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Opinion Submission: Minneapolis Ballot Measure to Dismantle the Police Will Test the Strength of Our Movement

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In November, Minneapolis voters may get to decide whether to dismantle the city’s police department, setting up a dramatic battle for public opinion in the epicenter of the national uprising. This presents a huge opportunity for the movement to substantially weaken the repressive powers of the police, and to win new investments addressing the deep structural inequalities in our communities. But if the movement simply echoes the vague radical rhetoric of our city council, rather than uniting around clear policy demands, right-wing and establishment forces could win the popular vote. Despite invoking Angela Davis, city council is not proposing major defunding much less abolishing the police. Like Angela Davis, our movement should link calls to defund the police with broader demands aimed at ending the deep structural inequalities embedded into capitalism. At the same time, to win the popular vote for the referendum in November, we need to distinguish between immediate campaigning demands and building support over time for our broader vision of fundamental social change and a police-free-future.

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Column: Why I am an abolitionist

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Marjaan’s personal experiences has led him to the conclusion that the police are not reformable. However, he says, “if we’re not challenging the economic arrangement that requires police in the first place, they become an easy scapegoat. If we’re serious about abolishing the police we must also be serious about abolishing racial capitalism.”

Minnesota

Senate Committee Hearing Investigates Law Enforcement Response to Columbus Statue Destruction

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By: Sheila Regan

The joint committees on transportation and public safety continued hearings on the topic of the unrest following the death of George Floyd on Wednesday, with a focus on the toppling of the Christopher Columbus statue. 

Led by  Senator Scott Newman (R, Hutchinson), chair of the transportation committee, the hearing began, as had the previous hearing about the unrest the joint committee held a week ago, with an extensive video of news clips about the Columbus statue going down, and the response by Governor Tim Walz as well as Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, who had wrote on Facebook, “I can’t say I’m sad the statue of Christopher Columbus is gone. I’m not.” 

The hearing included two testifiers, Colonel Matthew Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, and John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. 

During the morning session with Langer, Republican senators questioned Langer about the incident on June 10, when protesters toppled the Christopher Columbus statue in front of the Minnesota State Capitol. The protest had been announced at around noon that day on Facebook through an event page co-hosted by the AIM of Twin Cities & AIM Patrol of Minneapolis, and the Native Lives Matter Facebook pages. Langer said the Facebook post stated it would begin in Minneapolis, but the protesters arrived at the capitol much earlier than anticipated, at about 5 p.m. 

According to Langer, his team had a “plan a” and a “plan b” for responding to he protest. “Plan a was to engage with whoever did arrive and discuss expectations and discuss our role and hope that would work,” he said.

Minnesota

Supporting LGBT+ Youth

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LGBT+ youth are at increased risk for bullying compared to peers, as well as child abuse or foster care placement due to parent rejection. This is what to do if your child comes out to you.

Minnesota

Narratives from Day One of The Protests Following George Floyd’s Murder

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By: Rico Morales, Freelance Reporter

UpTake reporter Rico Morales interviewed people on the street the day after George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Rico Morales works at the Cup Foods. A Cup Foods employee had called the cops on Floyd. The grocery store is a long-standing, immigrant-owned business. https://soundcloud.com/user-195922739/narratives-from-day-one-of-the-protests-following-george-floyds-murder

Minnesota

The Law and Black Hair

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Women of color have dealt with stigmas surrounding their hair for centuries. From the ancient world spanning into today’s world, the struggle continues with identities concerning topics of hair texture, hair styles and the fight to make a change.