Latest news with #Gilbert
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Biden joins thousands paying final respects to slain Minnesota lawmaker and husband
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Reuters) -Thousands of mourners, including former U.S. President Joe Biden, filed through Minnesota's state Capitol Rotunda on Friday to pay final respects to slain lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were gunned down by an assassin earlier this month. The couple lay in state in St. Paul on the eve of a private funeral set for Saturday morning, two weeks after a man impersonating a police officer shot them to death at their home in what authorities are treating as a politically motivated murder. For several hours, members of the public lined up in a column of mourners stretching across the front plaza of the state Capitol building and along an adjacent boulevard. After entering the building, people walked single-file past the Hortmans' flower-bedecked caskets. A portrait of each stood next to their respective coffins. Perched between them was an urn bearing the remains of their golden retriever, Gilbert, along with a photograph of the pet. The dog, too, was shot in the attack and later euthanized. Biden arrived at the statehouse late in the afternoon. After the public was cleared from the rotunda for security purposes, the Democratic former president was ushered in alone. He paused for a moment in front of the caskets, then exited the building. Following his departure, the rotunda was reopened to the public, and the procession of mourners resumed. Still more people joined the line outside, hoping for a chance to pay their respects. The viewing was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. local time. Representative Hortman, the top-ranking Democrat in the Minnesota House, became the first woman to lie in state in the St. Paul Capitol Rotunda, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Her husband was believed to be the first person other than a military figure or public official to be so honored. The suspect in their June 14 killings, Vance Boelter, 57, is also accused of shooting and wounding a second Democratic legislator, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, in their home a few miles away.' The accused gunman was arrested on the night of June 16 following a massive two-day manhunt that was the largest in state history. Boelter faces state and federal murder charges. According to prosecutors, investigators recovered notebooks from his car and residence that included the names of dozens of Democratic legislators, along with abortion-rights advocates. The shootings unfolded against a backdrop of increasing political violence in the U.S. in an era of extreme social and partisan polarization.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Melissa Hortman's ‘best boy' Gilbert lies in state with slain Minnesota lawmaker
Gilbert the golden retriever was home with US Democratic leader and Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband when a gunman fatally shot the couple and mortally wounded their beloved dog. Advertisement And he was with them again on Friday when the Hortmans lay in state at the Capitol in St. Paul. He is all but certainly the first dog to receive the honour, having been put down after being badly injured in the attack. There is no record of any other non-human ever lying in state, and Melissa Hortman, a former state House speaker still leading the chamber's Democrats, is the first woman. The state previously granted the honour to 19 men, including a vice-president, secretary of state, senators, governors and a Civil War veteran, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Advertisement Hundreds of people waited outside the Capitol before they were allowed into the rotunda at noon to pay their respects.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Inside the evolution of the Pride flag and what it looks like today
As we celebrate Pride and shine a light on the ongoing activism and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community, we take a look at the evolution and history of the Pride flag With June marking Pride Month globally, the UK has events and marches occurring across the length and breadth of the country all month long. Pride Month honours the legacy of the Stonewall uprising while also shining a light on the ongoing activism and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) community. Evoking a sense of belonging, representation, and community, the Pride flag is a symbol of unity and empowerment. In fact, Google Trends found that ' Flag ' search interest spikes every June in the UK. ' progress pride flag ' is a breakout search and the top trending flag this June. But what exactly are the origins of this world-renowned flag? Here's a brief breakdown of the history of the Pride flag and its evolution over the decades. Pride flag: A brief history The 8-stripe flag was first designed by an activist from San Francisco called Gilbert Baker, whose aim was to represent the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community through the flag. Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official, commissioned Gilbert to create a visual of pride for the gay community. With flags often being recognised as key pillars of self-identity, Gilbert's design was then printed onto a flag. The first iteration of the Pride flag was revealed during the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco in 1978. Due to colour shortages however, the turquoise and pink stripes had to be removed from the flag, and the blue stripe was changed to a different shade. This is the version of the Pride flag which is world-renowned and has since served as an iconic representation and symbol of unity, freedom, and equality for the community. The Gilbert Baker Design Inspired by the lyrics of Judy Garland's Over the Rainbow and the visual language of other civil rights movements from the 1960s by black civil rights groups, Gilbert Baker designed the Rainbow Flag. Hand-dyed and hand-sewn by him, the flag was first flown at San Francisco's Gay Freedom Day in June 1978. Each coloured stripe of Gilbert's flag represents a different aspect of the LGBTQIA+ community, namely: Hot Pink for Sex, Red for Life, Orange for Healing, Yellow for Sunlight, Green for Nature and Serenity, Turquoise for Art, Indigo for Harmony, and Violet for Spirit. Pride Flag History from 1978 to 1999 After Harvey Milk's assassination in 1978, several individuals and organisations chose to adopt the Pride flag introduced to the community upon his insistence. The flag was flown across San Francisco and was ordered for mass production by Gilbert, the original designer of the flag, with the help of local business Paramount Flag Co, in an effort to commemorate Harvey's accomplishments and continue the community's fight for equality and diversity. Demand for the rainbow-striped flag rose so high, it became impossible for the 8-stripe design to be produced in such large quantities. Gilbert and Paramount both struggled with sourcing the hot pink fabric, and so a 7-stripe version of the flag was borne and manufactured. The Traditional Gay Pride Flag 1979 once again saw the Pride flag's design amended — this time to a six-stripe version — after several complications arose over the odd number of stripes featured on the flag, as well as the conundrum of people wanting to split the flag in order to decorate Pride parades. The indigo and turquoise stripes of the flag were combined to create a vivid royal blue stripe instead, and it was agreed that the flag would typically be flown horizontally, with the red stripe at the top, forming a natural rainbow. Finally landing upon a six colour version, this is the iteration of the flag the world is most familiar with. This version of the Pride flag's design became extremely popular globally, making it the focal point of landmark decisions like John Stout fighting for his right to fly Pride flag from his apartment's balcony in 1989. The 2017 Philadelphia Design In 2017, the city of Philadelphia recognised that people of colour often face discrimination within the LGBTQIA+ community itself, and thus added an additional 2 stripes — black and brown — to the Pride flag, in an effort to represent the regular prejudices and struggles faced by queer people of colour. While some organisations and activists criticised the new design citing unnecessary division and boundary creation within the community, Pride festivals world-over, including in Manchester, UK, decided to adopt the design in a bid to promote inclusion, especially within the community. This came especially after a 2018 study's finding showed that 51 per cent of BAME LGBTQIA+ individuals have faced racism within the queer community. The Progress Pride Flag June 2018 saw Daniel Quasar, an activist and designer, release another version of the Pride flag, which combined the new elements of the Philadelphia design with the Transgender flag in an effort to promote further progress and inclusion. This new iteration of the flag saw a chevron added to the hoist of the traditional 6-stripe flag. The chevron represented those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have been lost, trans and non-binary persons, as well as marginalised LGBTQIA+ communities of colour. The new design went viral and was fervently adopted by pride parades and people all over the globe. The chevron's arrow purposefully points to the right in a means to represent forward movement and progress. Intersex Inclusive Progress Pride Flag In 2021, the Pride flag was once again reinvented, with Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK adapting the previous Pride Progress flag to now incorporate the intersex flag as well, thus creating the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag of 2021. Purple and yellow are colours used by the intersex community as an intentional counterpoint against the gender defining blue and pink that have traditionally been used for years around the world. The circle further represents the idea of being whole and unbroken, denoting the right of Intersex people to make independent decisions with regards to their own bodies. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!
Politico
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Biden pays respects as former Minnesota House Speaker Hortman, killed in shooting, lies in state
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Former President Joe Biden joined thousands of mourners Friday as former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman lay in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda while the man charged with killing her and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, made a brief court appearance in a suicide prevention suit. Hortman, a Democrat, is the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans accorded the honor. She lay in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert. Her husband was also killed in the June 14 attack, and Gilbert was seriously wounded and had to be euthanized. It was the first time a couple has lain in state at the Capitol, and the first time for a dog. The Hortmans' caskets and the dog's urn were arranged in the center of the rotunda, under the Capitol dome, with law enforcement officers keeping watch on either side as thousands of people who lined up filed by. Many fought back tears as they left. Among the first to pay their respects were Gov. Tim Walz, who has called Hortman his closest political ally, and his wife, Gwen. Biden, a Catholic, visited later in the afternoon, walking up to the velvet rope in front of the caskets, making the sign of the cross, and spending a few moments by himself in silence. He then took a knee briefly, got up, made the sign of the cross again, and walked off to greet people waiting in the wings of the rotunda. The Capitol was open for the public from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, but officials said anyone waiting in line at 5 would be let in. House TV livestreamed the viewing. A private funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday and will be livestreamed on the Department of Public Safety's YouTube channel. Biden will attend the funeral, a spokesperson said. So will former Vice President Kamala Harris, though neither is expected to speak. Harris expressed her condolences earlier this week to Hortman's adult children, and spoke with Walz, her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, who extended an invitation on behalf of the Hortman family, her office said. Lisa Greene, who lives in Brooklyn Park like Hortman did, but in a different House district, said she came to the Capitol because she had so much respect for the former speaker. 'She was just amazing. Amazing woman. 'And I was just so proud that she represented the city that I lived in,' Greene said in a voice choked with emotion. 'She was such a leader. She could bring people together. She was so accessible. I mean, she was friendly, you could talk to her.' But, she went on to say admiringly, Hortman was also 'a boss. She just knew what she was doing and she could just make things happen.' A hearing takes a twist: The man accused of killing the Hortmans and wounding another Democratic lawmaker and his wife made a short court appearance Friday to face charges for what the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called 'a political assassination.' Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, surrendered near his home the night of June 15 after what authorities have called the largest search in Minnesota history. An unshaven Boelter was brought in wearing just a green padded suicide prevention suit and orange slippers. Federal defender Manny Atwal asked Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko to continue the hearing until Thursday. She said Boelter has been sleep deprived while on suicide watch in the Sherburne County Jail, and that it has been difficult to communicate with him as a result. 'Your honor, I haven't really slept in about 12 to 14 days,' Boelter told the judge. And he denied being suicidal. 'I've never been suicidal and I am not suicidal now.' Atwal told the court that Boelter had been in what's known as a 'Gumby suit,' without undergarments, ever since his transfer to the jail after his first court appearance on June 16. She said the lights are on in his area 24 hours a day, doors slam frequently, the inmate in the next cell spreads feces on the walls, and the smell drifts to Boelter's cell. The attorney said transferring him to segregation instead, and giving him a normal jail uniform, would let him get some sleep, restore some dignity, and let him communicate better. The judge agreed. Prosecutors did not object to the delay and said they also had concerns about the jail conditions. The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joseph Thompson, told reporters afterward that he did not think Boelter had attempted to kill himself. The case continues: Boelter did not enter a plea. Prosecutors need to secure a grand jury indictment first, before his arraignment, which is when a plea is normally entered. According to the federal complaint, police video shows Boelter outside the Hortmans' home and captures the sound of gunfire. And it says security video shows Boelter approaching the front doors of two other lawmakers' homes dressed as a police officer. His lawyers have declined to comment on the charges, which could carry the federal death penalty. Thompson said last week that no decision has been made. Minnesota abolished its death penalty in 1911. The Death Penalty Information Center says a federal death penalty case hasn't been prosecuted in Minnesota in the modern era, as best as it can tell. Boelter also faces separate murder and attempted murder charges in state court that could carry life without parole, assuming that county prosecutors get their own indictment for first-degree murder. But federal authorities intend to use their power to try Boelter first. Other victims and alleged targets: Authorities say Boelter shot and wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin before shooting and killing the Hortmans in their home in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, a few miles away. Federal prosecutors allege Boelter also stopped at the homes of two other Democratic lawmakers. Prosecutors also say he listed dozens of other Democrats as potential targets, including officials in other states. Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. But prosecutors have declined so far to speculate on a motive.
Axios
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Melissa and Mark Hortman to lie in state Friday at the Capitol
Melissa and Mark Hortman will lie in state with their golden retriever, Gilbert, at the Minnesota Capitol on Friday afternoon. The big picture: The slain former House speaker is the first woman — and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans — to ever receive the honor. The last person to lie in state in Minnesota was former Gov. Al Quie, who died in 2023. Catch up fast: The influential DFL legislator and her husband were shot and killed at their home on June 14 in what authorities have called a politically motivated assassination. Gilbert was gravely injured in the attack and later euthanized. The man authorities have charged in the slayings, Vance Boelter, is also accused of shooting another DFL senator and his wife in their nearby home and plotting to attack others. What to expect: Public viewing hours at the Capitol will be from 12-5pm. Members of the public can enter through the main doors atop the Capitol front steps and pay their respects in the Rotunda. A growing memorial outside the House chamber will also be accessible to those visiting the building. If you go: While there are several lots nearby, parking is limited. Officials encourage visitors to take public transportation if they can. Those in line by 5pm will be allowed into the building.
