What You Can Do Today to Support Brooklyn Center and Communities Across the State
Photo from Humanizing Through Story
Once again we are reeling. Another police killing. Another life lost. See our statement - Stop Killing Black Men, Women, and Children. We urge all marchers, resisters, and persisters to act, to stand up, and to help end police brutality, aggression, and terrorizing of our neighbors. The following are simple things you can do right now to support neighbors and drive change in MN.
Support the Wright family at his aunt’s GoFundMe page
Support the community of Brooklyn Center at the Sahan Journal’s compilation of volunteer and donation sites. Stay current on urgent needs at Brooklyn Center Protestor Resident Safety and Mutual Aid
End police aggression against peaceful protestors (from Local Progress): Call or email those in control of Operation Safety Net – Governor Walz, Hennepin County Sheriff Hutchinson, Mayor Frey, and local law enforcement agencies including your mayor and city council. Demand that they make changes to Operation Safety Net’s approach to people protesting in our communities, including but not limited to:
Cease the use of tear gas and other so-called “less lethal” weapons known to pose significant health and safety risks
Cease the use of curfew to stop protest and establish a clear and transparent process for distinguishing protests from civil unrest, and proactively communicating this assessment to the public
Drop all charges brought against protesters during the past four days
Invest in community supports for mental health, trauma recovery and healing, and needs defined by community for community
Ensure a transparent, ongoing and genuine dialogue with protesters and journalists
Call your representative and have them sign on to Rep. Jay Xiong's new bill prohibiting law enforcement from using tear gas, chemical weapons, and kinetic energy munitions
Donate to Justice Frontline Aid. This org supports protesters by organizing marshals, collaborating with medics, provides supplies (first aid, water, etc), coordinates evacuations and more. Donations: Justicefrontlineaidcrew@gmail.com
Pressure the MN Senate to pass police accountability measures, some of which are in the MN House bill HF1078. Adapt this call from the MN House POCI Caucus: “We are calling on Leader Gazelka, Speaker Hortman, and Governor Walz to suspend all policy and budget negotiations until both the House and Senate have heard and adopted legislation on police accountability. We will not tolerate delays, and we will not allow Leader Gazelka to use Black lives as a bargaining chip during budget negotiations on the final days of session. Our communities cannot wait any longer.
The following policy recommendations must be adopted by both the House and Senate before we will continue the normal business or budget negotiations at the Senate:
Allow local governments to establish civilian oversight councils
Ban the alteration, erasure, or destruction of body-worn camera recordings and withholding footage
End qualified immunity
Prohibit peace officers from affiliating with white supremacist groups
Provide funding for community organizations working to prevent crime”
Follow local journalists and activist orgs to stay informed: MN Justice Coalition, Sahan Journal, and Nekima Levy Armstrong and more
And finally attend our next Time to Act on Tuesday, April 20, to take action on police accountability measures making their way through the legislature. We will continue to fight. Join us!