An Urgent Call to Support the Community: New Rebuilding Fund

The outrage and civil unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police have resulted in significant property damage in cultural corridors where Black, Brown and Indigenous people work and own businesses – areas that serve as the life force of surrounding neighborhoods.

As a result, Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and The Minneapolis Foundation have established the “Twin Cities Rebuild for the Future Fund” with pooled investments that will provide emergency support for vital micro- and minority-owned small businesses. Currently funded at more than $1 million, the fund will cover repairs, equipment, technology, building materials, relocation expenses and more.

Funding will be distributed in late June to multiple community-led business support initiatives and business-focused nonprofits after an invitation-only process.

Initial funders include Ameriprise Financial, BMO Harris, Bremer Bank, the Bush Foundation, CHS, Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Medtronic Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation, and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

Inequities in the Criminal Justice System

Transforming the criminal justice system goes far beyond incarceration. Significant issues begin with the racist belief that Black and Brown people are inherently more dangerous.

According to the Sentencing Project, the criminal justice system’s rate of contact with people of color is a major cause of the disproportionate rate of fatalities. In fact, a recent story from the New York Times shows Minneapolis police have used force against Black people at seven times the rate of White people since 2015.

There are many decision points within the criminal justice system. The racial disparity of each decision grows cumulatively as Black, Brown and Indigenous people move through the system, producing unequal outcomes. Some decision points include:

• Disciplinary Action: In policed schools, disciplinary actions for students of color put them in the criminal justice system versus the school system (MinnPost, 2018; Hennepin County Attorney data, 2017).

• Pre-Trial: A 2016 report by the Harvard Law School shows 34 percent of Americans are stuck in jail because of the inability to pay bail. And, those who don’t make bail are 25 percent more likely to plead guilty, often against their own interest.

• Sentencing: Laws are designed to more harshly punish certain classes of offenses in a way that has a disparate impact on people of color. For instance, according to the Sentencing Project, one in three people in the U.S. arrested for drug law violations is Black, although drug use rates don’t differ by race and ethnicity.

• Supervised Release: Re-entry programs post-incarceration are underfunded, with many parole and probation systems offering supervision with little support, according to the Sentencing Project.

“We are committed to listen to and support Black, Brown and Indigenous people in our community who experience historical oppression and racism to transform our criminal justice system into a system that works for everyone,” said John Wilgers, President and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way.