St. Paul Public Schools board member Chauntyll Allen is facing criticism following social media remarks suggesting that dogs be allowed to relieve themselves in Christian cemeteries as an alternative to a Minneapolis dog park facing closure. The comments were made on a Facebook page dedicated to the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park.
Allen, who also leads Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, allegedly wrote in a June 21 post, "I don’t get why we don’t just make dog parks at White Christian cemeteries if White Christians are ok with it? This is a simple fix. Leave the indigenous land sacred and piss on the White corpses."
The debate over the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park stems from its location within the Mni Owe Sni (Coldwater Spring) Traditional Cultural Place. This area is considered sacred to Dakota tribes, and unmarked graves from the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 are believed to be present. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted 8-1 to close the park by the end of the year due to these concerns.
Allen has been involved in other recent controversies. She faces federal felony charges in connection with an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest that occurred at Cities Church in St. Paul on January 18. During the protest, Allen and others reportedly stormed the church during services.
In a January interview with TMZ, Allen stated that ICE was "terrorizing our women and our children" and referred to the shooting death of a 37-year-old by an ICE officer as "the most graphic murder." She defended the church storming, telling TMZ, "I believe that’s what needed to be done to get the message across." Allen drew a parallel to Jesus Christ flipping tables when he found issues within the church.
The St. Paul Board of Education acknowledged awareness of Allen's social media post but declined to comment further. Allen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The pastor of Cities Church, Jonathan Parnell, condemned the protesters who disrupted his Sunday service as "shameful" and "malevolent darkness."