The second-degree manslaughter charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter was filed three days after Daunte Wright was killed during a traffic stop.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A prosecutor said Wednesday that he charged a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.

The charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter was filed Wednesday, three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said.

The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and that it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.

“Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, said in a statement announcing the charge. “(Potter’s) action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright and she must be held accountable.”

Ali said he and Orput met with Wright’s family and assured them that no resources would be spared in prosecuting the case.

Intent isn’t a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge — which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison — can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk or consciously takes chances to cause the death of a person.

Potter, 48, was arrested Wednesday morning at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul. Her attorney did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned Tuesday.

Concrete barricades and tall metal fencing had been set up around Potter’s home in Champlin, north of Brooklyn Center, with police cars guarding the driveway. After Floyd’s death last year, protesters demonstrated several times at the home of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer now on trial in Floyd’s death.

AP

Police say Wright was pulled over for expired tags on Sunday, but they sought to arrest him after discovering he had an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Body camera video that Gannon released Monday shows Potter approaching Wright as he stands outside of his car as another officer is arresting him.

As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from a handgun in her right hand.

The news release announcing the charge noted that Potter holstered her handgun on the right side and her Taser on the left. The handles of each weapon faced to Potter’s rear. The Taser is yellow with a black grip and would require Potter to remove it from her holster with her left hand, the county attorney’s statement said.

Wright family attorney Ben Crump said the family appreciates the criminal case, but he again disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.

“Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” he said.

Experts say cases of officers mistakenly firing their gun instead of a Taser are rare, usually less than once a year nationwide.

Transit officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison after responding to a fight at a train station in Oakland, California, killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2009. Mehserle testified at trial that he mistakenly pulled his .40-caliber handgun instead of his stun gun.

In Oklahoma, a white volunteer sheriff’s deputy for Tulsa County, Robert Bates, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter after accidentally firing his handgun when he meant to deploy his stun gun on Eric Harris, a Black man who was being held down by other officers in 2015.

Potter was an instructor with Brooklyn Center police, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. She was training two other officers when they stopped Wright, the association’s leader, Brian Peters, told the Star Tribune.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of demonstrators again gathered at Brooklyn Center’s heavily guarded police headquarters, now ringed by concrete barriers and a tall metal fence, and where police in riot gear and National Guard soldiers stood watch.

About 90 minutes before a 10 p.m. curfew, state police announced over a loudspeaker that the gathering had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse. Protesters launched fireworks toward the station and threw objects at officers, who launched flashbangs and gas grenades, then marched in a line to force back the crowd. The number of protesters plummeted over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave.

Brooklyn Center, a suburb just north of Minneapolis, has seen its racial demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70% of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Hispanic.

Mayor Mike Elliot t said Tuesday that he didn’t have at hand information on the police force’s racial diversity but that “we have very few people of color in our department.”

___

Bauer contributed from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writers Doug Glass and Mohamed Ibrahim in Minneapolis; Tim Sullivan in Brooklyn Center; and Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, contributed to this report.

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The Chicago Bulls defense is costing them games and it could consequentially leave them out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. It’s no question that the Bulls’ defense is bad. This season, they are the 20th ranked defense in the NBA — allowing 113.5 points per game. But, how bad is it? Take the Bulls’ […]

The Chicago Bulls Defense: A breakdown of mishaps and fixes – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Authorities had considered for months whether criminal charges were appropriate for the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt. The Justice Department’s decision, though expected, officially closes out the investigation.

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors will not charge a police officer who shot and killed a woman as she climbed through the broken part of a door during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Authorities had considered for months whether criminal charges were appropriate for the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego. The Justice Department’s decision, though expected, officially closes out the investigation.

Prosecutors said they had reviewed video of the shooting, along with statements from the officer involved and other officers and witnesses, examined physical evidence from the scene and reviewed the autopsy results.

“Based on that investigation, officials determined that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution,” the department said in a statement.

Video clips posted online depict Babbitt, wearing a stars and stripes backpack, stepping up and beginning to go through the waist-high opening of an area of the Capitol known as the Speaker’s Lobby when a gunshot is heard. She falls backward. Another video shows other unidentified people attempting to lift Babbitt up. She can be seen slumping back to the ground.

Prosecutors said Babbitt was part of the mob that was trying to get into the House as Capitol Police officers were evacuating members of Congress from the chamber. The officers used furniture to try to barricade the glass doors separating the hallway from the Speaker’s Lobby to try to stave off the rioters, who kept trying to break through those doors, smashing the glass with flagpoles, helmets and other objects.

At the same time, Babbitt tried climbing through one of the doors where the glass was broken out. A Capitol Police officer inside the Speaker’s Lobby then fired a single round from his service weapon, striking Babbitt in the shoulder, prosecutors said.

She fell to the ground before a police tactical team rushed into the area and gave first aid. Babbitt was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Babbitt is one of five people who died in or outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, including a police officer. Three other people died of medical emergencies.

The Justice Department does not bring criminal charges in most police shootings it investigates in part because of the high burden for prosecution. Criminal charges were not expected in this case because videos of the shooting show Babbitt encroaching into a prohibited space, and second-guessing the actions of an officer during the violent and chaotic day would have been a challenge.

“Specifically, the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber,” prosecutors said.

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The survey of Chicago Fire Department personnel included 45 women, and 28 of them — 62% — reported being sexually harassed.

The Chicago Fire Department has a long and documented history of discrimination and racial hijinks that has triggered a parade of lawsuits, multi-million-dollar settlements, policy changes and back pay.

To this day, CFD is 90% male and 66% white with an entrenched culture that can be openly hostile to Blacks, Hispanics and women.

On Wednesday, Inspector General Joe Ferguson shined a glaring spotlight on the white male bastion of city government and demanded immediate changes — in policy, training and protecting from retaliation firefighters and paramedics who complain about sexual and racial discrimination.

The audit was accompanied by a survey that showed that 73 of all 285 respondents, both male and female — that’s 26% — reported having experienced sexual harassment “at least once” at CFD.

Even more troubling was the rate of sexual harassment of women. There were 45 female survey respondents, and 28 of them — 62% — reported being sexually harassed at CFD.

The harassment included sexually suggestive remarks, open display of sexually suggestive material, aggressive leering or staring.

“Firefighters and paramedics live together while on duty, spend 24-hour shifts with each other and work in a high-risk, high-stress environment where their lives and the lives of others depend on members’ cooperation and mutual trust. These conditions require a thoughtful and tailored approach that goes beyond adoption of the blanket policy that covers all city employees,” Ferguson was quoted as saying.

“We recommend that the department address these challenges sooner rather than later and make a firm commitment to improving workplace conditions and culture.”

Ferguson acknowledged existing CFD policies comply with federal, state and local laws. But he branded the policies, complaint process and training used to enforce and promote those policies “insufficient to meet the environmental challenges” posed by the department’s “command-and-control-service operations.”

He also concluded the department’s culture and workplace environment “may make some members vulnerable to discrimination and/or sexual harassment.”

The audit also showed CFD’s process for scheduling interviews with members who made formal complaints “placed them at risk of retaliation and potentially discouraged them from reporting misconduct.”

To change the culture, Ferguson proposed:

• Training for all 5,000 CFD employees “tailored specifically to CFD’s unique workplace environment.”

• Written guidance and training to Internal Affairs staffers on how to handle complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment in a “trauma-informed manner.”

• Appointing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.

• Developing a specific strategy to protect reporting members and victim from potential retaliation.

The Fire Department responded with a promise to create written guidelines, increase training and work to create the new position in the 2022 budget.

But CFD argued that developing a “strategic approach” to the issues highlighted in the audit would have to wait until a new fire commissioner is appointed to replace now-retired Fire Commissioner Richard C. Ford II.

The survey results were troubling, but not surprising given the department’s recent history of discrimination.

In 2013, Chicago spent nearly $2 million — and $1.7 million more in legal fees — to compensate dozens of women denied firefighter jobs because of a discriminatory test of upper body strength that City Hall has now scrapped.

Three years later, a dozen women accused the Chicago Fire Department of devising two new physical agility tests that were equally biased against women.

In 2014, a payroll auditor for CFD filed a federal lawsuit against the city — armed with a finding of discrimination by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that upheld her sexual harassment charge against former Fire Commissioner John Brooks.

Four years later, five female paramedics filed a federal lawsuit accusing their superiors of sexual harassment and alleging the fire department “directly encourages” the illegal behavior by failing to “discipline, supervise and control” its officers.”

Allegations of sexual discrimination also forced CFD change its policy impacting pregnant employees and nursing mothers.

Even with that history, quotes attributed to survey respondents were troubling.

One female employee complained: “Women are treated like garbage. Period. I see it every single day at work and this survey is going to get buried and nothing will get done.”

Another respondent wrote: “It is tough on this job being a minority, especially when there are some in ranks who have influence on discipline and day-to-day operations that show their discriminatory actions in a subtle manner.

One respondent reported being forced to endure “racist photos and language at predominately white” firehouses.

“Early on in my career, I had a lieutenant who would call me … crybaby minority. On other occasions I was called the affirmative action employee. Countless times have I heard the N-word,” the respondent said.

Also in the report: instances of men relieving themselves with the door open; sleeping arrangements where women were sent to undesirable areas of the firehouse; and a refusal to assist with equipment and moving victims.

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He can do things with a basketball that very few people on the planet can do. And yet the answer to the question is that it’s hard to know if he’s what ails the team.

Most of us are pretty good at suppressing our natural tendency toward greed. We might covet our neighbor’s five-bedroom, five-bathroom house, the one with the indoor basketball court and the bowling alley, which are a nice touch, but not as nice as the state-of-the-art kitchen and the 20-seat theater, both of them great places to be if you’re not outside at the private lake. But we realize we’re better than that. Much, much better than that. We look around at what we have and know it’s enough.

Except when it comes to sports. We always want more. And by that I mean, really, Bulls? This is all there is?

Heading into their game against Orlando on Wednesday night, the Bulls had gone 3-7 since the blockbuster trade that brought them All-Star center Nikola Vučević. I’m not here to argue that they were dumb to give up Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two draft picks for Vučević and Al-Farouq Aminu. Or that they were silly to move Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison to the Wizards for Troy Brown Jr. and Moe Wagner, whom they immediately shipped to the Celtics for Daniel Theis.

It was clear that the previous version of the Bulls wasn’t going to work.

But this is the version we get? Really?

This is a franchise that makes you come back for more of the same. You keep pounding your hand on the bottom of the ketchup bottle and nothing comes out. You stick a dinner knife in its mouth to loosen things up. Still nothing. That’s how this feels.

If the Bulls were really serious about dramatic change to their roster and their so-called culture, they should have traded Zach LaVine. Former vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman couldn’t build around LaVine, and the small sample size of the past 10 games sends a shiver up the spine that current VP Arturas Karnišovas — or anyone — might not be able to build around him, either.

Is LaVine the problem? It’s hard to ask that about someone so talented. He can do things with a basketball that very few people on the planet can do. And yet the answer to the question is that I don’t know. I don’t know if he’s what ails the Bulls. That’s where the selfish part of me kicks in, the part that would love to know if another team can win with him as a major player. He’s a wonderful one-on-one player, so mesmerizing at times that people have been known to stop and stare. The problem is that some of those people are his supporting cast.

He’s more than a little like James Harden in that regard, another supremely talented player whose game might not be suited to winning basketball. If Harden can’t win a championship with fellow Nets superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this season, he can’t win a championship.

LaVine hasn’t played on teams as talented as Brooklyn is, not even close, and it feels a little unfair to make him the center of our discussion. But you watch him play and something doesn’t feel right. That’s not analytics. That’s not even the eye test. It’s the feel test, and it’s admittedly vague.

And with Lauri Markkanen still in the throes of a two-year floundering, it might seem like we’re taking aim at the wrong person. I’d argue that we’ve simply given up on Markkanen, to the point that while trying to diagnose what’s wrong with the team, he doesn’t even register.

So maybe Karnišovas should have started over and gotten some big-time draft picks or big-time players or both in exchange for LaVine. It would have been asking a lot from a fan base that already has been through a rebuild. But do these pieces fit? And what’s the hope for the future?

There’s still a lot of time for the latest model of the Bulls to blossom, but remember those heady days – all of three weeks ago – when Karnišovas’ bold moves were going to make the team an instant postseason contender? The Bulls are 11^th in the conference playoff picture, three teams behind for the final spot.

Vučević will get his 25 points and 10 rebounds a night, and LaVine will get his 25, 5 and 5. But can they play together? And can everybody else on the roster play with them?

We spent an inordinate amount of time this season fretting over whether LaVine would take his rightful place on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He eventually did, but the navel-gazing summed up the state of the Bulls. Still does. All eyes are on their star and, meanwhile, try not to pay attention to a team that can lose to any team on any given night.

LaVine scored 50 points in a recent loss, 39 in the first half, a reminder of just how gifted he is. And, yet, we want something else. We want more. More, as in victories. We’re greedy that way.

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There are few things in this world better than Summertime Chicago, and a huge contributor to that is the city’s vast selection of outdoor patio and rooftop dining options. As the weather turns from spring, to fake summer, back to spring, to official summer, more and more of your favorite rooftop and patio dining establishments are opening their doors again to welcome back customers. With that being said, you need to know where to go. And UrbanMatter has you covered. Here are just a few of the hottest Chicagoland patios, rooftop decks and outdoor dining spaces set to re-open for business in 2021.

Offshore

The world’s largest rooftop deck and one of Chicago’s most exciting hotspots located at Navy Pier is reopening their doors to the public on Thursday, April 22. Boasting over 56,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space with spectacular views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan, this year-round rooftop destination will again offer locals a truly unique opportunity to enjoy Chicago’s upcoming warm months, safely. Signature, Instagrammable drinks include a lychee-style cocktail, a fruit-forward cocktail served in a bag, and much more. Parking for Offshore is available in the East Garage located on the North Dock of Navy Pier. For more information, please visit www.drinkoffshore.com.

Kennedy Rooftop

Located at 1551 W. North Ave., the Kennedy Rooftop is currently serving up specialty drinks and delicious dishes Thursday through Sunday on their spacious deck in Wicker Park. Known for iconic views of the complete city skyline from the John Hancock to the Willis Tower, Kennedy Rooftop is open Thursday from 5 pm -9 pm, Friday/Saturday 4 pm -10 pm and Sunday for Brunch from 11 am – 4 pm. Seating is first come, first served. For more information, please visit www.kennedyrooftop.com.

City Cruises

Hornblower Group, a global leader in world-class experiences and transportation, announced today the launch of its Chicago cruising operations as City Cruises under City Experiences, the new brand name for the company’s water- and land-based portfolio of offerings. Locals and travelers alike are invited back on City Cruises’ luxurious yachts including the Odyssey Lake Michigan, Spirit of Chicago, Chicago Elite, and their newest vessel to join the fleet, Odyssey Chicago River, to enjoy specialty curated cocktails and cuisines, all while taking in the unmatched views of Lake Michigan and the city skyline from the Chicago River. City Cruises offers plated brunch and dinner cruises featuring delicious cuisine alongside a sophisticated selection of award-winning wines, craft beers and specialty cocktails, all while enjoying the spectacular views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.  Cruise prices start from $86.90 for brunch or $99.90 for dinner (prices per person, excl. fees & taxes).

Geja’s Café

The renowned “Restaurant of Romance” located at 340 W. Armitage, is open for indoor dine in service as well as outside on their patio under their Pergolas seven days a week. Reservations are very limited outside on their recently installed Pergolas, and can be made by calling 773-281-9101 or clicking here.

Replay Lincoln Park

Chicago’s favorite pop-up bar, Replay Lincoln Park, 2833 N. Sheffield, is bringing back its fan favorite pop-up so everyone can celebrate with their favorite coworkers at “Dunder Mifflin”. As we wrote this week, the wildly popular ‘Back to The Office’ pop-up will return beginning Friday, April 9, and run through Sunday, May 16. Replay Lincoln Park will transform all 9,000 square feet of their space, including their outdoor patio, into iconic spots inspired by the show, and will offer an exclusive selection of Michael Scott-inspired cocktails and a themed food menu for guests to indulge in during their experience. Tickets are now available, and reservations are highly encouraged. Covid-19 restrictions will be practiced and protocols will be strictly observed to ensure the safety of patrons and employees. Replay Lincoln Park invites guests for great fun from 5 p.m. – 2 a.m. Monday – Thursday, Friday 3 p.m. – 2 a.m., 12 p.m. – 3 a.m. Saturday, and 12 p.m. – 2 a.m. Sunday. For more information, please visit https://replaylincolnpark.com.

Thorn Restaurant & Lounge

Led by Executive Chef Nicholas Malloy, Thorn Restaurant & Lounge,  located in The Rose Hotel Chicago O’Hare, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton and closest off-airport hotel to O’Hare, offers hotel guests and patrons alike a chic oasis for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as brunch and late-night cocktails, and includes comfort food favorites, signature Rose items, and Chef’s daily specials. For the upcoming holiday, Thorn will be offering an exclusive Mother’s Day High Tea on Sunday, May 9 with two seating’s available at 11 a.m., and 2 p.m. which includes complimentary parking, live music from Dina Bach, and a curated menu to set the scene of an elevated high tea. The Thorn lounge features plush, comfortable seating areas for those looking to dine in, as well as a patio area for those interested in sitting outside. They can also accommodate various social gatherings, family functions, upcoming meetings, and more. For more information visit thornrestaurant.com or call 847-260-4774.

Water’s Edge

Water’s Edge, located within The Hyatt Lodge, 2815 Jorie Boulevard in Oakbrook, offers upscale café items including fresh, innovative salads, classic sandwiches, soups and entrees for both breakfast and lunch. Guests also have the opportunity to experience complete relaxation in the Hearth Lounge’s intimate, cozy atmosphere. During the summer months, guests can enjoy meals al fresco on the relaxing and serene patio. Hearth Lounge’s menu includes superb cocktails as well as gourmet soups and sandwiches, fresh salads, hearty appetizers and delicious desserts. Both venues boast gorgeous views of the property’s private lakes and pristine landscaping restaurant and Hearth Lounge are the perfect place to sip cocktails or enjoy lunch and dinner. Patrons can also opt to book Hyatt’s Lakeside Private Parties which can cater to up to 40 guests. For more information, please call 630-568-1234 or visit their website by clicking here.

Fulton Market Kitchen

With new Executive Chef, Jonathan Harootunian, Fulton Market Kitchen is set to reopen with a brand-new menu on April 8. Located in the vibrant Fulton Market District, guests can enjoy either outdoor or indoor dining at the part restaurant part art gallery crossover, and try 4-Star Rated Chef Harootunian’s seasonal menu, in addition to locally-sourced cocktails. Chef Harootunian’s focus is to provide a variety of refined, seasonal dishes utilizing ingredients sourced from regional farms, local markets and neighbors along Fulton Market Street. Located at 311 N. Sangamon, FMK is open Thursday through Sunday, and offers a delicious brunch menu on the weekends. To learn more about FMK or to make a reservation, please visit www.fultonmarketkitchen.com.

Pacino’s

Sicily meets South Loop, the authentic Italian eatery located within Roosevelt Collection Shops at 1010 S. Delano Ct. Led by Executive Chef Michael Serratore, Pacino’s offers a wide range of classically-inspired antipasti, pizza, salads, seafood, fresh pastas and more. Enjoy signature cocktails or a glass of vino at the full bar indoors or pull up a seat under the outdoor pergola for an amazing outdoor dining experience. Pacino’s is open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday from 5 pm-10 pm. To make a reservation or place an order, diners can visit their website.

AIRE

Known as one of the hottest rooftop spots in Chicago, AIRE features 360-views from the 24^th floor of Hyatt Centric the Loop Chicago. This rooftop deck serves as the perfect urban atmosphere for both Chicago residents and tourists alike to enjoy. AIRE has made its mark on the Chicago dining and drinking scene. The regular food menu at AIRE carries an array of flatbreads, appetizers, and salads. The beverage program at AIRE serves up a variety of specialty- crafted cocktails, craft beer, draft beer, and wine. This outdoor area features fire pits, cabanas, couches and an outdoor bar with an unmatched urban feel. AIRE is open Monday – Wednesday 3:30 p.m. – 11 p.m., Thursday – Saturday 3:30 p.m. – 12 a.m, Sunday – Closed. To learn more please visit their website.

Featured Image Credit: Offshore

The post Chicagoland’s Hottest Rooftops, Bars, and Restaurants Reopen Just in Time for Patio Season appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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Wall Street is still waiting on the first trade for Coinbase, as the digital currency exchange makes its highly-anticipated debut on the stock market.

Coinbase Global Inc. is making its initial public offering of stock Wednesday with cryptocurrency chatter seemingly everywhere, even at the U.S. Federal Reserve. Digital currencies are being incorporated into business plans and accepted by major corporations like Tesla, PayPal and Visa.

“The Coinbase IPO is potentially a watershed event for the crypto industry and will be something the Street will be laser focused on to gauge investor appetite,'” Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote this week.

There were 43 million verified Coinbase users in 2020, with 2.8 million making transactions monthly. Its revenue more than doubled to $1.14 billion last year and the company swung to a profit of $322.3 million after losing tens of millions in 2019. It recently estimated that revenue rose to $1.8 billion and net income increased to between $730 million and $800 million in the first quarter of 2021.

Coinbase’s fortunes are closely tied to Bitcoin, the biggest digital currency, and Etherium, another popular cryptocurrency. That relationship has been very positive lately: Bitcoin soared above $63,000 on Tuesday after starting the year around $29,000.

Coinbase earns 0.5% of the value of every transaction that goes through its system. So if someone buys $100 in Bitcoin, Coinbase earns 50 cents. If Bitcoin or Etherium prices drop, the commissions Coinbase earns drop as well, giving it some exposure to the digital currencies’ rise and fall.

In some ways, Coinbase may be dealing with seemingly exotic assets but it’s business model is particularly vanilla.

An organization that deals in cryptocurrency, which is often used as away around institutional monetary systems and control, is an odd fit for a publicly traded company, which must file quarterly reports with regulators.

However, when Coinbase filed papers with U.S. regulators this year to go public, it said it would do so through a direct listing. That means it has avoided the typical agreements with big banks that would typically buy thousands of shares and promote them.

A direct listing allows insiders and early investors to convert their stakes in the company into publicly traded stock, which will hit the market Wednesday with no set price, as is the norm when an IPO is handled by big banks.

That could mean wild price swings when the stock starts trading. This week, Nasdaq gave the company’s stock a $250 reference price. That is unlikely to stick.

Other recent direct listings include the music streaming service Spotify in 2018, the messaging service Slack in 2019 and the data-mining company Palantir Technologies in 2020.

Shares of Coinbase, which will be traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker “COIN,’ will attract investors who want to get into the cryptocurrency space in addition to, or without buying any coins at all, said Lule Demmissie, president of Ally Invest.

“It could also be a less volatile security than the coins themselves,” Demmissie says.

Some Wall Street analysts project that Coinbase Global Inc. could be valued at $100 billion, based on private transactions of its shares.

That would make it one of the top 100 biggest publicly traded U.S. companies and far larger than Nasdaq Inc., which runs the Nasdaq Stock Market, and Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange.

Still, not everyone is buying into the Coinbase hype. David Trainer, CEO of investment research firm New Constructs, said Coinbase has “little-to-no-chance of meeting the future profit expectations that are baked into its ridiculously high valuation.”

Trainer last week put a valuation on Coinbase closer to $18.9 billion, arguing it will face more competition as the cryptocurrency market matures.

However Ives, of Wedbush, sees Coinbase as a window into the future.

“Coinbase is a foundational piece of the crypto ecosystem and is a barometer for the growing mainstream adoption of Bitcoin and crypto for the coming years,” Ives said.

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NEW YORK — With a crisp white graphic look and roomy pockets, the uniforms to be worn by Team USA at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics were unveiled Wednesday by official outfitter Ralph Lauren.

The uniforms, along with Ralph Lauren-designed Olympic Village attire for the American athletes, had been ready to go when the Games were postponed last summer due to the pandemic.

“It seems like we’re all go now,” David Lauren, the company’s chief branding and innovation officer, told The Associated Press ahead of the reveal. “They had been designed, produced and ready to roll.”

The Games are now scheduled to open July 23 and end Aug. 8 as organizers continue to figure out how to hold them with the pandemic still raging and just 100 days to go. In the meantime, Ralph Lauren is ready with opening and closing parade gear for the more than 600 Team USA athletes, those participating in the Paralympics and Olympic-themed items for sale to the public.

Opening ceremony uniforms will be unveiled in July.

Lauren, the son of the fashion giant’s founder, said sustainability was top of mind this Olympic go around.

Ralph Lauren, which has been outfitting Team USA since 2008, worked with Dow on a cotton pre-treatment dyeing process that uses less water, chemicals and energy than more traditional methods. The process was used for a navy Polo shirt each athlete will receive.

A leather alternative using plant-based materials and agriculture biproducts free of synthetic plastics was used for a patch on the closing ceremony’s white stretch denim pant, which is made of U.S.-grown cotton. And like the lightweight drawstring jacket, a striped red, white and blue belt to be worn by the athletes is derived partially from recycled plastic bottles.

The patches are already a keepsake of the historic Olympic delay: They say “Team USA” with the year 2020 printed in red.

The zip jackets in white include navy collars and hoods, and striped red, white and blue cuffs. An American flag patch is on one arm and “USA” is on the other, the latter also down one pant leg. The athletes will wear a classic white Polo shirt, white sneakers with a stripe design and navy masks also made of American cotton. The uniforms were made in the United States.

The company’s Olympic retail collection will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday on Ralphlauren.com and in June at select Ralph Lauren retail stores, select U.S. department stores and online at TeamUSAShop.com. All revenue supports Team USA.

“We want our athletes to really be ambassadors for American style, culture and sportsmanship,” Lauren said recently via Zoom from Manhattan. “We also understood that the message for the Olympics was about sustainability, that this would be the most sustainable Olympics in history and a chance for the team to showcase ingenuity around new ways of thinking about our environment.”

Daryl Homer, a silver medalist in saber fencing at the 2016 Games, is hoping to make his third Olympic appearance. He was one of three Tokyo contenders to model the closing uniforms for the AP at the Polo Ralph Lauren store in Manhattan’s SoHo district.

The Olympic delay, said the 30-year-old Homer, was tough at times, with a year off from competition.

“I feel pretty prepared,” he said. “I’m just getting ready the best I can, given the situation. I’m just happy for there to be a Games.”

Homer, living in Harlem during the pandemic, used his downtime to be “a normal person and step outside of sports a little bit. I read, I went on walks, I ran, I tried to stay in good shape. I tried to just be present where I was.”

Jordyn Barratt, a Honolulu native now living in San Diego, was also on hand to show off the uniforms. The skateboarder hoping to make the Olympic team for the first time now that her sport has been added said “it’s all starting to feel real in the last month or so. It’s feeling a lot more real and a lot more stressful.”

The 22-year-old has nationals, a pro tour stop and world championships to go before the Olympics, with no competition since November 2019.

“It’s done great things for women’s skateboarding. It’s a very male-dominated sport,” Barratt, a park skateboarding specialist, said of the Olympic nod to her field.

And Barratt is thrilled for the chance to possibly head to Tokyo with her childhood friend, fellow skateboarder, Olympic contender and 2019 world champion Heimana Reynolds, a Honolulu native who moved to San Diego in November 2019, before the pandemic hit.

“I was probably like 8 or 9 years old just seeing her at the skatepark and we’d constantly just go skate together. We never really ever thought that we’d be this far in skateboarding. It’s really cool that we went from childhood skate buddies to traveling around the world competing, and now to this,” said Reynolds, also 22 and a park skateboarder.

“She was probably like the first girl skateboarder that I had seen,” he said. “I was like, wow, this is really cool that there’s girls out there skating.”

Reynolds, Barratt joked, was the “goody goody kid” growing up.

Lauren noted the Olympics will be the first time since the pandemic began that the “world has come back together again.” He called the Games a “coming out party” with a “sense of hope that we all need in our lives right now.”

Like other Olympic fans, Lauren is disappointed to be missing out on attending the Games in Tokyo. Organizers have decided overseas spectators will not be allowed. He has attended opening ceremonies for Olympics past in Beijing, Vancouver, London and Atlanta.

“It’s one of the great experiences of my life, to see all of these teams come together, to see the energy. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” he said. “When you’re there in person, it’s electric.”

There’s a sense, he said, that “we’re all one.”

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BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A prosecutor said Wednesday that he will charge a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.

The charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter will be filed Wednesday, three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said. Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Potter was arrested Wednesday morning at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul. An attorney for Potter did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, had intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.

Potter, 48, resigned Tuesday, as did Police Chief Tim Gannon.

The Star Tribune reported that concrete barricades and tall metal fencing had been set up around Potter’s home in Champlin, a suburb north of Brooklyn Center, with police cars guarding the driveway. After Floyd’s death last year, protesters demonstrated several times at the home of the former Minneapolis officer charged with killing him, Derek Chauvin.

Police say Wright was pulled over for expired tags, but they sought to arrest him after discovering he had an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Gannon released Potter’s body camera video the day after Sunday’s shooting. It showed her approaching Wright as he stood outside of his car as another officer was arresting him.

As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from her handgun.

Wright family attorney Ben Crump said the family appreciates criminal case, but he again disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.

“Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” he said

Cases of officers mistakenly firing their gun instead of a Taser do happen, but experts say they are extremely rare, usually less than once a year nationwide.

Transit officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison after responding to a fight at a train station in Oakland, California, killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2009. Mehserle testified at trial that he mistakenly pulled his .40-caliber handgun instead of his stun gun.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white volunteer sheriff’s deputy, Robert Bates, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter after accidentally firing his handgun when he meant to deploy his stun gun on Eric Harris, a Black man who was being held down by other officers in 2015.

Potter was an instructor with the Brooklyn Center police, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. She was training two other officers Sunday when they stopped Wright, the association’s leader, BIll Peters, told the Star Tribune.

In her one-paragraph letter of resignation, Potter said, “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott had said he hoped Potter’s resignation would “bring some calm to the community,” but that he would keep working toward “full accountability under the law.”

“We have to make sure that justice is served, justice is done. Daunte Wright deserves that. His family deserves that,” Elliott said.

Police and protesters faced off again after nightfall Tuesday, with hundreds of demonstrators once more gathering at Brooklyn Center’s heavily guarded police headquarters, now ringed by concrete barriers and a tall metal fence, and where police in riot gear and National Guard soldiers stood watch.

About 90 minutes before a 10 p.m. curfew, state police announced over a loudspeaker that the gathering had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse. That set off confrontations, with protesters launching fireworks toward the station and throwing objects at officers, who launched flashbangs and gas grenades, then marched in a line to force back the crowd.

State police said the dispersal order came before the curfew because protesters were trying to take down the fencing and throwing rocks at police. The number of protesters dropped rapidly over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave.

Brooklyn Center, a suburb just north of Minneapolis, has seen its racial demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70% of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Hispanic.

Elliott said Tuesday that he didn’t have at hand information on the police force’s racial diversity but that “we have very few people of color in our department.”

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Bauer contributed from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writers Doug Glass and Mohamed Ibrahim in Minneapolis; Tim Sullivan in Brooklyn Center; and Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, contributed to this report.

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A little more than two years later the mayor is finding out just how difficult it is to turn the page on the nation’s racial history. The shooting of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by a white police officer has set off protests, political upheaval and painful reckoning about racism and representation in his small city.

Mike Elliott is among many who celebrated his election as mayor of Brooklyn Center as the beginning of a new era, marking the first time one of Minnesota’s most racially diverse places would be led by a person of color. Elliott, a Black man who had emigrated from Liberia as a child, was almost giddy in talking about his plans for multicultural city hall.

“It’s incredible, it’s really incredible,” Elliott said then of Hmong, African, Vietnamese and white residents living side-by-side in the inner-ring Minneapolis suburb’s working-class neighborhoods. He called his 2018 election “an opportunity for the great diversity of the city to have a voice at the table.”

A little more than two years later the mayor is finding out just how difficult it is to turn the page on the nation’s racial history. The shooting of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by a white police officer has set off protests, political upheaval and painful reckoning about racism and representation in his small city. The debate echoes one that engulfed neighboring Minneapolis and many larger communities last year after the death of George Floyd. But in Brooklyn Center, it is playing out in a place where some believed they’d made progress — only to be thrust to the front lines of the fight.

“It’s been very difficult for myself, for the community, to deal with the pain and the agony that comes from watching a young man be killed before our eyes,” Elliott, 37, told reporters Tuesday.

Since the Sunday shooting, the mayor has become the face of this community’s struggle, which comes as a former Minneapolis police officer is on trial in the Floyd case.

Elliott has promised transparency and vowed accountability for Wright’s death. He’s calmly fielded scores of questions from activists pressing for answers and plans. He’s expressed empathy for the protesters who’ve clashed with police, and ventured out in the nighttime protest in protective gear to appeal for peace: “I could feel their pain. I could feel their anger. I could feel their fear,” he said of this encounter.

Under pressure to swiftly fire the officer involved, Kim Potter, Elliott and the city council voted to fire the city manager, and give control of the police department to the mayor. On Tuesday, Potter and the police chief resigned. Elliot made clear the city already had been moving toward firing Potter. He said he hoped her departure would “bring some calm to the community.”

But the mayor also has acknowledged systemic sources of the distrust between residents and police in his city. Of the roughly 50 sworn officers on the city’s force, “very few” are people of color and none live in Brooklyn Center, he said, acknowledging he saw the latter as a clear problem.

“There is a huge importance to having a significant number of your officers living in the community where they serve,” he said.

The racial gap is not uncommon in suburban police departments, but is especially stark in Brooklyn Center, one of a nation’s many rapidly diversifying suburbs. About 45% of the roughly 31,000 residents are white, according to Census figures. Minneapolis, meanwhile, is 63% white.

The city has long drawn families from Minneapolis’ historically Black north side neighborhood. But over the past two decades, Brooklyn Center has become home to thousands of immigrants from Laos, Vietnam and West Africa in search of affordable homes, good schools and community. Nearly a quarter of its residents are foreign born.

“It’s the future face of America,” said Rep. Samantha Vang, a Hmong-American and Democrat who represents Brooklyn Center in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Elliott, who fled civil war in Liberia with his grandmother, is part of the migration story. He landed in Brooklyn Center, already a hub for Liberian of immigrants, as a middle schooler, according to friend and mentor George Larson, a former principal at Brooklyn Center High School.

Elliott told Larson he wanted to be secretary general of the United Nations. He participated in student government, organized volunteering projects and planned a prom. In 2010, he graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul with a degree in international management and a minor in political science. Elliott started a translation company and tutoring nonprofit before running for office.

“He had the leadership gene from the get go,” Larson said.

Elliott lost his first bid, but won the mayor’s office in 2018, defeating an incumbent who’d served for a decade. In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, he set some modest goals for a community that struggled to attract businesses.

At the end of his term, he hoped his city would be celebrating the arrival of a movie theater, a grocery store co-op and “some nice sit-down restaurants,” he said. He talked about starting a festival that could celebrate the city’s many cultures and spark some connections.

“Really bringing people together, bringing people together to celebrate, but bringing them together to govern, as well,” he said.

There are signs of progress. A labor organizer and former Brooklyn Center City Council candidate, Alfreda Daniels Juasemai, ran for office last year after noticing a “disconnect” between Brooklyn Center city officials and the city’s residents, she said. Most, if not all, unelected city staff and police officers don’t live in the city, and residents only see city council members during Halloween when they pass out campaign literature as they take their children trick-or-treating, she said.

Daniels Juasemai said Elliott is “trying his best” to change that through efforts like knocking on doors and asking residents how they’re doing, or encouraging community members to attend city council meetings.

Having a mayor that looks like many of his constituents fosters an understanding that was absent before Elliott was elected, she said.

“It’s easier for people in the city to connect with him, especially people within the Black and brown community, about the issues that are happening whether it’s in the city or the country and how we can use that to make Brooklyn Center a better place,” she said.

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Mohamed Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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