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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL)

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Rep. Raymond Dehn joins national backlash against KSTP segment

Friday, November 7, 2014

Minneapolis, MN – State Representative Raymond Dehn (DFL – Minneapolis) says he is proud of the surging national grassroots backlash against a segment aired last night by Twin Cities ABC affiliate KSTP-TV.

“I am very disappointed by KSTP’s portrayal of a courageous young man working hard to improve his life and his community,” said Dehn. “This is a young man our community should support, not cast aside. I am proud of his work to engage his neighbors and urge them to participate in our democratic process, especially when he himself is barred from exercising that sacred right.”

Dehn added that he once made bad decisions in the past but was given an opportunity to turn his life around, eventually leading him to become deeply involved in community activism and public service as a State Representative.

“I firmly believe that everyone should have that same opportunity to improve their lives. It is a shame that KSTP chose to portray this young man in such a negative light when he is taking steps to rebuild his life. This is incredibly irresponsible journalism. We expect and deserve better from the press.”

As of Friday, November 7, the KSTP-TV segment became the top trending topic on Twitter in the entire country, with national media outlets such as Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Salon, Talking Points Memo and many others blasting the coverage.