Star Tribune
Hmong leaders calling for apology after legislators rushed off stage at Asian Pacific Islander Day event
A Hmong American political committee is calling for an apology from the chair of the state’s Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, saying that she rushed a group of Hmong elected officials off stage at a recent event.
“Of all the legislators who spoke, our [Asian Pacific Islander] legislators were the only ones that were interrupted while we spoke, told to get off the stage, and also told that we were not invited,” said Sen. Susan Pha, DFL-Brooklyn Park, in a video posted on Facebook a day after the event.
No Asian and Pacific Islander legislators were on the program for Asian Pacific Islander (API) Day at the State Capitol on April 3. But Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, brought on stage with her two DFL state senators, Pha and Foung Hawj of St. Paul, neither of whom was on the invite list for API Day.
Hawj addressed the audience and then passed the microphone to Pha. When two more members of the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus joined them on stage — DFL Reps. Ethan Cha of Woodbury and Kaohly Vang Her of St. Paul — Pha’s speech was interrupted by the moderator, Council Chair Saraswati Singh, who told the group they were taking time away from other speakers.
“Senator Pha, you’re taking up other people’s time, please,” Singh said, gesturing for her to leave.
“Let her finish, she’ll be brief,” Murphy said. “How many seconds?” Singh responded.
After the legislators left the stage, Singh called them out for bringing guests on stage who were not in the program.
Lee Pao Xiong, the council’s former executive director, is among more than 200 people petitioning for an apology from Singh and the council.
“That was very unprofessional,” Xiong said. “The state Legislature created you, and your role is to advise the governor and state Legislature on issues affecting your respective communities. The API legislators have every right to be there in front of their constituents.”
In a statement to Sahan Journal, Pha said that Singh’s actions were “unnecessary and highly disrespectful. … It’s reminiscent of the trauma we dealt with, and continue to deal with when excluded from spaces we are told we don’t belong.”
According to a livestream recording of the event, Singh said: “We had three people up on stage and then two other people jumped in. They did not have permission to do so. They’re not on our agenda.”
Council officials did not respond to requests for comment from Singh, who could not be reached independently. Hawj, Cha, and Her declined to be interviewed for this story.
The council works with state officials and community organizations to improve the lives of the state’s Asian Pacific Islander residents. Members are appointed by the governor and include legislators.
The petition, which is being circulated by the Hmong American Political Action Network group on Facebook, calls for a formal apology from Singh and an investigation of the council. It’s seeking action by Gov. Tim Walz, since many of the council members are appointed by the governor.
“This incident, marked by an apparent lack of respect and recognition towards [Asian American and Pacific Islander] legislators by the Council’s leadership, is deeply troubling,” the petition says.
Her, one of the legislators who went on stage, said online that it was unfortunate the council controls “who gets to be heard, seen, and on stage. When I speak at rallies and events I bring up all of my colleagues in attendance. Why? Because this work isn’t about me. Nothing gets done because of one person.”
The incident came a week after a disagreement surfaced at a committee hearing on how best to commemorate the beginnings of Minnesota’s Southeast Asian communities 50 years ago. The bill includes $300,000 for grants to community organizations and $200,000 for the Minnesota Historical Society to create programs celebrating the arrival of the first Hmong family in Minnesota in October 1975.
Singh was one of six who testified against the bill, saying it focused only on the Hmong community and did not include the state’s Cambodian, Vietnamese and Laotian communities, as well as Vietnam War veterans. Representatives of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders and Vietnamese Social Services testified in support of the bill.
“I believe in diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s really important to me because I’ve been a minority my whole life,” said Singh, the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Her, who supports the bill, said the Minnesota Asian Pacific legislative caucus heard that the Hmong community wanted its own celebration. The bill, she said, offers the possibility for multiple celebrations.
Xiong said the bill would put the community in charge of the commemoration rather than the council or state. He said he’s been told that the council has repeatedly opposed many of Hmong community legislative initiatives.
“Everything comes down to the governor’s office,” Xiong said. “The community is waiting to see what the governor is going to do.”
About the partnership
This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.
The family of 6-year-old Eli Hart, who was shot and killed by his mother in 2022, on Wednesday reached a $2.25 million wrongful death settlement with Dakota County.
The lawsuit, which was filed three months after Eli’s death, accused the county’s Social Services department of gross and willful negligence when it returned Eli to the custody of his mother, Julissa Thaler.
“It is definitely a bit of a relief just to have some resolution to this very long case,” said Josephine Josephson, Eli’s stepmother. “It’s a lot of stress to have an ongoing case with a delicate subject.
“I think Dakota County, obviously, they agreed to our settlement without taking any faults. But I think that they truly know that something did go wrong and that they should make corrective actions.”
The settlement stipulates that $1.2 million be paid to Eli’s father, Tory Hart. Three of the boy’s grandparents will receive $25,000 each. The balance of the settlement will cover attorney fees and other costs.
In the years since Eli’s death, his family has created the Eli Hart Foundation. Josephson said Wednesday that the settlement will help the organization establish a scholarship fund and create a legal assistance service for parents who don’t have the means to fight for custody of their children.
“It’s a scary place to be,” Josephson said.
At least 100 University of Minnesota students living in Comstock Hall had no heat in their dorm rooms this week as temperatures dipped below freezing.
Officials say the issue was expected to be resolved by Wednesday night. About two-thirds of the dorm rooms in Minneapolis on the East Bank were fixed by mid-afternoon.
University officials said about 100 out of the hall’s 356 total rooms were affected by the lack of heat, first reported by FOX 9. Last week, maintenance began receiving a higher-than-normal number of requests to fix heating in dorm rooms, though some reports had been made earlier, said Susan Stubblefield, the U’s director of housing and residential life.
“Due to the nature of the heating system in the building, the scope of the problem was not known until reported by residents in each individual room,” Stubblefield said.
A warm fall season and having students leave for the holiday break meant the “full impact of the issue was unknown until the temperatures dipped in recent days,” she said.
Mechanics began working extended hours, including over the Thanksgiving weekend, to make repairs, Stubblefield said.
Air pockets had entered the heating system when maintenance was conducted during the system’s transition from cooling to heating, and that affects the system’s efficiency. The pockets affected some units more than others, Stubblefield said.
To fix things and regain full efficiency, maintenance staff has to clear out the air pockets from the fan coil unit in each individual room. Students were given electric space heaters until maintenance could get to their rooms, Stubblefield said. It’s possible some additional rooms could be affected.
DULUTH – With freshly selected jurors waiting nearby for the start of an expected days-long trial, a Duluth man facing criminal sexual conduct charges took a last-minute plea deal instead of facing the women he abused when they were children.
Clint Franklin Massie, 49, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning at the St. Louis County Courthouse to the four counts from incidents dating back to 2008-09 when two of his victims were young girls. The deal dismissed one of the counts against him. His sentencing is scheduled for March 20, and he could end up with more than nine years in prison. Massie, who was initially charged in February 2023 and has been out on $300,000 bail, was released until his sentencing.
In each case, the victim was known to Massie — whether they were related or through their shared membership at Old Apostolic Lutheran Church. He was friends with their parents and regarded as a fun, child-free uncle, according to reports from the investigation.
Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Michael Ryan told the court that the victims were satisfied with the deal.
“They have been involved in talking this through,” he said to Judge Dale Harris.
After Massie pleaded guilty, would-be witnesses and their supporters filed into the courtroom filling rows. Massie, dressed in a dark suit coat and khaki pants, turned to look. Ryan questioned him on the victims’ accusations — four specific scenarios where he had touched girls: during a sleepover at his house, when alone on a tractor, or beneath a blanket while others were in the room.
Massie said in court there were a lot of big gatherings and shared meals within this the group. It wasn’t unusual for one of the many children to sit on his lap.
At times Massie paused and said he couldn’t remember exact details or motives. At other times he deferred to what he told investigating officers last year. In each instance he ultimately agreed with the scenario presented by the prosecution.
