When Minnesota was a new state, thousands of settlers arrived, many of them from Europe. But in recent decades, the state has attracted large numbers of Hmong and Somali refugees. There are also thousands of people from India, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Mexico and the People’s Republic of China living in Minnesota.
The state has become more racially diverse in the last 10 years, and demographers said that's especially true among children. About 83 percent of Minnesotans were white, non-Hispanic for the 2010 census, compared to 88 percent in 2000.
March 25, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on push for bill focused on addressing mental health crisis incidents. The mayor of Minneapolis joined state lawmakers and mental health advocates at the Capitol to support a bill to make it easier for police officers to commit someone having a mental health crisis. They say the bill will help prevent tragedies. Two weeks ago, an apparently delusional Minneapolis man was shot and killed after confronting police with a machete. Some in the mental health field say with funds dwindling, there's no place to bring people in crisis. Report includes comments from Mindy Greiling, state representative and author of bill; R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis; Greg Hestness, Minneapolis deputy police chief; John Trepp, member of Friends of Barbara Schneider; and Sue Aberholden, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
March 26, 2002 - There's another wave of immigration in Rochester. Two decades ago a couple thousand southeast Asians came to the city and more recently Rochester became home to the second largest Somali population in Minnesota. This time it's Bosnians. Housing is tight and for immigrants it's especially difficult to get a mortgage. In Bosnia housing is completely different. There's no such thing as a real estate agent. But many have recently found their way through the system and have bought homes.
April 4, 2002 - A U.S. District Judge has ruled that a Somali refugee in the Twin Cities who pleaded guilty to a felony may not be deported. Twenty-three-year-old Keyse Jama arrived in the United States in 1996 but lost his legal residency status after pleading guilty to a 1999 assault. An immigration judge ordered Jama deported but Judge John Tunheim said Jama can't be deported because his home country lacks a government that will accept him. U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger says he is disappointed with Tunheim's decision and he's not sure if it applies to other cases.
April 16, 2002 - The Minnesota Health Department is reporting that in the year 2001 new HIV infections were up 40 percent among white men in Minnesota. In addition, 16 percent of the newly reported HIV infections were found in African-born immigrants. Those immigrants represent only one percent of the state's population. Dr. Gary Remafedi is the Director of the Youth and AIDS Project at the University of Minnesota. He says while the numbers are a concern, it's too early to say whether they represent a trend.
April 18, 2002 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s statements that it is time for Police Chief Robert Olson to go. Mayor Rybak says the chief hasn't done enough to foster public trust in the Minneapolis Police Department. Rybak will need the City Council's approval to buy out the remainder of the chief's contract. However, the council appears split on the issue, with some council members saying constituents don't believe a new chief will necessarily bring better relations between police and the community. Reports includes comments from Keith Ellison, attorney and community activist; Mathea Little-Smith, DFL activist; and Robert Lilligren, Minneapolis city council member.
April 23, 2002 -
April 23, 2002 - Polygamy is illegal in Minnesota, yet activists in some immigrant groups in the Twin Cities say, while the practice is kept under wraps, it is relatively common. MPR’s Kaomi Goetz reports that younger members of the Hmong community are now trying to get the issue out into the open.
April 24, 2002 - There was a significant degree of stereotyping of minorities in Minnesota media. There was also a strong acceptance of the stereotyping. Minnesota media played a strong role in giving information to Minnesotan citizens.
April 25, 2002 - Minneapolis officials have begun a review of the police department's use of force following a series of high-profile confrontations. Some citizens and even council members told a joint council committee they are deeply concerned by images and stories of excessive force. Police say they're committed to removing bad cops, but only when the evidence supports it.
April 26, 2002 - Supporters of Benjamin Banneker Community School in Minneapolis are fighting a district plan to close and reorganize the struggling school. Parents, students and teachers spoke out against the proposed "fresh start" at a school board hearing Thursday night. They asked for additional time to try to turn around the school's performance.