Civil/Human Rights

The National Socialist Movement, a homophobic and anti-semitic white supremacist group, is threatening to protest a workshop at the Minneapolis YWCA about white privilege and white supremacy. It will be the first public NSM event here since a 2007 book-burning, and several groups of Twin Citians say they plan to make that visit an unwelcome [...]

Jason Andersen, the police officer who shot and killed Fong Lee (pictured), has been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. The development comes after the fourth-year officer was arrested following a domestic disturbance in June. A criminal charge against Anderson was dismissed two weeks ago, but apparently the incident prompted an internal affairs investigation that [...]

Minneapolis police removed Rosemary Williams from the home she owned for nearly three decades on Friday afternoon. The 60-year-old grandmother had vowed to stay in the residence on the 3100 block of Clinton Avenue even after the home went into foreclosure and sheriff’s deputies evicted her last month. She almost immediately re-entered the property and continued to live there. In a confrontation with police, Williams was again evicted and seven protesters were arrested.

Vain Mainstream just wanted to get to work. The 23-year-old Minneapolis resident was employed by Avalon Security on the opening day of the Republican National Convention last September. His assignment: to keep watch over a parking lot in downtown St. Paul and make sure that the thousands of protesters coursing through the streets of the city didn’t do any damage. Instead, he was swept up by police and detained in jail for three days. Now he’s among 27 plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed against police today.

A year ago the Republican National Convention opened at the Xcel Energy Center. The St. Paul Police Department pledged that protesters and Republican delegates alike would be welcome on the city’s streets. The reality was that roughly 800 people were arrested, primarily in mass sweeps. The contentious four-day gathering continues to play out in the state’s courts through both criminal cases and civil lawsuits.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has vowed to co-sponsor a bill that would restrict the United States’ use of cluster bombs, rendering as many as half a billion stockpiled weapons off-limits. That’s according to activists who say the announcement — made at a meeting with her Wednesday, after months of pressure by Minnesota citizens and peace groups — came as a surprise.

Exactly what criminal use might a street gang have for a wood chipper? And what about a stump grinder? Those were among the questions contemplated by legislators at a hearing Wednesday afternoon scrutinizing the beleaguered — and now defunct — Metro Gang Strike Force.

After announcing it would pay a $25,000 settlement to a former student who was harassed by two teachers, the Anoka-Hennepin School District is facing heavy criticism from residents in the district and around the state. At issue are two teachers, Diane Cleveland and Walter Filson, who allegedly conspired to harass a 16-year old student over their lunch breaks because they thought he was gay. The student says despite the teachers assumptions, he is, in fact, straight.

Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan is calling on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the February arrest of Derryl Jenkins. The 42-year-old Brooklyn Center resident was pulled over in North Minneapolis for speeding. After Jenkins defied orders from officer Richard Walker and exited his vehicle, he was wrestled to the ground. When six [...]

Thanks to instant-runoff voting and no primary, everyone running for office in Minneapolis will stay in the race through the general election. For lesser-known candidates, that may be most significant impact of the city’s new election system.