Back in 2018 Minneapolis Police shot and killed Travis Jordan during a wellness check. This is not Travis' story.
This is the story of Travis' roommate, Paul Johnson, and Travis' girlfriend, Taren Vang. They both came to Johnson's house, where Travis was living when he was shot on the lawn by MPD officers. MPD officers got them in the back of a squad car and held them there despite their shouted requests to be let out. They were held until the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (Minnesota's FBI) let them out and asked them to come make a statement. They made statements to the BCA, who only afterwards told them that their friend had died at the hospital.
The City of Minneapolis settled their case for a sum of money, but more importantly with a promise to train every officer and investigator this year that you can't hold someone who has not committed any crime against their will. The City Council read and passed their settlement.
There has been no accounting for the death of Travis Jordan yet, and no justice for his mother, Flo. Paul Johnson has risen to the challenge to do something about police violence, and you can find him on Facebook under Paul E Johnson for Minneapolis Mayor.
I last saw Paul and Taren in Uptown, protesting the shooting of Winston Smith. They show that stopping police misconduct is about more than just what happened to them. Proud to represent them.

Image Credit: Anthea Yuur. A photo of Travis Jordan with a pink and purple lei wrapped around his neck. His photo is surrounded by various flowers and his name printed in white.
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