News & Commentary

The city of Faribault created a “crime-free housing program” for rental properties even though crime rates remained the same.

On Saturday, May 12, ACLU of Minnesota, NAACP, and UJAMAA Place coordinated a warrant resolution event with Ramsey County. During the event, 147 warrants were cleared and 50 other people met with a hearing officer to begin the process of getting their license back. The event was life-changing for many of the people who attended. 

On May 15, 2018, the ACLU of Minnesota submitted a letter to Governor Mark Dayton urging him to veto HF 390, an anti-protest bill passed by the Minnesota legislature this month. The anti-protest bill would increase penalties for protesters that block a highway, public transit, or airport access.

When Jeffrey marched onto I-94, he was marching for justice. Instead, he and 46 other people were criminalized for exercising their right to protest.

Natalie Pollard's abuser attempted to assault her and she stabbed him in self-defense. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi is determined to prosecute her. 

Last week, the Minneapolis Police Department announced an overhaul of its body camera policy, claiming that it will now have “teeth.” The actual policy, however, is a mixed bag — with neither MPD Police Chief Medaria Arradondo nor Mayor Jacob Frey publicly acknowledging the rollbacks they are making to the previous policy changes last summer.

This blog was co-written with Gender Justice, a Minnesota-based nonprofit legal and policy advocacy organization devoted to addressing the causes and consequences of gender inequality. Their mission is broader than women's rights, standing alone. They fight any discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  

Read the full letter and proposed revisions below: Dear Mayor Carter and Chief Axtell,We are a citywide group of individuals and organizations working to advance police accountability, community-defined safety, and racial justice.  After extensive research, careful analysis of the new SPPD draft use of force policy, and many hours attending and hosting the SPPD community meetings, organizing independently, and meeting with Chief Axtell and the department, we remain concerned that the current version fails to adequately adopt national best practices and accurately reflect the expertise of the communities most impacted by policing. We recognize the significant changes have been from the old policy, and appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback to the department. The improvements to the most current version reflect some of our feedback, and speak to the benefits of working with community. However, deeper engagement is still needed and we do n

Myriam was rear-ended. She had her insurance information and a photo I.D. But instead of helping her, Coon Rapids police booked her and called ICE.