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Student and mother give perspective on SLP HS fights
District officials say they needed time to investigate and put safety measures in place for next week
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A brawl inside St. Louis Park High School followed by a parking lot fight after classes were dismissed led school officials to cancel all high school classes on Friday.
Swollen and bruised, Sanaiah Milon was home from school like all St. Louis Park High School students.
But unlike the rest of them, she doesn’t think she’ll ever go back.
When asked if she thinks St. Louis Park High School is a safe place for her to go to school, Sanaiah answered, “No, not after what happened yesterday.”
Sanaiah claims she was jumped by another student whom she’d argued with months earlier. After the previous encounter, Sanaiah said the school intervened, talking through the issues with a counselor and administrator. But on Thursday, Sainaiah said other students informed her she was going to get “jumped.”
“And I got punched. And I got punched again from the other side. Then one student grabbed me by the neck and she tossed me and we were on the floor. And it was just kicks, punches,” she said. “In my head, it felt like it was going on forever. Like, I was just scared.”
Video taken by other students shows a teacher pulling Sanaiah away and closing a door.
School resumed after the fight. But after school, Sanaiah’s mom Latoys Milon arrived with her older daughter. Chaos ensued outside the school building.
“All I was thinking is getting to my daughter. She needs help. She needs somebody,” Latoys said.
Latoys and her older daughter were arrested but not charged with a crime.
She’s upset she’s heard nothing from the school about what’s happening with the people she claims attacked her daughter.
“Now the way they’re trying to make it look like we’re the bad guys. It had nothing to do with race. I had nothing to do with anything. It was just trying to get to my daughter to make sure she’s OK,” Latoys said.
A school district spokesperson said they decided to cancel all high school classes Friday, “To provide school administration sufficient time to conduct a thorough investigation, collaborate with St. Louis Park police on their investigation, and for staff to gather and plan for additional layers of safety for next week.”
St. Louis Park school officials and St. Louis Park police both refused to do interviews today.
St. Louis Park no longer has a school resource officer stationed in the school. There is a police officer that they call a “Juvenile Response Officer” who was outside the school when the fight broke out and was then able to respond inside.
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MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
