OpEd by robin4mpls: 'We are past Mayor Frey’s crocodile tears, his false promises, and his failed leadership.'
Despite years of calls for transparency and accountability, multiple lawsuits litigated on taxpayers’ dime, a Department of Justice investigation, and a murder so egregious that it sparked a global uprising, the MPD has shown time and time again that it is unwilling or unable to follow protocols the city sets to keep residents safe.
In a democracy, voters elect policymakers, and the city apparatus carries out and fulfills policies. The MPD has shown us that it is not interested in being part of our democracy. The department sees itself as above the law, because the city has. When Frey first ran for mayor five years ago, he promised to make changes to the MPD, but year after year, there's been no overhaul, no systemic reforms, and no policy changes have been presented to justify the increased budget.
A demonstrator outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on February 5, holds a photo of Amir Locke during a rally to protest his killing.We need a new Department of Public Safety staffed with an unarmed workforce. Many public safety programs already exist in various city departments, and under a single department they can be fully funded, better coordinated, and more accessible to the public.
As long as there is an MPD, we know that another Black person will lose their life at the hands of the police. We know that another family will lose a loved one to this violent, brutal system we have chosen to accept. We know another community will be torn apart by the grief and fear that comes from living in a city that does not care about you.
This is the terrible cycle our mayor has chosen to repeat. But we can make a different choice. We can build a system that addresses the root causes of crime. We can deploy our resources to make housing a human right, strengthen public education, and make sure everyone has what they need to thrive.
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