All sessions will be held on Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 pm
What does policing look like for communities of color here in the Greater Mankato/St. Peter area? At this session, community members will share stories of their experiences of law enforcement. The goal of this session is to get a clearer picture of the kinds of issues we need to address going forward in order to create the communities we want to see.
Moderators: Yurie Hong (Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato); Julio Zelaya (ACLU Minnesota), Destiny Owens (Black Excellence Around Minnesota)
VIDEO: https://bit.ly/2H5j5jv
After the murder of George Floyd, the movement to defund and/or abolish police gained greater attention and momentum. But what do these terms really mean and what vision of community does this movement support? How does policing intersect with community support services here in St. Peter and Greater Mankato? For this session, we will engage in a conversation with renowned civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong for her insights about the defund/abolish movement and how efforts at reform are playing out in Minneapolis. We will also hear from local advocates about their experiences with the police and the systems in which they interact with one another. The goal of this session is to help us envision the kind of community that we want to move toward and reflect on the systems we depend on to make that vision a reality.
Moderator: Bukata Hayes (Greater Mankato Diversity Council)
Panelists:
Nekima Levy Armstrong (Civil Rights Attorney and former president of NAACP Minneapolis)
Sabrina Mercedes (Education and Prevention Program Coordinator for the Committee Against Domestic Abuse)
Justin Coates
VIDEO: https://tinyurl.com/y4e5wape
NOTES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iR_z_PK_4Rz5ZachIyBgptUd02RyR6m7LETobfmXTwo/edit
The fight for racial justice must take place across all sectors of society. What are local mechanisms for change when it comes to policing? Who is in control of police budgets? Who makes decisions about hiring and firing? What mechanisms are available for community feedback or filing of complaints? Who decides whether schools have School Resource Officers or not?
At this session, we will discuss local mechanisms for change with City officials. The goal of this session is to equip community members with the information they need to advocate effectively for changes they want elected officials to implement.
Panelists:
Alison Zelms (Deputy City Manager, Mankato)
Todd Prafke (City Administrator, St. Peter)
Reggie Edwards (Deputy City Manager, Brooklyn Center)
Moderators:
Destiny Owens (Black Excellence Around Minnesota) and Sabrina Mercedes (Committee Against Domestic Abuse)
VIDEO: https://tinyurl.com/y3zuoqzh
NOTES: https://tinyurl.com/y4ed4wlg
This session will consist of a recap of previous sessions and breakout discussions for each city: St. Peter, Mankato, and North Mankato. Community members will take what they’ve heard over the past three sessions to discuss potential advocacy measures that they would like to bring to their City Councils and Police Departments.
Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/y3bp6e76