Third District Commissioner • 100 No.

5th Avenue West, Room 205 • Duluth, MN 55802

Phone: (218) 726-2562 • Fax: (218) 726-2469 • Email: olsonb1@stlouiscountymn.gov

Beth Olson
County Commissioner
June 1, 2020

Office of Governor Tim Walz

130 State Capitol
75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

Dear Governor Walz,

It has been a week since George Floyd was killed. The horror of what we witnessed sits with us and
the grief hangs heavy. We are writing today to urge you to listen to the Black Community and the
south side neighborhood.
The requests of the Black Community have been made for years, in meetings and in peaceful protests.
Still, again we watched another black man be killed. Still, again the Black Community is asked to stay
home and wait. Please immediately bring forth some bold policy initiatives that will protect all black
and brown citizens and make One Minnesota a possibility for everyone. We would like to see the
following:
1. Call a special session and commit to the legislative items brought forth by the People of Color
and Indigenous Caucus of the state legislature, such as; Changes to the use of force standard,
changes to how Minnesota investigates and prosecutes police use of force, support for those
affected by deadly use of police force, and funding for local violence prevention measures to
reduce community reliance on police for problem solving.
2. Radically transform law enforcement culture to root out systemic racism. Call on law
enforcement to step forward and commit to specific changes. While the focus is Minneapolis,
this is a critical time to affect law enforcement practices throughout the state.
3. Focus on bringing forth bold policy initiatives that support black and brown people now. This
needs to be a focus of your communications and briefings. These can include reducing
achievement gaps, increasing the minimum wage to a living wage and focusing on housing and
safety.
4. Change your tactics. Acknowledge that in this response to the property destruction, there has
been police brutality, violence and a significant use of force upon peaceful people. This use of
force has only furthered the distrust of the citizens and caused real harm. Please publicly

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 announce how there will be real accountability for the violence that people have experienced.
Please commit to investigating the actions of police and military, including destruction of
property, such a shooting out car windows and slashing tires. For example, live stream footage
from Little Earth on Saturday night showed rubber bullets being shot into the private streets of
the housing development and tires slashed. The community needs to be heard and
acknowledged for what they have done to protect themselves. This is something that can
happen now.
5. Invest in the south side neighborhood. This beautiful multi-cultural neighborhood should be re-
envisioned by the community members living there. Please publicly commit to not allowing
gentrification to take over the neighborhood as it rebuilds. Support the small businesses to get
up and running again with direct aid from the State. Publicly support a process that is directed
by those affected, and not only big business or developers. Publicly support restitution by the
state to individuals who may have suffered losses at the hands of the military or police.

The work ahead is great. The time to start is now.

Thank you for your service to Minnesota.

Respectfully,

Commissioner Beth Olson, 3rd District St. Louis County

Commissioner Frank Jewell, 1st District St. Louis County

Commissioner Patrick Boyle, 2nd District St. Louis County

Cc: Representative Liz Olson, Representative Jennifer Schultz, Senator Erik Simonson,
Representative Mary Murphy

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