Ahead of holiday weekend, Minneapolis community members plead for an end to violence
Community leaders filled the main atrium of the Hennepin County Government Center Thursday with a simple message: the violence needs to stop.
Since the start of June, they point to the murder of a young mother at Boom Island Park, the killing of an 11-year-old boy in broad daylight, and the additional killings of two young women in the last two weeks.
So far, arrests have only been made in one of the cases. A criminal complaint says a man is facing second-degree murder charges in connection with the Boom Island Park shooting.
"This level of violence cannot, should not, and will not be tolerated within our community," said activist and community organizer Nekima Levy-Armstrong. "We don't want to see these murders continuing to happen. We also don't want to see when murders happen that they are unsolved."
During a press conference Thursday, community leaders and advocates urged for offenders to put the guns down, for parents to keep their kids safe and for lawmakers and prosecutors to get serious about punishing offenders.
"Every week, we see one of young people get murdered. We have to address the root," said Chauntyll Allen of Black Lives Matter Minnesota. "I'm challenging the community. Use your energy to deescalate situations. Use some of your energy to stop and deal with the pain you're dealing with and a way we can move forward as a community."
Leaders urged, especially ahead of a holiday weekend, to take a different approach.
"These are real, live people, and we've got to begin to center humanity in our communities," said Satara Strong-Allen, with nonprofit Love First. "If we could just sit down and center humanity, listen to each other and solve our issues, we don't have to respond with violence."
