FARGO, N.D. -- Black Lives Matter members in the Fargo area say recent protests demanding systemic change are only the beginning. They say they'll keep pressing local leaders and community members to help end racism.

The protests in Fargo following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota largely have been peaceful, but also have seen some tense moments with law enforcement, including a demonstration on May 30 that turned violent.

BLM organizer Frederick Edwards said the ways in which law enforcement and city leaders have responded to the demonstrations show deep divisions with the Black community.

"So for me, I think that the trust has been broken, because they see us as the enemy," he said. "They see the protests as a thing of violence, as a thing of obstruction."

Edwards said they're especially troubled over disparaging terms the police chief allegedly used to describe protesters, discovered in an e-mail obtained through a records request. The City of Fargo did not respond to a request for comment before deadline. The mayor, who has been criticized for issuing an emergency order in the protests, has pledged to renew talks with groups such as Black Lives Matter. A formal discussion could happen as early as today.

Still a Disconnect, Despite Dialogue

The group laid out specific demands, including a ban on officers using chokeholds, in a recent meeting with the city. But fellow Black Lives Matter member Lenard Wells said no matter what Fargo leaders pledge to do, it still feels as though the city is trying to control the situation, rather than work alongside the groups.

"I feel like I can walk through the city of Fargo without the police saying anything," he said, "but if I come out here and put my fists up in the air and walk with some more brothers and sisters in solidarity, then it's a problem? It's unfair."

Other BLM members in the Fargo/Moorhead area say they're fed up with being racially profiled by community members, as well as law enforcement. Disparities within the criminal-justice system recently were highlighted in an ACLU report. In North Dakota and neighboring Minnesota, it said, Black people were nearly five times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession.

Educating an Unwelcoming Community

Kiara Jackson, president of the Black Student Association at North Dakota State University, said they also need a buy-in from all levels of the community to chip away at racial barriers. She said Black residents sometimes feel "used" by being encouraged to come to Fargo -- only to feel ignored once they arrive.

"You say that you want to welcome your people, but when the people get here, you're not making them feel welcome," she said, "and that's exactly what Fargo, North Dakota, does."

Jackson said Fargo also needs to establish more diversity in educational leadership and add more Black-owned businesses.

Those calling for action say they're also taking action themselves. Faith Dixon, who works as a day-care provider in Fargo, said her facility helps to educate young children about the history behind Black culture -- something she feels often is overlooked in school curriculum.

"When they're young, their minds are more open," she said, "so, getting them at the pre-school level really opens up their understanding of other cultures."

Any discussion in the region about eliminating institutional bias usually is met with strong resistance, said Jamaal Abegaz of the Red River Valley Democratic Socialists of America.

"Suddenly," he said, "equality becomes too expensive, or it takes too long."

Abegaz said these issues spread beyond Fargo and stretch across North Dakota. He and others with the local movement said they feel the state also is neglectful when it comes to fully acknowledging the state's Native American culture.

While they haven't held any direct discussions with Gov. Doug Burgum, some of the activists have said they have received an optimistic tone about working the office on addressing these long-standing issues.


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President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the arrival of immigrants an invasion and has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite their removal, including 137 people now in an El Salvador prison.

Last week, a federal judge in Colorado disagreed with Trump's interpretation of the 1798 law and granted a temporary restraining order, halting deportations until May 6.

Tim Macdonald, legal director for the ACLU of Colorado, said the statute does not apply to individuals crossing the U.S. border, even if they were members of a gang.

"The Alien Enemies Act, the statute that grants this wartime power, applies only when there is a declared war, or an invasion, or predatory incursion against the United States by a foreign nation or government," Macdonald outlined.

The decision comes on the heels of other federal court rulings ordering the Trump administration to stop Alien Enemies Act deportations, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump has criticized the rulings, claiming activist judges are allowing violent criminals to remain in the country.

Nine in 10 of the people now confined in El Salvador had no criminal record and at least one was removed because of an administrative error. The 10th Circuit judge in Colorado also ruled people cannot be removed without 21 days notice.

Macdonald argued all people in the U.S., regardless of their immigration status, have rights, including access to a judge to review the facts of their case.

"We know they're making mistakes, they've acknowledged they are making mistakes," Macdonald pointed out. "They're life-threatening ones when they send people to a foreign prison where they may never see the light of day again."

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he also intends to send "homegrown" American citizens to the El Salvador facility. Macdonald says if the administration can successfully deprive people of their basic rights, his future use of the power could become a slippery slope.

"When civil rights are threatened, they're threatened for everybody," Macdonald asserted. "Listeners should be concerned that the government is acting in a lawless way to deprive people of their liberty. And the question is, who's next?"


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Five years after George Floyd's murder by a white police officer sparked nationwide protests and demands for police reform, progress remains slow, including in Washington.

State legislators passed a number of police reforms a year after Floyd's death, including banning chokeholds and "no-knock" raids. One law banning police pursuits was later rolled back. Despite the changes, 2024 was one of the deadliest years for police killings in Washington, with almost 50 deaths.

Dom Campese, communications leader for the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability, said at least 10 cases involved police pursuits.

"We need people to step up to the plate. We need legislators to work with us," Campese urged. "We need law enforcement to work with us, and we can enact sensible alternatives to what's currently happening."

Nationwide, police killed more people in 2024 than any year in more than a decade and Black people have died at disproportionate rates. Research shows most killings by police begin with traffic stops, mental health checks and other nonviolent offenses.

The coalition has been pushing the state to create an Office of Independent Prosecutions to handle officer-involved shootings, rather than leaving charging decisions with local prosecutors. Campese argued the current system is flawed because when cases are reopened, they go back to the same prosecutor who made the initial decision. He believes it creates potential conflicts of interest due to prosecutors' close ties with police.

"We would like to see officers held accountable when they break the law, and when someone ends up dying at their hand," Campese stressed.

The Washington Legislature has approved a plan to provide $100 million to hire more police officers. The bill would also allow local governments to increase the sales tax without voter approval to pay for criminal justice expenses.


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January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and educators are training workers in key industries to recognize and report the crime, including energy workers in places like Montana.

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to exploit people for sex or labor.

Lindsey Mattson, director of industry engagement for the group TAT, formerly known as Truckers Against Trafficking, said the industry makes big illicit profits globally, second only to the drug trade.

TAT now trains groups across the transportation sector that are likely to intersect with traffickers including energy workers and people working at truck stops and dealerships.

"We can mobilize millions of people to move from passive bystanders to active disrupters," Mattson explained. "That is really our goal, is to train as many people as possible throughout all transportation industries to truly have an impact on fighting this crime."

Gov. Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen have prioritized addressing human trafficking in Montana. A 2023 law increased penalties for both traffickers and patrons. The state's Department of Justice worked nearly 130 cases related to trafficking in 2024.

Mattson stressed energy workers are vital eyes and ears on the ground, because they may use the same gas stations and hotels as traffickers. The workers themselves are targeted because they are often stationed in one place.

"They look for concentrations of men housed away from home with purchasing power," Mattson noted. "For the energy industry, something like a work camp or project location."

TAT has trained nearly 2 million professionals to identify and report the crime, including 50,000 energy workers in 43 companies.


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