On the last day of our special coverage marking the one-year anniversary of the death of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, North Star Stories speaks with current House Speaker Lisa Demuth about how we tone down political violence and rhetoric, Hennepin County charges a man for allegedly threatening St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and Minnesota marks Juneteenth.
Transcript
WITH A SPECIAL EDITION OF NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
ALL THIS WEEK… WE HAVE EXAMINED WHAT POLITICAL VIOLENCE TOOK FROM MINNESOTA… WHAT IT CHANGED… AND WHY THE PEOPLE IT TOUCHED SAY THE ANSWER IS NOT TO WALK AWAY FROM PUBLIC SERVICE… BUT TO MAKE IT MORE HUMAN.
POLITICAL THREATS AND VIOLENCE ARE ON THE RISE.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, ALMOST EXACTLY A YEAR AFTER AN ASSASSIN KILLED SPEAKER EMERITA HORTMAN AND HER HUSBAND, OFFICIALS CHARGED A 49-YEAR-OLD MAN WITH THREATENING ST. PAUL’S MAYOR.
FOR OUR FINAL REPORT… WE TURN TO REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKER LISA DEMUTH… WHO SHARED LEADERSHIP OF AN EVENLY DIVIDED HOUSE WITH MELISSA HORTMAN… AND NOW LEADS THE CHAMBER.
AS TRACIE COLLIER REPORTS...DEMUTH SAYS HORTMAN LEAD THE HOUSE WITH A BI-PARTISAN APPROACH.
[SPEAKER DEMUTH: AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, WE SET THE TONE. HOW WE CARRY OURSELVES MATTERS.]
REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKER LISA DEMUTH SAYS POLITICAL LEADERS CANNOT CONTROL EVERY ACT OF VIOLENCE … BUT THEY CAN CONTROL THE LANGUAGE THEY USE … THE EXAMPLE THEY SET AND WHETHER THEY TREAT POLITICAL OPPONENTS AS ENEMIES.
[SPEAKER DEMUTH: I BELIEVE THAT THE WAY PEOPLE TALK WITH EACH OTHER AND TO EACH OTHER WHEN WE DISAGREE ON ISSUES HAS ACTUALLY GOTTEN WORSE IN THE LAST YEAR.]
ONE YEAR AFTER POLITICAL VIOLENCE TOOK FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN’S LIFE… DEMUTH SAYS HORTMAN’S OWN LEADERSHIP OFFERS A RESPONSE TO THE WORSENING CULTURE.
WHEN HORTMAN LED THE MAJORITY IN 2023, SHE CALLED DEMUTH WHO WAS THE NEW MINORITY LEADER.
[SPEAKER DEMUTH: SHE HAD CALLED ME AND SAID, "LET'S MEET TOGETHER WEEKLY.” AND DEMOCRATS AT THAT POINT HAD FULL CONTROL OF STATE GOVERNMENT, SO MY VOTES WEREN'T NEEDED, BUT SHE SAID “WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING TOGETHER, WE SHOULD GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER.]
ACROSS OUR INTERVIEWS THIS WEEK… HORTMAN’S LEADERSHIP APPROACH IS EMERGING AS ONE PART OF HER LEGACY
EACH OF THE LAWMAKERS WE SPOKE TO AGREE POLITICAL OPPONENTS CAN HAVE THEIR DIFFERENCES WITHOUT LOSING SIGHT OF ONE ANOTHER’S HUMANITY.
PLYMOUTH REPRESENTATIVE GINNY KLEVORN SAYS SHE LEARNED FROM SPEAKER HORTMAN.
[REP. KLEVORN: YOU CAN DISAGREE WITH THE ARGUMENT… BUT YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO SEE THE HUMANITY IN THE INDIVIDUAL.]
CO-CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE DURING THIS PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, REPRESENTATIVE KELLY MOLLER SAYS EASY ACCESS TO GUNS MAKES POLITICAL VIOLENCE MORE LETHAL…
[REP. MOLLER: WE CAN'T LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENED, AND ALL THE GUN VIOLENCE THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED IN THE STATE.]
SPEAKER DEMUTH POINTED TO THE BIPARTISAN MENTAL HEALTH AND SECURITY FUNDING LEGISLATION THAT PASSED THIS SESSION.
[SPEAKER DEMUTH: YOU CAN PASS LAWS BUT TYPICALLY THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IN MINNESOTA IS CRIMINALS DON’T FOLLOW OUR CURRENT LAWS.]
WHEN ADDRESSING HOW TO REDUCE POLITICAL VIOLENCE … ALL THREE LAWMAKERS RETURNED TO THE SAME PLACE… IT’S NOT ‘AGREEMENT AT ANY COST’… BUT RESPECT ABOVE ALL.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M TRACIE COLLIER.
--OUTRO--
THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPECIAL SERIES MARKING ONE YEAR SINCE THE ASSASSINATION OF MELISSA HORTMAN… AND EXAMINING HOW HER LIFE… HER WORK… AND HER DEATH HAVE CHANGED OUR STATE FOREVER.
--KAOHLY HER THREATS--
THE SAME DAY MELISSA AND MARK HORTMAN WERE KILLED … PROSECUTORS SAY A ST. PAUL MAN POSTED YOUTUBE VIDEOS THREATENING NOW ST. PAUL MAYOR THEN-STATE REPRESENTATIVE KAOHLY HER.
THIS WEEK THE HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE CHARGED PAO HER LEE WITH FELONY THREATS OF VIOLENCE.
COURT DOCUMENTS SAY THE VIDEOS INCLUDED AN IMAGE OF HER AND HORTMAN WITH BULLET HOLES IN THEIR HEADS.
LEE LATER TOLD INVESTIGATORS HE DID NOT INTEND TO HARM ANYONE … AND THAT HE POSTED THE VIDEOS TO BE FUNNY. HE’S DUE IN COURT JULY TENTH.
--OFFICER SHOT IN ST. PETER--
A TENSE NIGHT LAST NIGHT FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN ST. PETER JUST OUTSIDE OF MANAKTO.
THE WRIGHT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ISSUED A SHELTER-IN-PLACE AROUND 10:15.
ACCORDING TO UNCONFIRMED SCANNER TRAFFIC, A SUSPECT SHOT AND INJURED A ST. PETER POLICE OFFICER.
WE’LL HAVE AN UPDATE ON THIS STORY IN OUR NEXT NEWSCAST.
--REP NASH – SERVICE OUTAGES--
PEOPLE LIVING IN THE WACONIA AREA HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH ONGOING PHONE SERVICE OUTAGES.
AND NOW A MINNESOTA LAWMAKER IS STEPPING IN TO HELP.
REPRESENTATIVE JIM NASH IS SERVING AS A DIRECT LIAISON BETWEEN THOSE IMPACTED BY THE OUTAGES AND CENTURYLINK.
HE’S ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT OLDER ADULTS WHO RELY ON LANDLINES FOR LIFE ALERT SYSTEMS THAT USE LANDLINES RATHER THAN CELL PHONES.
REPRESENTATIVE NASH IS ASKING THAT ANYONE IMPACTED BY THE CENTURYLINK OUTAGES CONTACT HIM DIRECTLY.
--TODAY IS JUNETEENTH--
AND FINALLY …
TODAY IS JUNETEENTH … WHICH MARKS THE DAY IN 1865 WHEN ENSLAVED PEOPLE IN GALVESTON, TEXAS LEARNED THEY WERE FREE.
GOVERNOR WALZ DECLARED JUNETEENTH A STATE HOLIDAY THREE YEARS AGO.
ACROSS THE STATE PEOPLE ARE CELEBRATING WITH COMMUNITY EVENTS … FAMILY … AND MUSIC … INCLUDING IN SAINT PAUL’S RONDO NEIGHBORHOOD … DULUTH AND MANKATO … WHILE SAINT CLOUD HOSTS ITS 30TH ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AT EASTMAN PARK …
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.