Daunte Wright's Mom: Brooklyn Center Says It Won't Touch Memorial
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (WCCO) -- It has been nearly a year since Daunte Wright was killed by police in Brooklyn Center.
He was fatally shot by now-former officer Kim Potter during a traffic stop on April 11 near the intersection of 63rd Avenue North and Kathrene Drive.
For Daunte's mother, Katie Wright, the intersection is sacred.
"Actually, right at the top of this location, I [sat] here all summer long like whenever I come out here. This is actually where Daunte's body laid for hours while I sat over there watching," Wright said. "This space is honestly so important. My son was cremated so we don't have a cemetery to go visit, so I do, I do relate to this as his burial space."
It's a space to come and connect with her son.
"I talk to him, I feel him here when I'm here," she said.
Wright says she was "hurt" when she thought it was possible the city wanted to clear out the space.
"They were anticipating on archiving some stuff and hopefully putting a more permanent memorial in other locations," she said.
Wright tells WCCO she met with city officials Tuesday, who assured her everything would stay right where it is, and that it would transition into a more permanent memorial in her son's honor.
"We came to an agreement that the permanent location would be here," she said. "I feel like taking this location away will take away a part of history, like it never happened, and I think that people need to know what happened on this street corner."
As the snow melts away at the site, months after Daunte's death. It's clear the pain doesn't.
"It's been a long year, but at the same time ... it feels like it's just flown by and it's still so unreal," she said. "It seems like just yesterday Daunte was knocking at the door to come into the house because it was, you know, time for dinner."
And now this mother is just grateful that she'll still have her place to come and talk with her son.
The family is planning a community celebration for the one-year anniversary of Daunte's death next month.
Potter was sentenced to two years in prison in February for manslaughter. She says she meant to grab her Taser, but instead grabbed her handgun and shot Wright once in the chest.