# Gordon Parks High School *High school on University Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota; one of three properties burned on May 28, 2020.* Gordon Parks High School stands on University Avenue in Saint Paul, [[Minnesota]]. It appears in the Minnesota record through one at-issue pair. That pair concerns the fires set on May 28, 2020 at three University Avenue properties: a Goodwill store, the school, and a sportswear shop. It also covers the federal sentence that followed.[^1] One man was sentenced to 78 months for those fires, and $39,028 in restitution was ordered. He fled to Mexico and was apprehended in February 2021. The pair records one conviction for the three buildings.[^1] ## Where The school is one of three properties on University Avenue in Saint Paul that were set on fire on May 28, 2020. The other two were a Goodwill store and a sportswear shop.[^1] ## What The fire at the school ended in a federal sentence that also covered the Goodwill store and the sportswear shop. The prison term was 78 months. The defendant left for Mexico and was taken into custody in February 2021.[^1] ## How much - Restitution of $39,028 was ordered in the sentence covering the school and the two neighbouring properties.[^1] - For the city as a whole, the [[City of St. Paul]]'s Planning and Economic Development department reported to its own council a total loss of $82 million from the May 2020 unrest. That figure comprised $73 million in property and $8.8 million in inventory. These figures are the city's estimate as reported in the press, not a court finding.[^2] ## How many - The pair covers three buildings and one conviction.[^1] - Press reporting dated May 27, 2021 counted 17 federal charges across the metro area, covering 11 buildings. The same reporting found that Ramsey County had charged 48 felonies, against 33 in Hennepin County.[^3] - The city's damage estimate covered about 330 buildings.[^2] ## In the at-issue record The pair is AI-Ramsey-091, ranked 91 in the project's Ramsey package. It falls under *Tier VI — The City, the Schools, and 2020*. The pair's sources are court records published on justice.gov.[^1] The project anchors the pair to a White House release dated May 2026.[^4] No pending federal matter in the pack names Gordon Parks High School. The record does not establish any federal civil-rights action concerning the school. The project's record of federal actions against the State is framed by [[United States Department of Justice]] release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026). That release is titled "United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime". It states that Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^5] ## Notes [^1]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, sentencing release on the arson of multiple St. Paul buildings (date not stated in the pack) — establishes the 78-month sentence, the $39,028 restitution, and the May 28, 2020 fires at three University Avenue properties, including Gordon Parks High School. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/rochester-man-sentenced-65-years-prison-arson-multiple-buildings-st-paul [^2]: Star Tribune, report on St. Paul civil-unrest damage (city estimate) — reports the city Planning and Economic Development department's figures to council: $82 million total ($73 million property, $8.8 million inventory) across about 330 buildings. https://www.startribune.com/civil-unrest-damage-in-st-paul-totals-82-million/572092302 [^3]: Minnesota Reformer, *One year later, few charges for the arson and destruction* (May 27, 2021) — reports 17 federal charges across the metro covering 11 buildings, and Ramsey County's 48 felony charges against Hennepin County's 33. https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/05/27/one-year-later-few-charges-for-the-arson-and-destruction/ [^4]: The White House, release (May 2026) — the anchor the project assigns to at-issue pair AI-Ramsey-091. https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/05/trump-administrations-full-scale-war-on-fraud/ [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — establishes the release title and the Attorney General's certification of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime