After a much needed good night’s sleep following a long day of travel from Sacramento we woke up excited for our first full day exploring Minneapolis!
After a brisk (read: freezing) walk, we arrived at the beautiful Broadhead office building for our first session with Detective Crystal Jones from the City of Roseville (MN). She started off asking us to call her Crystal and explained that in this modern era of law enforcement it is very important to be personable and really humanize law enforcement officers to the people they interact with. Crystal obtained a Masters of Forensic Psychology degree which has been vital in working with the public. She shared with us her love for the job and some of her most rewarding experiences.
One big challenge they face is the “defund the police” movement; but in her opinion the opposite is true as they need more funding for training to be better equipped to handle challenging situations and really connect with the communities they work in. The other problem they face is that law enforcement has gotten a bad reputation, and they are having a hard time finding people who want to pursue it as a career. Another issue is that many laws have changed lately such as not being able to pull someone over for mechanical issues like a bad taillight or suspended licenses. This has led to a spike in car jackings, assaults and robberies. So how do we keep our communities safe with less resources and negative public perception? This is the constant quandary law enforcement officers face daily. Detective Jones said the keys to successfully doing her job were adaptability, communication and always deciding to do the right thing.
We then journeyed a few miles down the road to where 38th Street and Chicago Avenue meet. There, we entered an area locally known as the “Free State of George Floyd.” Experiencing the George Floyd Square pilgrimage involved a profound journey through a site of collective mourning, activism, and remembrance. This pilgrimage reflected the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality in the United States sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd in May of 2020.
Jeanelle Austin, Executive Director of the George Floyd Global Memorial, kicked the day off with an introduction to the organization and its importance to the community of Minneapolis. At George Floyd Square, visitors encounter a powerful convergence of grief, resilience, and community solidarity. The square serves as a memorial to George Floyd and countless others who have lost their lives to racial violence and police brutality. Visitors witness a space transformed by art, murals, and symbols of resistance, illustrating the enduring legacy of Floyd’s death in the fight against systemic racism. Where guard shacks once protected those within the 4-block radius during the early phases of the protests, iron fist memorials now mark the boundaries of the space.
As Class 53 navigated through the square, we engaged with residents, activists, and organizers who continue to advocate for justice and reform. Conversations with community members like Angela Harrelson, Janelle Austin, Giorgio Wright and Kia Bible, offered insights into the ongoing struggle for racial equity and the complex dynamics of activism in marginalized communities. The pilgrimage to George Floyd Square is not merely a physical journey but also a spiritual and emotional one. It prompts visitors to confront uncomfortable truths about race, privilege, and power in society while also inspiring a renewed commitment to solidarity and action. It was said to us: “The land is the only witness not called to a witness stand” and as agriculturists, that’s certainly an idea that hits home. Through this experience, individuals bear witness to the resilience of communities affected by racial injustice and reaffirm their dedication to the pursuit of equality and justice for all. The square serves as both a memorial to George Floyd and a symbol of the broader movement for racial justice and police reform, featuring murals, 25 billboards, countless memorials, thousands of offerings, and community gardens, all dedicated to Floyd’s memory and the ongoing fight against racial injustice. The space has also become a center for community organizing, education, and healing, with activists and residents working together to advocate for change. George Floyd Square represents a complex intersection of grief, anger, and resilience, embodying the ongoing struggle for racial equality in the United States. It continues to draw visitors, activists, and supporters from around the world who come to pay their respects, participate in protests, and engage in dialogue about racial justice and systemic reform.
To foster a better understanding of how to address the issues of social injustice and racism we met with Meghan Malone and Kristen Pehl, Co-Executives of the HOPE Speaks Project. HOPE Speaks is a non-profit here in Minneapolis founded when educators Meghan and Kristen were struggling to engage in meaningful conversations about race and racism with their young children. Inspired by the quote “Hope will never be silent” by Harvey Milk, they were both determined to engage in Honest, Open, Personal, and Engaged (HOPE) dialogue using a family centered approach. There are many policies and practices in place in our country, state, and local governments that perpetuate systemic racism. HOPE Speaks is built on the idea of building strength to have uncomfortable conversations that will disrupt policies and practices that perpetuate systemic racism. After learning about the program and its founders, we as a class dove right into the subject matter. We contemplated statements like, “I feel like I am going to say the wrong thing or offend somebody when I talk about race”, and “I think about my race often”. We decided whether these statements resonated with us personally and how that can affect the way we engage in conversation about race. As a class we discussed how our current reality has been shaped by our historical past. We considered the importance of owning our own stories without defending them and having compassion when considering the stories of others.
“We cannot love if we do not first have understanding”
Our Ed Team did a wonderful job setting us up for the day’s experience by exposing us to the perspectives of individuals that share a passion to unite their communities. As a group we were able to exercise our abilities to use critical thinking to work through the complex issue of racial tensions here in Minneapolis so that we might better understand what that looks like back home. Although our speakers come from different backgrounds, we were able to recognize common themes. Humanization of people- even those we might disagree with, compassion, and earnest pursuit of understanding are the basis of creating more space for the complexity, nuance, and multiple truths of any situation. As we go forward, we strive to show up as learners looking to grow and learn from each other. We have been tasked as leaders in our communities to seek to understand rather than seek to win. Perhaps then we can make the type of impact we really hope to make.
Gratefully,
Deissy Ibarra, Nick Edsall, Daniel O’Connell and the members of Class 53
One Response
This part of our trip was incredibly emotional and impactful. Thank you for sharing your experience!