PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934 September 24-30, 2020 Vol. 87 No. 8
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George Floyd street name draws praise and prejudice
“AS IT WAS SPOKEN ... LET US RECORD.”
Outspoken public defender faces ‘star chamber’ reappointment Will challenging the system’s fairness exact a price? “The board has never ever commented in public about any personnel issue whether it be the chief or any other position,” Mary Moriarty, chief public said Ward. In reality the board defender for Hennepin County, did not have to comment; putis up for reappointment by the ting the chief public defender on State Board of Public Defense paid leave is a statement in and on September 30. Many who are of itself. familiar with Moriarty’s work The head public defender has think this should be a shoo-in, received widespread support
By Mel Reeves Contributing writer
MSR News service A stretch of Chicago Avenue near where George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day has now been named "George Perry Floyd Jr. Place." The Minneapolis City Council last week approved a proposal made months ago by the Minneapolis City Planning Commission to add a commemorative street name in Floyd’s honor. The protests of the death of George Floyd at the hands of four (now) former Minneapolis police officers, represents a recognition of and a resistance to the continuous murder of unarmed Black people. When the history books are written, people need to know about this moment. This reckoning we hope will bring justice and accountability across our entire society. This
memorial naming will help accomplish that,” said ninth ward councilmember Andrea Jenkins. The council approved placing a commemorative sign along Chicago Avenue declaring the blocks between 37th Street East and 39th Street East "George Perry Floyd Jr. Place." The commemorative sign will not serve as a replacement for the current Chicago Avenue street designation, but rather will be in addition to it. The commemorative sign will be installed at the intersection of 38th and Chicago, which will mark the designation. Representatives from Mayor Jacob Frey’s office said he would likely approve the proposal as well. Residents of the area surrounding 38th Street and Chicago avenues had given overwhelming support for the idea of the recognition of Floyd. In June, supporters
of the idea of having part of the intersection where Floyd was killed named after him posted a sign saying George Floyd Avenue in place of Chicago Avenue. "I received the notice in the mail about renaming a portion of Chicago Avenue after George Floyd, and I just want to say that I ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT that measure, and probably 90% of my neighbors do, too!" wrote one neighbor to the city council. "We have been meeting on a weekly basis since the murder and we would be glad to testify that we wholeheartedly support this proposed change." But the majority of the responses to the proposal, posted in the Star Tribune online on Friday September 18 under an article titled “Minneapolis to name stretch of Chicago Avenue for George Floyd,” opposed the idea Some responses were down-
right nasty and mean spirited. Many of the commenters seemed to imply that because Floyd had a criminal record his killing was somehow justified. The comments were so negative that one commenter identified as ”psartman” even asked, “Why does the Star Tribune allow all these comments that amount to hate speech defaming the memory of George Floyd?” “What other former felons should we name our streets after?” wrote “Gary MN.” “Why are we memorializing George Floyd, someone with a criminal background? Why is there a double set of standards?” wrote “nppd03.” Another commenter, “FOHENAGH,” claiming Floyd had COVID-19, said, “The City of Minneapolis chooses to honor a man with a violent criminal record, three illegal drugs in his system at time of arrest for attempting to pass
Mary Moriarty a no-brainer to retain her position. But the fact that the public defender was placed on “paid leave” in December last year for reasons that have not been made clear to the public casts some
Courtesy of Macalester from colleagues, politicians, and the broader community. “We write as Hennepin County legislators to strongly support the reappointment of Mary Moriarty as Chief Public Defender,”
“We all play a role in holding each other accountable in the system.” doubt on the outcome. According to Minnesota State Public Defender William Ward, Moriarty was put on paid leave in December 2019 “based on information that came to the boards’ attention.” However, it’s not clear where this information came from or if it was solicited by the board.
■See FLOYD on page 5
wrote a group of state legislators representing Hennepin County, including seven senators and 17 representatives. “Ms. Moriarty has the trust of her community. We are admirers and supporters of her leadership on behalf of the most marginalized, and of her insistence that Minnesota’s institutions become better at serving ■See MORIARTY on page 5
Sabathani names new executive director By MSR news service Sabathani Community Center has named Tanessa Greene as its new executive director. Sabathani, a Southside Minneapolis institution and well-known African American legacy organization, was established in 1968 by Sabathani Baptist Church. Its mission was to mobilize people to effectively address issues of
Business Program for goods and services and procurement. Greene developed innovative procurement models, small business sourcing strategies, and best practices that significantly increased the funds spent by the county with small, minorityowned businesses. Prior to working for Hennepin County, Greene served as principal consultant for Signature Solutions Consulting, a company she founded and led for over 15 years. Greene's consulting achievements include the design of a workforce development model that led to over 600 living wage jobs for People of Color in the construction trades, including the largest infusion of women into the trades in over 20 years. Greene introduced community riods of change and growth. She health worker training programs recently led the planning, design to two North Minneapolis nonand countywide implementa- profits serving communities with tion of Hennepin County's Small the greatest health disparities in
“We wanted to focus on bringing programming back to Sabathani, and we want to focus on the community, which is now much more multicultural,” said board member Bill English. “We think Tanessa will make this happen.” Greene brings to the Sabathani community 20 years of turnaround leadership experience guiding mission-driven organizations through challenging pe-
“Since its humble beginnings, Sabathani has always been a trusted community resource and a beacon of hope during the best and worst of times.” systemic racism, poverty, inadequate housing, and a severe lack of programming for youth and seniors. Tanessa Greene
the state. "In Sabathani, I saw an opportunity to be of greater service at a critical time to a community I love and have passionately served for two decades,” said Greene. “Since its humble beginnings, Sabathani has always been a trusted community resource and a beacon of hope during the best and worst of times. “My plan is to build significantly on that rich legacy by strengthening program alignment with our community's rapidly shifting needs while amplifying Sabathani's voice as an advocate for our community's most vulnerable populations." Greene serves on the board of AEON, a local nonprofit developer, and on the Upper Harbor Terminal Redevelopment Project's City Planning Committee.