American culture relies on a myth of prosperity that justifies income inequality — we assume anyone can get ahead equally, which is not true if you look at cost of living and pay gaps.
If policing were a business, we would have reallocated its funding to proven strategies that work decades ago. The time has passed for small tweaks. Transformative change is necessary.
Equity and environmental justice have been a focal point for Janiece Watts for more than a decade. She is now at Fresh Energy, a nonprofit focused on transitioning Minnesota to a clean energy economy.
We might agree that the current justice and public safety system does not work, but what is the solution? Tearing it down? Testing new models? Electing different leaders to reshape the structure from within?
The ballot measure also gives City Council “a clear direction that affordability is a big issue to us, that we want to work on it together. This gives them the power and direction to make it a top priority.”
A change to the charter system with this ballot question — which was proposed by the Charter Commission — would consolidate more power in the hands of the mayor.
The nuance is a shift from centering the responder to one that anchors on a specific challenge or impetus for a call and honors the value of specialized training.
