in Minnesota,” Blaha said at a press conference Thursday morning. Under state and federal law, police are allowed to seize cash, jewelry, […]
Wayzata faith and anti-racism groups protest white supremacy
Local anti-racist activists rallied against white supremacy on a highway overpass in Wayzata on Wednesday, hoping to counteract a group of masked white supremacists who spread hateful messages on a pedestrian bridge earlier this month. “We’re outdoing the Nazis,” said Martha McNey, sounding triumphant at the small rally that drew perhaps two dozen people. She’s […]
U.S. Senate panel weighs free speech and deep fakes in AI campaign ads
Artificial intelligence could be used to disrupt U.S. election campaigns, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration said during a Wednesday hearing. But the hearing showed that imposing laws and regulations on campaign content without violating constitutional rights to political speech will be difficult. Elections pose a particular challenge for AI, an […]
Lawsuit against police for targeting journalists during Minneapolis protests heads toward trial
A lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office alleging law enforcement officers targeted journalists during the 2020 protests and riots following the police murder of George Floyd is headed to trial barring a settlement agreement. A federal judge on Tuesday rejected motions by the city and the sheriff’s office to dismiss […]
In new collaborations, tribes become stewards of parks and monuments
In a rural area of Michigan’s Thumb region, a small state park preserves a collection of sandstone carvings that date back many hundreds of years. One of the carvings, a figure with a bow and arrow, symbolizes ancestors shooting their knowledge ahead seven generations. Some might say that arrow landed in 2019. That year, descendants […]
DFL leadership shuts down special session talk, will revisit police in schools issue next year
DFL legislative leadership on Thursday said it’s committed to holding hearings about school resource officers and a ban on prone restraints in Minnesota schools when the 2024 legislative session starts in February — effectively shutting down further discussion of a special legislative session regarding the law this year. House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and […]
Minneapolis transfers land back to Red Lake Nation, which will build treatment center, community garden
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced plans to transfer city-owned land in south Minneapolis to the Red Lake Nation Thursday. The land, consisting of a single-story building and a small outdoor space, is set to become a treatment center and community garden for Natives suffering the effects of the opioid epidemic. Cheri Goodwin, executive director of […]
Wayzata white supremacists draw attention to hate in Minnesota
There are few things more pathetic than a Wayzata white supremacist. But last weekend several such people — hiding behind masks —gathered on a pedestrian bridge over Highway 12. They unfurled banners with slogans like “end white genocide,” “white unity is strength” and “diversity means anti-white.” Wayzata is in Hennepin County, which has a longstanding […]
Brooklyn Park inpatient facility gets 30 new beds amid mental health crisis
PrairieCare, a psychiatric health system with nine Minnesota locations, unveiled the expansion of its inpatient care facility in Brooklyn Park on Wednesday, providing some much-needed relief to an overwhelmed mental health system. With legislative approval, the expansion added 30 new beds for adolescent psychiatric patients. Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis, said lawmakers backed up […]
Judge dismisses remaining Line 3 charges against Indigenous activists, citing longstanding government mistreatment
A Minnesota judge has dismissed misdemeanor criminal charges against Anishinaabeg activist Winona LaDuke and two others accused of disrupting construction of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project in 2021 while offering a powerful indictment of the prosecution. The decision was accompanied by an impassioned memo from Judge Leslie Metzen citing longstanding concerns over government mistreatment […]