FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2021
Press Contact: Trisha Harms, 612-210-0819 or Trisha@takeactionminnesota.org
NEWS STATEMENT
After Attacking DFL Process, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Misleads Delegates in Desperate Blame-Shifting Email
(Minneapolis, MN) –– On Wednesday, in an act of political desperation, Mayor Frey sent an email to the Minneapolis DFL delegates, asking for their support in this election. In the email (attached), Frey reminds delegates that leadership means remaining true to your values. Ironically, nobody has more fully abandoned their values than Jacob Frey, who ran in 2017 on his “disgust” over “a massive uptick in violent crimes, specifically shootings, and some of the worst police-community relations in a long time.” His central campaign promises — fixing community-police relations, ending police killings, and eliminating homelessness — are the areas where he has obstructed the most on behalf of special interests and downtown businesses, both before and after the murder of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frey’s letter begs delegates to forget the past — such as when he falsely claimed to have banned no-knock warrants — and he says that going forward, “you have my word that I’ll tell the truth.”
The truth is, Jacob Frey’s brand of leadership means demonizing the council members who have done the most to advance transformational change, and running from hard decisions. He has wielded the police department as a political weapon and shield — to repeatedly, violently suppress dissension, and then run for cover behind the chief. Now, after continually attempting to undermine the endorsement process, he is attempting to secure support by leveraging his own failure to keep our city safe from gun violence.
“The leaders who have stood by their values are the Northside council members, Jeremiah Ellison and Phillipe Cunningham, who were working on gun violence and policing before Mayor Frey even gave these issues lip service,” said Elianne Farhat, executive director of TakeAction Minnesota. “And instead of supporting their work, Frey chose to spend his resources trying to block them.”
Mayor Frey has put his ambition ahead of the duties of his office and has passed the blame on every issue. Frey and the old-guard network of Republican-aligned consultants, failed politicians, the police federation, and dark money groups his allies have unleashed on the city are actively pushing the lie that the Minneapolis Police Department has “14 bosses,” who are to blame for public safety issues, and that the people of Minneapolis have to choose between violent crime and police violence.
The reality is that the current City Charter gives the Mayor full authority over the police — but you don’t have to take our word for it. As Jacob Frey said himself on a campaign video in 2017, we have “some of the worst police-community relations in a long time. And that’s the Mayor’s job. The police report exclusively to the chief and the chief reports exclusively to the Mayor and that’s how it works.”
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TakeAction Minnesota is a statewide, multiracial grassroots organization advancing justice and equity through organizing, policy, and campaigns. Offices are located in St. Paul, Duluth, and St. Cloud.
