Residents in Minneapolis were shocked to learn that Gov. Tim Walz (D)—Kamala Harris’s running mate—had given their tax dollars to a racist food pantry that was excluding poor white families. The Food Trap Project Bodega was set up by social justice activist Mykela “Keiko” Jackson. The pantry put up a sign explicitly stating that the food donations were only “for Black & Indigenous Folx,” and that poor white families should refrain from taking anything.
The pantry received grant money from the State of Minnesota and set up at the Sanctuary Covenant Church in North Minneapolis. When local chaplain Howard Dotson realized the racist food pantry was turning away white people, he filed a civil rights complaint. The Sanctuary Covenant Church also cut the power to the pantry when they realized what was happening.
Jackson accused Dotson of “political violence” for filing a civil rights complaint against her. She also claims that some hungry white families had ignored her sign and took the free food anyway, proving that “white privilege is real.”
She continues to argue that black and Indigenous people face greater rates of hunger than white people due to racism. The Sanctuary Covenant Church notes that in Jackson’s original proposal, she never mentioned anything about turning white, Hispanic, and Asian families away. She likely never would have received the taxpayer grant in the first place if she had.
On social media, Jackson now claims that her pantry was forced to move because of an incident with a “Karen”—a racist term to describe a white suburban woman. Many members of the community have spoken out against the Food Trap’s policy and state that it is damaging race relations and community cohesion. The Food Trap has now moved to a new location, but the Tim Walz administration has not asked for the taxpayer money back.
