Crime and Punishment

Sarah Bad Heart Bull and AIM members in Custer, South Dakota

Sarah Bad Heart Bull (center, wearing glasses) confronts law enforcement officers on the steps of the courthouse in Custer, South Dakota, 1973. From box 3 (152.B.11.3B) of Wounded Knee Legal Defense / Offense Committee records, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

AIM protest in Custer, South Dakota

American Indian Movement (AIM) activists confront law enforcement officers in Custer, South Dakota, February 6, 1973. From box 3 (152.B.11.3B) of Wounded Knee Legal Defense / Offense Committee records, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Welsch v. Likins

Welsch v. Likins (1974) was a landmark legal case for disability rights in Minnesota. It dealt with three issues fundamental to the disability community. First, it addressed the right to treatment under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Second, the case confronted the provision of care in the least restrictive of environments, including home and community-based services (HCBS). Third, it questioned whether institutional environments violate the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

US District Court Judge Earl R. Larson

US District Court Judge Earl R. Larson, ca. 1980. Larson ruled in Welsch v. Likins (1974) that both the US Constitution and Minnesota state law required state-run institutions to provide habilitation (vocational training and other education) to their inmates.

Minnesota State Seal on display

The Minnesota State Seal on display in a Hennepin County District Court courtroom at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Tony Webster, October 25, 2018. CC BY 2.0

Amy Juarez and Baby Hamilton

Babysitter Amy Juarez with Baby Hamilton. Hamilton was separated from his mother, Catalina, after the ICE raids in Worthington on December 12, 2006. Photograph by Diego Velez for the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, December 17, 2006.

Family members reunited after the Worthington ICE raid

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota’s John Keller (left) and UFCW Local 1161 President Mike Potter (right) with two family members (center) reunited after the ICE raid on the Swift & Company plant in Worthington. Photograph by the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, December 14, 2006.

Swift and Company ICE raids, 2006

On Tuesday, December 12, 2006, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided six meat-processing plants in six US states, including one in Worthington, Minnesota. At the Worthington plant alone, 239 workers were detained, leaving the city’s 11,283 residents in a state of turmoil. Children and families sought out community churches for asylum while local organizations worked tirelessly to establish faith-based and interpersonal networks to support the Worthington community.