“George Floyd should be alive today.

Mr. Floyd’s death is just one instance of unthinkable violence against Black men by law enforcement generally and the Minneapolis Police Department specifically. Our community, especially communities of color, has a deep mistrust of law enforcement given the actions of Minneapolis police officers over decades.

We welcome and fully support the Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ robust investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department. We urge [Read more]

Minnesota safety officials say the man arrested for driving a tanker truck into a group of protesters had no criminal intention.  On Monday, state Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said Bogdan Vechirko panicked when he got to the protesters and kept driving.  Harrington said Vechirko didn’t drive past any barriers and wasn’t trying to intentionally hit anyone.  He’s still in jail on suspicion of assault.

>>IL Man Charged With Rioting In Minneapolis

[Read more]

According to the Hennepin County medical examiner, the official cause of death is stated as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.” The manner of death is homicide, a term the medical examiner uses to describe any death caused by the intentional actions of another person or persons.

The report goes on to note Floyd experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by Minneapolis Police Department. Floyd also had significant [Read more]

Governor Tim Walz today signed Executive Order 20-69 modifying and extending the temporary nighttime Minneapolis and St. Paul curfew through Wednesday morning to provide safety for Minnesota residents from individuals who have engaged in unlawful and dangerous activity in recent days and threatened the security of lawful demonstrators and first responders. 

“Having a curfew in place has allowed law enforcement to separate out those who mean to bring further pain and destruction in [Read more]

COVID-19 UPDATE

Updated June 1, 2020

• Total positive: 25,208
• Patients who no longer need to be isolated: 19,441
• Total approximate number of completed tests: 255,592
• Deaths: 1,050
  o Deaths among cases that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities: 855
• Total cases requiring hospitalization:  3,086
  o Hospitalized as of today: 549 
  o Hospitalized in ICU as of today: 253

Numbers are cumulative since Jan. 20, 2020.

The number of lab-confirmed positive tests among Minnesota residents will be updated daily on Situation Update for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with test results from the previous day. The page also includes a map of counties with confirmed cases, and more.

This total reflects only the results from laboratory testing. There are more cases in Minnesota, and the virus is circulating in communities. It is important for [Read more]

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Sunday that the state’s attorney general — and not the county prosecutor — will take the lead in any prosecutions related to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.

Ellison told KMOJ’s Freddie Bell there could be a new set of charges against former Minneapolis Police Officer, Derek Chauvin as well as the other three [Read more]

Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell, who was speaking on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said around 150 people were arrested at Washington Avenue for breaking curfew.

Many of those were protesters who were on the I-35W bridge. That protest was interrupted when a semi drove into the crowd. DPS said it does not appear any protesters were hit, and the driver has been taken into custody. 

Schnell said those who were arrested “were very respectful [Read more]

Authorities have identified a truck driver who was arrested after he drove through a crowd protesting on I-35W in Minneapolis as Bogdan Vechirko. 

Vechirko has been booked in the Hennepin County Jail.  Sunday night, Ken Advantage, the trucking company Vechirko is an independent contractor for, issued a statement. 

“Our hearts go out to all those who are grieving the events of this past week,” part of the statement read. 

[Read more]