State senator gets petty misdemeanor for protest

Published 9:58 pm Tuesday, July 31, 2018

ST. PAUL — A Minnesota state senator and congressional candidate who was arrested after demonstrating against a company she said profits from migrant detention centers has pleaded guilty to a petty misdemeanor.

Sen. Patricia Torres Ray was arrested June 29 along with other protesters outside General Dynamics’ office in Bloomington. Their demonstration called attention to the company’s involvement in detention centers where children were separated from their families. The company says it provides only support services to those facilities.

Torres Ray and others arrested pleaded guilty to a petty misdemeanor with a fine on Tuesday.

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According to a press release, Torres Ray is one of several Democrats running to replace U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who is running for attorney general. Torres Ray is a fourth-term state senator from Minneapolis.