(651) 578-7600 
District 1 Community Council
  • Home
  • About
    • New Neighbors
    • Board Members & Staff
    • Board Member Duties
    • Council Committees
    • District Neighborhoods
    • District Maps
    • History of District 1
    • FAQs
  • Get Involved!
    • Donate
    • Block Clubs
    • National Night Out
    • Community Gardens
    • Recycling
    • Clean-Ups in the Community
    • Earth Day Clean-Up
    • Citizen Committees
    • Neighborhood Awards
    • Join District 1 Council
  • Youth
    • Youth Council
    • Youth Blog
    • Youth Task Force
  • News
    • Blog
    • Calendar
    • Newsletters
    • Meeting Agendas
  • Projects
    • Our Equity Work
    • Boys Totem Town
    • Red Rock Corridor
    • Gold Line
    • Archives
  • Resources
    • Government
    • Development & Licensing
    • Zoning
    • Environment
    • Your House's History
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • New Neighbors
    • Board Members & Staff
    • Board Member Duties
    • Council Committees
    • District Neighborhoods
    • District Maps
    • History of District 1
    • FAQs
  • Get Involved!
    • Donate
    • Block Clubs
    • National Night Out
    • Community Gardens
    • Recycling
    • Clean-Ups in the Community
    • Earth Day Clean-Up
    • Citizen Committees
    • Neighborhood Awards
    • Join District 1 Council
  • Youth
    • Youth Council
    • Youth Blog
    • Youth Task Force
  • News
    • Blog
    • Calendar
    • Newsletters
    • Meeting Agendas
  • Projects
    • Our Equity Work
    • Boys Totem Town
    • Red Rock Corridor
    • Gold Line
    • Archives
  • Resources
    • Government
    • Development & Licensing
    • Zoning
    • Environment
    • Your House's History
  • Contact

Check here for the latest news and announcements - OR - Look at our Archives...

District 1 Community Council Blog

From Saint Paul's State Legislative Members

7/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Members of the St. Paul Delegation of the Minnesota Legislature jointly released the following statement today regarding the violence that we have seen in the past few weeks:
We, the members of the Saint Paul Legislative Delegation, representing the neighborhoods of Minnesota’s Capital city, stand unified in grief over recent events impacting our communities and in our determination to address the forces that have driven them.
We wish to convey our condolences to the family of Philando Castile for his tragic death following a traffic stop by local law enforcement officers in a nearby municipality. St Paul is a small community and some of us had ties to Philando as he grew up in our city, attending our public schools and as a public servant working in our schools. We can only imagine the grief the family is going through at this time as well as that of the many teachers and students whose lives he touched. We want them all to know that we stand with them in their search for answers to what led to their beloved son’s and colleague’s death.
We also wish to convey our concern for the women and men who serve our city courageously every day in providing public safety for the people of Saint Paul. The violence they faced Saturday night is a stark reminder of how far we have yet to come in healing racial divisions.  This violence against our police, who conducted themselves with professionalism and honor against individuals who sought to harm them, threatens the progress we seek to correct racial disparities.  They, like the brave officers in Dallas on Thursday night, defended our city, and defended the rights of lawful protesters to peacefully assemble.  We join Governor Dayton in his condemnation of the violence against them, and we echo his accolades over their commitment to our safety. 
We also recognize the stark reality that these protests erupted because many of our constituents do not feel safe. The shooting of Philando, in light of the deaths of so many other citizens of color under similar circumstances, further erodes the faith of the public in the criminal justice system – a system annually debated by all of us at the Minnesota Capitol while using words like “equality,” “fairness,” “safety,” and “redemption.” The sincerity of those words are questioned by our constituents of color for whom the death of Philando is a fearful reminder that, for them, justice is different. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” acknowledges that for too long, and far too often, Black lives especially have been valued as less than those of white citizens. Such widespread doubt about the integrity of the justice system is a threat to the rule of law in a state predicated on the principle that justice views all people the same.
Data shows that the criminal justice system has a disproportionate impact on our constituents of color – not just in the use of force by law enforcement, but in more stops, more arrests, more convictions, and longer sentences. And these disparities are just part of a series of inequities. In terms of health, education, employment, income, housing, and much more, Minnesotans of color suffer far worse outcomes than white Minnesotans. Statistically, the fate of a child in Minnesota is determined far too much by the color of her or his skin. This is deplorable.
For too long we have ignored the open wound of racial injustice, outsourcing it to be solved by the criminal justice system, and putting our law enforcement officials in the position of managing its toxic effects.  As legislators representing communities impacted by the tragic events of this past week, we resolve to correct racial disparities in our state by pledging to do the following:
  • To actively cultivate public participation in the legislative process among underrepresented communities – especially communities of color and Native Americans – without whose input we may not achieve just laws.

  • Not to levy blame upon police or protesters for past acts, but to move forward in a spirit of reconciliation and growth.
  • To allow the justice system to determine appropriate remedies in a deliberative, accurate process.
  • Where justice system results are broadly questioned, to examine and pursue changes in the law consistent with our national values of fairness, tolerance, and freedom. 
  • To advocate for transparency in decision-making, including full and rapid disclosure of government information collected within communities of color.
When the Minnesota Legislature convenes in January 2017, we hereby resolve, both individually and collectively, to take active measures to realize these pledges
All of us, policy makers and the public at large, will be judged by history for how we respond to the tragic events of this past week.  We believe in the goodness and power that comes from all of us coming and working together across racial communities. We are committed to advancing and defending the dignity of all residents of the city we love and proudly represent. It is up to all of us to learn from our mistakes, and to respond in a positive way.  We will do our part, and hope for the same from all of Minnesota.
Sincerely,
Senator Richard Cohen
Senator Sandy Pappas
Senator John Marty
Senator Foung Hawj
Representative Carlos Mariani
Representative Alice Hausman
Representative Tim Mahoney
Representative Sheldon Johnson
Representative John Lesch
Representative Erin Murphy
Representative Rena Moran
Representative Dave Pinto
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Staff of the District 1 Community Council update the blog. Volunteers and other community members may also contribute posts on occasion.

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All
    3rd Street
    Advocacy
    Annual Meeting
    Apps
    Art
    Awards
    Battle Creek Park
    Bicycles
    Board Meeting
    Board Members
    Board Minutes
    Boys Totem Town
    Candidate Forum
    Community Alert
    Community Event
    Community Input
    Composting
    Construction
    Conway
    Deer Hunts
    District 1 Council
    DNR
    Donations
    Drop Off Event
    Eastside
    Eastview
    Elders
    Election
    Electronics
    Enivronment
    Environment
    Free Activities
    Garden
    Harding High School
    Health
    Highwood
    Home Improvement
    Honor Roll
    Household Hazardous Waste
    Housing
    I 94
    I-94
    Jobs
    Juvenile Justice
    Kids
    Legislation
    MnDOT
    National Night Out
    News Update
    Open House
    Organics
    Parks
    Pedestrians
    Pigs Eye
    Planning
    Playground
    Police
    Public Hearing
    Public Works
    Race And Culture
    Racial Justice
    Rail Yard
    Ramsey County
    Recreation Centers
    Recycling
    Red Rock Corridor
    Reuse
    Safety
    Saint Paul
    Snow Emergency
    Sports
    Stop The Violence
    St Pascals
    Streets
    Sun Ray Library
    Traffic
    Transportation
    Upper Afton
    Volunteer Opportunity
    Waste Reduction
    Water
    White Bear Avenue
    Yard Waste
    Youth

    RSS Feed

Powered by
✕