Latest news with #MinneapolisPoliceDepartment
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Dem-run city is now so rough locals have to drive around with broken car windows
Thieving vandals have turned Minnesota 's capital into a dystopian hellscape by indiscriminately smashing hundreds of car windows, leaving a trail of broken glass across the Democrat-run city. Residents in recent weeks have gone to their vehicles to find windows broken and in some cases personal items swiped. More than 70 vehicles were struck on Monday alone, the Minneapolis Police Department told the Daily Mail. A total of 90 vehicles were damaged over the weekend. More than 200 cars have been targeted overall, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. 'It can't get any worse than this,' one observer said in a social media clip featuring rows of parked cars with their windows based in. Another resident took to Reddit to post a video of their street in the Uptown neighborhood showing dozens of cars that suffered the same fate. 'I woke up to find this on my street today,' the person wrote. 'This is very disappointing to see.' Despite the widespread destruction, no arrests have been made. 'Investigators are working diligently to collect information about the incidents and to locate and identify suspects,' the Minneapolis Police Department told the Daily Mail in a statement. Police are trying to determine if the break-ins this weekend were connected to ones from the previous weekend. Teacher Rachel Linnemann discovered her window was busted after her boyfriend told her around 6:15am on Monday, she told the Star Tribune. Her car was sitting outside her home on James Avenue home and camping equipment had been stolen. 'It looks like at least 15 cars,' she told the outlet, noting that cars on James and Lake streets and Lagoon Avenue were targeted. The attacks happened sometime between 10:30pm and 6:15am, as she had walked her dog the night before and saw that her vehicle was fine. Police also said around 25 cars were vandalized near Central Avenue the same night. Linnemann, who is on summer vacation from school, didn't have to commute to work that morning - but many in her neighborhood did. Residents were spotted sweeping up glass from the street and inside cars before leaving for work. Joel Van Horn just moved to the area west of the Uptown neighborhood a month ago and was looking forward to taking walks with his dog, he told KARE 11. 'I mean, I knew it was going to happen if I didn't get a parking garage. I didn't act fast enough, you know,' said Van Horn, who paid $350to replace a truck window. 'You just factor that into the cost of living, unfortunately.' Robin Slaman, who has been living on Lyndale Avenue for 20 years, said she has noticed an uptick in crime in the city. 'I'm not shocked, but I haven't quite seen that before,' she told KARE 11. 'Needles on everyone's property, they leave trash everywhere, and if you leave anything sitting out on your property, it will be gone like that.' She's now considering moving out of the neighborhood. 'I love my home, but how much longer do I want to live here, how much worse do I want to see it get?' she said. So far this year, nearly 4,000 vandalism crimes have taken place in the city of 425,000 residents, according to police statistics. There's also been nearly 1,200 burglaries.
The Star
01-07-2025
- General
- The Star
'Chicken lady' in US fights for the fowls at her rehabcentre for chickens
Chicken owners from across the Twin Cities have been known to dump fowl on Miranda Meyer's St Paul doorstep in Minnesota, the United States, in the middle of the night. Outside her house on Hatch Avenue – yes, St Paul's 'chicken lady' lives on Hatch Avenue – neighbours stop and watch the birds strut toward feed scattered near Meyer's black hearse. Hens like Sweet Pea, found half-frozen in a bush, ruffle their feathers in a white coop. Meyer's rooster, Jimothy Dean Scrambles, perches on a fence and crows. Minneapolis animal control officials call Meyer, 32, to rehome abandoned chickens. But in her home city, St Paul animal control has issued citations against her flock, exposing her to legal trouble even as she pursues work she considers to be within her rights as a tribal member. Meyer is worried that the fowl troubles will worsen this year. 'We're taking hundreds of birds every summer, and it's only getting bigger and bigger,' Meyer said. 'There's so many people who are going into this blind thinking, 'I just want free eggs'.' When passions hatch Meyer started work in what she called the 'the death industry' at 15. After more than a decade of cleaning crime scenes and preparing burials, dealing with death and silence weighed on her. 'It makes you feel not human because then you can't connect with other people,' Meyer said. But Meyer always felt she could connect with animals, and she said the Standing Rock protests a few years ago inspired a change. Meyer is a member of the Ojibwe tribe whose name, Ikwe Niibawi Wiiji Migizi Miigwan, means 'woman who stands with eagle feather'. She said the protests made her think about sustainability, prompting her to adopt three chickens. She quickly found she had a knack for working with the birds. Chickens rest in a coop built by Meyer. The goal of the operation she runs from her single-family house, the Balsam Lake Bachelor Flock and Poultry Rehab, is to rehabilitate and return chickens and roosters to owners who pay her what they can afford. The rehab runs through her properties in St Paul and Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, and she said the goal is to help chicken owners and people who cannot afford eggs, meat and high veterinary bills. When she can't rehabilitate roosters, Meyer drives them to Balsam Lake and releases them on her 40-acre (16ha) property, or slaughters them to bring meat to neighbours and reservations. Hmong farmers give Meyer leftover vegetables as chicken feed in return for eggs, fertiliser and meat. She donates dozens of fertilised eggs to St Paul school teachers, who hatch them in class and return the chicks to her. The Minneapolis Police Department and Minneapolis Animal Care and Control began phoning for help with chickens abandoned in cemeteries, parking garages and on the tarmac at Minneapolis–St Paul International Airport. Meyer said that up to 20 hens and two roosters now stay with her. But at a peak last year, she said she was accepting 30 roosters a week. That ran her afoul of St Paul Animal Services, which ticketed Meyer last October and again in March for having a rooster and no permit to own chickens. Roosters are prohibited in St Paul, and a rooster permit in Minneapolis costs US$110 (RM466). Meyer disputes the need for a permit, arguing that the work is within her rights as an Ojibwe tribal member with federal protections. Importance in the Hmong community For St Paul resident Va Xiong and others, chickens are crucial for religious ceremonies addressing birth, life and death. Xiong, 42, started raising chickens for the first time this year to provide for his family and their ceremonies. Many Hmong people who emigrated to Minnesota brought cultural practices involving chickens. Xiong explained that the birds are considered guides for spirits of the deceased, wards against sickness and vital nutritional support for women giving birth. Many still believe in those customs but turned from tradition to adjust to city laws, returning chickens to farms after ceremonies instead of sacrificing them. But Xiong said St Paul's restrictions forced him to raise fowl outside the city limits, and he believes residents are being ticketed while holding chickens for similar practices. 'That is why a lot of the Hmong community and Asian communities have these chickens in the city limits, and the city is making it tough for these Asian communities to hold chickens,' Xiong said. He said the permit process can take months. St Paul Animal Services manager Molly Lunaris said most applications are approved the same day, but the department is working to streamline the process through an online application that could be available within a year. Lunaris said rules considered burdensome by some exist for the city's health, safety and liveability. 'We regularly seek staff and resident input to assess whether our ordinances are current, efficient and effective, and work to implement changes when necessary,' Lunaris said in a statement. She said the agency is working to move away from criminal citations in favour of administrative actions. Lunaris added that the agency has not seized any birds claimed to be used for religious purposes and would consult with the City Attorney's Office before doing so. Scores of Minnesotans are turning to co-ops and community -supported agriculture shares to save money on eggs. Many more are turning to backyard chicken coops. Just 27 people applied for a chicken permit in St Paul in 2019. That boomed to 62 people in 2020, and 56 the next year. So far this year, at least 29 people have applied for a permit. Tony Schendel, director of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, said hundreds of Minneapolitans have chicken permits, and his office receives new applications 'almost every day'. At least 52 residents applied for a chicken permit this year, compared to 74 permit applications through all of 2024. Schendel said local partners are vital to the work. 'These are folks who have a lot of experience handling chickens. They have a lot of background knowledge and they have a proper setup already where they're able to come in, take the chicken from us, place it and then care for it so it's in a proper environment, and then find it a new home,' Schendel said, adding that they receive few complaints about interrupting religious rituals. One of those partners was Mary Britton Clouse. She co-founded Chicken Run Rescue with her husband from their north Minneapolis home in 2001. They moved to Elko in 2016 after running out of space and funds, but Britton Clouse recently moved back to the Twin Cities. She declined to share her new location for fear people might abandon chickens on her property. That's a trend that Britton Clouse has noticed in recent years, and she worries that new owners and animal control officials will be unprepared. 'People think that it's OK to take the unwanted roosters and to drive them to remote areas and leave them there,' Britton Clouse said, calling that 'horribly cruel'. Flying the coop? The 'chicken lady' is tired. Meyer hopes more people support food sovereignty, but said she wants to escape the permit dispute, leave Minnesota, and begin nesting for her first-born son, due this fall. She's considering a homestead in Wisconsin, but wherever she goes, the chickens will flock. 'Honestly if it comes down to my chickens, I ain't getting rid of them at this point. I'm fighting for them, even Woody.' Woody, a chicken known to peck Meyer's legs, clucked in response. 'Yeah,' Meyer affirmed, 'even you!' – By KYELAND JACKSON/The Minnesota Star Tribune/Tribune News Service
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Minneapolis Boy, 11, Dies in Older Brother's Arms After Being Shot in Broad Daylight at Park
Amir Akins, 11, was shot dead while playing in a Minneapolis park on Monday afternoon Family members say his older brother carried him looking for help and was holding him as a good Samaritan rushed them to the hospital Amir died before making it to the hospital and police are still searching for persons of interest in the caseSummer started off on a somber note in the city of Minneapolis after a young boy was shot dead in a public park. The incident occurred on June 23, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who announced that the victim was an 11-year-old boy at a press conference and in a news release that same day. The victim has been tentatively identified by the county medical examiner as 11-year-old Amir Atkins. A GoFundMe campaign created to help his mother with funeral expenses. O'Hara said that gunfire could be heard shortly after 2 p.m. in the park and a short time later a man sitting on his porch "heard cries from help." That man then saw Amir had suffered life-threatening injuries and "placed the child and one of the males into his vehicle and began driving toward the hospital," O'Hara said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. After seeing a member of law enforcement along the way, the man stopped and life-saving measures were attempted, but it was too late. 'I cannot emphasize enough how terrible it is to have an 11-year-old boy shot and killed in the middle of the day,' said O'Hara. 'We need anyone with information to come forward so we can bring some sense of justice to this child's family. We are following every lead, but we need the public's help to solve this.' In their post, the family said that Amir's brother carried him while looking for help after the shooting and later held him in the car as they rushed to the hospital. "Amir was a beacon of light in our lives – a joyful, loving child whose laughter filled our hearts," wrote the boy's uncle. "He had a unique spark that touched everyone he met, and his absence leaves a void that can never be filled." The Minneapolis Police Department is actively investigating the circumstances and urges anyone with information to reach out. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In memo to staff, Minneapolis PD reaffirms policy of not aiding immigration enforcement
In memo to staff, Minneapolis PD reaffirms policy of not aiding immigration enforcement originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Following a chaotic clash between federal officials and protesters outside a Mexican restaurant in south Minneapolis, the city's assistant police chief is reiterating the department's stance on assisting with immigration enforcement. Katie Blackwell sent the memo late last week to their sworn and civilian staff members, reaffirming their police officers are not allowed to respond or assist in any "immigration enforcement-related activity" and also shall not "assist with crowd control at an immigration enforcement related activity." Last week, a crowd of protesters gathered outside Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant on Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in south Minneapolis after rumors floated that a immigration enforcement operation was underway. Local and federal officials have since confirmed they were not conducting a deportation raid, but rather carrying out search warrants related to a large-scale drug and money laundering investigation. Minneapolis Police Department came in for criticism from some elected officials after officers were called in to provide crowd control services while the operation was carried out. Police Chief Brian O'Hara criticized federal law enforcement for the "tone deaf" manner in which the operation was conducted, and says his department wasn't informed until it was already underway.A spokesperson for the department tells KARE 11 the memo 'serves as a clear reminder of the Minneapolis Police Department's longstanding policy and the City's ordinance prohibiting involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement activities.' They went on to say: 'Our role remains focused on addressing criminal activity and maintaining public safety, while respecting the boundaries set by city ordinance and department policy." Ongoing immigration raids carried out by the Trump administration have drawn backlash and demonstrations in cities across the country. President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard and Marines to respond to ongoing clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Los Angeles, drawing criticism from Governor Gavin Newsom, who says California's state sovereignty is being violated. A national day of protest dubbed 'No Kings' is planned for Saturday. A local group has organized a march and rally at the State Capitol in St. Paul. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minneapolis PD memo tells officers not to assist with immigration enforcement
The Brief A memo from Minneapolis police reminds officers not to assist with ICE raids. Officers are prohibited from assisting with immigration enforcement under a city ordinance. The memo follows a protest in Minneapolis last week over ICE agents who were assisting with what turned out to be a criminal investigation. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis Police Department issued a new memo over the weekend, reminding officers of a separation order that restricts police from aiding in immigration removal actions by federal authorities, like ICE. The memo comes days after a protest over ICE agents involvement in what turned out to be a criminal investigation in Minneapolis. The backstory The memo comes days after a protest escalated in Minneapolis as ICE agents took part in what authorities later said was a criminal investigation into human and drug trafficking – not an immigration enforcement action. Officials said federal authorities were executing a search warrant at a Mexican restaurant at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue last Tuesday. However, rumors spread online that ICE agents were taking part in a raid, sparking a protest in the street. What they're saying On Wednesday, the day after the protest, officials including Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Mayor Jacob Frey criticized other public leaders for contributing to the heightening of tensions. The next day, at the Minneapolis City Council meeting, city leaders unamiously approved an after-action review by an auditor of the city's role with assisting ICE during the investigation and protest. The city of Minneapolis has a 'separation ordinance" that restricts officers from assisting with immigration enforcement actions. The review approved by the city council will look into that. Separately, the department is scheduled to present to a council committee later this month the steps it's taking to abide by the ordinance. What we know A memo sent out by Minneapolis Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell reminds officers they aren't allowed to assist in any immigration enforcement activity. The memo also tells officers they can't even assist with ancillary activities related to ICE raids, like crowd control. "Any assistance for federal enforcement action must be routed through the chain of command for evaluation and authorization by the Chief of Police or Chief's designer," the memo states. "Members of the MPD shall not self-deploy to any related immigration enforcement activity. We remain committed to supporting public safety and maintaining trust within our communities." The memo was first reported on by conservative Twin Cities news outlet Alpha News. FOX 9 was able to obtain a copy of the memo from Minneapolis police. Dig deeper In a statement, Minneapolis police say the memo was issued in light of the confusion surrounding last week's criminal investigation. "Assistant Chief Blackwell's memo serves as a clear reminder of the Minneapolis Police Department's longstanding policy and the City's ordinance prohibiting involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement activities. "The email was issued to help ensure officers understand how to appropriately respond to any requests for assistance related to immigration enforcement. This clarification was especially important in light of recent public confusion and misinformation following the federal operation earlier this week. "Our role remains focused on addressing criminal activity and maintaining public safety, while respecting the boundaries set by city ordinance and department policy." The backstory The memo also comes as protests over ICE in Los Angeles have spiraled out of control. Over the weekend, President Trump sent in the National Guard to help quell the protests which turned to rioting Sunday night.
