The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office today released the seventh video of its “No Fear or Favor” web series, showing the inner workings of the Minnesota legislative session and the office’s advocacy work at the Capitol. This episode is available here:
EPISODE SEVEN: NO FEAR OR FAVOR
This week’s episode spotlights two bills aimed at curbing gun violence: HF2609, authored by Rep. Kaela Berg, and HF4277, authored by Rep. Cedrick Frazier.
This week’s episode features interviews/testimony from the following people to discuss the reactive nature of many past efforts and more effective paths forward:
- Minnesota State Rep. Kaela Berg
- James Densley, Department Chair of Criminal Justice, Metro State University
- Sasha Cotton, Executive Director, National Network for Safe Communities
- Rudy Perez, Golden Valley Police Department Assistant Chief
- Muhammad Abdul-Ahad, Executive Director, TOUCH Outreach
- Bobbi Holtberg, Executive Director, Minnesota Alliance on Crime
- Chris Freeman, Adult Prosecution Managing Attorney, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
- Maggiy Emery, Executive Director, Protect MN
This episode is the first in a two-part series dedicated to exploring innovative strategies for preventing gun violence in Minnesota.
Minnesota State Rep. Kaela Berg, Burnsville
“HF2609 makes the Minnesota Straw Purchase Law effective by requiring the purchaser know or should know that the transferee is a prohibited person. This makes the standard consistent with federal law and makes the crime of straw purchasing a felony. This bill is one more step to keep our families and law enforcement safe from gun violence.”
James Densley, Department Chair of Criminal Justice, Metro State University
“The Minnesota Legislature is trying to tackle theft and straw purchases and should be applauded for that. Where we’re not doing enough is on gun trafficking. There needs to be a concerted effort to tackle the steady flow of firearms into our communities. These are complex investigations and require resources for law enforcement, time, dedication, and attention to building complex cases that can bring down these trafficking networks.”
Sasha Cotton, Executive Director, National Network for Safe Communities
“Overwhelmingly, particularly in Black and Brown communities, we are seeing violence that erupts as mutual conflict. Historically it’s been thought of as a gang problem but really, it’s an interpersonal problem that leads to retaliatory violence. There are ways to interrupt that that we could be deploying that we’re underutilizing.”
Rudy Perez, Golden Valley Police Department Assistant Chief
“We can get ahead of this with early prevention, early intervention processes if the right resources and funding comes to investigators. We can look into some of these gun violence cases that are occurring and get in ahead of it before the violence occurs.”
Muhammad Abdul-Ahad, Executive Director, TOUCH Outreach
“We have so much distrust with law enforcement right now. It’s going to take people from the community that’s out here doing this work being more proactive instead of reactive.”
Bobbi Holtberg, Executive Director, Minnesota Alliance on Crime
“I always look at things through a victim centered lens. There are huge gaps for victims of gun violence. There isn’t enough money for any crime victims but especially for victims of gun violence. There isn’t enough advocacy available for them. This trauma will go on and it will take a long time to heal.”
Chris Freeman, Adult Prosecution Managing Attorney, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
“Gun violence is one of the major issues that impact our community and the work we do in APD. Another big gap we see are the straw purchasers. Right now, the target are the people who are prohibited from having guns. But that doesn’t get to the root of the problem. We’re not seeing how these people are able to procure the guns or who is facilitating that.”
Maggiy Emery, Executive Director, Protect MN
“So many gun violence prevention policies that have been passed are reactive. Someone who goes to prison for committing a gun crime is almost twice as likely as other types of crime to recidivate. These carceral and reactive approaches really aren’t effective in reducing gun violence.”
About “No Fear or Favor”
“No Fear or Favor” is a weekly series hosted by Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Jamael Lundy that provides essential updates on public safety bills and on the latest legislative developments impacting safety, equity, and justice in Hennepin County.
Episodes are released on YouTube and on the official Hennepin County Attorney’s Office social media accounts.
Previous episodes of “No Fear or Favor” are linked below.
EPISODE SIX
This episode focuses on HF4424/SF4411, a bill that would ensure prosecutors can comply with their constitutional obligations to disclose data related to law enforcement credibility to the defense in criminal cases.
EPISODE FIVE
This episode takes a look at the intricacies of Sen. Zaynab Mohamed’s SF4015 or the Minnesota Fair Chance Access to Housing Act; a piece of legislation that could impact the housing opportunities of 20 percent of Minnesotans.
EPISODE FOUR
Episode Four features two crucial bills: HF 4215, which provides therapy dogs for first responders, and HF 4366, which aims to expand in-patient bed capacity for greater public safety.
Also appearing in this episode is Elliot Butay, Executive Director of The Minnesota Chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Elliot discusses the significance of mental health advocacy and the potential impact of these legislative initiatives on our communities.
EPISODE THREE
Deputy County Attorney Sarah Davis takes the stand at the capitol, advocating for HF3671/SF3694. Discover the insights and perspectives driving this legislative push and how it could shape the future of public safety in our region.
Malaika Eban, Executive Director of the Legal Rights Center, joins to discuss the importance of raising the legal age to criminalize young people from 10 to 13 years old.
EPISODE TWO
Jamael Lundy explains the details of HF 2400, exploring the implications of lifting time limits on evidence of innocence.
This episode includes an interview with Marvin Haynes. Marvin Haynes served 20 years for a wrongful conviction before being exonerated after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty waived time limitations for new evidence in his case.
Jamael discusses HF3872 and the need to raise jury pay to enhance the diversity of jury pools. Deputy County Attorney Mark Osler joins to discuss the potential impact of raising jury pay.
EPISODE ONE
The first episode of the “No Fear or Favor” series focuses on the office’s support for HF3398/SF3447, commonly referred to as the Victim Services Bill, which provides additional funding and resources for crime victims.
Learn about key components of the funding for victim services bill and how it aims to enhance support for those affected by crime.