More than a year after Minneapolis changed its no-knock search warrant policy, community members and advocates reflect on the impacts of search warrants in the city. 

Minneapolis changed its no-knock warrant policy in April 2022 to require officers to wait 20 seconds during the day and wait 30 seconds during the night before entering a building. However, officers could still enter without knocking or announcing themselves if dangerous circumstances occur and harm prevention is needed. 

Additionally, state lawmakers passed a public safety budget including new restrictions on no-knock warrants, which went into effect in July. The restrictions prevent judges from issuing no-knock warrants unless a place is unoccupied, if there is an immediate threat to officers’ safety or if officers announce their presence before entering.

However, according to Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) spokesperson Garret Parten, MPD’s policies have since become even more strict. 

“No-knock search warrants are prohibited,” Parten wrote in an email statement to the Minnesota Daily. “MPD officers shall not apply for or execute a no-knock search warrant, whether for MPD or on behalf of another agency.”

Parten added that the restrictions apply for knock-and-announce warrants as well, and MPD cannot request other agencies execute no-knock warrants in Minneapolis.

In 2022, MPD requested 11 search warrants and executed nine, according to a July 7 report from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). While the number of reported executed no-knock warrants was roughly 73% lower than the previous year, BCA’s data only covered three months of 2021.

MPD was not the only agency to execute no-knock warrants in the city, however. From the three reported months in 2021 to 2022, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office increased its execution of no-knock warrants in the city by 400%, according to the BCA.

Impact of search warrants

More than half of no-knock warrants executed across the state in 2022 were on Black residents, according to the BCA. The report also showed significant racial disparities and disproportionate use of no-knock warrants against Black residents compared to white residents statewide. 

Members of the student organization Knock First at the University of St. Thomas, Alex Kautza and Isabel Hansen, were introduced to the group through the Community Justice Project at St. Thomas. Hansen said the most striking piece of data is the ethnic disparity in no-knock warrant subjects. 

“Black people are almost twice as likely to be the subject of no-knock warrants,” Hansen said. “It’s not unique to Minnesota, but is the most concerning.” 

Kautza said the data concerning race and the intense focus on the Minneapolis area shows how the data reinforce narratives about where crime occurs. 

“Here is this dangerous practice, dangerous for citizens and officers alike, and it’s highly concentrated in Minneapolis, which, of course, is where we have our highest percentages of people of color,” Kautza said. 

Former public defender Abigail Cerra said judges and courts need to change first for Minnesota’s law enforcement to change its practices. Cerra added Hennepin County judges need to be more vigilant and critical when reviewing warrants because of how dangerous the practice is for officers and civilians. 

“Everyone agrees, including law enforcement, that no-knocks are more dangerous,” Cerra said. “I think everyone needs to be more critical of them, starting with the bench.” 

Kautza added judges in Hennepin County need to be held to a higher standard when reviewing, approving and denying no-knock warrants. 

“Judges typically do not have the time necessary to look at if an affidavit for a no-knock warrant is valid,” Kautza said. 

According to Cerra, one of the biggest concerns with no-knock warrants is the danger involved for both law enforcement and citizens, especially considering the rising number of firearms in homes in the United States. 

“By definition, you’re not knocking, not announcing who you are and entering someone’s home,” Cerra said. “How would you not sound like an intruder at that point?” 

Hansen said a complete ban was needed because loopholes still existed in previous policies that made no-knock warrants dangerous for officers and residents. 

“This practice is incredibly dangerous,” Hansen said. “It is also just completely unnecessary, and officers don’t need this extra tool in their toolbox.” 

Founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence (FSFAPV) Toshira Garraway Allen works to advocate for the prevention of harmful interactions with law enforcement and provides support to the people affected by these interactions, especially no-knock warrants.

“My notion in life is an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so if you can prevent something, you don’t have to try to cure it,” Garraway Allen said.

Garraway Allen stressed the importance of a ban on no-knock warrants due to how dangerous they are for police and Black residents, especially following MPD’s findings of discriminatory practices by the Department of Justice and Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

“We understand that there have been people who have never had a bad interaction with a police officer, but you have to take a look at as if you’re typically someone that they would mistreat or discriminate against,” Garraway Allen said. 

Garraway Allen added due to the history of discrimination against people of color by law enforcement, the needed trust between the people and the police has been violated. According to Garraway Allen, there is a misunderstanding between standing up against the wrongful actions done by police and not liking law enforcement at all. 

“When it comes to law enforcement, all human beings have not been protected and served, and we want that to change,” Garraway Allen said. 

FSFAPV also aids survivors of police violence through conversations and community events. Garraway Allen said her goal is to see the community and law enforcement work together to eliminate fear and increase respect, equality and love in Minneapolis. 

“My ultimate goal is to help others in a way I didn’t have at one point, to give support to the community and ultimately, help the community heal,” Garraway Allen said.

Search warrants in the wake of Amir Locke

Karen Wells, the mother of Amir Locke, said no-knock warrants can lead to lethal mistakes by officers and advocated for officers to have serious repercussions after harmful interactions with the public. 

“They should be banned because they are not safe on the police officer’s side of the door, and they’re not safe for the people on the opposite side of the door,” Wells said. 

MPD officer Mark Hanneman shot Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, three times while executing a no-knock warrant from the St. Paul Police Department Homicide Unit in February 2022. Hanneman shot Locke nine seconds after entering the apartment and claimed to see Locke holding a handgun, according to Hanneman’s written statement.

Locke, who was not the subject of the police’s investigation, was sleeping on the couch when members of the MPD SWAT barged inside. Locke was shot twice in the chest and once in his wrist and died 13 minutes later at Hennepin County Medical Center. No charges were filed against Hanneman. 

Three days after his death, several activist groups gathered in downtown Minneapolis for a “Justice for Amir” protest. Protesters called for a ban on no-knock warrants, the resignation of Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman and Mayor Jacob Frey and demanded the prosecution of Hanneman. 

Protests following Locke’s death led to the city changing its policy for MPD roughly two months later. 

Since her son’s death, Wells said she has had community support for her mental health and well-being and added her goal remains to get justice for her son. One way is by continuing to ban no-knock warrants. 

“As far as my son being one casualty in the Twin Cities due to a no-knock warrant, it’s one too many, and I don’t want to see that happen to anyone else,” Wells said.

Since the apartment fire on July 1, The Freund Haus on University Ave SE has been working with students to find housing and slowly planning for rebuilding by the next fall.

According to a Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) press release, the fire started in a dumpster that spread up the building, catching the second, third floor and attic on fire. Approximately 30 people lived in the building and were not injured, but the entire building was deemed uninhabitable by the MFD and was released to the owner for security. 

Owner of the Freund Haus apartments, Mark Freund, said the fire was caused by smoldering fireworks that were disposed of in the recycling dumpster. Freund said it was a devastating loss for him and the students living there. 

“Everyone lost their belongings and everything,” Freund said. “It was a total loss.” 

Freund said it was not caused deliberately and no charges would be made. There were no students nor Freund Haus residents involved with the cause of the fire. 

Freund added a tenant saw the fire while leaving the building and alerted him to call the police. The fire was so intense, he could not stand in the parking lot but returned inside to alert the remaining tenants inside the building to evacuate, according to Freund. 

“I bolted into the building, pounding on every door,” said Freund. “I got them all out before a single alarm could go off in the building.” 

Freund has been building and renting in Dinkytown for the past 28 years, opening Freund Haus on University Avenue in 2008. Freund said he used inspiration from mansions he converted in the past two decades in the Marcy-Holmes area to make Freund Haus unique and eye-catching. 

“I’m not a big corporation. I’m really involved with all my places, especially Freund Haus because I built it really special,” Freund said.

Freund said he prioritizes strong connections and consideration with his tenants and tries to go the extra mile to help tenants with technical issues so they can grow to be homeowners one day. Freund said people from previous years, out-of-state and in-state, were reaching out to him asking if they could help. 

“I was getting texts from people, four, five years ago asking, ‘Is this real? Is this really happening?’” Freund said.

With the apartment being rendered uninhabitable and unsalvageable, Freund has been helping tenants find new housing. Whether it is his other properties or different housing options elsewhere, he said he is trying to help them in any way he can. 

“I was scrambling, trying to find housing for anyone and letting them know,” said Freund. 

A University of Minnesota 2023 graduate, Kaitlyn Bruns, was one of the students who reached out to Freund for housing help following the fire. Bruns had lived at Freund Haus for two years and said she immediately sought help for residence in Dinkytown from her landlord the day after the fire.

“He had another property [available],” Bruns said. “It was very sweet, he painted the walls in that place the same color as the apartment at Freund.” 

Bruns said although she ended up in a different living situation, Freund’s offer and help were appreciated. Bruns added her landlord cares and takes the time to get to know his residents, making a lasting impression on them and the apartment. 

“I feel like most people don’t even know their landlords,” Bruns said. “It definitely makes it harder losing that place because it felt more like a home.” 

In an email statement to the Minnesota Daily, University’s director of public relations Jake Ricker said the University also offers help during housing emergencies through the Office of Student Affairs, which offers short-term, emergency on-campus and off-campus housing. 

Depending on what students prefer, they can contact Housing and Residential Life through their MyU for on-campus housing. For off-campus housing, students can use the Off-Campus Marketplace, which lists apartments and houses near the University campus. 

Ricker added the University’s One Stop Student Services office of financial aid offers emergency grants and payment plans to help students navigate expenses. 

Freund said he plans for the apartment to be rebuilt in a similar fashion to the original concept, only this time, he wants to gather suggestions from his tenants for improvements. Freund plans to open the apartment back up for the 2024-2025 school year. 

“I’m always looking to improve,” Freund said. “I don’t own all the good ideas.” 

More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, Minnesota has become a refuge for people seeking access to abortions. 

The Court ruled in June 2022 the Constitution does not provide rights to abortion access in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, leaving abortion access a state decision. 

Minnesota has since become a safe haven for legal abortions in the upper Midwest. Every state surrounding Minnesota – North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa – has restricted or eliminated abortion access since Roe’s overturn.

UnRestrict Minnesota is a pro-choice campaign working to expand, protect and destigmatize reproductive care. Abena Abraham, UnRestrict Minnesota’s campaign director, said since Roe’s overturn, their outreach efforts have increased to explain what these court rulings mean to the average citizen.

“Helping people understand the power and how it works is a really good motivational tool,” Abraham said. 

She added expanding the power connections and dynamic of political policy tends to motivate people to continue their fight now that they understand the political system. 

The organization has prepared for Roe’s overturn for years and many people were not surprised at the result of the Dobbs decision, according to Abraham. This allowed them to prepare and plan a roadmap agenda for themselves and the community to continue advocating for abortion access.

“It allowed us to be less reactionary and more proactive when getting ready for this movement,” Abraham said. 

Minnesota has become a beacon of hope for people seeking abortions, Abraham said. The 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court case Doe v. Gomez protected the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Additionally, in January, Gov. Tim Walz signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act (PRO Act) into law, establishing every individual has the right to health care including abortions, birth control, sterilization and other reproductive services.

Kathryn Pearson is a professor at the University of Minnesota researching what led up to the Dobbs decision. According to Pearson, Minnesota’s response to expanding abortion access in the state was influenced by neighboring states implementing restrictions.

“States are looking to one another to see what legislation they’re passing and many states are copying one another if it’s a policy their party supports,” Pearson said. 

Differing state legislation across the country further highlights various beliefs on abortion beyond politicians, Pearson said. State leaders do not only look at the people they represent, but also at their neighboring states. 

More than other factors like gender or age, partisanship explains why there is frequent and widespread variation in legislation about abortion rights, according to University political science professor Daniel Myers. 

“It has less to do with state-by-state differences and more with the balance in partisanship,” Myers said. 

The 2022 midterm election results gave Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor party its first trifecta in nearly a decade, leading to abortion protections being passed without Republican support. In contrast, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota all have Republican trifectas. 

“There is a willingness to take advantage of any small margin of power they have to take over state legislatures,” Myers said.

Myers added Minnesota’s abortion response could have been drastically different without the trifecta.

As Minnesota and other states continue to pass abortion policies, changes are not likely at the federal level anytime soon, Pearson said. Changes to expand or restrict abortion access through lawmaking would require a 60-vote majority in the Senate.

“It could go either way,” Pearson said. “I don’t think it’s likely that either party will have a 60-vote majority anytime soon.”