Steve CramerDowntown Minneapolis is growing – with new businesses, new housing and new restaurants coming online every month. "I think what Mayor Frey and the City Council did with this plan is good for public safety," said Tamburino. |

The count goes on — with Biden on the cusp of presidency, Minnesota virus hospitalizations top 1,000 as cases hit another high, 'Boogaloo Bois' face new charges for possessing machine guns, silencers, Election protesters shined laser in officer's eyes, kicked another in groin, charges say, Duluth resumes COVID-19 restrictions as virus affects police, Several Minnesota Republicans join Trump in raising election concerns, Man who shot Waseca officer gets maximum 35 year sentence, Biden recaptures lost ground as many Minnesota counties move left, 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities this week, One of the quirkiest buildings in downtown Minneapolis began as a roller rink, 'Play smart and get a win': Vikings look to avoid historically bad start at home, Vacant nursing home in St. Paul could become apartments, Blighted Mounds View motel site could be turned into senior, affordable apartments, Think the Minneapolis skyline is unique?

Forty-seven murders were reported during that time this year, compared with the 24 reported during the same period in 2019, according to data compiled from the Minneapolis Police Department. We need to ensure that our police have the capacity to deter crime and deal with problems. "And a lot of that violence and crime is killing African-Americans in this city, and we do not need to see more cops out there right now. That’s why we’re pleased that the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey passed a city budget compromise that provides increased funding for … If you’re interested in joining the discussion, add your voice to the Comment section below — or consider writing a letter or a longer-form Community Voices commentary. It allocates only one-year funding for two tree-preservation positions. He also writes about immigration and music on occasion. "We have more police, but we still have more dead bodies and violence," said Flowers. We endorse a holistic approach to improving public safety, including working to improve occurrences of poverty, mental health crises, addiction and trauma that can result in crimes. The totals include 36 more COVID-19 deaths along with a record-shattering one-day total of 5,454 diagnosed infections. Concerns about public safety have been an ongoing conversation in Minneapolis this year. © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); KSTP-TV, LLC KRWF-TV FCC Public Inspection File (Submission Guidelines). It makes sense for the number of available police officers to grow as well. The protesters disrupted the meeting several times through the mayor’s budget speech. The extra police recruiting class means the city could add as many as 30 new police officers depending on the number of graduates in each of the three classes. Some commissioners expressed concern for how those positions would be funded after 2020.

“If policing was going to help our problem, it would have happened by now,” said Mysnikol Miller, a neighborhood organizer on the North Side. “Imagine what that [will be] when there is some construction or development there,” he said, calling the increase “unreasonable.”. He pleaded not guilty. Affordable housing and a full police cadet class are among the highlights of the budget, which carries the largest property tax levy increase in a decade. Also on Wednesday, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approved its $126.2 million budget on a 5-3 vote.

Macalester College president says reimbursing fines for protesters is "equity issue.". Site Map, This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. It eliminates free after-school programming at four locations proposed by Superintendent Al Bangoura earlier this year, and shifted $100,000 to youth programming specifically in underserved communities of color. The hike will be felt most acutely in less wealthy pockets of the city, where property taxes are expected to rise more than 20% next year. A mother fox waited patiently as her three little kits spent time playing with each other and feeding. Terms of Use | Indictment says former Mpls. You can also learn about all our free newsletter options.

That’s why we’re pleased that the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey passed a city budget compromise that provides increased funding for police staffing and expands investments in violence prevention. We appreciate the hard work of Mayor Frey and the City Council, who were able to forge a path forward that shows public safety is an important priority for our city and includes investments to back that up. Everyone who lives, works and visits Minneapolis deserves better than what they’ve been experiencing in recent months. These initiatives reflect the need to engage all parts of our community to prevent crimes before they happen. | Steve Cramer is the president & CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. Mayor Jacob Frey's budget also included $31 million for affordable housing, more than $400,000 for the Office of Crime Prevention and more than $250,000 for downtown community organizations who work with at-risk youth.

It also will pay for a new civil rights investigator as well. Miguel Otárola is a reporter covering Minneapolis City Hall for the Star Tribune. ", Mayor Frey, council members amend Minneapolis police budget; look to add recruit class. After initially proposing to hire 14 officers — a measure that drew a swift outcry from some community groups — Frey and council members negotiated to put the funding toward hiring and training 38 cadets in an effort to strengthen the shrinking department.