Dear John,
I’m writing today heartbroken for Amir Locke’s loved ones, and for our city. Amir was 22-year-old Black man, an entrepreneur, and Door Dash driver, getting ready to move to Texas. His mother said he was, “loved by all, hated by none.” He had a whole life in front of him, taken in moments by an MPD officer, wrapped in a blanket barely awake.
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It is a déjà vu of grief, rage, and bearing witness to our collective trauma and the cycle of inaction. As my coworker Jessie wrote, “When a system is designed to maintain white supremacy through violent oppression, it can’t be fixed by propaganda or performative reforms.”
I’ve been going back and forth today between grief and utter rage at every elected leader, corporation, and the donor class that has kept the exact status quo of MPD in place. If so-called reforms are failing in Minneapolis, they are failing everywhere.
As news digest readers, I hope you will keep a sharp eye on the truth and actual story, not MPD’s lies. I highly recommend Mariame Kaba’s pieces – send me anything else you’re reading.
Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week.
1. Amir Locke
It has taken days for Amir Locke’s killing by MPD to make front page news. If you're catching up, read this piece in the Minnesota Reformer about Amir Locke and Frey's press conference last night. And, breaking news that two of the officers who raided Locke's apartment were also part of the SWAT team that assaulted Jaleel Stallings. (cw: police violence).
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2. Amir Locke II
Amir’s parents have asked that we keep saying his name. Keep calling for accountability and justice. Read more about Amir Locke in MPR.
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3. MPD Lies
Read “Their Lying is Getting So Lazy.”
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4. No-Knock Warrants
Frey campaigned on having “banned” no-knock warrants. This is an important viral thread by former City Council staffer Robin Garwood (written in April 2021) on how under Frey’s policy, “no-knock” warrants truly have not been prohibited. Learn about statewide context in MinnPost.
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5. Our Take
From Richfield to Minneapolis and across the state, our communities are mourning. Read and share this powerful piece written by my coworker Jessie.
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6. Mariame Kaba
Add this to your political education reading list: We Do This Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transformative Justice. Listen to this podcast to learn more about abolition and its connection to healing work.
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7. Stearns County
Andrea Robinson is suing the Cold Spring School District over racist bullying and harassment her Black children endured at school—an action to stop this from happening to other kids. Read and listen to this ongoing story in Central MN, widely covered last summer.
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8. Housing Justice
This piece in The Forge is called Ending the Housing Market As We Know It. Learn more about powerful tenant organizing and the path to housing justice.
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9. Meta
This New York Times piece covers huge changes in Big Tech with a dose of futurism. Read about Facebook’s rocky shift into the virtual reality world company of Meta.
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10. Pleasure Activism
It’s a good time to pick up adrienne maree brown’s book or watch this piece on Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good.
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That’s a wrap.
- Kenza Hadj-Moussa
Paid for by TakeAction Minnesota
TakeAction Minnesota
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Saint Paul, MN 55114
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