The University of Minnesota has honored a controversial left-wing activist group with an “outstanding community service award.”
Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) posted the announcement last week on its Facebook page.
Led by Michelle Gross, co-founder and president, the group has a long history of “undermining the efforts of police and public safety,” according to Brian Peters, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. MPPOA represents more than 10,000 rank-and-file police officers across the state.
In a Dec. 7 University of Minnesota video accompanying the award, Gross appears to refer to the prosecutions of former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez and former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin as “progress.”
In January 2023, CUAPB forced the Brooklyn Center Police Department to remove a recruitment video from its website and social media pages. The video featured officers holding their firearms. A press release demanded that Brooklyn Center officials publicly condemn the video and fire the officers involved in its creation.
“This video outraged people because it portrayed racist and militaristic policing in a manner designed to recruit certain types of individuals,” the release from CUAPB read.
In 2022, Roseville Area High School hosted an event by CUAPB that discussed “navigating police encounters involving yourself — or others, in a way that protects your rights and helps keeps you safe.” The training initially gave “first priority” to Black Student Union members and “BIPOC students,” which stands for “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color,” until a federal civil rights complaint was filed against the high school.
According to the University of Minnesota’s website, the award winners “represent the University’s highest honors for community-engaged scholarship and community service.” CUAPB claims to have worked with more than 1,000 students in its 25 years of existence.
Regarding news of the award, Peters encouraged the U of M to sever ties with an organization that “undermines the efforts of police and public safety.”
His statement went on to say:
“It is both shocking and inappropriate for the University of Minnesota to partner with and award CUAPB. CUAPB is an extremist organization that spreads misleading and harmful narratives about law enforcement. They create an atmosphere where students are led to believe all police officers are inherently racist, encouraging them to side with criminals instead of supporting law enforcement. Law enforcement professionals dedicate themselves to ensuring the safety of all community members and strive to build positive, respectful relationships. It is disheartening that this organization is recognized for promoting the very opposite of those values.”
In 2020, CUAPB bussed protesters to be outside then-Minnesota Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka’s place of business in Baxter after he stated his fervent opposition to measures that he said would defund police departments.
In a Facebook post, the group claims to be in its 25th year of working with University of Minnesota students. “Every semester, we work with several U of M students to provide them with opportunities to practice in the community what they are learning in school,” the post reads.
According to the university’s website, the group also received an award in 2021.
Alpha News made repeated requests for comment to the university about the award but did not receive a response.
The school also showed recent support of another prominent local activist.
Toshira Garraway, who has been falsely accusing police of killing her fiancé for years, says the University of Minnesota sent her to New York to speak at the United Nations.
NEW: Prominent local activist falsely accusing police of killing her fiancé for years says the University of Minnesota sent her to New York to speak at the United Nations. @UMNews has refused our multiple requests for comment on paying for her trip. pic.twitter.com/rLFJmSZpeR
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) December 16, 2024
In 2022, an Alpha News investigation found officials have concluded there is nothing to support the serious allegations Garraway has been leveling against the St. Paul Police Department.
Alpha News also asked for comment on the school’s support of Garraway and did not hear back.
In 2020, the University of Minnesota severed ties with the Minneapolis Police Department after the death of George Floyd. Crime skyrocketed around the campus after the decision. Two years later, it re-established ties with the department.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin has been a truth-teller for 20 years as a multi-Emmy-Award-winning reporter and anchor. Liz is a Worthington, Minnesota native who lives in the suburbs with her husband, son and loyal lab.
