Minnesota
Cultural Organizing Institute
When End Youth Prisons MN expressed interest in exploring carjacking counter narratives, they saw an opportunity to use the aesthetics and language of car racing to talk about centering youth leadership. In the face of excessive surveillance and local police who continue to violate no-chase orders, the MN team designed race car jackets calling attention to what young people need to follow their dreams and not have to worry about being chased by police.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul
Race Car Jacket Design
Coming out of the uprisings in 2020, the Twin Cities saw school districts end contracts with police and community conversations that appeared to push for more accountable policing. The youth leaders at the End Youth Prisons MN campaign decided it was important to lift up the ways that despite momentum, carjacking is still being used to fuel criminalized narratives among people who mostly err on the side of community investment. The End Youth Prisons campaign leaders covered their jackets in demands for a MN free of youth prisons. The team continues to wear the jackets at press conferences and community events as they call for elected officials to listen to youth perspectives and calls to action.
In the World Without Youth Prisons, the world no longer works against me. We have choices! Mistakes I made in the past will not interfere with my growth.”
—poetry by End Youth Prisons MN
Car Jacking Counter Narratives Installation
Youth leaders from End Youth Prisons MN shared that car-jacking in the Twin Cities area has been used to spread criminalized narratives about young people. Despite rates of car-jacking actually going down, police high speed chases have caused a series of deaths in Minneapolis. As counter-narrative to city officials saying carjacking is a justification for the over-policing of young people, youth leaders decided to create a piece that unpacks the systemic failures that can push a young person to feel like they have to steal a car. The piece features interviews with youth about car theft and how to support youth in ways that are preventative.
Credits
Race Car Jacket Design
- Workshop facilitationKate DeCiccio with support of Caelyn Steele and Lupita Herrera, Michael Harrell, Nick Popovicci
- Lead ArtistAmir Khadar
- Youth leaders who co-designed jacketsAdia, Marrea, Dallas, Sreeja, Tyshawn, Aaliyah, Gabe, Myleeyah, Mira, Johnny
- Vinyl cuttingStick Em Up Philly
- End Youth Prisons patchesLars Adams
Car Jacking Counter Narratives Installation
- Carjacking Counter Narratives InstallationEnd Youth Prisons MN in collaboration with Performing Statistics
- InterviewsPatience Zalanga, Caelyn Steele
- EditingPatience Zalanga
- Matchbox MobileCRICE, Nick Popovici
- Carseat booth production360 Property Solutions
