Good morning. The Minnesota Capitol is no longer home to a statue memorializing a man whose arrival on this continent set off a centuries-long chain of violence and oppression. That's where we'll start this newsletter, after the weather. Sunny and nice in the metro. Twin Cities highs in the upper 70s with a slight chance of evening rain as temps dip to the upper 50s. Statewide, however, scattered rain and storms in the afternoons with highs in the 70s. More on Updraft | Forecast "We don't have to wait for the state, we don't have to wait for the process because we've already waited far too long." That's from Mike Forcia of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who led a group of protesters who took down the Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota State Capitol. A State Patrol member said the protesters could fill out paperwork to remove the statue, but they wouldn't wait this time. After so many unsuccessful attempts to remove the statue through political processes, the anger of George Floyd's killing by police was a tipping point.
In St. Paul and elsewhere, Columbus statues were toppled. Despite the federal holiday in his name, Columbus' arrival on the continent we now know as North America set off centuries of oppression of Native people and other people of color, plus awful violence including pillaging and rape perpetrated by the white colonists.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo says the city is withdrawing from negotiations with the police union over its contract. While activists have said for years that the union stands in the way of reforms to the police department, labor law experts say the move will likely lead to a battle in court.
Minnesota's infectious disease director says COVID-19 could surge again in fall and winter. Khris Ehresmann said that while the coronavirus response effectively eliminated the typical flu season, the state will likely face flu and COVID-19 cycles at the same time as people begin socializing more.
Here are the latest coronavirus statistics:28,523 cases confirmed via 354,226 tests 1,217 deaths 3,441 cases requiring hospitalization 455 people remain hospitalized; 199 in intensive care 24,221 patients no longer needing isolation — Cody Nelson, MPR News | @codyleenelson | 