Star Tribune
Journalists attacked by Minnesota State Patrol reach $1.2 million settlement
Two Los Angeles Times journalists trapped and targeted by Minnesota State Patrol troopers while reporting on civil unrest in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd have settled their federal lawsuit with the state agency for $1.2 million.
The case stems a violent encounter on the night of May 30, 2020, when photographer Carolyn Cole and Houston Bureau Chief Molly Hennessy-Fiske were battered with blunt projectiles, tear gas and chemical spray by troopers interfering with their constitutionally protected First Amendment rights.
The veteran war correspondents had traveled to Minneapolis after Floyd’s killing to cover what had become a global story of police brutality. Media was granted exemption from a night-time curfew imposed by Gov. Tim Walz, citing the critical need for journalists to be free to safely document the events.
Yet, shortly after 8 p.m., as Cole and Hennessy-Fiske stood across the street from protesters at E. 31st Street and Nicollet Avenue S. — near the Fifth Precinct police headquarters — a legion of Minnesota State troopers moved toward the journalists, announcing that a curfew had taken effect and ordering crowds to disperse.
Cole, Hennessy-Fiske and other reporters in the group pointed out their clearly visible press gear to the troopers — Cole was wearing a flak jacket emblazoned with the word “TV” and carrying a large camera and bag, while Hennessy-Fiske wore a press badge around her neck and held a notebook.
But the officers continued to advance on the press group, backing them into a corner before firing rubber bullets and using pepper spray.
A trooper “intentionally” sprayed Cole in the eye, which she captured on camera, according to the lawsuit. Hennessy-Fiske was shot at least five times in the leg with projectiles and a tear-gas canister, which left her bloodied and bruised.
Cole suffered a corneal abrasion and chemical burns on her eye and skin. A photo enclosed in the civil complaint shows Cole crouched in a brick corner, draped in camera equipment, doused in chemical liquid and screaming in agony. Each journalist required medical treatment for their wounds.
“Being attacked by the Minneapolis State Patrol four years ago was an experience no other journalist should have to face,” Cole wrote in a statement. “I hope this ruling, upholding our First Amendment rights, will help to protect other photographers and reporters trying to do their jobs.
The State Patrol did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. Messages left seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Both women have for decades covered dangerous conflict zones abroad and know the risks involved, but say that until 2020 they had never been singled out this way by police.
“During my nearly 25-year career, I have covered numerous law enforcement agencies and protests in various states and overseas,” said Hennessy-Fiske, who now works for the Washington Post . “This was the first time that I was attacked by authorities.”
The vast majority of the settlement — $1 million — is expected to pay lawyer fees for their Minnesota-based law firm. Cole and Hennessy-Fiske have a agreed to split the remaining $200,000, their attorney confirmed.
“I hope that this settlement serves as a deterrent and protects other journalists,” Hennessy-Fiske said. “Law-abiding reporters and photographers should never be blindsided, assaulted and injured by law enforcement for doing their job.”
The settlement marks yet another victory on behalf journalists who alleged that police intentionally targeted them as they covered the protests and riots that engulfed Minneapolis after Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020. In the two weeks that followed, more than 40 journalists were attacked, arrested or had equipment damaged in Minneapolis, according to data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
The American Civil Liberties Union settled a class-action lawsuit against the State Patrol in 2022 after the department agreed to an injunction preventing the patrol from assaulting or detaining journalists. That case — which also resulted in a $825,000 payout by the state — also prohibited troopers from ordering journalists to stop photographing, recording or observing a protest, making journalists disperse, or seizing or intentionally damaging photo, audio or video gear.
Staff writer Andy Mannix contributed to this report.
Mohamed Omar is the new board chair of Hennepin Healthcare System, the organization that runs HCMC, making him Minnesota’s first Somali American hospital board leader.
The health care system board permanently appointed Omar to the position Wednesday at their regular meeting. He had served as interim chair since Babette Apland stepped down in September.
Omar has been on the volunteer board for three years, working on the finance, investment, audit and compliance committees. He is the chief administrative officer at the Washburn Center for Children and previously was chief financial officer at the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund.
In a statement, Omar said he was excited to lead a hospital board in the state with the largest Somali American population in the U.S. He said he shared the health system’s dedication to providing “equitable, high-quality care.”
“My commitment is to deepen our community engagement, build more authentic connections between patients and team members, and build a confident future together,” Omar’s statement said.
CEO Jennifer DeCubellis and Nneka Sederstrom, chief health equity officer, praised Omar’s selection to lead the board. They said more inclusive leadership with a commitment to ending health disparities are key to HCMC’s success.
Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando, who is also on health system board, said she was excited to work with Omar. She said county leaders are dedicated to good stewardship of the “state’s last public safety-net hospital.”
“As the first Hennepin County Board Chair of color, I know how impactful it is for our communities to see themselves represented in public leadership,” Fernando said.
DULUTH – The Superior National Forest has lifted its forestwide campfire ban, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, effective Friday.
Recent rain and humidity have improved conditions across the national forest’s 3 million acres, forest officials said in a news release.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has also lifted fire restrictions in Cook, Koochiching, Lake and northern St. Louis counties.
Fire danger is still a concern this time of year, said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.
“As leaves fall and vegetation continues to dry out, it’s important for people to be cautious with anything that can cause a spark,” she said.
The national forest imposed its broad campfire ban nearly two weeks ago, after a third wildfire, named for Bogus Lake, was discovered on forest land. No significant fire activity has been reported in recent days for any of those three fires. A fourth fire inside the forest, the 8.5-acre Pfeiffer Lake Fire, started Oct. 17. It was contained within 24 hours, the Forest Service said.
Much of northeast Minnesota is still classified in the “severe drought” stage by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris was asked this week if she thought Donald Trump was a fascist, and she replied ‘’Yes, I do.’’ She subsequently called him the same thing herself, saying voters don’t want ‘’a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.’’
But what exactly is a fascist? And does the meaning of the word shift when viewed through a historical or political prism — especially so close to the end of a fraught presidential race?
An authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is often associated with the far right and characterized by a dictatorial leader who uses military forces to help suppress political and civil opposition.
History’s two most famous fascists were Nazi chief Adolf Hitler in Germany and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Known as Il Duce, or ”the duke,” Mussolini headed the National Fascist Party, which was symbolized by an eagle clutching a fasces — a bundle of rods with an axe among them.
At Mussolini’s urging, in October 1922, thousands of ”Blackshirts,” or ”squadristi,” made up an armed fascist militia that marched on Rome, vowing to seize power. Hitler’s Nazis similarly relied on a militia, known as the ”Brownshirts.” Both men eventually imposed single-party rule and encouraged violence in the streets. They used soldiers, but also fomented civilian unrest that pit loyalists against political opponents and larger swaths of everyday society.
Hitler and Mussolini censored the press and issued sophisticated propaganda. They played up racist fears and manipulated not just their active supporters but everyday citizens.
