On June 21, the Minneapolis city council voted to let the people of Minneapolis have a say in the future of rent stabilization and public safety. This fall, Minneapolis residents will be able to vote on charter amendments that would protect working people and families, put people over corporate profits, and create holistic, life-affirming approaches to community safety.
Police-only models of public safety don’t work. In Minneapolis, much of this is because of the Minneapolis Police Department’s historic, entrenched white supremacy and corruption, which selectively serves and protects white, wealthy communities. But it’s also because policing doesn’t address the real issues that put our neighbors at risk, like housing insecurity or lack of access to healthcare.
Instead of criminalizing and further displacing our unhoused community members, we can create policies that help every person and family maintain stable housing. If our neighbor experiences a mental health crisis, we can protect them from further trauma by sending trained medical responders – not armed police officers.
I’m so proud of my city, and excited for our future – because right now, we have a chance to make those changes. I’m grateful for community organizers and elected officials who’ve already spent years working towards a future that serves and protects all of us. It’s thanks to them that Minneapolis will launch mental health crisis response teams next month. This is a huge win, and it’s still just the beginning.
Get involved and take action to continue this big, beautiful work with us. I’m excited to see our BIPOC community members at our July 27th People’s Movement Assembly (PMA). My coworker Cacje reminded us this week that because police violence against Black and brown bodies has been an ongoing unaddressed crisis for centuries, it’s important that BIPOC voices lead this discussion – and have clear input on the way forward. Register to join us.
All of our community members are welcome at the following PMA on August 10th. You can also get plugged in through public safety phone bank shifts on Wednesdays and Sundays.
See you there,
Jessie
