St. Paul, Minn. (May 20, 2018) — The People of Color & Indigenous Caucus are applauding Minn. Gov. Mark Dayton’s Saturday evening veto letter for HF 390, a bill to increase penalties for non-violent protesters in Minnesota.
Several lawmakers in the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus in the Minnesota House released a joint statement responding to the executive action:
“We thank Governor Dayton for listening to Minnesota communities and hearing their concerns about the underlying reasons to protest injustice in our state, instead of attempting to silence our voices and bury our neighbors in criminal penalties. This decision showed our Governor’s ability to listen to everyone in our state, and he did the right thing by vetoing this anti-free speech bill. The right to peacefully protest and exercise our freedom of speech is critically important to the health of our democracy during this time when people are speaking out against injustice in record numbers.”
The People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus formed in 2017 and includes Reps. Mary Kunesh-Podein (41B), Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Peggy Flanagan (46A), Erin Maye Quade (57A), Fue Lee (59A), Ilhan Omar (60B), Susan Allen (62B), Rena Moran (65A), and Carlos Mariani (65B).
