April 6, 2022
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TakeAction Minnesota Statement: Amir Locke Should Be Alive Today
(MINNEAPOLIS, MN)–Today, officials announced there would be no charges in the murder of 22-year-old Amir Locke who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer executing a no-knock warrant. TakeAction Minnesota released the following statement:
“Our hearts are with Amir Locke’s family and loved ones. Amir Locke wasn’t a suspect in any crime and didn’t even live in the apartment where the warrant was being served. He was sleeping on a friend’s couch, wrapped in a blanket, when he was killed 9 seconds after MPD’s entry.
After Mayor Frey’s repeated lies about having already banned no-knock warrants to secure his re-election campaign, we are clear that the mayor, with his sole authority over MPD, is responsible for Amir Locke’s death. As Attorney General Keith Ellison stated today, ‘Amir Locke should be alive today, and his death is a tragedy…This tragedy may not have occurred absent the no-knock warrant used in this case.’
Frey’s time in office has been characterized by systematic lies about flimsy reforms, intended to win public trust while blocking real change. A new Office of Community Safety that lacks public oversight and still allows police officers to act with impunity while draining our collective resources is not progress.
Progress can only be made by fundamentally changing the systems that allowed Amir Locke to be killed, and that protect his murderer. After being put on paid leave, the officer who killed Amir Locke is back on duty. Despite the clear fact that nobody should be killed by those sworn to serve and protect, our current laws allow police officers to steal our neighbors’ lives with impunity.
Through our grief and anger we are clear that this system of corrupt, violent, and racist policing cannot continue, and that a criminal charge alone cannot bring justice for Amir Locke.
We stand in solidarity with Amir Locke’s family calling for bans on no-knock warrants. Contact your state legislator today.
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TakeAction Minnesota is a statewide, multiracial grassroots organization advancing justice and equity through organizing, policy, and campaigns. Offices are located in St. Paul, Duluth, and St. Cloud.
