South Minneapolis neighbors say they want neither of city's MPD 3rd Precinct site proposals
MINNEAPOLIS -- It's been nearly three years since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, and the subsequent civil unrest that followed.
Since May 2020, the spot the 3rd Precinct once sat has been shuttered and surrounded by barbed wire, with its future still hanging in the balance.
Where the precinct once stood is also one of two potential rebuild locations being considered by the city of Minneapolis. But some neighbors are begging them to slow down and listen.
"We have a moment now to change that narrative and do something different," Powderhorn resident Sam Gould said.
Neighbors, business owners, and other community partners stood together at Minneapolis City Hall Tuesday morning to oppose the city's plans. Leading the charge is a 3rd Precinct neighborhood organization, the Longfellow Community Council. It says the city hasn't really engaged with the people who live here.
"It turned into an either/or and not an open conversation," LCC executive director Rachel Boeke said.
The city did ask for the community's feedback through a survey and public meetings within the last few years. A survey conducted by the city shows that 75% don't want to see police enter into either building proposal.
"Without knowing what goes on within, how can we make a choice on where it should go? This is a recipe for repeat distrust and the fear-based divisions in the years ahead," Anna Tsantir, of Two Bettys Cleaning Company, said.
Neighbors say they're angry and hurt. They're proposing a new plan that would pause this move until next year and allow those living and working in the 3rd Precinct to have their voices heard.
"It is about us as residents, as business owners, as elected leaders, as representatives of this great city to stand together and demonstrate to the world that we can do better together. That this is not about being bitter. This is not about blaming. This is not about bombast. This is about clearly stating, when moments like these arise, that we should be clear, sober, and radically intentional," Tabitha Montgomery, with the Powderhorn Park Neighbor Association said.
"The community members of the 3rd Precinct are traumatized. Last month I saw a room full of business owners in tears because the city is pushing forward a return to the status quo without any attempt at building trust and addressing the community's trauma," the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association's Nickey Robare said.
Minneapolis City Council member Robyn Wonsley also spoke alongside neighbors, emphasizing that Minneapolis can't afford to get this wrong.
"The City of Minneapolis cannot afford to get this wrong, and moving froward with either option would be getting it wrong and doubling down on a system that led to the murder of George Floyd in the first place," Wonsley said.
WCCO reached out to the city, and received the following statement:
"City leaders determined a 3rd precinct building needs to be within the geographic boundary of the 3rd precinct area. Currently, Officers assigned to the 3rd Precinct are operating out of a building in downtown Minneapolis, which makes public safety service delivery inefficient. An analysis of available sites within the precinct boundaries resulted in two viable locations identified. These two locations are the only ones that met all of the City's siting criteria and preferred conditions. The City is now asking the community to choose between these two locations.
"The City is making an intentional effort to hear from the people who live in, work in and visit the precinct area on where they would like to have a new precinct building. In partnership with DeYoung Consulting, a survey was conducted to collect public opinions on these two locations. Five precinct-wide community conversations were held last month to collect their thoughts and opinions, with City staff on hand to meet the on-the-spot interpretation needs of attendees. To ensure we reached a wider group of people, eight additional in-language conversations were hosted with cultural and under-represented communities for input in the process. People also shared their points of view online. A report is expected in June.
"One of the goals of the engagement process is to 'Share community input with City leadership and decision-makers.' Ultimately, the information collected will be presented to the mayor and council members so they can make an informed decision based on community feedback."