Summary of D1 9/22 meeting - Youth and Justice

The District 1 Community Council Board met on Monday, September 22 to talk about how our youth are treated by the criminal justice system here in Saint Paul. In attendance were Kathy Lantry (City Council President and our councilmember) and Joann Ellis (aide to County Commissioner Jim McDonough).  Residents of the area talked about their personal experiences from this summer with police interaction with youth. These experiences included harassment and intimidation that seemed particularly directed at youth of color. There is concern that the police are targeting youth of color and this seems to be borne out by the disproportionate number of youth of color, particularly African American youth, in the criminal justice system.

Our city officials think that the police are unaware that the community feels there is a potential problem, and that this summer’s efforts in community outreach by the police were not well-received. Council member Lantry suggested that community members, and the District 1 Council make a concerted effort to reach out to the police to make concerns known. But she cautioned that the community needs to have in mind what those interactions SHOULD look like.

District Council board members held up police efforts with the Somali/East African community in the Lower Afton area or in South Minneapolis as examples of on-going, personalized interactions between police and youth that seem to be more positive. The general consensus was that one-shot picnics or pick up ball games were not effective in building good relations between police and the community.

There was also discussion of the process that the County is undertaking in coming to a decision about what to do with Boys Totem Town. The community wants to know what remains to be decided, who makes the decisions, and how the community can provide input. The potential choices for Totem Town (rebuild as single entity in current location, co-locate with Hennepin County at current location, co-locate with Hennepin County at Hennepin County location, or co-location with Hennepin County at a new location) have a greater impact on this community other than the land use implications. Those land use implications are enormous and should be prepared for, but there is also the question of how the decision impacts the racial inequities in the criminal justice system that affect every part of the Saint Paul community.

The community is reminded that the latter questions about Boys Totem Town can be asked at the upcoming meeting with County Commissioner Jim McDonough and Juvenile Corrections staff on Tuesday, September 30 at 6:30p at Battle Creek Rec (75 S. Winthrop St.). This meeting is open to the entire Ramsey County community and interested parties.