ST. PAUL, Minn. – Democrats in the Minnesota Senate are prepared to play hard ball and block construction projects if Republicans continue to resist policing reforms. Sen. Jeff Hayden, D-Minneapolis, said: “We want to send a strong message to our Senate Republican colleagues to get at the table, to find a solution, to negotiate in good faith, and to pass these common-sense, structural transformational reforms to our criminal justice system.” Hayden represents the south Minneapolis neighborhood where Floyd was killed by police, setting off riots nationwide. Hayden is among Democrat lawmakers who have accused Republicans of stalling on proposals for police accountability. In the special session Senate Republicans agreed to ban chokeholds and improve police training to de-escalate heated situations. Not enough, the Democrats say. The Majority Leader in the Senate, Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, responded that Republicans won’t support Democrat proposals to defund or dismantle the police. Democrats say their proposals never included defunding or dismantling the police.

Earlier: Walz recalls legislators to deal with policing