City creating counseling center for police, firefighters
The city of Columbus is creating a standalone center staffed with counselors and chaplains for police officers and firefighters who want counseling after stressful situations.
The center also will be staffed with their peers. “We can bring in first responders in a discreet way,” said Lisa Callander, the director of the city’s employee assistance program, saying it will emphasize resiliency and wellness, while minimizing the impact the job has on personal lives.
Such a standalone center might be unique in this country. “We can’t find another center in the country doing this,” said Columbus police Cmdr. Dave Hughes, who said it would also be open to spouses and retirees.
“We’re on the leading edge of this,” said Dave Gerold, a Columbus firefighter who is a support supervisor for the program. He said a center will provide a safe landing place for first responders.
“People try to hold together the best they can,” Gerold said.
The cost to transform a Northeast Side building into the center is $3 million, according to Glenn Mcentyre, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. Public safety officials asked The Dispatch not to disclose the location of the building to protect the privacy of those planning to use it.
“It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet,” Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said Monday.
Police responded to protests Sunday with riot gear as demonstrators gathered in the city, mourning Wright’s death. Video posted to Twitter showed police firing gas and a chemical agent at protesters who gathered at the police department Sunday night.
Brooklyn Center Police Department said in a statement that officers initiated a traffic stop around 2 p.m. Sunday. The statement did not indicate what the initial stop was for other than “a traffic violation.” Officers determined the driver had an outstanding warrant and tried to take the driver into custody, police said.
The driver reentered his vehicle, and an officer shot him, police said. The car drove several more blocks before striking another vehicle. Police said the driver died at the scene, and a woman in the passenger seat was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Daunte’s mother, Katie Wright, told reporters her son was driving a vehicle the family had given him weeks ago and called her as he was being pulled over with his girlfriend in the car, The New York Times reported.
“He called me at about 1:40, said he was getting pulled over by the police,” she said in a Facebook Live video. “He said they pulled him over because he had air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.”
People gathered in Brooklyn Center shortly after news spread of Wright’s death.
Wright’s family and friends were among those who marched in the streets and carried signs and flags that read Black Lives Matter. About 100 people had gathered near the scene where Wright died, according to the Star-tribune. Protesters pushed past police tape, confronting officers donning riot gear and breaking the windshields of two police cars. Police fired non-lethal rounds to try to disperse the crowd, the newspaper reported.
At the police department, a large crowd was met with armored police officers who formed a riot line. The protest there had been largely peaceful until then.
Police issued dispersal orders and fired tear gas, flash bang grenades and rubber bullets into the crowd of around 500 people that had gathered, the Startribune reported.
John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said protesters started throwing rocks and other objects. The group had mostly dispersed by about 1:15 a.m. Monday.
At the Shingle Creek shopping center, about 20 businesses had been broken into, he said. The Star-tribune reported looters targeted a Walmart and destroyed several businesses nearby.
Windows of a Gamestop and UPS stores were broken Monday morning, and debris was on the ground outside.
The National Guard was activated Sunday, and Mayor Mike Elliott ordered a curfew from 1 to 6 a.m. Monday. Elliot said he had been in contact with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“I am closely monitoring the situation in Brooklyn Center. Gwen and I are praying for Daunte Wright’s family as our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement,” Walz tweeted on Sunday.
“Our hearts are with (Wright’s) family, and with all those in our community impacted by this tragedy,” Elliott said in a statement. “While we await additional information from the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) who is leading the investigation, we continue to ask that members of our community gathering do so peacefully, amid our calls for transparency and accountability.”
Elliott tweeted Monday morning that he had spoken with the White House. “I appreciate @POTUS reaching out to offer his administration’s support,” Elliott tweeted.
Brooklyn Center Community Schools’ buildings were closed Monday, and classes were being held virtually, Superintendent Dr. Carly Baker said in a statement.
“We are focused on taking steps in the moment. I haven’t entirely processed the tragedy that took place in our community and I’m prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of our students, families, staff members and community members,” Baker said.
Contributing: Grace Hauck and N’dea Yancey-bragg