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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, the latest on the school dress code debate in Forest Lake. Then, recent incidents have some communities concerned about identifying who is really a law enforcement officer. And, Minneapolis rolls out a new tool to crack down on dangerous driving. I'm Chantel SinGs.
The Forest Lake School Board delayed a vote to change its dress code, which currently bans hate symbols. The decision comes despite months of protest from students and parents. The dress code — which bans swastikas, confederate flags, and KKK signs — dates back to a racist assault of a black student in the 1990s. Some fear removing that language is a backdoor way to target Pride flags, Black Lives Matter symbols, and LGBTQ expression. The board sent the issue back to committee, with instructions to either eliminate the specific language or create a full list of banned symbols. For now, the current policy stays in place. The board is expected to discuss the issue again this fall.
In today's main story, recent shootings targeting state lawmakers and the actions of federal agents have created a climate of concern among Minnesotans, particularly among people in the immigrant and undocumented communities. Jose Ozoria has more.
Jose Ozoria: As ICE agents have been conducting raids throughout Minnesota, wearing masks to conceal their identity, a climate of concern exists among Minnesotans, particularly those in the immigrant and undocumented community.
Tom Hague: When ICE agents show up with their faces covered, the message is that this inhuman machine has come to get you or to come to take away your loved one.
Jose Ozoria: Tom Hague is the chair of the board of Icom Interfaith Coalition on Immigration. He says Minnesotans are even more concerned now because the gunman who shot House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, as well as her husband and seriously wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, wore a mask and was impersonating a police officer.
Tom Hague: Especially in Minnesota I think that's a really valid, a reasonable objection. People show up. They're masked. Their vehicle is unmarked. They don't show any identification. People have, they have a right to be nervous and afraid.
Jose Ozoria: The concern in Minnesota is so significant, given the attacks on the legislators, that several police departments around the state have taken to social media to tell residents how to identify legitimate officers. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is a strong proponent of ICE agents wearing masks.
Todd Lyons: Is that the issue here that we're just upset about the masks?
Jose Ozoria: Director Lyons says there's a good reason why Federal officers are covering their faces and maintaining their anonymity.
Todd Lyons: People are out there taking photos of the names, their face,s and posting them online with death threats to their family and themselves.
Jose Ozoria: Sara Adams, aid program director with Interfaith Coalition on Immigration, says that given some of the things that immigrants and undocumented Minnesotans have fled their countries of origin for, mass raids are additionally terrifying.
Sara Adams: Obviously, there's a problem. If you are being approached on a street by someone who's wearing a mask, and a lot of the people in the communities are in the United States fleeing governments where those types of things happen, and then to come to this country and face it all over again is really frightening.
Jose Ozoria: Miss Adams points out that the intimidation associated with the mass raids has created a fear that is palpable within the community.
Sara Adams: That huge level of fear and this attempt to just stay home, obviously, that means some people will try to not go to work. Other people obviously feel like they have to. But it's other places as well. People don't want to go shopping. People don't even necessarily want to go to their place of worship.
Jose Ozoria: Acting ICE Director Lyons believes that when it comes to his officer safety, the ends justify the means.
Todd Lyons: So I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks. But I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line and their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is.
Audio from ICE raid: Hey, you fight with me. Don't, don't fight with me. All right. Don't fight with me. All right. Put your hand behind your back. All right.
Jose Ozoria: For North Star Stories, I'm Jose Ozoria.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Minneapolis drivers could start seeing tickets from automated traffic cameras as soon as September. The city is launching a four-year, 12-million dollar pilot program to test speed enforcement cameras, targeting five high‑risk intersections near schools. Offenders could get warnings, 40-dollar fines, and higher penalties for higher speed violations. The full City Council still needs to give final approval. A public information campaign starts next month, with details on camera locations and how enforcement will work. The program could expand to include red-light violations and up to 42 cameras around the city.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.