HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — In response to the Trump Administration’s so-called “civil rights” investigation into Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s Office, Local Progress released the following statement:
“Hennepin County Attorney and LPMN Member Mary Moriarty is a brilliant and fair prosecutor committed to reforming our deeply flawed criminal justice system. Her track record advancing holistic public safety and imperative criminal justice reforms speaks for itself. The Trump Administration’s recently-launched investigation into Moriarty’s office is a calculated, politically-motivated, and unlawful attack on democracy and governing power of duly elected local elected officials. As a network of more than 1,600 local leaders nationwide, we are deeply concerned that the Trump Administration is weaponizing its power to erode local control. Let’s be clear: this investigation is not just an attack on one bold prosecutor, it is a calculated attempt by the Trump Administration to undermine and strip power from all local elected officials who are fighting back against its harmful agenda.
‘This is an attack on local democracy – plain and simple,’ said the Local Progress Minnesota Organizing Committee. ‘The Trump administration is targeting Moriarty today, but they will not stop here. We are simply an experiment for the Trump Administration’s future attacks on local leaders. Hennepin County elected Mary because she is committed to addressing some of the worst-in-the-nation racial disparities in prosecutions and incarceration. She is doing exactly what her constituents elected her to do and we stand by her leadership.’
As local leaders representing big cities, small towns, and growing suburbs across the country – we will continue to stand up for local democracy. Amid unlawful threats and illegal power grabs, we will continue to do what we do best – fight for our communities who elected us.”
Photo credit to Panashe Matemba-Mutasa (retrieved from Mshale)
