Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/lauretta-dawolo-towns/page/3/)
Twin Cities security officers vowed a fight to win, and the recent victory in the form of a renewed contract was well worth the fight.
Security companies settled a new contract on April 9, which wa
In the midst of the Twin-Cities first ever Bike Walk Week, the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul kicked off the events with the announcement of a new initiative, called Freewheelin’ that will debut during the Republican National Convention. Continue Reading
Minnesota House District 61B is bordered by Lake Street to the North, east to Cedar Avenue, south to Minnehaha Parkway, and west just a couple of blocks past Interstate 35W. It is a district made up of over 60 percent persons of color, with nearly a quarter of its population considered poor. This district, located in the heart of Minneapolis, is where the first African American female has served in the Minnesota Legislature for the past seven years. Rep. Neva Walker has created a legacy in several areas of public policy, including education, access to healthcare, and even racial profiling. Rep. Walker submitted a letter to her constituents in mid-December announcing her decision to leave her post. Continue Reading
The 2007 Farm Bill has attracted a lot of media attention. But why does the Farm Bill matter to people who don’t farm? The farm bill allocates billions of dollars for federal programs affecting not only agriculture, but nutrition, conservation, and poverty. Food stamps are the most high-profile anti-hunger program in the farm bill, but agricultural policy itself affects what foods are most available to everyone. KFAI’s Hilary Johnson talked to Mark Muller, of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Continue Reading
Outfront Minnesota is now accepting applications for two job openings. But this is not to only expand their staff, but also to expand their mission. Continue Reading
Kinship caregiving has been a regular occurrence in our communities for as long as we can remember. If you think back to your own family or those in your neighborhood, school, or church when you were growing up, you’ll recall that grandmother with young children, or that hardworking woman with five-plus children following close behind her. They may not have been the children’s biological mothers, but they had taken the big step of raising those children in their extended families who were in need of parenting.
Much of the ongoing wrangling between the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the city’s Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA) over authority, accountability and self-discipline boils down to a difference of views about power, who should have it and who should not. Especially at issue in this case is the power to discipline police officers based on recommendations from a civilian group, the CRA. In the words of Ward 13 City Council Member Betsy Hodges, “The biggest point of contention is discipline.”
Last week we began this story on the status of the Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA) expecting it to conclude this week. However, due to new and changing information obtained during the course of our writers’ investigation, we have decided to expand the story into three parts to provide as much current information as possible on this important topic. Part two below examines more of the dynamics in the ongoing power struggle between the CRA, the police department, and others with a stake in the outcome.
In 1989, an elderly couple was killed in a fire set off by a Minneapolis police officer’s “flash bang” grenade in a mistaken raid of the couple’s North Minneapolis home. Later in 1991, a College of St. Thomas student was brutally beaten by a Minneapolis police officer who was called up to a “rowdy event” at a hotel. Both incidents were the responsibility of one police officer: Lieutenant Mike Sauro.
Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Interim Director Michael Browne remains diligent in his quest to improve the historically troubled department. With a current staff of four lawyers/investigators and three full-time law students, his goals for moving the department forward is certain to keep him and his staff busy.
These goals include improving the department’s function as an outlet for information; changing the way the Complaint Investigations Unit (CIU) process is documented; hiring a consultant to review the Contract Compliance Unit (CCU); and reversing the tendency to sustain cases older than 365 days.