Saint Paul, MN — In the capital city of Minnesota, a middle-aged white man was given no prison time after being convicted of murder for fatally stabbing an unarmed Black man. The 2021 murder of Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart and the following conviction and sentencing of…
Saint Paul, MN — Brian Harry Kjellberg, the “white vigilante” convicted of murdering Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart in St. Paul, was recently denied early release from jail to appeal his murder conviction. On Nov. 29, nearly two years to the date of murdering 27-year-old Stewart and…
Saint Paul, MN — On May 31, Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro sentenced Brian Kjellberg to just 365 days in jail for the December 2, 2021 killing of Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart. Now, after serving six months of his sentence, Kjellberg is asking for release…
Saint Paul, MN — The #NoKidsInPrison traveling art installation highlighted artwork from several cities across the U.S. along the theme of abolishing youth imprisonment; including art inspired by youth incarceration in Minneapolis driven by Target Corp.
The Minneapolis based non-profit law firm Legal Rights Center…
A newly released Unicorn Riot video highlights the final moments of 24-year-old Justin Teigen’s life and features an interview with one of Teigen’s best friends who was perhaps the last person to see him alive. In 2009, Teigen, a father of one, was found dead…
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…
Saint Paul, MN — In a motion hearing seeking a new trial for convicted murderer Brian Kjellberg, defense attorney Earl Gray called the Black foreman of the jury “racist” and was granted a Schwartz hearing by Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro. In late March, Kjellberg…
Saint Paul, MN — On March 30, 2023, Brian Kjellberg was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder without intent for killing Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart over a parking space near Kjellberg’s residence. But even before evidence shown in the trial indicated a racial motive,…
Saint Paul, MN – The trial of Brian Kjellberg, who was charged with 2nd degree murder for killing Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart over a parking spot, begins late March. Unicorn Riot recently sat down with the Poet Laureate of San Francisco and cousin of Stewart, Tongo…
Saint Paul, MN – As police killings continue to increase in numbers while decreasing in attention, impacted families in the Twin Cities held numerous events during the summer of 2022, keeping the movement alive against what many families call “police terror.” From weekends of intentional…
St. Paul, MN – Standing in front of the Minnesota Governor’s Residence Valerie Castile recounted how former St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez killed her son Philando during a traffic stop six years ago on July 6, 2016, “Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Five times…
Saint Paul, MN – Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison on Thursday, July 7, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson. Chauvin, who had pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations in December 2021, has been incarcerated…
George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police was the most high-profile Minnesota law enforcement killing in a long history. In May 2016, St. Paul police, who have killed more people than Minneapolis officers, killed Jaffort Smith in the North End. In this episode…
Saint Paul, MN – An all-Black-women lineup of speakers and performers gathered outside the Minnesota Governor’s Residence to remember Breonna Taylor on what would’ve been her 29th birthday had she not been killed by Louisville police over two years ago. Organized by radio personality, filmmaker,…
St. Paul, MN – A 50-year-old white man fatally stabbed a young Black man in the heart with a homemade shank over a parking dispute in late 2021. The community says it was a racially motivated attack and compared it to the cases of Ahmed…
St. Paul, MN – Upwards of 60 people protested the police killing of Amir Locke outside the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) on February 9, 2022. Speakers demanded accountability, reform to police training and Mexica-Nahua (Aztec) performers provided a ceremonial dance.…
St. Paul, MN – Thousands converged on the Minnesota State Capitol grounds on August 25 to demand that construction on the contentious Line 3 tar sands pipeline be stopped. A massive police response greeted the water protectors who held ceremony, set tipis up and attempted…
St. Paul, MN – Toshira Garraway’s life was turned upside down following the death of her fiancé, Justin Teigen, twelve years ago. Teigen is the father of Garraway’s child and was 24 when he was found dead in a recycling center after an encounter with…
Saint Paul, MN – Nearly three years after Hardel Sherrell’s harrowing death in Beltrami County Jail, a legislative act named after him aims to stop the dozens of deaths in Minnesota jail cells. After losing her only son at the young age of 27, Del…
Saint Paul, MN – Around 600 people gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 29, calling on President Biden to revoke permits for the Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline project. The protest billed as ‘Protect the Water, Revoke the Permits‘ started at Kellogg Park…
Saint Paul, Minnesota – Numerous “patriots” from Minnesota followed incitement from President Donald Trump and took part in the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6. The events resulted in a police officer being beaten to death and four other…
Saint Paul, MN – On December 5, hundreds of anti-fascists came with a large shield wall to oppose the weekly post-election far-right gathering at Minnesota’s Governor’s Residence. Police inserted themselves between the anti-fascists and the weekly ‘Stop The Steal’ event, which featured armed white supremacists.…
Saint Paul, MN – A Minnesota court recently agreed to an uncommon approach to resolve criminal charges filed after the statue of Christopher Columbus was toppled at the Minnesota Capitol on June 10, 2020.
Ramsey County Chief Judge Leonardo Castro accepted the restorative justice approach…
Saint Paul, MN – Since the 2020 presidential election, an assortment of armed pro-Trump and white supremacist groups such as the Proud Boys have been defying pandemic orders against public gatherings to hold weekly Saturday protests against the coronavirus mandates and the election results at…
Saint Paul, MN – A small crowd gathered on the West Side of St. Paul Sunday afternoon to demand justice for a woman who was fatally run over by a teenage driver. According to family and witnesses, Karina Chosa, a 35-year-old mother of three fell…
Saint Paul, MN – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) approved various permits for Enbridge’s Line 3 on Thursday, November 12, 2020, moving the Calgary-based pipeline replacement project closer to completion.
On Saturday, November 14, hundreds gathered outside…
St. Paul, MN – Protesters calling out a new restaurant for cultural appropriation delayed the business’ grand opening and forced a name change. Dozens of people protested outside of “Elotes Woodfired Cantina” inside St. Paul’s Keg & Case marketplace in the West 7th neighborhood Thursday…
Saint Paul, MN – Marilyn Hill and her family led a rally for her son, Demetrius Hill, 23 years after he was killed by Saint Paul Police (SPPD) officers. At Mears Park on September 3, 2020, nearly a hundred people gathered to demand an end…
Saint Paul, MN – The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Mike Forcia with Criminal Damage to Property – 1st Degree – Value Reduced Over $1000 for the toppling of the Christopher Columbus statue on June 10 at the Minnesota State Capitol grounds.
Although Mike Forcia…
Saint Paul, MN – Families from across the U.S. whose loved ones had been murdered by police converged at Minnesota’s State Capitol, calling for the re-opening of all cases of police violence and hate crimes. The march, which included over one hundred family members, took…