4th precinct

Minneapolis lacks political will to provide security for all

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Sunday marked the killing of yet another unarmed Black man, Jamar Clark, at the hands of the police. This time it happened right here in Minneapolis, a city becoming increasingly divided along racial lines due to some of the nation’s largest racial gaps in employment, income, housing, education, and arrests, which has created significantly polarized realities between privileged whites and persecuted people of color. Such racial dynamics are indicative of an old master/slave relationship, making current conditions perfect for an enormous racial clash. That is, unless our elected officials can find the political will to provide relief to its suffering communities of color and prevent our city from going to hell. Over the past few months leaders from Minneapolis’ Black and Brown communities, in partnership with labor, have been developing a platform of policies that would address the city’s economic apartheid. Continue Reading

Budget Priorities

The slave patrol in the classroom

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No sooner had the National Rifle Association and its congressional servants raised the call to place armed cops in every school, than videos began to surface of Black students thrown, dragged and beaten by “school resource officers” for such offenses as refusing to put down their phone or getting a drink of water during assembly. While not all schools have armed cops, the trend toward criminalizing childhood for dark children has been in motion for some time. Calling in the cops has become an accepted school response to temper tantrums, arguments and other minor forms of acting out. Continue Reading

Day of Dignity 2015

Fifth annual Day of Dignity at Masjid-an-Nur promotes awareness

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All photographs taken by Aqeel El-Amin. Oct. 3 marked the fifth annual Day of Dignity hosted by Masjid-an-nur and Al-Maa’uun in North Minneapolis. Sponsored by Islamic Relief USA, Day of Dignity is hosted in 20 different cities around the United States. “It’s up to the community and partners to decide what types of services are provided, how they’ll get the people to come. Continue Reading

MAD DADS VJ Smith

An interview with the president of MAD DADS

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Dressed in green hoodies and caps, a group of men ride the bus back-and-forth or stand outside of community centers in South Minneapolis, starting serious conversations with other men. These people are the MAD DADS, an acronym which stands for Men Against Destruction, Defending Against Drugs and Social-disorder. MAD DADS is a national group of volunteers that does frontline outreach, supports incarcerated men, and helps youth turn their lives around. The volunteers are African American men who, just like the people they serve, are likely to have the personal experiences of being targeted by systems of power and the police, as well as have had exposure to gang violence. The MAD DADS may just be the critical factor that stops a community member from pulling out his gun or otherwise using violence to deal with the pressures of his environment. Continue Reading

Mayor Hodges Youth Council: The new hires

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Minnesota’s achievement gap is consistently one of the worst in the country.  While policy makers have attempted to close the gap, standardized test scores show that little to nothing has changed. According to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCAs) tests taken in 2014, white students are outperforming students of color in every subject by an average of 20 points.  Although standardized test scores do not measure the full potential of a student, they are currently one of the most important factors in determining where and if a student will attend college. In July, Mayor Betsy Hodges of Minneapolis announced that she has hired two new advisors to respond to the inequities in the childhood development and education: Angela Watts, whose position is an existing one, will oversee programs aimed at early childhood development; and Phillipe Cunningham, whose position is brand new, will serve as the senior policy aide overseeing initiatives for youth ages 5-24 such as My Brother’s Keeper. Continue Reading

Senators Franken and Baldwin draw attention to trains carrying crude oil through Twin Cities and beyond

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Six trains carrying crude oil have derailed and exploded in 2015. Based on the probability of a derailment, the Department of Transportation (DOT) predicts there will be at least four more this year. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) came together with state representatives, fire chiefs, mayors and citizen activists from Minnesota and Wisconsin to discuss the growing concern of trains carrying highly volatile crude oil through urban and suburban areas in the metro area in both states. Usually trains derail in rural areas, drawing little mainstream attention. But, in 2013, a derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Canada killed 47 people and demolished the entire town. Continue Reading

North Minneapolis Laotians give garden tour

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On Tuesday, August 25, 80 people gathered at Olson Townhomes to participate in the North Minneapolis Laotian Garden Tour. Laotian gardeners led neighbors and fellow gardeners through dense rows of long beans, hot peppers, Vietnamese mint, cucumbers and tomatoes. Channel 5 and channel 11 also came. After the tour participants enjoyed delicious kou pun curry made with vegetables harvested from the garden

The garden tour was organized to highlight the importance of the garden to the Laotian community. The Laotians hope to be able to preserve the garden even when the construction of the Bottineau LRT and related development comes. Continue Reading

Southwest LRT: Conflict of Interest

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The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) purchased 17 acres of land across the street from the proposed Southwest LRT station at Blake Road. The land deal was brokered in 2011 for $15 million for redevelopment investment, storm water storage and Minnehaha Creek restoration. Normally the last process hurtle before shovels break the soil is a watershed district permit. Odds are the appointed MCWD Board of Managers would vote to permit SWLRT construction. When developers take over a watershed the mandate to protect the water commons is compromised. Continue Reading

The 25th annual Festival of Fathers honors importance of positive male role models

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The 25th Annual Festival of Fathers was held Saturday at North Commons Community Park in Minneapolis. Hundreds of Northsiders joined their neighbors to enjoy dance and band performers, scale the rock-climbing wall, enjoy pony rides, a petting zoo, an inflatable slide and food booths. The event also featured employment leads, free legal advice and health information. The annual event seeks to strengthen the positive role and perception of men, specifically fathers, in their families and communities. It honors the importance of fathers in the lives of their children and families. Continue Reading