Metro Transit has stepped up a previously ill-defined “anti-harassment” initiative to promote “respect, kindness and inclusion among our riders.” This has manifested in station announcements, signage, and scrolling messages on buses that a lot of people probably find innocuous, or even welcome. However, the way it has chosen to go about this campaign is […]
As local and national conversations occur about policing, racial disparities in the justice system, and the rights of felons to vote, today’s chart focuses on the number of incarcerated Minnesotans. Via the Prison Policy Initiative, the following chart represents the 21,000 people in Minnesota’s jail and prison facilities in 2018: Minnesota’s incarceration rate exceeds that […]
I hate cigarette smoke, and I know I’m not alone. My dad used to smoke all the time. I vividly remember him smoking while we were waiting for the bus. It was smelly and disgusting. But my dad doesn’t smoke anymore. He has been cigarette-free for close to 20 years. Others seem to have trouble […]
A little boy believes police officers are here to help him. A mother’s heart is aching from another killing by police. What does she tell him?
You might have read about the recent repeal of the “lurking” and “spitting” ordinances by the Minneapolis City Council last week. Well, about a month ago, the ACLU released Picking Up The Pieces, a polished and hard-hitting report on Minneapolis’ racial disparities in low-level crimes, of which lurking and spitting are only two. Here’s one of […]
Well, there was an interesting discussion on fivethirtyeight.com this week about resiency requirements for police officers. Minneapolis used to have a residency requirement until 1999. Today, they’re one of the lowest cities in the country in terms of percentage of police officers who live in the city. (at least, this is true for white officers.) Here […]