Dear John,

Again—thank you for all the responses to last week’s news digest. We’ve been going nonstop for weeks, so we’re doing to get straight to the news.

As always, send us what you’re reading.

Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week:

Defund the Police

To recap the last week very briefly: After the mayor did a walk of shame, Minneapolis changed what’s politically possible when nine members of the City Council joined community members led by Reclaim the Block and Black Visions to call for a new path forward. Read the very latest in the Star Tribune.

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Here are three things to watch for more context:

• Check out this NowThis video. [link removed]
• Watch Samantha Bee breaks down why it’s time to defund police. [link removed]
• And learn from Black Visions’ Miski Noor on The Daily Show [link removed]

Minneapolis

Why George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis was the breaking point. Read this article in The Atlantic and find more background from Minnesota Reformer journalist Ricardo Lopez in The New Yorker.

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U.S. Cities

Other cities are joining the call to dramatically reimagine how we invest in our health, lives, and safety. Learn more here.

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Breonna’s Law

The officers who murdered Breonna Taylor still haven’t been charged, but Louisville passed Breonna’s Law this week. Here’s a recap on Twitter of the law and the city cheering when it passes.

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Structural Gaslighting

George Floyd’s initial autopsy by the Hennepin County led to a 3rd degree murder charge. It was raised to 2nd degree after an independent autopsy was conducted—without the gaslighting. (Remember, MPD claimed Floyd died of a “medical distress.”) Read this important story in Scientific America.

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Also, read County Commissioner Angela Conley’s statement about why she and Commissioner Irene Fernando voted against reinstating the Hennepin County Medical Examiner who conducted the first autopsy. Find it on Twitter here.

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Statues

Across the world, protestors have been pulling down statues of racist and genocidal historical figures – including right here in St. Paul. Check out this compilation video of statues coming down scored to Enya on Twitter.

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American Indian Movement

The American Indian Movement saved at least 20 buildings in Minneapolis from being destroyed. Read about AIM’s community patrols in the Star Tribune.

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Young Protestors

Young Black folks have been leading the protests in the Twin Cities, demanding a better world. It’s time we listen to them. Read more in Buzzfeed.

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This is Our Chance

“Our only hope for our collective liberation is a politics of deep solidarity rooted in love.”

Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, wrote this powerful op-ed published in the New York Times about democracy, our past, and police violence. Read it here.

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Marny Xiong

Marny Xiong, chair of the St. Paul Board of Education, died last weekend from COVID-19. Marny was a tremendous fighter for justice and a powerful organizer. Rest in power. Read more in the New York Times and the Sahan Journal.

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That’s a wrap.

-- Kenza Hadj-Moussa and Patrick Burke

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