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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
October 12 - 18, 2023
Vol. 90
Phone: 612-827-4021
No. 11
www.spokesman-recorder.com
What’s at stake in this November’s election By MSR News Service lections have consequences, said former President Obama, shortly after his inauguration in 2009. And although this year—2023—is considered an off-year election, there are important issues on the ballot this November, as well as candidates who are in contested races across the Twin Cities. This week and in the weeks leading up to Election Day, the Minnesota SpokesmanRecorder will give readers an overview of the political races in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as local ballot initiatives. We will also provide voters with information about how their vote could impact community resources, public safety, housing, education, taxes, infrastructure, and their quality of life.
A competitive race in Ward 8 By Cole Miska Contributing Writer
Jenkins and challengers Soren main goals if elected would be Stevenson, Terry White and to work on police accountability and accessible housing. Bob Sullentrop. Bob Sullentrop, the only Jenkins, a local poet who is community forum and discussion that includ- a transgender Black woman, conservative to run for the poed the four candidates has represented the district sition, says he is for police and for Minneapolis’s City since 2018. She says that if “law and order.” His main conCouncil Ward 8 seat was held re-elected her main goals will cern was safety, and he said if Tuesday night, October 3, at be to address racial inequities elected he would restore the the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the city, such as in access to Minneapolis Police DepartRecreation Center, organized health care and employment. ment (MPD) to full staffing Soren Stevenson, who lost levels and would sweep unby the League of Women Voters. The Ward 8 district en- an eye when he was injured housed encampments. Terry White, who has a compasses several prominent by a rubber bullet fired by an
(l-r): Bob Sullentrop, Andrea Jenkins, Soren Stevenson, Terry White Black communities, including the Powderhorn and Field neighborhoods and the area around 38th and Chicago. The four candidates include incumbent Minneapolis City Council President Andrea
MPD officer while attending a protest against the murder of George Floyd in 2020, says he views his campaign as a “call to action” in response to everything he has seen in the last three years. Some of his
Photo by Cole Miska
background in healthcare regulatory services, says he’s running because he “believes in a better Minneapolis.” White wants to balance police accountability while maintaining ■ See WARD 8 on page 5
This week, the MSR takes a look at two contested Minneapolis City Council races in Ward 4 and Ward 8. The candidate forums sponsored by the Minnesota League of Women Voters provide an opportunity for those running for elected office to express their views on various issues and define their political differences. You can register to vote online at mnvotes. gov or at your polling site on Election Day or at early-voting locations. You will need proof of residency to register to vote or update your voter registration. In Minnesota, you can vote by mail until Tuesday, October 24; early in-person voting ends on Monday, November 6. Election day will be on Tuesday, November 7. The location of neighborhood polling sites can be found at www.pollfinder. sos.mn.gov.
The City Council race in Ward 4 By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer ll of the Minneapolis City Council seats are once again up for reelection, following the U.S. Census count two years ago that forced local, statewide and federal voting districts to be redrawn. Because the Charter Commission changed boundaries last year, candidates running for City Council seats are running in Ward 4 Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw wards that have been redrawn Photo by H. Jiahong Pan and may reflect a markedly different voter base this Novem- and environmental pollution, partment, assaults, property ber than in previous years. as well as the Upper Harbor destruction, homicides, larceny and robbery are down Terminal redevelopment. Candidates running in Ward 4 Leslie Davis, who spent the compared to the same time Four people are running for 1980s fighting the construc- last year. On the other hand, the Ward 4 seat on the Minne- tion of the downtown Minne- burglaries, carjackings, sex ofapolis City Council. They include apolis incinerator, responded fenses and stolen property ofLaTrisha Vetaw, the incumbent to questions from attendees fenses are up. Voters elected who defeated Phillipe Cun- lamenting the lack of public re- Vetaw in 2021 in part because ningham in 2021. Challengers strooms at the Downtown and they felt more confident in her vying for Vetaw’s seat include East Lake Targets, complaints support for the police. criminal-justice activist Marvina that the police and City CounVetaw pledged to collaboHaynes, environmental activist cil are corrupt and need to be rate with others who work for Leslie Davis, and business own- replaced, and other issues. and serve the city to create er Angela Williams. policies to hold Minneapolis In the forum held by the On public safety police accountable while also League of Women Voters at Public safety and policing listening to her constituents. North Market on September have been on top of mind for “We’ve worked on policies 20, candidates answered ques- Ward 4 residents. According around the use of swear words tions on public safety, housing, to the Minneapolis Police De■ See WARD 4 on page 5
Rep. Omar proposes federal bill to protect Black women and girls By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer
“Despite Black women and and girls. “This bill is dedicated to the memory of Minnesotans girls representing a disprolike Brittany Clardy, and the portionate number of missing he effort to spotlight countless other Black women women in the United States, the crisis of missing who have been the victims of their cases typically garner and murdered Black crimes, but whose cases were less attention,” said Rep. Watwomen and girls has gone na- initially brushed off by law en- son Coleman. “These missing women are mothers and tional with the introduction forcement,” said Rep. Omar. “The crisis of missing and daughters, sisters and friends. of the Brittany Clardy Missing and Murdered Black Women murdered Black women and Each of them deserves the atgirls demands urgent action. tention we would give to any and Girls Act in Congress. Rep. Ilhan Omar proposed This is not just a piece of leg- missing person. “The creation of a dedicated the bill during the Congressio- islation. It’s a beacon of hope nal Black Caucus Annual Legis- for Black women and girls office within the DOJ [Departlative Conference in late Sep- across the nation. By creating ment of Justice] focused on tember, where she believed it a dedicated office, we are not these cases can offer hope to the would gain support from her only addressing the alarming families and friends of the nearly colleagues. The introduction of disparities in violence but also 100,000 missing Black women the bill now gives her a shorter reaffirming our commitment to and girls across the country.” time frame for passage com- ensuring that every Black life is Minnesota’s groundwork valued and protected.” pared to typical bills. Most sections of the bill Rep. Bonnie Watson ColeDespite this challenge, she was able to garner the sup- man of New Jersey sponsored were inspired by the work port of 57 members of the the bill with Rep. Omar and un- done in Minnesota to establish Congressional Black Caucus derlined the issue of disparity the first office in the country (CBC) to endorse the bill and that Black women and girls are dedicated to providing jusaddress the issue of missing facing when it comes to solv- tice for missing and murdered Black women and girls and and murdered Black women ing their cases.
(l-r): Dr. Brittany Lewis, Lakeisha Lee, Rep. Omar, Rep. Bonnie Coleman, Tiffany Roberson (MMAAW) Photo courtesy of Rep. Omar’s office their families. “We all watched with attentive eyes the progress Minnesota was making in regard to creating the Office on Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls, and were inspired,” said Rep. Omar, who worked with Dr. Brittany Lewis and Lakeisha Lee, both part of the Missing and Murdered African
American Women task force that was integral in establishing the state office. The two traveled throughout Minnesota along with other members of the task force conducting interviews and doing research to collect information on the experiences of Black women who had been the victims of violence and
abuse. They found that many women who were victimized experienced systemic failures in health, housing, and financial opportunities, that put them at risk for further victimization. “We really did utilize the research that Dr. Lewis has done [and] talking to Clardy’s family about what would be necessary in looking at the Minnesota legislation that passed. [We looked at] what they learned from the task force, utilizing all of that to inform the legislation was a vital part of the process,” Rep. Omar said. According to the National Crime Information Center, 268,884 girls and women were reported missing in 2020; 34 percent of them were Black despite being only 15 percent of the U.S. female population. On average, cases involving Black girls and women stay open four times longer than other cases ■ See OMAR on page 5