Conversations With Al McFarlane - Hawthorne Huddle

Speaker 0 00:00 KPI. Speaker 1 00:05 Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm Speaker 2 00:18 <inaudible> Speaker 3 00:35 Thank you. Uh, I'm Al McFarlane. I'm pleased to, uh, moderate, uh, this month, regular meeting of the offer Nuttall. We begin by reaching out to Speaker 4 00:45 State representative lien representative fully. Good morning. Thank you for being here. Like all of us, uh, you I'm sure, uh, are concerned about the devastation that has occurred in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. Like all of us, I'm sure you have deep feelings about, uh, what, uh, and how police conduct have failed us. So I want to turn it over to you, first of all, just to express your concerns, your thoughts, and to start this discussion about how as a community, we begin to address these issues, public policy police conduct, uh, the economic impact of this event, uh, that on top of COVID-19 the impact there. And how do we begin to think about going forward a good morning Speaker 5 01:35 Morning, everyone. Thank you. And thank you Diana, for organizing those for all of us. You know, I, I called the seminar from Diana. You know, our community is hurting. Uh, you know, it's unfortunate that it has to take a loss of life for all of us to get together, to really look at some reforms with regards to our, uh, police conduct, you know, police brutality. And I just want to let everyone know our viewers folks on the North side know that, uh, we will be coming into special session next week. And myself, along with the members of the Minnesota, people of color indigenous caucus has come up with a police reform, uh, product so that we can start having this conversation. What do we need to do so that we can have more transparency and accountability within our police force, and also, you know, uh, to your point out, our community right now is hurting with regards to some of the economic impact, uh, because of the events of COVID-19 and with the, uh, the death of George Floyd. Speaker 5 02:30 And, you know, I, I really want to respect our community who is hurting and who is mourning that loss of life. But right now I'm really looking forward to the future to, to see what can we do to support our community members. And as the vice chair of capital investment committee, I believe we have an opportunity to use the capital investment bonding bill to provide economic, uh, you know, recovery help for committee members on the more side and throughout the city of Minneapolis throughout the region who has been impacted by, uh, the strategy a tragedy. And so today I just want to be on here to really listen to community members, listen to all of you, see what can we do to partner, to move the city of Minneapolis for the motorcycle, and really help address some of the concerns that we have. So just want to leave at that, and then we can deep dig deeper in depth if we have further questions. Thank you. Speaker 4 03:20 Representative Lee. Let me ask you a couple of questions. Um, uh, just to keep the conversation going, you know, this thing is personal to everybody. I think all of us have, uh, been impacted deeply and personally, and in that spirit, I wanted to ask you, where were you when you first heard about what was happening over on 38th and Chicago? What was the first word that you got, uh, just as a neighbor, as a person in the community, but also in your capacity as the legislative leader? Uh, what did you first hear about it and what did you think? What did you fear? What was your first speculation about what the meaning of it was? I'm talking about the actual police incident in which, um, George Floyd died, uh, where we witnessed that on, on, on social media. Speaker 5 04:12 So I was actually a traveling for family's funeral. And when I hop onto social media, I was devastating. And, you know, I would just talk it to you right now. You know, I'm getting goosebumps, you know, I have the Sargent feeling, I just don't know. And, uh, it's, it's, it's tough, you know, um, for me, you know, serving in office for this is my fourth year, my second term, uh, I could count that, you know, over the last four years, there's been three officers involved, uh, deaf in my district alone on the North side. And it's, it is unfortunate that, you know, this situation is, uh, in South Minneapolis and I just hurt, you know, I reached out to my colleagues who were over there and, you know, just mixed emotion, you know, really trying to figure out what can I do to support my colleagues, because I have, you know, went through this before and just having this conversation. Speaker 5 05:03 I think it brings back some kind of trauma, the trauma that our community has been facing and whether we are, you know, uh, the direct, you know, uh, we are directly impacted or not, our community is hurting. And so going for, uh, in our package that we have put out, we want to see what can we put in some, uh, investment in some resources into address some of the trauma that our committee members are facing. And also what can we do to, uh, partner with community members to help, uh, solve this and right, you know, right away, you know, and having a conversation with my leadership over at the Minnesota house and, uh, talking, talking with the administration, I want us to have some dollars in there so that we could partner up with folks who are on the ground, who, who can provide these kinds of services, you know, culturally specific services to help key members who are hurting and so that we could heal together. And so, uh, I I'm, I'm still devastated, you know, but some of these nights I'm going to bed around two or three in the morning, waking up around five, six in the morning, and my hands is just shaking. And so Speaker 4 06:14 Let me, let me drill down there. So, you know, like all of us, when you get the news and social media that, uh, this, uh, arrest has resulted in a death, and for me represent, you sent it to fully, it was just totally incredible. I couldn't believe what I was watching. And I watched it maybe two times, maybe three times, but every time I watch this, a seven or nine minute video, it just created memories and pain. And when I talk about it, it triggers memories. Uh, people tell me about, uh, knowing that their father or grandfather was lynched at some point in time in the sixties or in the thirties. So it brings back these family stories, uh, for black people about, uh, you know, historic and relatively recent, uh, accounts of either police and or mob brutality that has resulted in loss of life. Speaker 4 07:18 And it's not an abstraction it's personal because it touches our personal histories and stories. So you saw that event and you got this, you know, this pain in your heart and your gut. And then the next day, uh, after the protest began organically, we saw those split and devolve into unbridled, anger, uh, some called it protests. I'm called it rebellion. Some began to call it riot. Some began to call it anarchy, some called it all of the above, but we know it had an impact. One of the things we know about is that even though Lake street was the epicenter, it's where the event occurred. Our neighborhood North Minneapolis was impacted as well. Not only in the feelings of the residents like you and I have described, but our businesses also were targets of some of the destruction. Can you talk about what you saw or what, you know, and what you fear, what you thought, uh, as that, that, that eruption took place and spilled into our community North Minneapolis? Speaker 5 08:29 You know, the first thought that I had when we saw that, uh, some of these were coming up to the North side was the impact that it's going to have on our small businesses, especially our businesses that are owned by black and Brown Joe community members. And, uh, I, I just don't know right now what we can do, but I know that, you know, right now we're having conversation to really address this. And, uh, I just hope that this is just the first conversation that I have with all of you and with, uh, hopefully with committee members who are watching, um, what can we do to address the economic impact of what's happening and know that, you know, as we move for over at the legislature, I want to center the voice of the folks on the North side and what kind of, whatever economic recovery package that we have. And that's why I felt like, you know, right now there's a great opportunity as the vice chair of the capital investment committee to really partner up with our community members to see what are the needs that you have, let me know, so that we can start addressing that going forward. And, uh, I, you know, I am very conscious about, you know, the impact that it has on our local community members. And so just really wants to partner up with everyone else Speaker 4 09:41 I'm presenting and suggesting that we start thinking in terms of a, uh, a Marshall plan for West roadway, meaning a massive investment in business and agency renovation in the economic infrastructure for North Minneapolis. I am recommending and calling for a Marshall plan for Lake street and a Marshall plan for a university Avenue in st. Paul and the extended communities. Uh, and I hear you saying that one of the things you're going to be looking at and listening for is how that might have something like that might arise from the community so that you can put forth legislation, uh, to make sure that we move towards healing. Uh, do you see things like that? Is that what you're saying? Speaker 5 10:35 I, I do. And, uh, I don't know if all of you may be aware, but today, uh, commissioner girl from the department of economic and employment are hosting a listening session with a business owner who has been impacted by this tragedy. And so I think that that's the starting point for us to have that conversation with the committee members, you know, having the air of the commissioner who, uh, you know, it's directly right next to the governor so that we can work in partnership, the administration over at the Capitol, us in the Minnesota house. And then, you know, Senator Bobby, Joe champion, Senator Hayden in the Senate to see what we can do to center of the voice of the people. And, you know, it's the though, you know, it's not our general fund where we can spend it on anything. And so that's why I really want to, you know, going down a little bit, the nitty gritty, you know, really focusing on what are some of the bricks or mortars, or what are some of the equipments that our businesses need that we could use the capital investment bill to really fund for that and to help support our committee members. Speaker 5 11:34 And so, uh, you know, this conversation and beyond if we could get down to those details and you know, what kind of support services, so that if we do have some general fund tasks around that we could provide that additionally to the bricks and mortars for, for our community members on the North side, to your point on like street on university Speaker 4 11:54 Avenue, is there a mechanism for assessing the, uh, the damage, the impact, and is there a process that you are wherever part of that is calling for the community to create a vision, create a plan because I'm thinking, and I think you agree with this, that we have to look at this, not as a question of restoration, but a question of transformation and the imperative of the moment, both in the area of criminal justice and, um, police policy is a heart look, hard work and, uh, transformation, not putting things back to where they were, but changing things internally, organically, and moving towards a more humane, uh, and, uh, transparent criminal justice system that is based in the notion of equity, where black and Brown people. We see ourselves as the owners of the enterprise of justice, not the manager, not the victims, but rather the creators and the sources of the notion and spirit of civic engagement and of justice. Speaker 4 13:07 And frankly, it's going to take the rest of the society to acknowledge our duty, our right, and our responsibility to be part of the decision making apparatus. We've been locked out, uh, in the past. And we've been blamed for being locked out by saying, Oh, they didn't want to come. They didn't want to show up, not true. There's been a systemic process for exclusion. And that's what has been laid bare by both COVID-19 because it reflects all of the health disparities compounded by wealth disparities about economic job disparities compounded by education disparities, compounded by, um, uh, you know, a series of interconnected things that spell marginalization for people of color black and Brown people and poor people in the inner city. So I think this is an opportunity to address all of those because they're all related. And the proper address is a grand vision of what our society can and should be and how we exercise our voice and building that, uh, organically and with the support and through the power of the legislature. Let me ask Kenzie O'Keefe to jump in Kennedy. O'Keefe was former editor of the North news paper, uh, now headed by Harry, uh, Colbert a great organization, great publication. She has moved on to become the public policy leader for Pillsbury United neighborhoods, Kenzie. Good morning, unmute your microphone. First of all. And I want you to speak from your, both as a reporter editor and community member, but also in charge of moving public policy considerations at Pillsbury what's your general impression and how do you move this conversation forward? Speaker 6 15:04 Yeah, so I have been a, I've been a part of Pillsbury United communities for almost five years now. Um, up until just about a week ago, I was the editor of North news, a community newspaper and digital news source in North Minneapolis. Um, and what I kind of what I learned and saw it and experienced, um, and the relationships, um, that I forged, um, before, but also really during that time at North news, um, sparked my interest in, in policy and advocacy work. And, uh, I really recognized that I wanted to have more of a direct impact in terms of changing some of the things that I had seen and felt as a reporter. So that eliminated communities, um, is a 140 year old organization, um, birthed out of the settlement house movement. Um, and our, our current mission is all about supporting individuals and communities, particularly black, Brown, and indigenous folks in holding their power. Speaker 6 16:04 Um, and we as an organization really understand, uh, that building power there's, there's an on the ground component to that, to building strong communities, supporting folks. Um, and we do that through our community centers and through our social enterprises. Um, but more and more we've realized that, that, uh, structural change and really dismantling, uh, racist white supremacist systems needs to be an intentional, um, and not just an intentional part of the work, but also a resource part of the work. Um, so, um, our, you know, again, I've only been in my job officially now for, uh, about a week. Um, but, but my intention is really just to ensure that justice oriented policies, that anti racist policies get implemented at every level of government, um, and, and sort of, uh, every institutional level. Um, and, and not just, you know, my goal is not just to support those policies, but also to ensure that, um, but the budgets are there to make that work impactful. Speaker 6 17:15 Um, I was really struck last night on the, uh, watching them my brother's keeper conversation on YouTube, um, with the Obama foundation and Brittany Packnett Cunningham saying that budgets are moral documents. And I think we, um, that resonates deeply with me and that feels as important to the policy work is ensuring that the budgets match. Um, so just to wrap this up, uh, you know, I think in terms of the types of policies, um, that I, and Pillsbury United plan to advocate for, um, those are criminal justice policies, housing, education, transit health, um, really just the main, um, main and many areas where we see racial disparities, Speaker 4 17:57 Andrew Bahnhof, um, is a staffer at the platform neighborhood council. And, uh, you know, Andrew, you live over in South Minneapolis, like a couple of blocks from where, uh, the, uh, 38th in Chicago, uh, center for this activity. It would be awesome if you could just sort of speak as a neighborhood resident, kind of give a detail of what happened. Cause some people may be checking in on this Facebook live that aren't as familiar with what happened. So maybe you could do something that's sequential. Uh, and, and from the point of view of a resident of the neighborhood, uh, Andrew, good morning. Speaker 7 18:38 Good morning now. Yeah. Um, thanks for asking. Yeah, so I live, um, the only two blocks, I guess, as the Crow flies, um, you could say from 38th in Chicago, it's a corner that, uh, my family frequents often, um, and actually, um, where George Floyd was murdered was actually my bus stop that I take in the winter. Um, so it's, it's certainly something to, uh, that, you know, I'll just never be able to look at that piece of asphalt and concrete the same way again, um, something that's beautiful about this area. Um, there are some neighborhoods that come together right here is, um, just the, the diversity that's kind of come together. That's that's been happening. Um, and, uh, a lot of, you know, there are signs in my neighborhood that say we love Brian. People really have a lot of pride in this community. Um, it's an area where we have a diversity of restaurants and different shops. Speaker 7 19:31 Um, there's an art center over there, uh, obviously cup foods, which is a little convenience store for a lot of people, um, and important actually a pretty big asset for people. And, um, you know, I think what just after, after we all heard what happened at that corner, and I think it's telling to show, you know, I woke up Tuesday morning, not knowing that that had happened two blocks from my house Monday night, you know, even happened at around 8:00 PM Monday, I think, or so. Yup. Yeah. And so I just, it just shows that sometimes even that close Memorial day, just to put it in context, so this is Monday morning. Um, and you know, watching that video, you just, I mean, we all, we all know we all have our emotions on that. It's, uh, it was a disgusting act and it's just so, so horrific. Speaker 7 20:19 And again, to know that that happened here, um, again in this, in this city is just horrific, but what's come from that to see that location become this spiritual Memorial, this hub of joy and generosity. And, uh, last night, somebody actually rolled out a piano to that corner. So there's like a baby grand piano sitting on that corner right now. And people have been playing music, just stepping up one of the time, playing music on the piano. Um, and so, you know, none of that takes away the pain. Um, once again, having, um, having a black man, uh, taken from us in the city, but you know, as much as media loves to concentrate on the fires and media loves to concentrate on, um, what's happening negatively in this city and, and rage. Um, it also shows what's happening at 30th in Chicago right now is just a beautiful human experience. Speaker 7 21:16 People crying, people laughing, there was a dance party there yesterday. Um, and it just it's, it's definitely filled me with hope, right? I think so often we, you know, we're consumed by what the media presents to us, um, and it can fill us with negative emotions and, and make us feel like this has never, we're never going to achieve what we, what we want it to, but then you see that corner right now and what people are doing and sharing and the true Memorial it's become. Um, I had my brother reached out to me and asked, what are they going to do with 30th in Chicago? Now you can't, you can't, you know, it's art like the whole intersection. Now it's just a work of art. Um, and I said, I hope they treat it. Like, it's like a work of art. I really hope they do. Speaker 7 21:58 Um, I hope they treat it as a Memorial to not just George Floyd, but, but, uh, to all the lives who's lost, but also as a, as a center for the change that is coming that I think we're finally gonna have, let's talk about, uh, when you, um, uh, started moving around through your Wednesday, uh, excuse me, through your Tuesday when the protest began peaceful, just righteous, indignation, disbelief, uh, and incredible, incredible, uh, or incredulous, I guess, was the word that describes how people were feeling. Uh, and then, uh, the protest towards evening began to devolve into more anger. What were your thoughts or your impressions and after Tuesday night and Wednesday, when things got to where they were confrontational. Oh, what was the progression of thinking that you experienced as a neighborhood resident? What did you feel and what did you think? Yeah, um, you know, obviously, so I have, I feel like a fairly unique experience. Speaker 7 23:03 I'm a white male who lives on the South side, who works for North side community. Um, so, you know, I'm always being aware of my privilege and understanding what my feelings are compared to some of those, the community I serve, you know, initially, you know, when, when I went, after I watched the video, I turned to my wife and I said, this is, this is going to be big. This is going to be huge. Um, because working on the North side, I see just the suffering and the trauma, you know, that some, we work at Hawthorne, right. We focus a lot on historical trauma and I see how much people carry. And they re you know, people because the city, this community, we don't necessarily always give people the options of how to deal with their trauma in a healthy way. You know, I just felt like what we saw was going to happen. Speaker 7 23:54 Um, and it's something I've always kind of held there knowing that if, if we see what we saw on Monday happened, that that would see that. And so, you know, seeing it transform into the riots and, and just seeing that rage become a, you know, come off, physically seeing that anger come up physically on, um, on buildings and on our community. I, you know, uh, nobody wants to see their city burn, but at the same time, um, there's no way I could ever feel the pain and the anger of, uh, or just understand what it's like to be black and Minneapolis, even though I worked for that community. Um, I was, I, it's not my, you know, I felt it was not my point to say, people need to stop doing that. You know? Um, no doubt, you know, I've, I've felt anxiety about it. Speaker 7 24:41 I felt fear about it. Um, but those are things that I was feeling because of what was happening, not because of what had happened to me over the course of decades and centuries for, for community. Um, so, you know, I also think it's interesting people, again, all of that happened where the police were, right. All that happened at the third precinct. So I think it's important for us to understand that people aren't just angry for anger sake. It is focused. It is, there is a point where they know there's change. People understand the difference between what happened at three weeks in Chicago and honoring that honoring George Floyd, um, where that, you know, again, that's become a Memorial, it's become almost again like a spiritual experience versus going after the cancer. We need removed from the city going after, um, what is our target of anger and trauma? Speaker 7 25:37 Um, you know, so, you know, as the week progressed, I th I think, I don't know if leaders were looking for an outlet saying, you know, we, we heard it was outstate Minnesota, or it was, it was people from outside the state, um, whether or not that was true. Um, what do you feel? What, what do you think, you know, I don't, it's weird, right? I don't listen. I don't care where a white supremacist comes. They could come from Florida, they could come from Richfield, right. They could come from Northern Minnesota and white supremacy is a white supremacist. Um, I do think though, it's, we, can't just, we can't want something to be, to make, to, to, to take the pain or just, or to take responsibility off another. Right. So, um, we can't say, Oh, actually, nevermind. Now we've decided the burnings build because there were people there who are instigators. Speaker 7 26:31 Right. Um, I think it's just important to, to just understand this experience and maybe sometimes just take a step back from what media is telling us is happening today, and go look what was happening in a week ago now that we have a week's worth of information, um, understanding, uh, and, and also, you know, we talk about community, right? We talk about, uh, all these different communities we have in Minneapolis, but also everyone is still an individual. Everyone is still gonna feel their trauma as an individual and their pain as an individual. Um, and some people chose to be more physical about that. Some people chosen to be, um, more internal. And I just think you can't pass judgment on anyone right now. Right. We are all so raw and we're all still trying to process this. Um, and, and certainly for me, I don't, you know, I've just had white, straight male, right. I haven't experienced that. Um, there's just, I, you know, I haven't experienced that is extremely privileged and it's just not my place to, to pass judgment on anyone who, who has lived something, um, especially as it being black in Minneapolis, that is, that is not, uh, not a good experience Speaker 4 27:44 Representatively. Uh, one thing that I noticed and I believe this was true, it didn't confirm that, uh, black businesses and mung businesses were targeted in North Minneapolis. That's what I understand is that true? Do you understand the same thing? Speaker 5 28:02 That is my understanding that our, uh, uh, you know, businesses that are black owned and, you know, just business in general, we're targeted on the North side. And it is our fortunate that, you know, this has happened to our community members who have put their life savings into their business. And I remember reading article, I don't know if this is on the North side or on the South side where, uh, the business owner of a Latin descent, you know, spent 10 years just to get the business started and overnight it was all God. And that's just very heartbreaking for, for all of us. And that's where we, uh, you know, as myself as an elected official really need to find a way to help address this wrong or our community members who put their life investment into this. And now overnight, they don't have anything anymore. And so, you know, it is a priority of my, for myself and, uh, many, uh, members of the Minnesota legislature to really help our black and Brown communities who are a struggle. You especially are business owners who were impacted because of this situation. Speaker 4 29:08 Uh, I know she's not, uh, uh, interest, not anxious to talk, but I'm going to put our friend and DeGroote on the spot here. And, uh, as a resident in the community, uh, you are working with and invested in trying to create opportunities for young people, uh, at North high. Uh, and, uh, you know, how are you dealing with the fallout of, um, both the cry for justice, the protest associated, uh, with the, yeah, the George Floyd killing and the, uh, rebellions or uprisings or riots, the damage that's occurred afterwards, even in our community, North Minneapolis, Speaker 8 29:52 You know, I'm Al I'm happy to talk, but I also feel like at this point, I should, I'll often take a back seat, but I, I will be happy to respond. You know, first I want to just say how proud I am of all of our young people who stepped up and who went out in the forefront of this, that, that has been true historically that young people do take the lead, but it is also true now, particularly in this case, our young people of color, um, that they are out there on the streets, um, protesting and whatever way they are. And I'm really proud of them. I think we need to acknowledge that in our city and recognize what our young people are doing at the same time. I am concerned about them because of COVID. Um, I am really concerned about that. So I think we need to make sure that we can find ways to test them and care for them. Speaker 8 30:42 If they get sick, we need to make sure that they have healthcare that, um, keeps them alive for a long time. This disease is bad. And, um, I appreciate and understand why they went out and I'm just worried about them. You know, I'm a mom, I'm just kind of motherly about this. I don't want them to begin sick. So I just want to say that about this. I think, um, what I know our young people have feel very passionate and, you know, Allie, I think he might know that we have a group at the youth coordinating board called the Minneapolis youth, Congress about 50 young people who, um, do work with us and with our public jurisdictions, so that their tagline, their motto is no decision about us without us. And they have been meeting and talking. Some of our young people are involved right now in putting together some tapes, some videotapes on mental health and wellbeing, Korean people, um, particularly aimed at this time. Speaker 8 31:40 And we learn a lot from our young people and, you know, like every one server and people are pretty exhausted right now, I'm pretty tired. Um, and some of them have a lot of passion and energy to go forward and that will Evans flow. So, you know, part of what I think we are trying to do is make sure that we support our young people in whatever ways we can. And for me, I'm wanting to make sure I support the staff of the YCB, um, to be able to work with our young people. Um, we have a group that goes out called our outreach team, which Diana knows cause her son Byron is one of our longterm members of the outreach team. And they got me engaged with young people around the city. And most of our people in that group are black and Brown people. Speaker 8 32:24 And I know that they are, um, that they are tired and exhausted. So any way that as their boss, their boss's boss can, you know, I don't need to be too hierarchical here, but I can help them. I will do that because we need them out there. They are gems and they do great work. So from my perspective, it's really about, um, you know, making sure we acknowledge our young people and those of us who work with our young people and try and help keep them home and try to help them take the, try to help them move forward in a way that is good for them and good for our community. That's, that's what, what we're trying to do. So that's kind of a long way to answer your question. I hope I did, but that's, that's really what we're thinking about at the, at the youth coordinating board is how do we help our young people be in the process of building moving forward, transformation, ally, like your word, I think that's right. Speaker 4 33:24 And the group, let me say to you, uh, and, and, and saying, so, uh, give you praise and, uh, thank you. I think it's easy for us to, uh, demonize young people. And you have started off by saying, you are proud of young people and you praise them for their courage and for their intensity. And even though it's easy for media and communities to be dismissive of, uh, young people, you have the presence of mind, and I hear your voice telling us and encouraging all of us to step back, breathe deeply and understand, appreciate, and accept our responsibility to acknowledge and nurture, uh, the gift of life that young people are bringing. And we have to simply stand back and applaud and allow and support them. We can become and be, uh, the retaining walls or the, the, the railings that allow them the freedom to explore the life and future that they are obligated to create. Speaker 4 34:37 But this is a co-creating experience. And I think that you are saying to those of us who were older, adults established, et cetera, let us not be so self centered and satisfied with ourselves because we clearly have failed. We've been participants in the failure of society. Not that it's our fault, but we are here. And it's our duty. However, to be supportive of the transformation that is at hand. And I love the fact that you are acknowledging the role and the power of young people, and you're leading with celebration, not demonizing, not condemning and not, um, uh, marginalizing their power in their voice, uh, representative fully. Let me ask you to jump in here again, just on that premise, that thought, I think it's a wonderful thing that you've said and the group, so representative fully impressions, your thought, how do we motivate and get engaged and support young people? You have to unmute your there representative. Yeah. Speaker 5 35:39 So I think that this is a great opportunity for our young people. You know, they are the one that are out there on the street, who is highlighting the need for us to have this conversation. And as we move forward, I look forward to working with Kenzie and hopefully she can bring some youth on, into the, you know, the room to talk with us are around some of these reforms that we are thinking about. And I think from my perspective, within the next, uh, week or two, that's where we're going to have a lot of movement. And so the young people who has been out on the street, we want them to be in the room with us to talk about why we need this transfer transformational change. And so, uh, and Kenzie, I encourage both of you to, you know, get the youth connected to myself and I could get them, you know, uh, get them ready to be involved in the process of that when we're having this conversation, their voice are at the front and center and not being pushed to the back end. And so it's imperative that, you know, we as lawmakers, you know, focus this on, you know, the people who are on the ground are you for are hurting and who are, uh, asking for, for their voice to be hurt. And it is timed out. Their voice needs to be are over at the Minnesota state Capitol. Speaker 4 36:48 I'm Melanie McFarland. This was a special session of conversations with Al McFarlane. We are, um, we are, um, I got Senator Hayden calling you on the phone right now. Uh, we're asking him to join the call. Uh, I just told him, I call him right back. Hopefully he'll be able to join us in a couple of seconds, but, uh, this is a special edition of conversations with Al McFarland, uh, held in support of an, to present the monthly session of the Hawthorne huddle. The Hawthorne huddle is a 30 year community engagement process created by, uh, Hawthorne neighborhood council. Uh, co-created by the, the executive director, uh, Diana Hawkins, uh, and, um, uh, this huddle has been a powerful convening place for North Minneapolis corporations and public policy, public service and community leaders for a generation now. And Diana, I just want to thank you again and thank the whole foreign neighborhood council and the Hawthorne huddle for the, uh, continuity that you provide in creating a place for a robust conversation about how we move our communities forward. Speaker 4 38:08 Um, diner, take a minute again and, and talk about the other aspect of the council's work, because you're also working on opioids. And so three things here, we've got opioids, that's been a focus of, you know, youth, uh, and community exposure in prevention awareness with opioids. Then we have covert coming in, uh, laying bare the inequities. And then on top of that, uh, this particular, uh, egregious event that also lays bare the inequity in the area of community policing or policing police policy, all these things on top of each other, it's the perfect storm. And, uh, you can be cry that if you want to, you wouldn't be blamed for feeling of that. This is too much, or you can say, you know what it is, what it is. Let's get busy, let's get to work. And that's what you're doing, Diana Hawkins. And that's what the Hawthorne neighborhood council is doing. Speaker 4 39:10 It always has done that. So take a minute to just explore what we said so far. So why don't we come back to him and let not the trading floor is yours. Thank you for being here. The general question is how do we let's review what happened and let's review why it happened and let's review what the impact is for, uh, uh, our communities in general. And in that context, let's talk about the need for reform in our criminal justice system in general, and specifically about police conduct. And this horrific incident gives us an opportunity, requires us to examine these challenges. So start from there. Speaker 9 39:52 Well, well, thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks. Uh, all the folks of the hotline hustle huddle, and thank to your a great representative. Fooly, and I'm not saying that because I'm looking at them, I'm just telling you that he is a fantastic, uh, representative. I work, I spent three years in the house, so I know what it is to be a good house member and, uh, who are really, has, uh, been able to navigate the challenges of, uh, figuring out kind of what to do and how to be an effective voice for the community, but also navigate the, uh, the, the, the process, if you will. I really do want to shout him out, uh, uh, for that. Uh, thank you guys. Um, uh, at the hardwood hustle, thank you, Diane and others, um, uh, ans a long time serving in this community. Um, I'm glad to be there. Speaker 9 40:42 Um, uh, and I filled up, cause I spent a lot of my formative years on the North side, and many of you know, my dad, Peter Aden, uh, speaking about YPO who is, uh, started turning point 1976 and is still going strong, uh, helping people, uh, deal with, uh, addiction or what we now call substance use disorder. Um, the incident that happened, uh, in my, in my district on 38th in Chicago, uh, unfortunately, uh, rested power, uh, of mr. Floyd, um, was, it was simply the igniter, uh, to, uh, a powder cake, if you will, uh, that we call systemic racism. And so, uh, we've been dealing with this for a long time though. The, the, the, all of the disparities that I think we got comfortable with essentially, uh, people call this the land of 10,000 lakes. I call it the land of 10,000 disparities. Speaker 9 41:32 It was every single, uh, quality of life indicator, uh, that you would have, um, you know, the five big groups African-American, uh, uh, African immigrants, Latinos, American Indians, and then as food could tell you, um, our, our friends and among communities, we have to desegregate a little bit of the data and the Asian community, but when you pull out, uh, our friends in one community, they, uh, they're, they're, they're right with us. And we have been talking about it. We have been fighting it, we've done equity bills. We've had, it seems like some schools change their curriculum each and every year to try to address it. We have health disparities that we have the greatest healthcare system, uh, in the world here in Minneapolis, led by the number one hospital, uh, in the world, uh, depending on what the issue is, the Mayo clinic, we have the biggest, uh, company of Minnesota, unfortunate seven company and United healthcare is the biggest health insurer. Speaker 9 42:27 Uh, and I only, I highlight them not to not to disparage them, but just to say how superior excellent we are, uh, when it comes to everything with exception of how it works for people at college. So we just can't, we just got, say it, you know, we just gotta say we got a problem. And our problem is as deeply rooted as it is in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, uh, in all of those States that we like to point to as being the racist state, we have problem. Uh, we got to get out of denial, uh, mr. Floyd's that, uh, for whatever reason I take, cause it was live in color because of technology just pointed it out. We got to see it. You couldn't, you couldn't deny that. Right. Anything else to do if you're not there to see it, you can always in your mind, well, maybe there was a problem. Speaker 9 43:11 Maybe didn't do what he said. Maybe didn't comply maybe. Well, we couldn't deny the nine and a half seconds and I didn't have minutes that we saw. Nobody could deny it. Um, and so the question is now after we, uh, you know, uh, late ms. Floyd to death is what do we do now? Um, and we gotta address it in a, in a, in a way that's transformational, I think is the word that we're starting to use. So the house was coming out with a series of ideas, um, that could be easily turned into bills. Um, you know, the us in the Senate are working off of that kind of template, um, and kind of thinking about what we could do, um, as special session in what I would say is that, um, we, it's gotta be transformational. I'm 53 years old when I was five or six years old. Speaker 9 44:01 And I lived on 35th and Clinton, uh, me like a lot of us have moved North to South, back and forth about the taught me how to cross the street. And once I figured out how to say gold or green lighters, and don't go on a rail, like she said, if the police stop, you do what they say. Then now, you know, you were here during those times that the police have been beating us up and taking us down to the river and beating us up and dropped us back off in our community for years. Uh, so I am proud of the young people. I am proud of, including my own daughter, son, who are, who are getting active in this and get a chance to see it. But for some of us who's been around Minneapolis for a long time. It's not new about this. Speaker 9 44:40 So, um, I would say, um, it's time, it's time to transformationally change. We can figure out the interim, but, uh, you know, we got to start with the pulse board, licensed police. Uh, we got to start with figuring out how we get police to live in our community again, when I was a little boy, um, at least some of the African American cops that I do, they lived in the community. We gotta be able to get that we have to diversify the police force so that I think it's much harder. Um, doesn't mean that you can't have a bad cop who looks like us, but I think that by and large, if people live in the community and look like you, right, you have a much different relationship with, with true. And I know like right now there's some controversy about get rid of the, the SRO, the school cops. Speaker 9 45:24 Well, that's just directly related to the, the group that we have here today. You guys have phenomenal, uh, individual Charlie and Charlie Adams jr. And told those, those guys, I grew up with them and they're phenomenal and they'll do a good job. So they know I don't want our support of that to, to be directed to just them as individuals. But it really is the literal fraternity, uh, that they, that they belong to not by choice. Cause I believe a lot of it with the voted for them. But, but that, that paternalistic organization called the Minneapolis police Federation has, is complicit 100%. Um, and mr. Floyd step, they, they, they facilitated a culture and an atmosphere that allowed that to be OK. Uh, that, that, that scared people to say, don't do nothing. If you do see something. So we gotta figure that out. We gotta change that culture. Speaker 9 46:17 Um, you know, there's something that, you know, uh, in the military that says, if you see somebody do something wrong, then you don't do nothing. You're, you're equally as wrong, right? So we have to be able to, and I gotta remember the food wide door, it's like duty to tell or duty to compel. I sent her the signals that well, well, we have to be able to put some things in there that has a level of accountability that fundamentally changes the police. The other thing we gotta do, we gotta do with community. We gotta do it with young people, right? We have to figure out, we have to de militarized after nine 11, we used to actually militarized our police force. So the next thing you know, we went from having police cars, or even officers walking the beat to them, riding down the street. Speaker 9 46:58 So it looks like a tank, right at weapons that, uh, that, that were used in war. So if you ride down North to South Minneapolis and you're not getting out your car, you're not on the beat is scared of the people. And you're walking down something that looks like a tank. Well, you know, that's part of the culture. Then you start acting as if the citizens are your enemies. You know, if you look to Baghdad or Floozer, they route at least kinds of places, maybe, you know, you don't know who's who, but all of a sudden now with the, and the approach to policing in this town and frankly in America, is that the citizens are the enemy that should not try to deescalate. If I try to have a conversation, you're not trying to build a relationship is simply just trying to arrest and detain and throw them in. Speaker 9 47:45 And if they don't, then you're ready to use lethal force. We have trained, the police have training survival training as they call it. And basically it's a militaristic training that basically says you can do whatever you do so that you get back home to your family. Well, mr. Florida, didn't get back home to his family and a whole bunch of Jabar car couldn't get back home to his family other than a whole bunch of other folks that couldn't get back home to the family. There's no, uh, realm of deescalation relationships. Uh, there's no relationships that are built. I shouldn't say that all cops with certainly a good number, a good number of them. Hey, we saw that just on the Thursday and Friday when things went to heck is his, I'll try not to cuss out here. Uh, the kind of quit didn't show up, you know, they would, they were there, you know, a lot of these guys in the military, you know, we call a dereliction of duty, right? Speaker 9 48:40 They didn't do the fundamental things that they were even responsible for as some sort of show like that. They don't have to do it. Uh, Bob Crow is, is, is, is acting like a dictator. He's trying to subvert the constitution, tried to work with Senator Gazelka, uh, in the Senate to, to, to subvert the, the governance constitutional responsibility. I mean, I, I don't, I don't know. I just woke up a little hot, I guess I'm trying to, it's hot outside. And I got a lot of people in my neighborhood and I got a lot of destruction I've worked for well over 20 years. Well, before I got the legislature, paddleboard park neighborhood association, that chair, I worked at hit up the part of the horn partners and the integrated setting there with Andrea and others to build Lake street that we built led street in the image of the community, right. Speaker 9 49:26 We built each street in the image of the community. We're building, what's the image of the community. In two days, it was all gone 20 years worth of work with a collective of people that just me Padre was here. There are many people. So I don't want to suggest that I was dissolved of Lake street. I'm saying that there were thousands of people that we have worked hard in order to rebuild, wait, Lake street, just a little bit of history. And when they built the freeway before the freeway Lynch street was a vibrant kind of economic corridor is where you buy your cars. They built the freeway, all the autos, uh, uh, load of, uh, folks, uh, dealerships moved out to the suburbs. The South Dale opened up all the shopping left there. The Lake street was there. It was there forever. As you all know, it's kind of an abandoned place where, uh, human human trafficking was going on is what we call it. Speaker 9 50:16 Now we call it sucked up. And we had x-rayed at movie theaters with a heart of the beast puppet theater was, and we transformed that with black mom, African American, I mean, African immigrants, a lot of Latino businesses. And they took that from us in a couple of days, because essentially this white supremacist society to walk, put his boot on the neck of a black man. And so we got to change it. We got to change it fast. Um, and I'm glad that the young people are involved. And I'm glad that they're holding us accountable because incrementalism isn't going to work. And that's what I'm telling my colleagues each and every day, it's a transformational process and the time is now. So I probably said more than you want it. I just want this Speaker 4 50:59 Senator. This was perfect. Thank you so much. Let me ask you a couple of questions. One, is there a, both the will and a billion dollars for the transformation of Lake street? Is there a billion dollars for the transformation of university Avenue in st. Paul? Is there a billion dollars over some period of time for the complete transformation of, um, West Broadway and Lowry Avenue? Uh, the business corridors in North Minneapolis, uh, is there the will and if there's the will, uh, can we create a process that generates that amount of capital or the capital required and in a process that specifically supports existing and new emerging businesses owned by black people by African immigrants, by mung people by, uh, our Asian brothers and sisters by Latino brothers and sisters, and by white brothers and sisters who are residents of our community, is there a process that recognizes those who are here in plate in place right now, uh, in businesses that have been challenged or shut down by, by both this event? And COVID-19 the double whammy here, but is there an opportunity in this to re envision recreate a new vibrant, uh, transformed, uh, set of communities? What do you think Senator Hayden? Speaker 9 52:30 You know, I said, if we trailer today and it was old adage, if there's a will there's way, right? So I believe that there is will, um, we are working collaboratively in the people of color and digital caucus that fool not problem resolved. Um, and so we are prepared to put together a series of packages on police reform, but also, um, significant amount of money potentially in the bonding bill are others. Um, in order to start that process. So the answer is yes, there is the money, right? Um, we, as a black and Brown people have the will. The question really becomes as always, this state is 80% white. The legislature is reflective of that. I don't even think we're up to that 20% threshold yet by far, the question is, does my white allies and in the legislature, right? The congressional delegation, are they ready? Speaker 9 53:33 Or do they want to do it? Or do they want to keep looking the other way that denial has put us in this situation? So we are ready, we've been ready, right? We, we, we, we, we continued, we fight this fight every single day. So the question has to be is our white allies ready? And I say that LA either even bigger than the legislators, because they're the ones that put the legislators there. So are they going to pick up the phone and say, you know what, I'm gonna start calling names who I shouldn't do it. You know what Warren liver, if maple Grove, Senate, majority leader, Scott Park, Olga, uh, you know what, uh, Julie Rosen from Southern Minnesota, you know what, you know, I'm picking on the Senate right now, we demand change. We saw what happens. We don't like living in a society. Speaker 9 54:30 We don't like being compared to Southern segregated, historically racist States. We're better than that. You know what the president of general mills, the better president of United healthcare, the president of blue cross blue shield, I don't know all those people, the by name, but I don't want to call about that, but I will call out the, uh, Charlie Weaver of the Minnesota business partnership, right? Doug womb, president of the Minnesota chamber of commerce. I do know them so I can call them out and call it out people I actually know, are you ready? Are you ready to put your money in? Are you ready? Our ride back to the Billy Apple foundation to lead us in Charlotte Smith Baker, which I know her personally, my whole life, I already have the McKnight foundation to put it together and actually get this movement. Are we ready to collectively come together? Speaker 9 55:21 And if we do that, we have some of the biggest companies of the world. We have, we have one of the best and greatest States that we have. We have some of the most sophisticated philanthropic groups, and then the citizens of this community, are you ready to put the pressure on them? And if we did that, if we did that, we could get this done. We could, we could have this bank ready by the time the spring comes, when the, uh, when the, when the cherry blossoms and all those flowers come, we can have those businesses up and running and have this rebuilding. We can build a billion and a half dollar Viking stadium, a soccer stadium, a hockey stadium. We can build condos, go up every single or luxury apartments, go up. You tell you, you look around. If you, if you don't go downtown and you go back a month later, there's another building up. We just do it and stuff. Do you want to do it then, do you want to do it for the betterment of the community? And do you want to do it in partnership? So what we do build is reflection the community and not a reflection of them. Speaker 4 56:26 So let me take that even deeper. Senator Hayden, you know, you pointed out some of the likely, uh, resistance points in, uh, members of the Republican party in the legislature, in the Senate in particular where you are. Uh, but I raised the question from within the community about our quote unquote friends, sometimes, uh, people that we expect to be progressive in their posture and in their, uh, attitude end up, uh, and this is not new. I mean, even back in the old days of civil rights, the friends of the movement would say, go slow. You've heard that before, looking for voting rights, looking for equal housing, leaking, looking for police protection, and even those who were so-called advanced, liberal thinkers would come back to those of us on the street. And they would say, yeah, we know there's a problems that are historic and systemic, but you have to go slow. You can't do it overnight. So even today, uh, our friends are progressive and liberal leaders as often. There's not from my point of view are equally complicit in and resisting or foot dragging when it comes to genuine engagement involvement and resourcing the leadership, the genius of black and Brown people and communities. How do we look at that in a way that's hard, that's real. And that allows everybody to say exactly what we mean. That's based on our experience and our expectation that our engagement be considered real right now. It's not. What do you think? Speaker 9 58:14 Well, we've been going slow and look where we're at. We're going slower. We just built up a big pile of JAG that does blood. Uh, then you know, much like COVID-19, it's infected the whole world. Everybody is rising up, uh, all over the world. You know, I've talked to people in London and in Turkey and in Spain and in all, in all parts of the country. So, um, if we keep going slow, we got a problem it's gonna affect you. Right. We're letting in all of these nefarious characters in that are embedding themselves that are hell bent on destruction. And, uh, I saw a lot of it up close. They took 20 years worth of incremental process and blew it up in a couple of days. So I think, uh, but, but just to be, you know, just in a real practical way, I think everybody's watching us every single elected official, uh, in the country, but certainly Minnesota is being watched very closely. Speaker 9 59:12 And so, um, I want, I want to work collaboratively. I've known to know to work collaboratively on both sides of the aisle. I've been able to figure out that's why I committed representative Lee. I really think, I don't know. I don't want him to be, I don't want it to be me cause you know, sometimes you buy yourself a little trouble, but I do think he's been really effective and understanding his vice chair of the bonding committee, capital investment in the, in the, in the, in the, in the house. And that she's been extremely effective in getting, uh, that committee's attention to, uh, communities like ours. Um, so, um, I think that it is time for us to, to hold everybody accountable, including, um, our progressive partners. It is time for every progressive organization to lean and it is time for them to, and I will say this as well. It is time to let us lead. It is time to let people of color Lee startling runs of Lee Lee. It's time for Senator Bobby, Joe champion to leave. Not that that weren't leaders, uh, maybe I said it better than that. We were already leaders. It's hard to listen to that's right. Speaker 9 00:20 I will tell you we're on the call. And I sit down and always tell our God calls. And as a couple of people were a little, a little, got a little wrinkled, but I said, listen, listen to me and Bobby, cause we're at the other end of the, of that boot. And under that bullet, right? It doesn't mean that we don't work collaboratively with everybody else. It's really. But listen to us. We can tell you what people need. We're the ones that got the target on our back. Literally let us lead. We're going to empower everybody. We can to be able to get this work that we can't do it, but listen to us. Because if you listen to me, I'm listening to Dal McFarland. I'm listening to everybody else in the community, right? And so when you listen to me, it's not jeopardy ideas that I just came up with our head. Speaker 9 01:05 Sometimes I do, but not just Bobby Joe champion or whatever, we're live into the community and we're reflecting back what it sounds like, right? I'll tell you right now. And I gave this, this, this, well, I won't give this analogy, but you can do everything that you want and you can spend a lot of money. But if the people don't like it, it doesn't taste right to them. And it doesn't feel right to them. They're not going to do it. So why not ask them what they want? We started out, got on the call, talking about young people. I'm listening to the young people. My daughter was up the March of what are the organizers? There's a group. I got three or four groups of young people who are calling me with ideas in a process. And they're multicultural. Like listen to them. They're they're our next generation of leaders. Speaker 9 01:53 If you want to understand how you deal with black people in particular, black men go find some black men and listen to them. Don't, don't start telling them what they want. Right. You know, I like coffee with one split that not too much sugar, right? If you're going to give me something and you want me to drink and give it to me the way that I like, right. And trust that I can do it. And don't put so many strings and things on it that I can't use it. Right. We got organizations out here that get a lot of money. Cause they got great grant writers and they got a good compliance department and they don't get nothing done. And then we got people out of here, who's getting the work done and they don't spend all that. Right. And grant doing all this compliance stuff. Speaker 9 02:40 Our philanthropic organizations are mirroring our corporations, the backroom operations that you have there to get the money. And I'm sorry, I'm guess I'm just a little woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but it's not effective. It's not getting to the streets, right? Because the people who get it with all their time, making sure that they can report on it. If the people who are doing the work, they ain't got no time to be sitting up here, filling out a thousand forms, trying to tell you how they spend their money. So you inherently don't trust them. So you put as many barriers in the way so that they can't do it until at the end of the year, you can show a report and you feel good about yourself because you gave him some money, but then you look at the outcome and the impact that it still come on, we gotta do better than this Speaker 4 03:24 Fully jumped in, uh, reflections. Just seed back to what Senator Hayden is saying. Speaker 5 03:32 I think that Sarah Hayden is right. You know, right now we know that we are hearing from the community. We are in conversation with the folks on this call, uh, regarding the, uh, police reform. You know, I'm chair, Carlos Mariani from the West side of st. Paul has been having conversation with folks on the, on the ground. And it is time that our colleagues listen to us like Senator Hayden said, and that's what we're seeing in the house right now. Where are people of color indigenous caucus is leading the effort. And you know, we're working in partnership with our senators, uh, Senator Bobby, Joe champion, Senator Hayden, and all of those folks in the Senate to really see what can we, uh, get through. And, uh, I'm really excited. And, you know, and I'm glad that we have folks like, you know, um, Senator Hayden, Senator Bobby, Joe champion, over at the Senate too, to really provide that perspective for all of us who are a little bit newer, but you know, we're really, uh, we're ready to engage with our colleagues, our house leadership to start having these conversations that, you know, we may not, you know, support or Bonnyville without any investment in our community, especially in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, our music colors who are being impacted by this strategy. Speaker 5 04:35 And so I just know going forward that we, we are in constant communications, that we are pushing our colleagues and the governor to really invest in our community in Minneapolis and st. Paul, Speaker 4 04:47 Diane, I think we're moving towards the end of the program. This has been a wonderful enrich. I call it a robust conversation. Uh, and, uh, again, thanks to the Hawthorne huddle Hawthorne neighborhood council for convening. Um, as you do every month, as you have for the past 30 years, this year, 25 years, this year doing a zoom meeting, uh, in respect to the challenges of gatherings, uh, during the COVID-19 crisis, but certainly addressing a topical issue of community, of health, of a justice of youth, of equity for our community. So this has been wonderful. I want to close this though by sort of going through the people that are on the panel for a final impression, and I'm going to leave the final impression with Jeff Hayden again, uh, I want to start with, uh, you know, first of all, uh, and then Andrew, uh, borne Hoff, uh, then if, uh, uh, Kenzie is still here, um, uh, have her comment, uh, then Senator, excuse me, representative fully and finally, um, uh, Jeff Hayden, again, a summation and some marching orders dinette you to close the meeting off when we're all done. There'll be four. We do that, uh, just to comment about, you know, the Hawthorne huddle and the mission and the outcomes we desire from this conversation today, Speaker 4 06:15 Diana, that would be for you first of all. Speaker 2 06:21 Yeah, we hear you. Speaker 10 06:26 Thanks, Al uh, thanks for representative Lake, thank Senator Hayden and every one else on the call. The outcomes that we're really looking for today is we are willing for the next couple of months, not next month, uh, because the huddle won't meet, but I would say August and September to use the huddle as a convening place for people to gather and figure out what it is and how we are going to heal. Number one, and number two, how we are going to work together. Like I said, it's time for this village to come back together. Speaker 4 07:06 Andrew, uh, jump in here, Andrew, uh, just as an organizer and a communicator and staff person at Hawthorne neighborhood council impressions and what you want to see come out of this kind of meeting. Speaker 7 07:21 Yeah. You know, now is, um, now is the time for participation now is the time for, um, action. Right? So I know that, um, that can be hard for some of us and that can be it's time consuming for everyone. But, um, I guess from, from the hopper neighborhoods perspective, we want to see the best people in our community gathering together. Um, and the Hawthorne neighborhood council. I know speaking as a staff member is willing to be there to assist you, um, to make know, in particular for us West Broadway, let's rebuild West Broadway. Um, let's make that a strong, vibrant place, a great place for our community, but even before we have West Broadway to meet at let's meet together now, um, and, and the huddle is an extraordinary place for those conversations Speaker 4 08:07 And Kenzie, uh, please, uh, come on with your comments, your thoughts representing the vision and the value that Pillsbury United brings to our community. Speaker 6 08:17 Yeah. So first of all, I just want to say thank you to all of you for being here and thank you for, including me in this conversation. Um, what happened to George Floyd was violent and tragic and unconscionable, and it's part of a 400 year history is so many folks have said before me, um, it's time for change changes, overdue. Uh, that is the position of Pillsbury United. That is my personal position. Um, and I guess just to sort of make a personal commitment, um, and also in an institutional one, um, I really see my work in this moment as, um, shifting the will of white folks divesting of, uh, white folks say vesting with power of money. Um, and I, I, uh, just completely agree with Senator Hayden, that it is time to follow the lead of people of color, particularly black people in this moment around this particular issue. So that's where I am. Speaker 4 09:09 Thank you so much. And the group take it from there. Speaker 8 09:15 I agree with what Kenzie just said about, um, as a white person just saying, you know what, I don't have to be in lead. I'm not lead. We need to move back. We need to be supportive. We need to be helpful to communities need to do everything that we can to support institutions to change. I'm really proud. I, I leave today feeling very proud of our community and excited about the kinds of things I heard here today, because I think it can be a transformational moment and, um, and it needs to be, it needs to be it's time, it's way past time. And I just am excited about the opportunities. Our young people will have to help us with this, um, and really want to do what I can to encourage them to do what they need to do to make things change and transform. Thanks for, um, thanks for hosting Al. I appreciate it. And I'm excited to go forward today now. Thank you. Speaker 4 10:08 Before I call on representative move, uh, uh, fully, uh, just that comment from Bev Luke's, uh, she says wonderful conversation. Thank you, Diana, and thanks to all for making this possible. And she said, it's totally worth getting up for this morning. Uh, please do more of these. And she said, thank you to everyone who spoke this morning. I appreciate you what Bev, uh, looks thank you for, uh, the work you do in community for listening, for leaning in and for just commenting. So thank you so much. You know, what everybody can do is capture this program on Facebook live either the Almac farm and Facebook page or the insight Facebook page. We posted to the Hawthorne Facebook page as well. Uh, get it and started watch party, share this. Let's have this conversation go viral in the community. I can tell you that this program will be broadcast tonight at eight o'clock on K FAI. So we're using all available platforms to communicate these ideas. These stories of externally, this will be a lead story in insight news. I'm sure North news would be carrying a report on this as well in the upcoming, uh, additions that, uh, they are doing, uh, with and wonderfully. So then let me go to representative foolie, uh, just for a summation, uh, a reflection, a representative, Speaker 5 11:40 A thank you out, and thank you Diana for organizing this and inviting me to partake in this and for all our participants for the conversation, you know, for myself, I stand ready to work with everyone. You know, everyone in North Minneapolis, in the city of Minneapolis with my legislator counterparts, Lysander Hayden. And, you know, we have to understand that we are mourning right now and you know, recovery is next, but I, I think that what I'd take away from this is that we need big transformational change. And so within the next week, we have the opportunity to, uh, to do the recovery and to start on that transformational change. And so I look forward to working with all of you and, you know, for the folks that are working with our youth like Kenzie and, you know, definitely, you know, finding an Avenue to connect them with us so that we can start having them as part of the conversation where we see that they are out there right now, they are driving the change. And I look forward to working with them to see what can we do to move Minnesota for, for everyone. So thank you. Speaker 4 12:35 Then I'm going to have Diane I've formally closed the meeting, but before that Senator Hayden, Senator Hayden, one thing we haven't discussed this morning, I want you to share a gift for our listeners and viewers and update on the legal processes that are going on right now. Uh, not that you're a lawyer, but you are close as close as anybody to this entire sequence of things that are happening. You know, first of all, the event on, on, uh, Memorial day evening, uh, with them, I think 48 hours, uh, the mayor and I have to always give credit to Jacob Fry. Uh, I tell you that, uh, as a communicator and a resident, I am pleased and impressed and grateful for his courage and willingness to state come forward stating a position that, uh, this conduct was unacceptable. And, uh, the consequent firing of the four officers involve major and then things have happened since that time. So I'm going to ask you to go through that process and summarize what has happened from your point of view, uh, Senator Hayden up to yesterday's announcements, uh, including the, um, uh, work, the appointment and the, uh, charges announced by AIG Keith Ellison. And prior to that, the state human rights, department's filing a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis police department. So summarize kind of what has happened. I don't think you've actually done a pretty good job. I mean, Jacob was pretty and firing the officers. Speaker 9 14:12 Um, even though usually you take a lot more time in which to do that. Cause there are some, uh, some things of statute, frankly, and, and state law and the clerk of the parties in agreement that doesn't, um, make mayors do that at least stay until they have, you know, what they have in Jacob called me and just said he was an outrage. And he just said that he is going to do that. I thought that that was a really good sign. Um, and I will also say that I think that, um, Marin fry gets a little bit of heat or maybe even govern the walls for the first two days of the protests where a lot of destruction happened. Um, and I don't mean to speak for them, but I think that they were, they were trying to be as sensitive as they possibly could to the community and not retraumatizing them with a heavy police force, um, because they had already saw a heavy police force. Speaker 9 14:57 Uh, and in that, um, there were infiltrators, um, inside, outside, you know, it's, it's kind of quite like Minnesota to say, Oh, it was those people from Texas and Florida. Why I have to tell you, it was the people right here. Right, right. And it's right, right around this community who kind of activated like a sleeper cell. And, and towards, up in the, the delay in the response that the heavier handed response was out of respect for communities of color and their allies were traumatized by this. Right. And then we had to finally move in with a much heavier response. And it also was the lack of duty from familiar with police department. We just have to say it let's say it like it is. And so from there we saw the arrest of, uh, of, of the author. And then, uh, we also saw a conversation that the County attorney had with the U S attorney and people said, Oh, no, we can't do that. Speaker 9 15:52 And I, and I don't say this lightly, I know like frame it. And I'm not suggesting anything that there's not a competent individual, but, uh, he was out of tune. Uh, you know, when you hear the song and you put in piano and it's not in the right tune, uh, it was out of tune. Um, and so we pushed for, and, uh, the governor about it and got Keith who's in tune by the way of the community and is in the way that he speaks in his sentiment. He represented you guys over there. Well, uh, in the state legislature and in Congress and still lives in the community. Right. Um, and so he's into what the community, by the way helps to be a black man. And the thing is that black men lead. Um, and then he reviewed the case with all of these folks in upgraded the charges, the second degree murder, and then aiding and abetting, uh, second degree murder and, uh, arrested, uh, those, uh, former officers. Speaker 9 16:45 And now they'll, they'll do the legal process. I'll state that we still have a process. We still have due process. It still is important to go through the process and they have the right to Mount a defense, right. Because what we're asking is to take their Liberty away. Um, I think they should go to jail for the rest of their lives for what they did, however, that will be, uh, they'll go through that process. So that'll be up to a jury to make that decision a jury of their peers, as they say. Um, and so we should go through that process and those that would have any real low criticism of, uh, uh, attorney general Ellison. Um, we know Keith, uh, as a fierce defender, progressive and, and defender of what's right in our community. But right now he's our lawyer. Right. And right now he needs to do with the legal way in the right way. Speaker 9 17:36 And he needs not to say things that, that we could jeopardize, uh, the trial. So I would tell folks that I know we're anxious and we want to hear it. And we want to hear that firing firecracker chief has got to say it would allow him to be the lead lawyer, the lead prosecutor, so that we can put these gentlemen in jail, because we all know that that's where they are, but the legal process is going to require him to have some restraint in how he goes about it so that he doesn't jeopardize the case. So, uh, I do hang around a few lawyers out, but that's kind of how I see it. And, uh, we'll be praying and giving Keith the stretch is more than capable and more than qualified. And frankly, this is his moment. And I think he's gonna do, uh, well, uh, to put together the kind of legal team. Uh, and as he says, let the evidence lead a limb to, uh, convict, uh, these, uh, these gentlemen are this heinous crime, but we do have to have some restraint to allow, uh, attorney general Ellison to be able to do that. Speaker 4 18:40 Great. Well, I'm going to ask Diana to close the meeting, but I want to, first of all, thank you, Diana. And thank you, Anne. And the members of the Hawthorne huddle for allowing me to, uh, moderate, uh, Diana, uh, thank you so much and that you can close the meeting. Speaker 10 18:57 Um, first of all, I would like to really thank everybody. And, um, and does it know that I'm going to do this, but L I would like you to invite everyone to come back in August so we can have a, another, another conversation around this. And I really invite Senator Hayden and representative food Lee to come back and just give us an update because by then we're closed next month, cause we're off. But in August we should have some real answers. And I would like to invite the community as well to come on and voice their opinions on how they feel. Speaker 4 19:38 Thank you so much. And we'll see you next time. Check it out tonight on KFA 90.3 FM. Thank you all.