Dear Friend,

Last week, we saw with our own eyes the slow-motion killing of a restrained human being named George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. 

It soon became clear that the community response to his killing was about more than just one person or one tragedy. It was about the persistence of racism. We saw sorrow and pain and outrage take many forms - mostly peaceful protest, calls to action, and urgent pleas for reform. We also saw destruction, perpetrated by people who hijacked the memory of George Floyd for their own purposes. 

We can't bring George Floyd back. And we can't un-do the damage to our communities. But we can channel our anger, our disappointment, and our resolve into something meaningful. As George's brother said to a rally yesterday, "Let's stop thinking that our voices don't matter - and vote!" That's how we get the systemic change we need. And that's how we all protect each other. To order your ballot mailed to you so that you can vote from home this year, just go to mnvotes.org. Meanwhile, as always, I'll do my best to make democracy real for all Minnesotans.

I hope you'll also consider pitching in to help the neighborhoods that were hardest hit by unrest. 

For the Lake Street Business Association, donate here.

For the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition, donate here.