The Twin Cities Mutual Aid Project shared this message and list of demands for people to use when contacting elected officials. Contact information for many elected officials is included below, and you can often find contact forms and additional contact information on elected officials' websites. Even if you don't live in Minnesota, I urge you to contact our elected officials to express these demands! (When you send emails, write your own subject line and make some edits to the text - this helps prevent your email from being flagged as a copy and increases the chances that they read it.)
Email/phone message template:
I am writing to express my outrage and disappointment in your leadership through the response to the police murder of Daunte Wright and preparations for announcements of the verdict of the Derek Chauvin trail for the murder of George Floyd. As a leader and representative of our community, I expect you to speak out against the violence toward protesters and the fear tactics being used by "Operation Safety Net."
The police response to protests in Brooklyn center has been vicious, escalatory, and violent towards protesters, residents, medics, and journalists. Residents in their own yards have been tackled and arrested. Protesters have been beaten and gassed without warning or opportunity to leave. Medics have been fired upon and arrested for helping injured people. Even after a federal injunction, police continued to attack, harass, and detain journalists. And political leadership has refused to address these issues.
The Attorney General’s office has fought against suits to demand freedom of the press at the protests. And Sheriff Hutchinson has refused the Brooklyn Center mayor’s request not to tear gas his neighborhoods and not to interfere with the press. Jammers are being used to prevent communication from the protests. State Patrol Colonel Langer put out a disturbing call for another Kyle Rittenhouse to attack protesters at a state press conference. This unnecessary and unjustified response is state violence and violation of Constitution rights on a massive scale.
I support these demands expressed by community organizers:
- Stop violent response to protesters
- Stop attacking and harassing journalists
- Stop attacking and arresting medics
- Hold Operation Safety Net leadership responsible for unnecessary escalation and violation of Constitutional Rights.
- Release protesters being held and drop their charges
- No use of tear gas on residents and protesters.
- Stop misuse of less-lethal weapons by targeting people’s faces and bodies
- No signal jamming of phones and live streams
- Respect First Amendment rights of press and all protesters
I hope you can use your leadership and influence to do better by our hurting, scared, and grieving communities. Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
WHERE YOU LIVE
Contact Info - thank you to the organizers of this event for compiling!:
Governor Tim Walz 651-201-3400 Email: use contact form on his website Twitter: @GovTimWalz
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
Contact via website
Attorney General Keith Ellison 651-296-3353 (not answered out of business hours) attorney.General@ag.state.mn.us Twitter: @AGEllison
Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington 651-201-7160 dps.commissioners@state.mn.us Twitter: @MnDPS_DPS (department account)
State Patrol Colonel Matt Langer Phone: 651-201-7100 patrol.pio@state.mn.us Twitter: @MnDPS_MSP (department account)
Contact Operation Safety Net Twitter: @MinnesotaOSN
Lt Governor Peggy Flanagan Twitter: @LtGovFlanagan
Representative Ilhan Omar 612-333-1272 MN05.Info@mail.house.gov Twitter: @IlhanMN
Senator Tina Smith 651-221-1016 Twitter: @SenTinaSmith
Demand the DFL address the failures of our leadership to address police violence and rights violations:
Minnesota DFL Party Ken Martin, Chairman 651-293-1200 chair@dfl.org Twitter: @kenmartin73
Look up your state representatives and contact them: