Winter Keefer

Minneapolis

Metro Reporter at MinnPost

@MinnPost reporter. Michigander from the UP➡️Kzoo➡️Flint➡️Minneapolis. Opinions are my own.

Articles

University of Minnesota keeps low profile in Trump fight

2 weeks ago | messenger-inquirer.com | Ana Radelat |Winter Keefer

Minneapolis, MN (MinnPost)WASHINGTON - The University of Minnesota, swept up like other schools in the maelstrom of Trump administration policies they say erode academic freedom, is undergoing intense internal debate about what to do about it. The questions that have pitted students and faculty members against the university's administration are whether and how the state's largest institution of higher learning should fight back.
Is the recording of police legally protected?

3 weeks ago | coloradosun.com | Winter Keefer

Filming police is a constitutionally protected right, multiple courts have ruled. The first news release from the city of Minneapolis after George Floyd’s murder said he had died of a “medical emergency.” It was a citizen filming at the scene who first exposed that former police officer Derek Chauvin had leaned on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Multiple federal circuit courts have concluded that citizens have a First Amendment right to film the police performing their duties in public.
What's next for Minneapolis poling after federal deal is scrapped?

3 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

It’s no coincidence that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice moved to dismiss a federal consent decree settlement that would have legally mandated police reform in Minneapolis in the week leading to the five-year mark of George Floyd’s murder. It’s also no coincidence that the Minnesota Department of Human Rights has a settlement agreement of its own with the city.
Has Minneapolis overhauled its emergency management plans?

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Amid rumors that President Donald Trump planned to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and that such a pardon would spark unrest, Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette said in a statement: “Since 2020, we’ve overhauled our emergency management plans and out of an abundance of caution are planning for any eventuality.” It is true that Minneapolis has honed in on emergency preparedness, particularly following a 2022 audit of the city’s response following...
As claims surrounding George Floyd reverberate, here are the facts

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

It’s been five years since George Floyd was killed, and websites and social media continue to shape and reshape the narrative around the 46-year-old Black man’s murder on a Minneapolis street. This is part of a larger conundrum faced by users in the digital age — a lack of clarity between truth, skewed information and flat-out fiction. Here at MinnPost, we partner with Gigafact to produce bite-sized fact briefs to address just that.
Is the recording of police legally protected?

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Filming police is a constitutionally protected right, multiple courts have ruled. The first press release from the city of Minneapolis following George Floyd’s murder stated he had died of a “medical emergency.” It was a citizen filming at the scene who first exposed that former police officer Derek Chauvin had leaned on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
A new governor? A dismantled trifecta? Here's what's at stake in Minnesota this election

1 month ago | midfloridanewspapers.com | Peter Callaghan |Ana Radelat |Winter Keefer

Minneapolis, MN (MinnPost)Presidential elections always have trickle-down effects for states, but never has Minnesota seen a bigger potential change to state government than in this election. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Gov. Tim Walz will become vice president, and Minnesota will get a new governor, the current Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Walz is trying to become the third vice president from Minnesota, something put in motion by his summertime selection by Harris to be her running mate.
Has the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act stalled in Congress?

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has remained stagnant despite calls for its passage. First proposed by Democrats in the U.S. House, the police reform bill passed the House in both 2020 and 2021 but did not pass the U.S. Senate. Even when Democrats held power in the Senate in 2021, disagreements persisted around things like proposed changes to qualified immunity for police officers. Renewed calls for passage of the act came after the police killing of Sonya Massey last July.
Could Trump pardon Derek Chauvin of federal charges? - MinnPost

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

Former police officer Derek Chauvin is serving concurrent state and federal prison sentences after being convicted in George Floyd’s killing. President Donald Trump has the constitutional right to pardon Chauvin of federal crimes but does not have the authority to pardon people convicted of state charges. Trump has not said he would pardon Chauvin, but rumors of that possibility have spread. State leaders have emphasized that a pardon on federal charges would not lead to a pardon on state charges.
Did Pope Leo XIV share a post about praying for George Floyd?

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Winter Keefer

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, shared a post by Bishop Michael Burbidge that expressed continued prayer and a desire for healing for Floyd and his family. The new pope has faced deep scrutiny of his political views and social media presence since white smoke appeared from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel May 8, marking Prevost’s election by the Conclave.