Latest news with #MichelleGross
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Federal officers in tactical gear went into a Latino community in Minneapolis. A protest followed
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dozens of protesters converged in the heart of the Latino community in Minneapolis on Tuesday after a large force of federal and local authorities wearing tactical gear conducted what they called a law enforcement action. The protesters flocked to the area near a Mexican restaurant and other Latino-owned businesses after seeing livestreams that claimed an immigration raid was underway, reflecting opposition to such raids in a city that has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants. However, statements from local authorities said it was not an immigration enforcement matter, but a criminal case. 'While we are still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,' Mayor Jacob Frey said in a Facebook post soon after the police action. 'No arrests were made.' But several dozen protesters remained at the intersection occupied by federal agents hours earlier, using cars to block traffic. A few held signs saying 'abolish ICE' and 'stop the deportations.' A driver went through the crowd. At least one person appeared to have been knocked to the ground but got up and said they were OK. Protesters deflated the car's tires; police moved in to take the driver away, and a scuffle ensued. At least one man was taken into custody. Bystander video showed officers wearing logos from local agencies but also federal ones, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. An armored vehicle at the scene bore the initials of Homeland Security Investigations. Minneapolis' police chief also was present. Michelle Gross, president of the local Communities United Against Police Brutality group, said the show of force appeared designed to 'terrorize people into submission.' 'This is jackbooted thuggery, and we aren't having it in our city,' she said. Onlooker Jennifer Davila, who works in the community, said it already had been on edge because of raids. It's tight-knit, and 'if something happens, we know about it," she said. 'They had a white van, a black van and a tank. For a raid, that's pretty excessive,' Davila said. 'And then coming into a brown community and doing this, because we have all kinds of immigrants, not just Latinos.' While the mayor said there were no arrests, a few protesters were at least temporarily detained as tensions grew between the crowd and the law enforcement officers. A Minnesota Public Radio photographer was pepper-sprayed and had his camera broken. A Facebook post from the sheriff's office said it 'partnered with federal agencies on a criminal investigation and part of that investigation included the execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area.' Frey said the police department's only role was helping with crowd control, and that the department was not involved in 'anything related to immigration enforcement.' Both the police department and sheriff's offices have policies against cooperating with immigration enforcement actions. The sheriff's office said that in conducting criminal investigations, 'We work with federal partners regularly.' A local FBI spokesperson, Diana Freedman, declined in a text message to provide details about the operation. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed reporting.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Federal officers in tactical gear went into a Latino community in Minneapolis. A protest followed
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dozens of protesters converged in the heart of the Latino community in Minneapolis on Tuesday after a large force of federal and local authorities wearing tactical gear conducted what they called a law enforcement action. The protesters flocked to the area near a Mexican restaurant and other Latino-owned businesses after seeing livestreams that claimed an immigration raid was underway, reflecting opposition to such raids in a city that has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants. However, statements from local authorities said it was not an immigration enforcement matter, but a criminal case. 'While we are still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,' Mayor Jacob Frey said in a Facebook post soon after the police action. 'No arrests were made.' But several dozen protesters remained at the intersection occupied by federal agents hours earlier, using cars to block traffic. A few held signs saying 'abolish ICE' and 'stop the deportations.' A driver went through the crowd. At least one person appeared to have been knocked to the ground but got up and said they were OK. Protesters deflated the car's tires; police moved in to take the driver away, and a scuffle ensued. At least one man was taken into custody. Bystander video showed officers wearing logos from local agencies but also federal ones, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. An armored vehicle at the scene bore the initials of Homeland Security Investigations. Minneapolis' police chief also was present. Michelle Gross, president of the local Communities United Against Police Brutality group, said the show of force appeared designed to 'terrorize people into submission.' 'This is jackbooted thuggery, and we aren't having it in our city,' she said. Onlooker Jennifer Davila, who works in the community, said it already had been on edge because of raids. It's tight-knit, and 'if something happens, we know about it,' she said. 'They had a white van, a black van and a tank. For a raid, that's pretty excessive,' Davila said. 'And then coming into a brown community and doing this, because we have all kinds of immigrants, not just Latinos.' While the mayor said there were no arrests, a few protesters were at least temporarily detained as tensions grew between the crowd and the law enforcement officers. A Minnesota Public Radio photographer was pepper-sprayed and had his camera broken. A Facebook post from the sheriff's office said it 'partnered with federal agencies on a criminal investigation and part of that investigation included the execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area.' Frey said the police department's only role was helping with crowd control, and that the department was not involved in 'anything related to immigration enforcement.' Both the police department and sheriff's offices have policies against cooperating with immigration enforcement actions. The sheriff's office said that in conducting criminal investigations, 'We work with federal partners regularly.' A local FBI spokesperson, Diana Freedman, declined in a text message to provide details about the operation. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed reporting.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Federal officers in tactical gear went into a Latino community in Minneapolis. A protest followed
MINNEOLIS — Dozens of protesters converged in the heart of the Latino community in Minneapolis on Tuesday after a large force of federal and local authorities wearing tactical gear conducted what they called a law enforcement action. The protesters flocked to the area near a Mexican restaurant and other Latino-owned businesses after seeing livestreams that claimed an immigration raid was underway, reflecting opposition to such raids in a city that has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants. However, statements from local authorities said it was not an immigration enforcement matter, but a criminal case. 'While we are still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,' Mayor Jacob Frey said in a Facebook post soon after the police action. 'No arrests were made.' But several dozen protesters remained at the intersection occupied by federal agents hours earlier, using cars to block traffic. A few held signs saying 'abolish ICE' and 'stop the deportations.' A driver went through the crowd. At least one person appeared to have been knocked to the ground but got up and said they were OK. Protesters deflated the car's tires; police moved in to take the driver away, and a scuffle ensued. At least one man was taken into custody. Bystander video showed officers wearing logos from local agencies but also federal ones, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. An armored vehicle at the scene bore the initials of Homeland Security Investigations. Minneapolis' police chief also was present. Michelle Gross, president of the local Communities United Against Police Brutality group, said the show of force appeared designed to 'terrorize people into submission.' 'This is jackbooted thuggery, and we aren't having it in our city,' she said. Onlooker Jennifer Davila, who works in the community, said it already had been on edge because of raids. It's tight-knit, and 'if something happens, we know about it," she said. 'They had a white van, a black van and a tank. For a raid, that's pretty excessive,' Davila said. 'And then coming into a brown community and doing this, because we have all kinds of immigrants, not just Latinos.' While the mayor said there were no arrests, a few protesters were at least temporarily detained as tensions grew between the crowd and the law enforcement officers. A Minnesota Public Radio photographer was pepper-sprayed and had his camera broken. A Facebook post from the sheriff's office said it 'partnered with federal agencies on a criminal investigation and part of that investigation included the execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area.' Frey said the police department's only role was helping with crowd control, and that the department was not involved in 'anything related to immigration enforcement.' Both the police department and sheriff's offices have policies against cooperating with immigration enforcement actions. The sheriff's office said that in conducting criminal investigations, 'We work with federal partners regularly.' A local FBI spokesperson, Diana Freedman, declined in a text message to provide details about the operation. Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed reporting.
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Cities tied to George Floyd mark the 5th anniversary of his death
MINNEAPOLIS — Religious services, concerts and vigils are set to mark Sunday's fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer even as police reform and civil rights activists face what they see as a backlash from the Trump administration. Events in Minneapolis center around George Floyd Square, the intersection where police Officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes, even as the 46-year-old Black man's cried 'I can't breathe.' The events started Friday with concerts, a street festival and a 'self-care fair,' and culminate with a worship service, gospel music concert and candlelight vigil on Sunday. In Houston, where Floyd grew up, family members planned to gather Sunday at his gravesite for a memorial service led by the Rev. Al Sharpton. In a park about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away, a memorial service will take place, followed by five hours of music, preaching and poetry readings and a balloon release. The remembrances come at a fraught moment for activists, who had hoped the worldwide protests that followed Floyd's murder on May 25, 2020, would lead to permanent police reform across the U.S. and a continued focus on racial justice issues. Even with Minneapolis officials' promises to remake the police department , some activists contend the progress has come at a glacial pace. 'We understand that change takes time,' Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said in a statement last week. 'However, the progress being claimed by the city is not being felt in the streets.' President Donald Trump's administration moved Wednesday to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville that called for an overhaul of their police departments following the Floyd's murder and the killing of Breonna Taylor. Under Democratic President Joe Biden, the U.S. Justice Department had aggressively pushed for aggressive oversight of local police it had accused of widespread abuses. Trump also declared an end to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the federal government and his administration is using federal funds as leverage to force local governments, universities and public school districts to do the same. Republican-led states also have accelerated their efforts to stamp out DEI initiatives.
