In May of 2020, the killing of George Floyd marked a defining moment in history in which America stood up in solidarity, unwilling to let this heinous crime go unpunished. The result was something that the state of Minnesoata had never seen. It was the first time that a White officer was found guilty for an on-duty shooting (Mohamed Noor was the first).
Perhaps wishful optimism in a justice system propelled some to believe that wouldn’t happen again – and that it just couldn’t happen again in Minnesota of all places, which now has an epic mural of George Floyd at the corner of 38th street and Chicago Ave in Minneapolis. But it did.
Nearly two years later on Feb 2, it was Amir Locke who was gunned down by a Minneapolis police officer in a predawn, no-knock raid. A SWAT team raided an apartment to serve a warrant to Locke’s cousin who a suspect in another murder case. And the consequences of this murder has possibly paved the way to new legislation that was introduced by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
“Far too often, no-knock warrants and raids have severe and deadly consequences, resulting in property damage, trauma, and death,” says Omar. “It is unconscionable that no-knock warrants continue to be in effect with little to no restrictions, regulations, and regard for the impact on lives.”
Officers eventually ended up finding Locke’s cousin and arresting him on Feb. 8. But as for Locke, he was found in that apartment on that early February morning and killed. And as for the officer who pulled the trigger, he is on administrative leave, while still getting paid.
Amelia Huffman, interim Minneapolis police chief, says that the officers “loudly and repeatedly announced ‘police search warrant’ before crossing the threshold into the apartment.” However, the footage from the body camera disavows this claim, showing the officers announcing themselves as they were rushing into the apartment, which may have startled Locke, propelling him to grab his gun, which he legally owned.
Furthermore, Huffman says that Locke’s gun was aimed at the officers. Again, footage from the body camera shows that his gun was pointed to the floor. Moreover, Huffman says in a press conference the day following Locke’s murder that the department initially described Locke as a suspect (in the other murder case); however, the police report clearly shows that the officers were aware of Locke’s identity in less than an hour of the shooting.
Partly in response to this devastating murder, in early March, Omar introduced the Amir Locke End Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act, which would ideally preclude these types of murders. This legislation would prohibit warrants from being issued at night, in addition to prohibiting quick-knock warrants. Talks about eliminating no-knock warrants were lurking a couple of years ago after the death of Breonna Taylor who was also killed by police officers in Kentucky. And Omar has taken the necessary step to turn talks and protests into law.
Shortly after Taylor was killed, Congressman Rand Paul introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act. In Louisville, Kentucky, the amount of no-knock warrants reduced drastically. Police in Louisville, served warrants through forced entry only four times in a 14-month period, according to the Kentucky Center Investigative Reporting.
After the killing of Floyd and Taylor, in November 2020, Minneapolis police department attempted to restrict no-knock warrants with new guidelines. At that time in November, the department said that it carried out 139 no-knock warrants a year. After the implementation of restrictions, by August of 2021 (roughly nine months later), the department revealed that 90 no-knock warrants were carried out. And many Minnesotans are not satisfied with that slight progress. And Omar is trying to change that.
“The use of no-knock warrants has a deep-rooted history in division, racism, and the criminalization of Black and brown people,” Omar said. “This is yet another occurrence of police in Minneapolis utilizing tactics that deny human dignity.”
After the death of Locke, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, ordered a moratorium of no-knock warrants until further investigation is conducted by two national experts. Meanwhile, the case of Locke is also under investigation.
