Catalyst partners committed to aiding BIPOC businesses in the wake of Amir Locke’s killing
Minneapolis (Feb 14, 2022) – Once again, The Catalyst Coalition is heartbroken over the senseless killing of another African American, 22-year-old Amir Locke. Like the deaths of Daunte Wright, and George Floyd, the killing of a sleeping Amir Locke within 9 seconds of a no-knock warrant, needs to be repudiated and addressed not only at all levels of government, but also by the very institutions that undergird Minneapolis, and in fact the State of Minnesota.
Sadly, this is not the first time we have made such a statement. We will continue to stand in solidarity with our neighbors throughout the Twin Cities, our community partners and the people of Minneapolis to denounce and combat racism and its accompanying violence.
During the unrest that accompanied the killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, we stood with our partners and donors to use our funding capacity, consulting and technical assistance capabilities to help BIPOC businesses emerge out of those trying times. That work is ongoing, and we will continue to support those communities that are so directly harmed by this repeated violence. As we continue to help the Twin Cities heal from this trauma, we ask that our funders and supporters understand the task at hand and actively repudiate and fight the injustice that continues to harm not just our African American community, but our entire Twin Cities community.
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About Catalyst
Catalyst is a consortium of five Minnesota-based organizations that support minority entrepreneurs and their businesses.
Gene Gelgelu
President + CEO, African Economic Development Solutions
www.aeds-mn.org
Frank Altman
CEO, Community Reinvestment Fund, USA
www.crfusa.com
Henry Jimenez
Executive Director + President, Latino Economic Development Center
www.ledcmn.org
Alfredo Martel
President + CEO, Metropolitan Economic Development Association
www.meda.net
Warren McLean
President, Northside Economic Opportunity Network
www.neon-mn.org
