Minneapolis Candidates: Views on Public Safety

We believe there is no question more pressing to the November 2021 city elections in Minneapolis than candidate and voter viewpoints about public safety: how police and violence prevention programs are funded, and to what extent community members have a voice in how to improve on safety and public health.

Stress caused by violence in and out of the home (as well as being low-income in an increasingly expensive city), responses to gender-based violence and mental health crises, and long-standing incarceration of substance use rather than treatment have led to schisms in the way voters feel the city represents their needs.

Additionally, the prevalence of guns has led to an uptick in violent crimes nationwide. We have been keeping track of those incidents in Minneapolis, particularly North Minneapolis, where our office is located. You can find that growing list here.

These are not new issues. The question in November is: How do most Minneapolis voters want to see transformation happen?

A Department of Public Safety has been proposed as part of a YES 4 Minneapolis amendment campaign. This kind of department exists in nearby communities such as Plymouth, Maplewood, and Richfield.

We asked freelance journalist Cirien Saadeh to compile responses from Minneapolis City Council candidates about public safety. Here is what they told us, unedited. We are updating with news responses in the order they are received.