The mayor of the Minneapolis suburb where Daunte Wright was killed by an officer who said she mistook her handgun for her Taser said Tuesday that a memorial to the Black motorist will stay in place, after miscommunication with staff led some to believe it would be removed.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Michael Elliot told WCCO-AM that the memorial would stay at the intersection where Wright was killed by former officer Kim Potter. Elliot called the intersection a sacred spot.
“This had come to symbolize so many of these killings of Black people in America,” Elliot said. “It is a sign of empowerment.”
Wright, 20, was killed on April 11 after Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror — violations that civil rights activists say are used as a pretext to stop Black motorists.
Potter, the white former police officer convicted of manslaughter, was sentenced last month to two years in prison.
Lawyers for Wright's family said in a statement Tuesday that the city committed to maintaining the memorial in its current location. They said the city and family will work together with others to construct a permanent memorial.
“The family is encouraged by the city’s commitment to preserving Daunte’s legacy and this tragic and important piece of history, which means so much to Daunte’s family and so many more. The family is indebted to those supporters who have continued to visit and maintain the memorial and fight for its continued existence,” the family's attorneys said.
