Bryan Hooper Sr. Freed From Wrongful Conviction After ‘Sordid’ 27 Years in Prison
Bryan Hooper Sr. walked out of a Minnesota prison on Sept. 4 after 9,999 days of captivity for a murder he was wrongfully convicted of.
Tag: hennepin county
New Conviction Integrity Unit Agrees to Review Mahdi Ali’s Case
Minneapolis, MN — After fifteen and a half years in prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit, a fresh burst of hope has worked its way into the cell of Mahdi Ali. His legal team has filed an application with Hennepin County’s new…
Native Community Protests MPLS Security Company Who Beat, Maced, and Cuffed Indigenous Man
Minneapolis, MN — On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, an Indigenous man was visiting the Franklin Library when he was reported to have been slammed headfirst into the ground multiple times, as well as maced and handcuffed by the security company Black Knight Protection Agency until…
Community Demands Justice for Allison Lussier Amid Ongoing Investigation
Minneapolis, MN — In February 2024, Allison Lussier, a mother and 47-year-old Indigenous woman from Minneapolis, was living in the North Loop neighborhood when, according to community members and family, an intermittent boyfriend killed her. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, the cause of…
🦄 Investigative, Prison
Interview: Breaking Down the Mahdi Ali Case
The brutal 2010 triple murders at the Seward Market shocked the community, and police concluded the killer was fifteen-year-old Mahdi Ali. A new Unicorn Riot investigation raises 27 different issues with that investigation and the murder trial. We circled back with our contributor to break down the major elements people should know about this contentious case.
Recanted Jailhouse Testimonies Lead to Renewed Calls to Release Bobo and Ferguson
Minneapolis, MN — Family members and advocates of two men serving life sentences in Minnesota — Deaunteze Bobo and Jermaine Ferguson — renewed their demands for their loved ones to be released from prison, saying they were wrongfully convicted.
During a press conference in the…
Marvin Haynes Exonerated and Released From Prison After 19 Years
Minneapolis, MN — In a historic ruling, Hennepin County Judge William Koch vacated Marvin Haynes’ murder conviction, dismissed his charges with prejudice, and ordered his release from prison where he was sentenced to serve life. Haynes walked out of MCF-Stillwater as an exonerated man into…
Camp Nenookaasi, a Beacon of Hope to the Unhoused, Faces Eviction
Camp Nenookaasi is throwing the subject of Minneapolis’ encampment policies into the spotlight again as it faces eviction on December 19. The camp’s supporters are waging the latest skirmish in a longer fight between the city’s prohibition of encampments and those who claim that allowing encampments to remain intact is the most humane approach to the issue, as well as a crucial first step toward getting people into stable housing and recovery programs.Â
🦄 Prison
Limited Funds Stunt Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit — Families Want Expediency
Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) has received nearly 1,000 applications of wrongful incarceration to review but with only a couple paid staff and four grants in two years, impacted families complain about lengthy waits while the CRU say they lack capacity and funding. Created to…
🦄 Police
Federal Agents Kill Man in North Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN — A standoff that reportedly started at dawn with a man barricaded in a house ended around noon on April 27 when federal agents killed him as he exited his home armed. Community member and independent media maker Ben Bump live streamed from…
The Case of Marvin Haynes – Part Two: The Murder of Randy Sherer​​
The story of Marvin Haynes is also the story of Harry Sherer — a 55-year-old man who lived a few blocks from his family’s flower shop who everyone called by his nickname, Randy. Most days, Randy walked to the shop to sit and talk to…
🦄 Police, Social Control, Tech
Despite Widespread Mistrust, Minneapolis PD to Fly Surveillance Drones
Minneapolis, MN – The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) “has decided to use drones,” explained a representative of the Department at a Public Health and Safety Committee hearing on August 10th. This decision was sprung on Minneapolitans and their representatives at City Council without notice nor…
Judge Chu Reverses Decision, Will Allow Cameras in Kim Potter Trial
Minneapolis, MN – Judge Regina Chu altered her previous ruling and has granted audio and video broadcasting of the Kim Potter trial, citing the surge in COVID-19 cases. The November 9 ruling (view below) came three days after a protest outside of the residence of…
🦄 Police
No Charges for Unnamed Federalized Deputies that Killed Winston Smith
Minneapolis, MN – The federalized undercover officers working on the task force that killed Winston Boogie Smith Jr., were exercising “lawful authority,” and will not face charges said Crow Wing prosecutor Donald Ryan in a letter made public on October 11, 2021. A press conference…
Minneapolis Pushes Activists to Their Limits
Minneapolis has been ground zero for international outrage and seen nearly nonstop protests since Minneapolis police (MPD) murdered George Floyd over a year ago. Also since the murder of Floyd, the city of Minneapolis and the powers that be have shown contempt for protesters, with…
Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22.5 Years for George Floyd Murder
Minneapolis, MN – In a landmark ruling, Minnesota Fourth District Judge Peter Cahill sentenced convicted murderer and former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin to over 22 years in prison for the killing of George Floyd. This is now the longest sentence ever given to a…
🦄 Police
Unanswered Questions Fuel Protests Against Police in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN – Since Winston Smith was killed nearly two weeks ago in a secretive federal raid, no video evidence or any names of officers involved have been released. Minneapolis has seen another wave of protests not only because Smith was denied due process and…
Federal Task Force Kills Winston Smith Leading to Sustained Protests
Minneapolis, MN – Sheriffs deputized as federal agents ambushed and killed 32-year-old father of three, Winston “Boogie” Smith Jr., around 2 p.m. on June 3, 2021. Smith had just eaten lunch with a date when he was shot to death as he sat with her…
🦄 Police, Racism & Far-Right
The State’s Conviction of Chauvin Upholds the System’s ‘Innocence’
Minneapolis, MN – In just ten hours, the jury in the Derek Chauvin murder trial delivered guilty verdicts on all three counts for the killing of George Floyd. In the context of the state’s arguments, the verdict serves to show that Chauvin’s actions were an…
🦄 Police, Racism & Far-Right
Derek Chauvin Found Guilty in Murder of George Floyd
Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, the jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin returned a verdict finding the defendant guilty on all counts. Former Minneapolis Police (MPD) Officer Chauvin had been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter – and…
🦄 Police, Racism & Far-Right
Race and Perception: First Two Weeks of Derek Chauvin Pre-Trial
Minneapolis, MN – Jury selection in the murder/manslaughter trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin finished its second week with eleven jurors finalized at the end of Friday, March 19, 2021. Judge Peter Cahill officially ruled on Friday there would be no change of…
🦄 Police, Racism & Far-Right, Social Control, Tech
Minneapolis’ Downtown Dark Alliance
Minneapolis, MN – Multinational retail giant Target Corporation has weaponized its public-private partnerships with nonprofits, law enforcement, the offices of the Hennepin County prosecutor and the Minneapolis city attorney to criminalize and incarcerate the lowest level offenders in downtown. This policy targeted predominantly Black homeless…
Winter of Coronavirus: Seeking Shelter in Minneapolis During COVID–19
Minneapolis, MN – With winter setting in, many people experiencing houselessness in Minneapolis are forced to choose between living outdoors in freezing temperatures or entering a restrictive and non-private temporary indoor shelter.
A new scientific study finds that over 400,000 COVID cases and nearly 11,000…
Unhoused Community Forms Tenants Union, Constituents Protest at Commissioner’s Home
Minneapolis, MN – A tenants union was formed this past weekend by unhoused community members who have been living at the Extended Stay America hotel in Bloomington, MN. After a deal for Hennepin County to purchase the building unexpectedly fell through, residents say they are…
🦄 Police
Pawn Shop Owner Faces No Charges in Killing Man, State Blames Protesters
Minneapolis, MN – Wisconsinite John Rieple shot and killed Calvin Horton Jr. in Minneapolis on May 27, during the second night of the uprising. Horton was protesting the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, walking down Lake Street. When his section of the march…
Minneapolis Prioritizing Park Sweeps Over Sheltering the Unhoused
While Minneapolis' ongoing housing crisis has been made more urgent by an early major snowfall, the city's elected leaders have prioritized having all the parks cleared by the end of October.
🦄 Police
Kobe Heisler Remembered One Year After Being Killed by Police
Minneapolis, MN – More than a hundred people gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, August 31, to honor the life of Kobe Dimock-Heisler on the one year anniversary of his death. Kobe, a 21-year-old autistic man, was unarmed when he was shot…
🦄 COVID-19
COVID–19 Testing DeMystified at Community-Informed Coronavirus Testing Site
Minneapolis, MN – For two afternoons, coronavirus testing was conducted in full view of the public, free to anyone, one block south of George Floyd Memorial Square. An open-air testing center had been assembled out of folding chairs, canopies, and clipboards in the parking lot…
🦄 Police, Racism & Far-Right
New Unrest in Downtown Minneapolis; Mayor Calls for National Guard
Minneapolis, MN – A new wave of unrest hit downtown Minneapolis after a man reportedly shot himself late on Wednesday afternoon near 8th and Nicollet Mall.
A city-wide curfew was in effect between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Emergency alerts went out…
