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COLOR OF CHANGE: COUNCIL APPROVAL OF MAYOR FREY’S BUDGET MARKS YET ANOTHER MOVE TO APPEASE POLICE, ENDANGER BLACK AND BROWN LIVES 

For Immediate Release

December 9, 2021

Contact: media@colorofchange.org

COLOR OF CHANGE: COUNCIL APPROVAL OF MAYOR FREY’S BUDGET MARKS YET ANOTHER MOVE TO APPEASE POLICE, ENDANGER BLACK AND BROWN LIVES 

Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice and Democracy Campaigns at Color Of Change, issued this statement following the Minneapolis City Council’s vote approving Mayor Jacob Frey’s 2022 budget, which increases MPD funding by nearly $27 million:

“This budget vote flies in the face of more than two years of community activism, local demands for police accountability, and commitments from Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minneapolis City Council to stand up for racial justice. With a whopping $27 million increase in police spending, this budget all but ensures that Minneapolis maintains its status quo of racist, violent policing, while systematically shortchanging proven methods of harm reduction in the city.

“After the police murders of George Floyd, Mayor Frey and the City Council committed themselves to protecting Black residents of Minneapolis and advancing racial justice. But their words and actions since then have shown that this was just lip service. Last year, Mayor Frey stepped aside while the Minneapolis Charter Commission stopped a proposal to reimagine public safety from reaching a public vote. And when Ballot Question 2 — a transformative proposal that would have built the infrastructure for a department of public safety that Minneapolis communities fully support — made it onto the November ballot, Mayor Frey and his administration led a massive fear mongering campaign to kill it. This budget represents yet another move from the Frey administration to appease the police department and undermine community demands. This decision will ultimately further endanger the lives of Black and Brown Minneapolis residents.

“City budgets represent our priorities and values. With the passage of this budget, it’s clear that the mayor and City Council prioritize police and violence over proven strategies that actually keep communities safe like mental health resources, education, violence prevention, affordable housing and health care access. Our communities need resources to fund these programs –– not violent policing. It is time for Minneapolis and leaders on the local, state, and federal level to fund violence prevention and prioritize people over police.”

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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org

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