Prosecutors dismiss a third of cases against protesters accused of assaulting federal agents during ICE surge

This is Minnesota today for Wednesday, May 6th. I'm Phineas Pope, and here's what's happening in Minnesota. A proposal to study the unlawful disposal of body parts and other human waste is working its way through Minnesota's capital. Representative Wayne Johnson says waste management workers around the state have reported incidents of finding medical waste in typical garbage and recycling materials. The Cottage Grove Republican is proposing that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency assess how often the unlawful transfers happen. A report would be due to the legislature. It's not safety issue. It's a money issue. You have workers, union members that are seeing this opening up a bag, and you don't know if you're supposed to call 911 because something that has discovered a crime going on or what. The bill passed its final House committee and could come up for a floor vote soon. The Minnesota Senate has had preliminary discussion on the topic as well. Prosecutors have dismissed more than a third of the cases against protesters accused of assaulting federal agents during the immigration enforcement operation this winter. Matt Sepik reports. The Justice Department charged three dozen people with assaulting ICE and Border Patrol agents, but prosecutors secured grand jury felony indictments against only two defendants, including a woman who allegedly bit off an agent's fingertip. The government reduced the remaining cases to misdemeanors and dropped 14 entirely. They dismissed charges against a Burnsville woman after a Homeland Security agent kept questioning her even after she invoked her right to remain silent. He's financing this whole thing. Like, is someone paying you guys to come out here? I don't want to answer any of his bonus questions. The Justice Department declined to answer questions about specific cases but says it'll continue to seek the most serious possible charges against anyone who harms federal agents. I'm Matt Sepik, Minneapolis. The Minnesota House passed public safety legislation earlier this week after a marathon floor session. The bill boosts a victims of crime fund and sets new rules for sales of law enforcement vehicles to the public. Dissemination of personal information about a law enforcement officer would be a crime. Representative Bedell Duran was working as a police officer in Bemidji in 2018 when he shot and killed a man during a traffic stop. Despite the county attorney saying Duran's actions were justified, he says he received threats online. Because there's people on the internet that said they were going to come after my family. And then I have to look at my wife every night that I go home and have her stare me in the eyes, scared to death, that something is going to happen to her and my three kids at home while I'm at work. Guess where my mind was? The bill passed 126 to 7.

The Minnesota State Fair Assistant Police Chief is suing the Ramsey County Sheriff for retaliation after reporting the sheriff's alleged use of chemical munitions on bystanders to the FBI. Michael Coffey, who's also a sergeant with the Cottage Grove Police, filed a whistleblower complaint against Sheriff Robert Fletcher and the State Agricultural Society seeking reinstatement and damages. Coffee claims Fletcher demanded the State Fair CEO fire coffee, or Fletcher would pull Sheriff's Office resources. Fletcher said in a statement to NPR news that coffee made several false accusations and filed the lawsuit because he wants to be the next state fair police chief. The Minneapolis City Council approved the passage of an assault weapons ban yesterday. Ellie Roth reports. Cheers erupted at City Hall as the council moved to ban on guns. State law defines as assault weapons onto a final vote. Supporters included parents of students and neighbors of Annunciation Church and School, where two children died in a mass shooting last August. Here's community member Libby Holden. We deserve to be safe from violence. We deserve to not have the fear like my seven-year-old said. Mom, I heard one of the kids that died was eight. I want to live past eight. The move is largely symbolic. Minnesota is one of 42 states that prevents city governments from regulating firearms. But on Monday, the Minnesota Senate voted to pass new restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The bill's fate in the House remains uncertain. A final vote on the city's bill is expected Thursday. Mayor Jacob Frey said he supports the bill. I'm Ellie Roth in Minneapolis. In sports, the wild loss to the Colorado Avalanche yesterday, 5 to 2 in game 2 of the second round Stanley Cup playoff series, Colorado leads 2-0. Game 3 in the best of 7 series is Saturday. Should be partly sunny today, expect highs in the lower to mid-40s north, 50s south. Tonight partly cloudy, overnight lows in the mid-20s north, mid-30s south, and tomorrow's sunny and warmer highs in the 50s north, 60s south. That's it for Minnesota today. I'm fitting us of hope. We'll have an update for you this afternoon.