Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Remember Those Awful Mall Cops Patrolling Uptown During the Unrest?
Investigative journalist Eamon Whalen took the time to figure out who they were, why they were there, and how their legacy lives on in this long—but really good!—read from Mother Jones. The business is called Conflict Resolution Group (CRG) and it’s run by war vet Nathan Seabrook.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Seabrook's company was tasked with keeping Seven Points in Uptown safe. But according to dozens of interviews, court docs, and police and military records obtained by Mother Jones, the group mainly did this by making people in the area feel unsafe. CRG employees brandished weapons, compiled info on regulars to send to police, and threatened to shoot protestors, whom Seabrook likened to jihadi terrorists.
“Seabrook and his crew often were the uncertainty,” writes Whalen. “The reporting shows how a lack of accountability for overseas military contractors can boomerang when veterans put their skills ‘into play’ in the homeland.”
While the Minneapolis Police Department deemed Seabrook and the reports he sent their way as “diabolically manipulative,” Whalen notes that CRG’s MO—wearing street clothes with tactical gear, covering faces with masks, and refusing to confirm who they are and who they work for—are all in line with current ICE protocol. And, as you probably already know, this is not a good way to deescalate potentially volatile situations. “They’re importing a conflict mindset from Iraq and Afghanistan that dehumanizes their surroundings,” author/researcher Michael Picard tells Whalen.
Local Tech Biz Aiding ICE
Eagan-based content and tech conglomerate Thomson Reuters, in collaboration with Motorola Solutions, has whipped up some electronic tracking systems called Mobile Companion and CLEAR. That's not to be confused with the CLEAR used in airports, but like the ID verification company, these systems know where you’re traveling and use facial recognition software. By referencing a license plate number with other ICE data systems, they can also tell users things like if you’re registered to vote, your credit card debt, if you’ve ever been married, who you’re in contact with, and social media activity. They can even predict where, when, and with whom you are likely to travel next.
The product’s media site boasts that this app can be used to find abducted children, drug runners, and sexual predators, but ICE has taken a shine to it for its potential to track immigrants. And Thomson has been happy to help: Joseph Cox writes for 404 Media that ICE “paid the company nearly $5 million for access to ‘license plate reader data to enhance investigations for potential arrest, seizure, and forfeiture.’” Cox has previously reported on how ICE has paid for medical insurance claims, smartphone location, and housing and labor data from a variety of companies in recent years.
Shutdown Over, Food Insecurity Not
The federal government shutdown may be over, and Minnesotans who rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families may soon be seeing their food assistance benefits resume, but in terms of food insecurity, things are not what you'd call "good." For MPR News, Hannah Yang reports on the ongoing pressure food banks are feeling as the shutdown's impacts linger and the holiday season approaches.
What's more, there are upcoming changes for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's eligibility requirements, along with "looming federal funding cuts" from Trump's big dumb bill, which Yang writes could "sharply" increase the number of folks who rely on food shelves. Greatest country on Earth!
“In hunger relief, we’ll continue to feel the impact of the shutdown, and we will continue to feel the impact from the reduction in SNAP benefits,” says Sarah Moberg, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “These are compounding factors that are going on in the lives of our neighbors right now that we all need to be aware of, and we need to continue to show up for each other through this season.”
Well With a Name Like That...
This WCCO story "Co-founder of THC beverage company embezzled $75K+ for personal expenses, charges say" absolutely buries the lede, which is that Christian Schenk, 46, allegedly stole that money from the brand she co-founded... called Crooked Beverage Company. Crooked Beverage Company!!!
Lady, c'mon, you're making those of us who co-own businesses named with tongue-in-cheek references to unscrupulous behavior look bad. Let it be known that none of the Racket co-founders have ever embezzled $75K for personal expenses (because we're too stupid and lazy to figure out how to do such a thing, yes, but still).
