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Brooklyn Center rejects proposed traffic stop policies
Those policies, which were pushed in part by the mother of Daunte Wright, were designed to prevent issues that could arise from a minor traffic stop.
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — The Brooklyn Center City Council rejected a proposal Monday night that would have changed traffic stop policies for the city’s police department.
Those changes would have prohibited any combination of an invalid registration, nonfunctioning license plate lamp, nonoperational muffler, exceeding vehicle noise rules or for objects suspended between the driver and the windshield as a reason for a traffic stop.
For Katie Wright, mother of Daunte Wright, it’s a moment she wasn’t expecting to happen.
“Unfortunately, I had absolutely no clue that we were going to have three ‘no’ votes,” Wright said.
Those policies, pushed for by Wright and Amity Dimock, whose son Kobe was shot and killed by Brooklyn Center officers in 2019, are designed to prevent issues that could arise from a minor traffic stop, they say.
“Eliminating police officers from doing traffic stops that can turn deadly for both police officers and community, and the person who’s driving,” Wright said. “For instance, what happened in my son’s case.”
With the denial of the proposal, it’s a frustrating result for the two mothers.
“This piece of work was in honor of Daunte, and they just took that from her,” Dimock said. “All our hard work, but I mean, they took that from her family, with salt in an already open wound.”
KARE 11 reached out to the three city council members who voted against this proposal, and has not received a response. We also reached out to the Brooklyn Center Police Department for comment and have not heard back.
Regardless of the outcome, Wright and Dimock say their emotions are turning toward something else – a commitment to keep fighting for their sons.
“We’re going to continue to show up at Brooklyn Center and demand that they make those changes that they promised our family back in 2021 when they shot and killed my son during a traffic stop,” Wright said.
Brooklyn Center Mayor April Graves voted yes for the proposal. In a statement, she said:
“Research has shown that pretextual stops are ineffective, harmful and disproportionately enforced upon people of color. Cities that have made changes to their pretextual stop policies have seen reductions in racial disparities and an increase in stops for moving violations like speeding.
“The resolutions before our council were the result of 2 years of collaborative work with community, staff and national experts. It was a final comprise that incorporated feedback from our police department. I am extremely hurt, angry and disappointed with the results of last night’s vote, but I am not deterred.
I will continue to fight for what is right, educate and work to build more understanding, and advocate for changes that center equity and promote justice in our city.”
City Councilmember Marquita Butler also voted yes, and in a statement said, in part:
“Where do we go from here? I am not sure. There is data that supports this legislation and other cities around the state have already passed it. Nationwide cities are passing similar legislation, but in Brooklyn Center those who voted no, have decided the data isn’t good enough, there isn’t enough community support.
“My question is what data are they looking at? Please site your sources. What community members are against these changes and why? Those who voted no, did not say why they voted no they were silent, they offered no solution as a way forward.
“The message I have for my community and those that are hurting because of this vote no is to keep showing up, keep advocating for yourself. Get involved in the upcoming election.”
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
