Today, a viral trend on TikTok is raising alarms in Minnesota schools. And, the impact the murder of George Floyd had on Minnesota’s immigrant communities.
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, a viral trend on TikTok is raising alarms in Minnesota schools. And, the impact the murder of George Floyd had on Minnesota's immigrant communities. I'm Chantel SinGs.
School officials in Osseo say they've seen several attempted cases of the “Chromebook Challenge” — when students insert small pieces of metal into the USB ports on their school-issued laptops, causing the battery to ignite. The district emailed warnings to families that any damage will lead to fines and discipline. The state Fire Marshal says it has yet to investigate any fires in Minnesota but warns that burned electronics release toxic fumes. It also said that battery fires can easily turn into building fires, and that cases could be investigated as arson.
Up next: Historical events leave a lasting impact on everyone. For many immigrants, moments like the murder of George Floyd become powerful markers of belonging and reflection. Here's Victor Palomino with more.
Archival Audio: Well, you got him down. Man, let him breathe.
Maya Santamaria: I remember getting a message from a friend of mine that Derek, who we all know, had done what he did to George.
Victor Palomino: Maya. Santamaria is a Latina entrepreneur based in the Twin Cities. She owns La Raza Radio and formerly ran El Nuevo Rodeo nightclub on 27th and Lake Street, where George Floyd worked as a bouncer and Derek Chauvin was employed as off-duty security.
Maya Santamaria
The death of George was really sad. To see your friend to do it, somebody that you had a working relationship with for so many years that you considered him a friend, and to see him do it to your friend was traumatic. And it's, I still don't really understand it.
Victor Palomino: The events that rocked the city in 2020 had a deeply personal connection to Maya. She owned the historic Odd Fellows building, home to several of ventures, all located at the epicenter of the unrest. For 25 years, Lake Street stood as a hub for Latino business and culture.
Maya Santamaria: There were approximately 150 businesses in the Latino community along Lake Street that were affected by either fires looting or damage done by looters.
Victor Palomino: But as the unrest unfolded and the city was under pressure, Maya called upon by her community to take action.
Maya Santamaria: The importance of the radio came to light, because everyone kept saying, we don't know what's going on. We need the radio. Where is the radio? So we felt it was imperative to try to get on the air somehow.
Victor Palomino: With support from local station KFAI, La Raza Radio was back on the air within weeks, covering the civil unrest in Spanish for a community hungry for information and connection. But after the dust settled, Maja knew her time on Lake Street had come to an end.
Maya Santamaria: Just kind of had lost a lot of the magic that it had when we built Lake Street as a Latino corridor, and then all of a sudden, it turned into a traumatic and sad and kind of ugly place for us.
Victor Palomino: She relocated to Richfield, where La Raza Radio continues to broadcast, and she remains an active voice and leader in the community. Others choose to stay and rebuild on Lake Street.
Maya Santamaria: But a lot of Latinos stayed, and a lot of people fought through it. They are renewing it, reviving it, and making it what it, you know, a new, wonderful business hub for Latinos. And so, you know, kudos to them.
Victor Palomino: The tragic events of 2020, left a permanent mark in our shared experience of Minnesota. For Maya, it became another chapter in the ongoing story of Latinidad in the state.
Maya Santamaria: But you know, Latinos are everywhere. We're in every corner and every county of the state. Our community is continuing to grow and grow and grow. We're the youngest community in Minnesota, which means the future is one of growth for our community.
Victor Palomino: Moments like the 2020 uprising and the murder of George Floyd are etched inour collective memory. For immigrant communities, they become rites of passage, turning points that help forge a deeper sense of belonging. For North Star stories, I'm Victor Palomino.
You are listening to North Star Stories.
While that concludes this week's special series of reports reflecting on the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, our coverage of how the historic event is impacting our state doesn't end here. Businesses, and organizations, as well as state and local governments, are still grappling with the profound impact the police killing had on our state. As the city, state, and nation continue to heal and change as a result of George Floyd's murder, we will share the voices, stories, and perspectives of the Minnesotans who are impacted.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.