St. Paul police chief vows to get slavery language lifted from state Constitution

Jan 02, 20200

Elizabeth Flores – Star Tribune count

In his Facebook post, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell cited Article 1, Section 2: "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the state otherwise than as punishment for a crime of which the party has been convicted."

A New Year's resolution made on Facebook by St. Paul's police chief could lead to the elimination of language in the Minnesota Constitution that says slavery is acceptable when it's used as a criminal punishment.

The phrase, among the very first sentences in the 14-article Constitution that ushered Minnesota into statehood in 1858, drew the attention of St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell a few months ago when he read about other states confronting slavery passages in their constitutions.

http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-police-chief-vows-to-get-slavery-language-lifted-from-state-constitution/566638691/