Since the police killing of Daunte Wright on Sunday, the community has gathered every day to cry out in rage and grief. We ache with the loss of a beloved young Black man, father, son, and brother. And how has our pain and our calls for justice been met? With tear gas, rubber bullets, flash bangs, and armored vehicles. This callous and violent response seeks to deny the very notion that Daunte’s Black life matters. It seeks to oppress the very humanity of those who demand a world rooted in shared liberation.

That is why Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light joined dozens of other community organizations—including our partners MN350, Honor the Earth, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter, and the 100% Campaign—in calling for the end of the state’s heavily militarized police operation deployed across Minneapolis ahead of the trial of Derek Chauvin and now in Brooklyn Center. 

As the joint statement attests, “Our communities have the right to live and protest without being terrorized ….” 

We are people who are committed to care for our planet. Now is a time for us to show up and speak out with the fullness of that care.

Read the Full Statement and add your voice to ours:

• Sign a petition that Take Action MN will deliver demanding a stop to the continual abuse of mourners, protesters, and reporters
• Call Gov. Walz’s office: (651) 201-3400
• Submit a comment to Mayor Frey’s office 
• Call Mayor Carter’s office: (651) 266-8989
• Call Hennepin County Sheriff Hutchinson’s office: (612) 348-3744 or (612) 543-9311

As you know from the actions against the water protectors at Standing Rock and Line 3, Minnesota County Sheriffs are far too willing to use brutal force against protestors. Sheriff Hutchinson is the Commander of the law enforcement operation deployed in Brooklyn Center and surrounding areas. He especially needs to hear from us.

Support local organizations working for justice:

• Brooklyn Center Mutual Aid
• Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Center
• Atlas of Blackness
• 38th and Chicago Ave.

Post updated 4/17/21 to add petition organized by Take Action