The ACLU of Minnesota sent an open letter to leaders of colleges and universities throughout the state on Monday, Sept. 16, to remind them that they have a duty to ensure their campuses protect free speech.
The murders of George Floyd and Daunte Wright by law enforcement is a tragedy that continues a long pattern of police violence against Black people in the Twin Cities. Healing will be long and difficult, and it must end with a total re-imagining of public safety in our communities.
The ACLU of Minnesota filed a motion in federal court Wednesday for a temporary restraining order to stop law enforcement from attacking and harassing reporters covering the Daunte Wright protests.
The ACLU of Minnesota just asked Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate, charge, and prosecute the Brooklyn Center police officer involved in killing Daunte Wright.
The ACLU-MN wants to make it clear that Daunte Wright should be alive today, and just like George Floyd and Philando Castile, Wright is one of the countless Black men who would still be with their families and communities had police simply issued a citation.
Police killed Daunte Wright, 20, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center Sunday afternoon. Yet another Black life was taken by those sworn to protect, and we join the community in mourning Wright's loss.