The Public Safety Task Force seeks to advance these five principles, adopted by the DMNA Board on 7-6-20:
- A Clear Accountability for Oversight of Police & Public Safety;
- MPD Reform & Reinvention;
- A Continuum of Safety Strategies;
- An Undeniable Role for Law Enforcement;
- Working Toward a Broad Consensus on the Path to a Safer City for Everyone.
These principles do not specify exactly what a future Minneapolis public safety system should look like, but they do offer a useful, flexible framework for discussing that question. Within this framework, for example, the idea of “dismantling MPD” is rejected entirely, as is the idea of allowing past policing practices to continue without reform. Between these rejected ideas, however, there is a wide middle ground for meaningful discussion of our public safety needs and how they can best be addressed in our city. The Task Force is designed to encourage and inform the downtown community’s participation in this public safety debate, through the city council’s official engagement process and through other means.
Your active participation in public engagement opportunities is essential! The policing & public safety decisions that our elected officials make in the coming months will have far-ranging consequences for Minneapolis and our downtown neighborhoods. The DMNA Public Safety Task Force is dedicated to providing you with as many informational tools as possible to help you influence our officials’ decisions, in ways that represent our collective best interests.