Hundreds Arrested in Police Protests; Law Enforcement Officers Take New Precautions
Law enforcement form a line across Interstate 94 on Saturday, July 9, 2016, in St. Paul, Minn., in response to protesters who blocked the highway. Joe Danborn / AP Photo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Weekend News Digest: Tainted water worries in Houston; Michigan opens new Chinese investment center; and Denver’s unaffordable housing.
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
PROTESTS | Protests shuttered a portion of Interstate 94 in Minnesota’s capital city on Saturday night and early Sunday morning where clashes with law enforcement resulted in about 100 arrests and 21 injuries among police officers responding to the scene. Some protesters targeted police officers with chunks of concrete. “This is the first time in my 28 years we have observed this level of violence toward our public servants,” said St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said. “It’s really a disgrace.” St. Paul was only one of a handful of cities that saw major protests this weekend following this past week’s officer-involved shootings of African-American men in a St. Paul suburb and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dallas was the scene of major protests on Thursday night, which were violently disrupted by a shooting attack that killed five police officers and injured additional officers and bystanders. [Star Tribune; The Atlantic]
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
LAW ENFORCEMENT | In the wake of a Dallas shooting on Thursday night that claimed the lives of five police officers there and wounded seven others, the New York Police Department has circulated an internal memorandum that outlines new tactics and precautions for officers. As of Friday, for instance, all cops will be ordered to patrol in pairs and to take lunch breaks with partners. “There are to be no solo assignments citywide,” the memo states. The Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins said he was going to ask Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to allow an assault rifle and bullet-resistant shield to be carried in the patrol car of every seargent. The NYPD is the nation’s largest police force. Similar moves have been made by other police departments, including those in places like Washington, D.C., Chicago and Las Vegas [New York Daily News; The Washington Post, CBS Chicago; KVVU-TV]
HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS
WATER | The county Public Health Department directed residents near the San Jacinto River Waste Pit Superfund site to abstain from drinking water, after the carcinogen dioxin was detected in groundwater wells. This marks the first time the waste pits were tested by a government agency, even though people have reported seizures, skin lesions and shaky hands after drinking tap water. Most residents weren’t made aware of the waste pits until a 2011 pollution lawsuit made headlines. [Houston Press]
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
FOREIGN INVESTMENT | A state-funded non-profit organization that aims to boost Chinese investment in Michigan is officially opening its doors on Monday in downtown Detroit. The Michigan-China Innovation Center, funded through a $5 million grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund Board, is in the process of hiring about 10 full-time and part-time employees who are bilingual. “This center will focus on creating jobs in Michigan in partnership with China," said Brian Connors, the center’s executive director. [Crain’s Detroit Business]
DENVER, COLORADO
HOUSING | Only 7 percent of homes under construction in the Denver metro area will sell for less than $300,000, according to housing research and analysis firm Metrostudy. The company’s John Covert said the city is the most expensive non-coastal housing market in the U.S. The trend toward pricier housing, he said, is “a dramatic shift in the spectrum of what we build.” Covert added: “Denver’s such a great place, people are not going to stop moving here, right? Because of our lifestyle, because of our economy … So we better figure it out, otherwise the problem’s just going to get worse and worse and worse.” [Colorado Public Radio]
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
STARTUPS | Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was on hand for the launch of startup Phone2Action in the Rosslyn neighborhood. The unassuming civic engagement software provider recently secured $4.7 million in Series A funding and will add 142 tech jobs, doubling its workforce, by year’s end. McAuliffe hopes companies like Phone2Action can reduce the county’s 20 percent vacancy rate. [Washington Business Journal]
NEXT STORY: Can Building a Drone Industry Lift Up This County in Virginia’s Coal Country?