Public Safety Forum 38th & Chicago

Healthy CommunitiesPolicies & Ordinances

Sep 8

Written By REACH

Trey Joiner, City of Minneapolis

The 38th & Chicago Re-Envisioned Project will pick up the topic of Public Safety at its August Learning Table.

The conversation around Public Safety will be continued at Sabathani at the first (August) Learning Table hosted by PPP, NEOO Partners Inc. and the City of Minneapolis on the last Monday of the month.

On August 25, 2022, Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins hosted a meeting for the community focused on public safety particularly around 38th and Chicago, George Floyd Square. The turnout was robust.

Dr. Cedric Alexander introduced himself and shared his strategy after just three weeks as the new Commissioner of the Office of Community Safety. He described coordination between the police, fire, emergency management, OVP, and Office of Neighborhood Safety as his primary role and said, “It’s going to take all of us to bring this city a sense of safety.”

Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman expressed her wish for a safer and more peaceful Minneapolis while offering the grim statistics around increases in violent crime. She said the department’s strategy is laser-focused on getting guns off the streets. Incarcerate criminals was his primary push. He was later challenged by a neighbor who said, “You can’t arrest your way out of poverty. We need affordable housing, social services and harm reduction, jobs. We’re failing and there was no alternative offered.”

After hearing from Third Precinct Inspector Jose Gomez, the community was ready to be heard. The plan to hear about the 38th and Chicago Re-Envisioned Project was postponed and James Trice of the Public Policy Project began facilitating questions and comments for the panel from those in attendance.

Perspectives run the gamut, but one thing is clear – people want to know what will be done to restore trust between the public and the police and demanded to hear about immediate strategies to increase safety. Dr. Alexander apologized on behalf of the MPD saying, “ I apologize on behalf of all public safety for what happened to George Floyd and I mean that from the bottom of my heart… I promise you here this night, we will move forward and grow…the whole nation was traumatized and, in this community, severely traumatized.” Interim Mpls Police Chief Huffman shared her expectations for officers “to provide excellent customer service in every interaction with citizens. That they behave legally, ethically, constitutionally and demonstrate procedural justice.”