Reforms urged after latest St. Paul police killing

Neighbors and activists who met at St. Paul's East Side Freedom Library Friday evening were sad, angry and scared as they called for city and police leaders to stick to promised reforms, such as more cultural and linguistic competency and more training to deal with people in a mental health crisis.

After 65-year-old Yia Xiong was killed in his apartment building Feb. 11 — the second time St. Paul police have shot and killed someone since December — questions are being raised anew about how closely the city is sticking to the police reform agenda that helped elect Mayor Melvin Carter in 2017.

"Reforms must be followed," said Snowdon Herr, an East Side resident who has been helping organize the community to call for more reforms. "We don't want that to happen again."

Xiong was shot when officers were called because Xiong was behaving oddly near a neighbor's party in a common room.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating but Police Chief Axel Henry has said his initial impression is the officers acted in accordance with St. Paul police policy.

Xiong's niece, Nicollazzi Xiong said her family is still grieving.

"He was kind, warm, gentle and he loved his children and grandchildren. He was an elder, a part of our Hmong community, a disabled, hard of hearing, secret war veteran," she said. She and others who spoke at the meeting said they could not understand why police saw Xiong as a deadly threat.

"Why didn't they de-escalate the situation? Why wasn't a mental health crisis team called, and why wasn't a less lethal weapon used in a time of crisis?" she asked.

Several older Hmong men said Xiong's killing made them feel unsafe, and it made them question the dream of safety, freedom and a good life that brought them to the United States decades ago.

"This happened to Yia Xiong. It could happen to you," Paul Xiong said .

Police use of force against older people in St. Paul is rare. In 2021, according to a police summary report, just 10 of the 598 use-of-force incidents were against a person age 60 or older.

Many people said they wanted to see more rigorous training.

"Officers must learn to assess the situations and provide proper assessments to the situation," Herr said. "Is there a language barrier? ... There are people that can speak the language to help de-escalate the situation and handle it properly without having anybody killed."

Monique Johnson, the mother of Howard Johnson, who was killed by St. Paul Police on Dec. 5, agreed with the need for a greater emphasis on de-escalation.

"Police need more training. They need to have mental health professionals," she said. "Why is the gun the first thing that they go to?" she asked,

John Thompson, former state representative and activist, said he was skeptical about how seriously police were taking these calls. Activists made similar demands for more training after police killed Philando Castile in 2016, he said. Thompson said he remembered meetings in the same room at the East Side Freedom Library where families and activists called for more compassion in dealing with mental health crisis.

"This continues to be a cascade of oppression," said Chunhia Vue, whose brother Chiasher Vue was killed by police in 2009. He believed change is possible, he said, but it will be difficult. "It's a steep hill. It's very slippery, it's very rainy and there's a big elephant in the way."