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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
October 28 - November 3, 2021
Vol. 88
www.spokesman-recorder.com www.spokesman-recorde
No. 13
Mpls voters face multiple choices Nov. 2
create a new public safety department to replace the By Charles Hallman current police department; Contributing writer and whether or not to give inneapolis voters the city council the authority on November 2 to regulate rents on private will vote for mayor residential properties. Some suspect that the and city council members as questions could well as on three “hot button” ballot ballot questions: Whether or adversely affect voting turnnot to give the mayor more out, especially among Blacks authority; whether or not to and other People of Color.
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“Everybody’s confused, even the most scholarly political pundit,” stated Black Voices Matter MN Founder Anika Robbins, who founded her organization in 2015 as a nonprofit initiative dedicated to voter education, outreach and registration. “We recognized the gap in voter education, especially to our communities,” she told the
MSR last week. A voter’s guide has been produced and made available publicly that offers details on the candidates for Minneapolis mayor, city council, the Park Board, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation in this year’s municipal election, as well as a breakdown of the three ballot questions. “We have very detailed
explanations about what each of those things means,” explained Robbins. “What does it mean if you vote yes? What does it mean if you vote no? It is very comprehensive. It’s nonpartisan,” she stressed. Yet Robbins admits that despite efforts by Black Voices Matter MN and others to inform voters, confusion and
misinformation still exist, especially in regards to Ballot Question 2 on whether or not to keep the police department. “I think there’s an assumption that [all] Black people are in favor of getting rid of the police,” she said. “If I may speak on behalf of Black people, Black people just want ■See MPLS VOTERS on page 5
TWIN CITIES TO VOTE ON RENT CONTROL/STABILIZATION St. Paul considers rent stabilization measure
Should the city council control rents in Mpls? Voters will decide next week By Niara Savage Contributing Writer
Canvassers in Minneapolis knocked on doors this week trying to sway voters. Courtesy of Home to Stay
Next week Minneapolis voters will have a chance to answer City Question 3, which proposes an amendment that would allow the city council to enact rent control measures that would limit how much landlords can raise rent prices. Although disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, rent prices have been steadily on the rise in many American cities for years. An October Apartment List report shows that the average cost of a
one-bedroom apartment in Minneapolis now stands at $1,538. Less than five percent of apartments in the city rent for under $1,000. Jonathan Gershberg, a spokesperson for Jewish Community Action (JCA), said new restrictions are necessary to ensure that “families aren’t displaced by increases in rent.” JCA is a part of the Home to Stay Coalition, a group of local community organizations advocating for rent control.
JCA has engaged in grassroots movements for social and economic justice for 26 years. Members of the Coalition have gone door-to-door and held information sessions to educate people about the ballot question. Many of those involved in the Coalition have direct connections to people who have been displaced recently due to increases in rent prices. “That’s one of the reasons why ■See MPLS RENT on page 5
Noor resentenced for Damond killing
By Carolyn Szczepanski Contributing Writer Saint Paul is the only home Laura Stuart has ever known. Born and raised in Minnesota’s capital city, the single mom is among the nearly 58,000 other renter households in Saint Paul who live with the anxiety that their landlords could spike their housing costs and push them out of their homes. Last week Stuart joined elected officials, community leaders and housing advocates for a press conference urging residents to vote yes
By Henry Pan Contributing Writer Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was resentenced to 57 months in prison last week by Judge Kathryn Quaintance. His request to be released for time served was denied. Noor, 35, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for shooting and killing 40-yearold Justine Ruszczyk Damond in a Southwest Minneapolis alleyway on July 15, 2017 after she had called police repeatedly to report what she thought was a rape in progress. Ruszczyk Damond was a dual U.S.-Australian citizen and
yoga teacher who was engaged to be married. The Minnesota Supreme Court struck down the thirddegree murder conviction, for which he was serving 12.5 years in a North Dakota state prison. The high court found that the third-degree murder statute didn’t apply in this case because it can only be applied when a defendant shows a “generalized indifference to human life,” not when the conduct is directed at a particular person. Noor’s attorney Thomas Plunkett fought for Noor to be released for time served, given his model behavior in prison, which included helping new prisoners adjust. The county attorney sought the
maximum sentence. Judge Quaintance denied the defense’s request, saying she was not surprised that Noor had been a model prisoner but did not find that sufficient grounds to reduce his sentence considering the recklessness of his behavior that resulted in the death of Damond. Responding to the verdict, his father Mohamed Abass said, while angrily and briskly walking to an elevator, “The judge hates the Somali community.” Noor is expected to enter supervised release next summer if he completes two-thirds of his time with good behavior. Henry Pan welcomes reader responses to hpan0003@gmail.com.
on a rent stabilization measure on the St. Paul ballot on November 2. Unlike Minneapolis, voters in St. Paul will have the chance to enact a specific community-instigated policy that would limit rent increases to 3% annually for all units across the city, a proposal that gained more than 9,000 signatures from local voters to get on the ballot. For renters like Stuart, the need for this proposal is clear
and personal. Presently, there are no limits on how much a landlord can raise the rent once a lease expires. Tenants across the city have reported property owners hiking rents by hundreds of dollars without making repairs or improvements or giving any justification for the increase. “In one of the apartments I lived in in Frogtown, I had a predatory landlord who was ■See ST PAUL RENT on page 5
Mpls cop charged in fatal crash during high-speed chase
By MSR News Service
Mohamed Abass, the father of Mohamed Noor, was upset with the judge’s decision to resentence Noor to 57 months. Photo by Henry Pan
Campaign manager Tram Hoang speaks at a press conference with renters and elected officials urging voters to pass rent stabilization in St. Paul. Photo by Ellie Leonardsmith
Minneapolis Police Officer Brian Cummings has been charged with seconddegree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide for fatally crashing his squad car into a pedestrian vehicle, causing the death of 40-year-old Leneal Frazier, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday. The crash occurred around 12:30 am on July 6 of this year. Leneal Frazier was the uncle of Darnella Frazier, whose phone footage of George Floyd’s May 25, 2020 murder at the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin
Leneal Frazier
sparked a global cry for police reform. Shortly after the fatal collision, Darnella Frazier took to Facebook to express her grief. “The police made a bad decision by doing a high-speed chase on a residential road. That bad decision cost my uncle his life,” she wrote. Cummings was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle in North Minneapolis when his marked squad car slammed into the driver’s side of Frazier’s Jeep at nearly 80 mph. Injuries Frazier sustained as a result of the collision were the cause of his death. Minneapolis police car pursuit policy states that “officers shall not initiate a
File photo
pursuit or shall terminate a pursuit in progress if the pursuit poses an unreasonable risk to the officers [or] the public.” It specifies that officers should “always be aware of the inherent danger to the public and to themselves in vehicle pursuits or emergency responses.” The policy also states that police car chases should not be initiated unless “the officer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe the suspect has committed a serious and violent felony or gross misdemeanor.” “Police are supposed to protect and serve citizens, and to act in a manner consistent with their sworn oath ■See FRAZIER on page 5
Brian Cummings Photo by Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office