The Minneapolis City Council voted 9-4 to dissolve the Office of Community Safety, created after George Floyd’s murder to unite police, fire, 911 and violence prevention under one leader. Community violence interrupters say neither side has given their lifesaving work the support it needs.
News
Timely national, state, and local articles, including profile stories from an African American perspective.
Posted inLocal & State
Free Thanksgiving Meals and Turkey Giveaways in the Twin Cities and Across Minnesota (2026)
Free turkeys, holiday food baskets and community Thanksgiving meals are available across Minneapolis, St. Paul, the suburbs and Greater Minnesota. Here are dates, locations and sign-up details, including the Twin Cities All-Star Giveback at Sabathani on Nov. 21.
Posted inLocal & State
Federal agent testifies HSI uses shell company to fund operations
A Homeland Security Investigations supervisor testified in federal court in Minneapolis that a Bloomington-based company, Midwest Transfer, helps fund some of the agency’s undercover operations, offering a rare look at the financial structure behind federal surveillance tied to the Minnesota 15 case.
Posted inLocal & State
Mahmoud El-Kati honored with St. Paul street co-naming
Community members, elected officials and family braved the rain Oct. 27 to unveil the honorary Mahmoud El-Kati Avenue, celebrating the educator and historian who has shaped generations of Black Minnesotans. El-Kati answered with a simple message: “Thank you. I love you.”
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis activists call for U.S. military out of Africa
Minneapolis activists rallied outside Mayday Bookstore on Oct. 17 calling for U.S. forces to leave Africa and for the abolition of AFRICOM. Organizers also pointed to Honeywell’s Minneapolis navigation-device production. Contributing writer Izzy Canizares has the story.
Posted inLocal & State
Panel warns surveillance and AI outpace Twin Cities laws
Minneapolis police used fake social media accounts to surveil Black residents and organizations, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found in 2022. At a St. Paul community panel, Council Member Robin Wonsley and others warned that surveillance and AI are outpacing local oversight. Contributing writer Clint Combs has the story.
Posted inArts + Culture, Local & State
Ms. Nique turns her story into a community writing experience
Years after MSR reviewed her memoir, author Monique Crusoe-Cheeks, known as Ms. Nique, is back with Empowering the Pen, a judgment-free writing experience for people who have never thought of themselves as writers. She hopes to bring it to Minnesota. Editor Jasmine McBride has her story.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Activists say Hennepin County tracked HERC opponents
Activists working to close the HERC trash burner in North Minneapolis say county records show Hennepin County staff tracked their organizing for years and shared details with the company that runs the facility. One leader demanded two staff members resign. Editor Jasmine McBride has the report.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Black Minnesotans rally for affordable, equitable health care
Black Minnesotans gathered at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church two weeks before the midterms to demand affordable, quality health care. Faith in Minnesota’s “Our Lives, Not Their Profits” rally featured Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Rep. Cedrick Frazier. Contributing writer Izzy Canizares has the story.
Posted inLocal & State
Black unemployment in Minnesota hits 10.5%
Black Minnesotans are out of work at more than twice the rate of the state’s overall workforce, with unemployment at 10.5% in August. State economists say they can’t yet explain why Minnesota’s rate has stayed above the national rate all year. Editor Jasmine McBride has the story.
Posted inLocal & State
St. Paul residents rally against police drone contract with Skydio
St. Paul residents rallied outside City Hall demanding the city release its police department’s contract with drone maker Skydio, end it, and stop expanding AI surveillance. The contract has not been made public. Contributing writer Izzy Canizares reports.
Posted inPolitics
Folk, Frazier spar over experience and victims in Hennepin County attorney debate
State Rep. Cedrick Frazier and former acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk traded laughs and then jabs at an Oct. 13 debate over what qualifies someone to lead the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Contributing writer Clint Combs has the full report.
Posted inPolitics
Supporters rally for Omar after federal agents search her Washington home
Three weeks before the midterms, federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home. Hundreds rallied at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis, calling the search politically motivated. No charges have been announced. Contributing writer Clint Combs reports.
Posted inArts + Culture
African American Civil War Museum reopens with expanded spaces and new exhibit
The African American Civil War Museum in Washington reopened Sept. 30 after a multiyear renovation, with expanded exhibition space and more than 200 new artifacts. Descendants of U.S. Colored Troops joined the ceremony to share the stories behind the names.
Posted inLocal & State
Families of people killed by police rally for Justin Teigen outside Hennepin County Government Center
Seventeen years after her fiancé Justin Teigen died after a 2009 encounter with St. Paul police, Toshira Garraway brought families who say they have been denied records and answers to the steps of the Hennepin County Government Center.
Posted inNews
Frey nominates Bill Peterson as MPD chief, drawing opposition
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has nominated interim Police Chief Bill Peterson to lead the department permanently, and an advocacy group is urging the City Council to reject him. The Council will hold a public hearing before it votes.
Posted inMSR In the News
Minneapolis commission backs National Register listing for Spokesman-Recorder building
The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Minneapolis Spokesman and St. Paul Recorder Headquarters Building be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, calling the recognition long overdue.
Posted inLocal & State
Cultural Wellness Center breaks ground on Dreamland on 38th, a Black-led hub in South Minneapolis
Community elders, county leaders and longtime supporters broke ground Oct. 10 on Dreamland on 38th, the future home of the Cultural Wellness Center’s Cultural Wellness University, an $8 million Black-owned, Black-developed and Black-led project.
Posted inPolitics
Noecker presses Ramsey County on voter protections as county bars federal monitors from polls
St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker is pressing Ramsey County to set clear rules for protecting voters and election workers before the Nov. 3 general election, as federal authorities step up their focus on alleged voting violations in Minnesota.
Posted inLocal & State
Tenants at five Rental Minnesota buildings unionize, push landlord to negotiate
Tenants in five Minneapolis apartment buildings have formed the Rental Minnesota Tenant Union, demanding their landlord recognize them and negotiate over long-neglected repairs and fears of a shift to short-term rentals. The company disputes much of their account.