2021 Budget Public Comments

Home , Defund the police, George Floyd Square

From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: $5M general fund Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 10:23:56 AM

Jeremy I see in the StarTribune that you have an idea to fund these new programs with what appears to be money not currently in the budget for police. The article wasn’t clear, but if you are looking to fund these new programs without raiding the Mayor’s MPD budget, I applaud that. Al Giesen From: Kaj Benson To: Cano, Alondra (External); Council Comment; Faulkner, Graham R Subject: [EXTERNAL] Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:56:39 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council,

My name is Kaj Benson, and I live in Ward Nine. I am a trauma therapist whose office is across the street from where the MPD murdered George Floyd, and I am writing from that perspective to comment on the city budget for 2021.

I am writing again to urge you to invest our tax dollars in public safety strategies that actually work, and not in the Minneapolis Police Department. I hope the events of the past year have finally convinced you (as they have many in Minneapolis and around the world) that the MPD is an ineffective, violent, and unaccountable organization that is itself a threat to the public safety of our communities.

Instead of continuing to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the same failed “public safety” strategies that center the MPD, I’m asking you to fund strategies that have generated proven results and have widespread acceptance in the city, including:

1. Expanding non-police alternatives to 911

2. Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice offices

3. Actually affordable housing, particularly for houseless and/or disabled city residents

4. Accessible mental healthcare for all

In the past year, the city council unanimously committed to a "transformative new model for cultivating safety in our city." I am joining my neighbors in presenting to you one aspect of our plan for a better public safety system, and I am demanding that you honor your commitments to us. I demand that you strongly consider the budget ideas put forward from Reclaim the Block, as well as the community leaders at 38th and Chicago Ave.

I want City Council to stand by their commitment in June to dismantle and defund the MPD! This backpedaling is doing nothing for our communities, and only continuing to harm my neighbors.

Thank you, Kaj Benson

-- Kaj Benson, LAMFT they/them pronouns 612-421-8083 Edges Wellness Center 730 E 38th St Minneapolis, MN 55407

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Colleen Kepler To: Council Comment; Frey, Jacob Cc: Palmisano, Linea Subject: [EXTERNAL] ** I Support The Chief With The Mayor"s 2021 Budget ** Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:43:23 PM

PUBLIC HEARING 12/2/20: Budget and Public Safety (please make this a part of the public record)

My name is Colleen from the Fulton neighborhood. I condemn the murder of George Floyd. With 18 prior complaints filed against Chauvin, fixing the system that provides immunity without accountability should be top priority.

The 2021 Budget is not the tool to do this. We often hear this Council call the Budget a moral document, one that reflects our values.

A majority of residents feel the police force should NOT be reduced, with black voters notably 6 points higher in demanding this than the general population. Is it moral that the same Council that claims to be centered on race equity ignores the needs of black residents?

In Chicago, there is research from 2019 related to police misconduct. Less than 5 percent of Chicago cops account for most the city’s police misconduct cases and civilian complaints. While data for Minneapolis is not confirmed, if the worst 5% of officers were held accountable, and the other 95% were properly supported, public trust would be gained. The 95% of police trying to do their jobs do not need this body undermining their critical roles in keeping our city safe.

Six of you feel that the budget is the right tool and this is the right time for punishment of the police and their highly regarded Chief. But we have witnessed results of putting the squeeze on police resources: crime goes WAY UP. The police budget is 12% of the budget and cannot be stripped further.

I expect the Budget to reflect our values. PR stunts to act like change-makers without doing the basic work of keeping our city safe is IMMORAL. Give us a properly staffed police department and stabilize our city. I adamantly oppose the Safety For All proposal and ask that the Mayor’s Budget be the minimum level of resources that are supplied to our Chief to provide critical public safety.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Ashley Smith To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:35:53 PM

Hello, my name is Ashley Smith. I have lived in the Standish Ericsson neighborhood for 8 years, and I’m an ACLU member. I was unable to attend the meeting this evening, but wish to share my thoughts on the proposed ‘safety for all’ budget plan.

Now more than ever, the city and community needs to invest in more affordable housing solutions. Now more than ever, Minneapolis needs to invest in designated mental health staff. Reform of MPD has been tried time and time again. How much longer will we keep the current system despite continued racial disparities in how the community is policed?

I ask the City Council to pass the ‘safety for all’ budget plan proposed by Councilmembers Fletcher, Cunningham, and Bender. This is an important step in moving from traditional policing to community-based crime and violence prevention efforts. It won’t be easy, and there are no simple solutions, but I believe that together, we can reimagine what creates public safety.

Thank you for taking testimony on this crucial issue.

Ashley Smith [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Stephen Tannen To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] “People’s” Budget? Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:42:56 PM

City Council,

Simple means to support “the people”: FULLY fund the Mayor’s and Chief Aradondo’s budget.

Next steps:

1. 1,000 MPD Officers now 2. Yes to mental health & social workers imbedded in Precincts but NOT at expense of MPD 3. Mandatory Quarterly MPD ride alongs for City Council 4. No Tax $$$ for Private Security... get your CCW, city council 5. Stadiums for Homeless- Our Tax $$$ paid for them. They’re under utilized. House the homeless at USB, Target Field + Center and TCF 6. Residency incentive for MPD to live in the neighborhood where they work. 7. Hiring-Firing decisions for MPD rest with the Mayor and Chief. NOT Bob Kregg’s and his blind minions.

RLTW, Steve 612-251-1119

Me? Hispanic USASOC Combat Veteran and Minneapolis resident 1998. Dad of 3 girls. Small Biz Owner. Reluctant CCW 2a citizen and apolitical (neither party owns 100% truths). MBA.

Sent from my iPhone [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Senkiwjames To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2Dec20 budget meeting Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 6:18:08 PM

What is the people’s budget? Is it published somewhere?

Eric Won brought up the fact that Cunningham published a bunch of studies hours prior to the meeting, to which he or anyone had time to review prior to the meeting. That’s total crap, Cunningham wants justify his position presenting information that only he reviewed (if he even reviewed it at all). That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

I also believe we need to be able to know who belongs to the groups Black Visions Collective, Isaiah and Reclaimed the block! I believe it’s unfair that they get on these calls and claim allegiance to these groups and spout the same thing over and over wasting time and preventing independent tax payers from getting to comment!

They should be represented by 1 speaker for the entire group.

The way they do this is a tactical ploy to silence the voices of the community.

That behavior, as far as I’m concerned, is a means to distort the public opinion.

Anyone with a functional brain that can claim they feel safe in this city is a liar, plain and simple.

Those that reported feeling safe in connection with a illegally established autonomous zone are not citizens of the city and should not be allowed to speak on city budget decisions AT ALL!

Those folks are criminals who decided to cut themselves off from the norms of civil discourse! When the city budget proposals are presented THAT IS THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION not some “People’s Budget” that wasn’t legally prepared and presented to all residents. WE NEED TO DEMAND THIS ANARCHIST IDEOLOGY NOT BE ALLOWED TO DISTRACT CITY BUSINESS, it’s a bunch of noise which as far as I’m concerned serves the general public no good.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Hugh Aylward To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 8 million reduction in police funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:49:45 PM

Councilmembers, After listening to the concerns of constituents on Dec 2 meeting, I implore you to maintain current police funding and work with the Police Chief and Mayor to address the level of crime that is occurring in Minneapolis. I am a Mental Health Professional and would urge you to include the mental health community in decisions about having Mental Health Professionals involved in various police calls.

Hugh Aylward MA LP President Kelly Norton Programs 3104 East 58th Street Minneapolis, MN 55417 (O) 612 726-1502 (f) 612 726-1009

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jessie To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 12/2 budget hearing Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:04:00 PM

I live in Ward 8, represented by Andrea Jenkins. I strongly support the People’s Budget and I ask that the council adopt it.

I have lived in Minneapolis for 17 years and I live in south Minneapolis, just 6 blocks from Chicago and 38th St, where George Floyd was murdered. I support the People’s Budget because business as usual is not enough and reform has proven to not be enough. Our community needs support and the resources to pull people out of trouble — not to arrest, inflict violence against and to incarcerate them.

Please adopt and move forward with the People’s Budget. Thank you. Jessie

Sent from my iPhone

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Mrauchwarter To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 12/2 hearing comment from #345 Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:52:07 PM

Council members and city leadership;

My name is Monica Rauchwarter. I lived in the Standish Ericsson neighborhood for 7 years, and I’m an ACLU member.

I was forced to move from my Minneapolis duplex when my nonresident landlord sold the property at the beginning of the pandemic. Now more than ever, the city needs to invest in more affordable housing solutions. I have walked past folks experiencing distress, but I have been afraid to call for help due to the very real danger that law enforcement presents to those experiencing a mental illness crisis. Now more than ever, Minneapolis needs to invest in designated mental health and social service staff rather than armed officers. In the community comments, I am hearing the fear in my neighbors voices, but I ask: How much longer will we keep the current system despite continued racial disparities in how the community is policed? How much longer will some look to reform despite the fact that reform has failed time and time again? How much longer will we continue to uphold the status quo despite the fact that it is clear that the status quo was working only for certain members of the community?

Thank you for taking testimony on this crucial issue.

Sincerely,

Monica Rauchwarter

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Ben Frank To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 12/2 meeting, budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:30:08 PM

I am writing to register my support of the people's budget and a city that invests in people first.

At a minimum, the council must support parts one and two of the safety for all plan.

I live in ward 4. My neighbors need food, housing, and healthcare. They need the most basic things. They do not need people who live by lakes on the south side to feel nice while walking their goddamn dogs and reading nonsense on nextdoor.

Please do what you said you would do when you responded to the police- city staff- murder of George Floyd. It is time to vote for a budget that puts people first.

Ben Frank

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jeffrey Meehan To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 12/2 Public Hearing/Budget Meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:05:04 PM Importance: High

1.) Please support Mayor Frey's 2021 budget - including 3- MPD Recruit classes, reinstatement of Community Service Officer Program (CSO's), and expansion of Mental Health Co-Responder Program.

2.) Total rejection of the Council's ill-advised move to cut funds by $8 Million to further deplete MPD Officers to 750.

Crime is out of control despite the valiant effort of MPD staff being stretched dangerously thin. The Council cut will only make a bad situation worse.

Jeffrey Meehan 221 First Avenue NE Minneapolis 55413 [email protected] [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Lauren Cutshall To: Council Comment; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2021 Budget and Police Funding Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:17:57 AM

Dear Minneapolis City Council,

I am writing in response to the upcoming City Budget conversations, with concerns about priorities. These times are full of change, anxiety, hope and fear. The pandemic has left us with a strained economy as well as more basic safety and survival needs.These include safety, housing, health, food, jobs, and racial justice. The history of segregation and injustice in the city is well-documented, and highlighted by the murder of George Floyd.

I'd like to see the City do something radical that's needed in these times: prioritize the needs of those most hurt by historic injustice and the pandemic. This would mean health, mental health, housing, job training, etc. It also means safety. However, I do not agree with the old habit of relying only on police for this. The police have proven time and again, regardless of leadership quality, that they are infused with racism and play into a society that is built on systemic racism. I am not willing to fund that. Of course there are good police, but I'd like them to speak out of the blue wall of silence. I would like to see a transition away from the MPD to neighborhood peacekeeping forces, mental health and housing support, etc. As you know, there is a lot of work already in motion on this, and much of it is taking an antiracist approach. I'd like the Council to support that. I truly believe that working together in this way will be the key to making our city a better one for all.

Thank you for your service, your time, and your commitment to the People of Minneapolis,

Lauren Cutshall

LAUREN CUTSHALL PHOTOGRAPHER. WRITER. 612.718.4069. [email protected] www.laurencutshall.com

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Lisa Metzbower To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2021 Budget Hearings public comment Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:25:09 PM

Hello. I am a single middle-aged white woman for what it’s worth. I moved to North Minneapolis from the Macalaster-Groveland neighborhood in Saint Paul in 2019.

I urge your support of the Safety For All budget plan.

I currently live next to the SWAT training facility on Emerson Ave N. What they taunt as I walk by, what I hear them say to my Black neighbors is shocking even to my jaded brain.

The only crime or harassment I’ve gotten since moving here has been by police officers. I was riding as a passenger in a car that had no stickers or anything that showed political or other opinions. I didn’t even know a police SUV had pulled up next to us. I was singing along to the radio. Suddenly a loudspeaker voice was telling me to look over, making fun of my hair (?), and telling me that if I want to fight then step out of the car and let’s fight. I thought it was on the car radio and was utterly confused. After the four officers in that SUV and the two other squad SUVs behind them started pulling away once the light turned green, I saw them all laughing and looking at me. People in other cars asked us to pull over to see if I was ok and find out what was going on. I told them what I tell you now: I have no idea. But it jives with what the say to us as we walk by if groups of them are gathered in their parking lot.

I’m incredibly lucky: I feel entirely safe in my house and yard here. My car is safe. My neighbors on the side, in front, on the alley, are wonderful. I walk my dog alone all the time, day and night; so do all my single women neighbors here. Literally the only thing we are scared of is MPD.

I have been terrified to speak up on the record because I fear the retribution of MPD officers.

But the comments I heard today from older white citizens living outside north mpls, talking about the northside and its residents was appalling. Please disregard every word from people not living here. Councilman Cunningham has my support and the support of everyone I know here. He knows my area, knows us, and is leading well. I urge everyone whose Wards are, possibly for the first time seeing issues you used to think were endemic only to the Northside, to listen to his proposals on crime control and solutions. He speaks for me and for the people in this part of town who have lived forever without the types of police response you have all assumed was your right to have.

Thank you for your time.

Lisa Metzbower 4202 Emerson Ave N [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nance Kent To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2021 city budget, input for Dec 2 meeting Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 10:15:28 AM

Dear Minneapolis City Council, I am writing concerning the City Budget, with concerns about priorities. These times are full of change, anxiety, hope and fear. The pandemic has left us with a strained economy, and more basic safety and survival needs.These include safety, housing, health, food, jobs, and racial justice. The history of segregation and injustice in the city is well-documented, and highlighted by the murder of George Floyd. I'd like to see the City do something radical that's needed in these times: prioritize the needs of those most hurt by historic injustice and the pandemic. This would mean health, mental health, housing, job training, etc. It also means safety, but I do not agree with going to our old habit of relying on the police for this. The police have proven time and again, regardless of leadership quality, that they are infused with racism and a mafia-like attitude. Of course there are good police, but I'd like them to speak out of the blue wall of silence. An example of this problem is that MPD Capt. Art Knight said one phrase in a Strib article about the "white boys" in the force, and he got demoted by the Chief. I am not willing to fund that, and would like to see a transition away from the MPD to neighborhood peacekeeping forces, mental health and houseless support, etc. As you know, there is a lot of work already in motion on this, and I'd like the Council to support that. Thank you for your service, your time, and your commitment to the People of Minneapolis, nance Kent 4400 Upton Ave. S., #407 Minneapolis, MN 55410

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nathan Stahn To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2021 City Budget: Public Hearing 12/2/2020 Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:03:11 AM

Nathan Stahn: Ward 3

Good evening,

As a resident of Minneapolis I ask you to support our mayor's budget proposal and work with our police chief to find solutions to fund additional programs to address issues within our community regarding public safety. I support a fully funded police department in accordance with our charter.

Thank you

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Hannah Sheaffer To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2021 City Budget Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 8:45:34 PM

Greetings.

In regards to the 2021 city budget discussion scheduled for 12/2/20, I am calling on the Minneapolis City Council to redirect funding from the Minneapolis Police Department to developing agencies led by social workers that will better meet the needs of the community. The goals of these agencies would include but not be limited to:

preventing violent crime providing additional services to the homeless community providing support to victims of crime developing an infrastructure for community-led safety programs increasing programming and support for people with mental health crises moving responses to property crime, theft, and all other non-violent incidents to 311 calls This last bullet is particularly important to me, as I (and many people that I have spoken to) have lost trust in 911 and do not feel safe calling it.

I appreciate your time and serious consideration in this matter.

Hannah Sheaffer she/her/hers m: 612-387-8682 e: [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Sarah Lechner To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2021 City Budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 2:16:03 PM

I’m writing because the vote in the City Council is coming up on whether the proposed project of Safety For All - which seems to have pretty broad support - will have a budget funded by “market-based” or other alternative solutions, or will be funded by a fairly small (and if fruitful, possibly increasing) divestment from the police budget. I know our mayor and police chief do not want the money to come from the police. And I know with the surging crime rate, many of my fellow Minneapolitans are longing for a heavier police presence and are saying this crime surge proves that divestment doesn’t work.

But this increase in crime is NOT the result of any divestment. In my opinion, this is the result of continued police mismanagement and bad faith. I don’t blame Chief Arradondo for the increase in murders and other crimes. I do blame him for a failure of creative imagination. And a lot of the blame falls on the police “union,” and the attitude of too many of our officers.

The police complain they are traumatized and feel under-appreciated. I say, it is the residents - the taxpayers - of our city who have actually been traumatized and are under-appreciated. People of color have been traumatized for decades. And now under Covid fears and restrictions, we all are experiencing an additional level of trauma that is crippling. But we have no alternative but to solve our own problems, tighten our own belts.

The police problem in Minneapolis is not one that will be solved by more money for the police. That has been demonstrated. Over and over.

Between 2003 and 2019, the city of Minneapolis paid settlements, claims and judgments totaling $25.2 million. Taxpayer money. Currently, there are about 90 office on long-term PAID leave. The average police salary in the city is around $68,000. That’s $6 million dollars right there. Taxpayer money. This does not even include benefits. That is the scandal, not the call for “defunding.” Some of these officers may be disabled, some claim to have been injured or traumatized by events over the summer of unrest. And more are exploring the possibility of going on leave. Are they saying, since we cannot be on the streets in uniform, let us each find a way to work to make the city a more peaceful, safer place - let us still serve and protect in some useful way? No. They are on LEAVE, collecting their salaries for nothing while disaffected teenagers grab people’s’ phones and ride around in stolen cars because they see no path to - have no hope for - a life of possibility and promise. While impoverished and unemployed residents settle scores with gunfire.

90 officers in plainclothes could be working with residents of every neighborhood to come together to improve conditions on the ground.

The media call the amount in question “significant.” To be clear, I am not even talking about the proposed People’s Budget which does include significant cuts ($53 million.)

In question today is a mere $8 million for the Safety for All budget and a $5 million reduction in overtime funding. Out of a $179 million budget.

The $8 million in question for the Safety for All budget is a small fraction (less than 4 1/2%) of the police budget. We residents have been sacrificing an enormous amount. We have been belt-tightening. And we remain on the hook as taxpayers to fund all these salaries - whether any work is being done for the money or not - —

As for the overtime issue - since 2011 the overtime spent has been jumping higher and higher. Even before the $3.3 million for overtime following the murder of George Floyd, the overtime spending was rising. Overtime spending, and the stresses of overtime itself, represent a bad and seemingly permanent “short term” solution to long-standing problems.

History tells us that not changing the basis of a bad situation results NOT in creative solutions, but in the perpetuation of the problems.

A poll in August found that 73% of residents of our city supported “defunding the police.” I am still one of them.

I am entreating the council to vote for this modest divestment.

Thank you,

Sarah Lechner South Minneapolis resident and voter

Sent from my iPad [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Casey Holmstrom To: Bender, Lisa; Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] About the Minneapolis City Council meeting - December 2, 2020 Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:02:19 PM

Hi there,

I hope you are doing well. I live in Ward 10 and in Whittier. I live in a city and I feel safe. I am concerned about the people I work with and their safety, I currently work at Healthcare for the Homeless in Hennepin - as a housing worker/ social worker. I want to make this short because I'm sure you have people writing essays to you, but in listening to the City Council meeting tonight, I am concerned that the people that I serve are being overlooked by other residents. My clients are getting more and more desperate as we have less and less housing and opportunity during these COVID times. I'm hopeful that things are turning around for sure, and appreciate all that you all have done to advocate for those who are facing the most adversity. We need to put health first (mental and physical health services), fund prevention (not punishment), and help communities thrive.

Thank you for your time and thank you for all you are doing.

Thank you,

Casey Holmstrom

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Netta Johnson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] better funded not defunded. Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:10:31 PM keep it funded. Tax the liquor stores and improve MPD with more funding. We need a well paid MPD with better tools to work with.

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Megan Gannon To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget | I DO NOT support the PEOPLE"s BUDGET Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:34:07 PM

I DO NOT support the People's Budget. Interesting how an activist group with deep pockets is pushing this agenda. I want the people of MINNEAPOLIS to be heard, not a heavily funded marketing campaign! I DO NOT want to live in an experiment.

Megan Gannon

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: bakminn To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget 2021 Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:41:36 AM

I've lived in downtown Minneapolis for ten years. I love this city, but I hate what the council's agenda regarding defunding the police has done to the city. As you continue to go against the wishes of the constituency, what will you do when people vote with their feet and flee the city? You can't possibly be so naive to think the possibility of Detroit 2.0 is appealing? There are twice as many real estate listings as there usually is. I fear that between the pandemic and the council's dangerous rhetoric, Minneapolis may be beyond recovery.

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jana Hoffmann To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget and Police Support and Funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:21:43 AM Attachments: video of shotting 11.30.20.MOV

I am writing to you regarding the proposed reduction in the Police force and budget.

As a building owner in Mpls that has businesses that are vital to the community, Dollar General and a Hardware store are just a couple of the businesses our building supports, I feel it is imperative to write to you.

The increase in crime since the unrest in Minneapolis has made it totally unsafe to be in the area. There are shootings happening in broad daylight and no police available to respond. The criminals are currently being allowed to run our city, and beyond into the suburbs.

Due to what has happened and the position of the City Council, many of the police have quit, retired, or are on medical leave due to the stress and lack of support.

The residents in Minneapolis and beyond need business and a SAFE community to be able to live and function.

If the City Council is able to move forward with defunding the police, that will most certainly be putting an end to any and all business in Minneapolis and the desire to live there.

The city council has taken a very dangerous position that ALL police are bad vs. the fact that some are unfit. You want to support equality for all and yet your position is to take a blanket racist position that all police are bad. This is no different than being a racist against a specific race.

We all need a strong and solid police force in place and that requires funding and support. If the major increase in violence that is occurring now hasn't woken you up to the fact that defunding police will only further hurt our city, residence, businesses, I am not sure what will.

I sincerely hope and pray that reality and common sense prevails.

Regards, Jana Hoffmann

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Heather MacKenzie To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget comments Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:10:19 PM

Hello,

I live in the 9th Ward, and I am writing in to comment briefly, to voice my support for Reclaim the Block's the People's Budget for 2021. I trust our powerful community leaders who have done so much work reimagining how money could be spent on real community safety - the MPD isn't trained to respond to many 911 situations - and we have people who are!

The "Safety for All" budget released by Fletcher, Cunningham, and Bender begins to address some pieces, and I support parts 1 and 2 of this budget.

I know this decision is difficult, and there is no right answer.

Peace, Heather -- 3600 11th Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55407 pronouns: she / her / hers

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Ace O To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget Concern Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:43:44 PM

Hi,

My name is Ace Oubaha, and I live on the 24th block of Chicago Ave in Minneapolis. I'd like to voice my support for the People's budget, and my reasoning is relatively straightforward: More police budget doesn't solve problems. Time and time again, both here and in cities across the US, we see police budgets skyrocket with overtime and equipment costs. But there is no correlation with that money spent and a reduction in violence. In fact, more police presence leads to unnecessary escalation and additional violence.

Instead of cutting social programs and services to buy additional officers and equipment, please focus on addressing the basic needs (housing, food, healthcare) of your constituents. That is why we need the People's Budget.

Ace Oubaha Minneapolis Resident

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: nancy anderson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] budget for next year Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:57:16 PM

City Council:

The only people you seem to care about are those fools who elected you. You don't care in the least about those of us who were opposed to you.

DO NOT defund the police, NOR take money from the department. There are NOT enough officers to take care of this city as it is. There are WAY TOO MANY car jackings, not that any of you care. I don't feel safe downtown anymore, not that you care. Just a few blocks from home the businesses are STILL boarded up because YOU LET the city burn, not that you care.

You claim to listen to your constituents, but I guess you only care about fellow activists, not citizens who simply care about the city and where it's going. You might listen but you sure don't hear. I am totally disgusted with every one of you!

George Floyd should not have died at 38th and Chicago, but also, he had drugs in his system. He is NOT blameless in the altercation. I doubt the officers will be convicted of ANY of the charges against them that our idiot Attorney General charged them with. He is another fool.

Please care about Minneapolis. Quit your WASTEFUL spending in other areas before you cut money from the police department. Banning plastic bags and straws, and forcing a small business to pay workers more money than they can afford is NOT making this a better place to live.

I'll bet NONE of you have ever worked at a real job in your life, you have NO clue how business works. Real business is best for this city, NOT government. Government ads NOTHING to the economy, it just takes money from hard working people and gives it to people who did NOT earn it. You will NEVER understand that though because you think government is the only way to live.

I REJECT that. I worked hard for every dollar I earned and my father worked hard as the co- owner of a small business. Quit ruining hard working people's lives so others can just be an activist and contribute NOTHING to society.

I doubt anything will come from writing this email, but at least I got it off my chest.

Nancy Anderson Minneapolis, MN 55405

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Harvey Zuckman To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget funding for public safety Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 2:14:38 PM

The knowledge of alternative programs that are in existence today have certainly convinced me that these programs will work. I learned so much about that when I served on the CAC for Lake Harriet/Bde Maka Ska a few years ago. It was clear to me that we needed to fund these and other similar programs far more than than we had been. These are long term solutions, but we also need to address the short term.

I fully disagree that this is the right time to take those funds from the Police Department. Surely there must be other areas where we can sacrifice a bit more to eke out the $8M to give such programs a great start, like you want to do. Please take some time to see where else we can carve out the funds for this.

Crime is clearly on the rise, I believe because the criminals see the opportunity with the current reduced numbers of uniformed police and many in the police force that, right or wrong, do not feel supported by the leaders on the city council.

Thank you.

Harvey Zuckman | Phil Oxman [email protected] 3500 Holmes Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55408

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Carl Pearson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget hearing 12-2 Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:13:40 PM

My name is Carl Pearson, I live in council member Andrew Johnson's Ward, Ward 12. I'm calling to implore you to pass the People's Budget and to voice my support for the Safety for All plan, specifically points 1 and 2.

The biggest reason I hear for slowing our progress to reimagine safety is that it will create a vacuum of security in the transition. What safety do we have now? If someone is sexually assaulted, do you trust MPD to not misplace that rape exam kit in with the 1700 untested kits? If someone is shot, what service does MPD provide when they show up after the violence and wait for paramedics to perform first aid? If crime is up, MPD hasn't been defunded yet. Police do not prevent crime and often even fail to address crimes that have occured. People commit crimes because they lack stability and resources.

MPD is hoarding the money we should be using for public health, housing, and mental health services which would actually PREVENT crime.

I urge you to support the People's budget and Safety for All plan, points one and two.

You have an overwhelming public mandate to transform our community safety and you swore to do so publicly this past summer. We will never forget that so please make good on your word. Thank you.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Susan GOLDSTEIN To: Council Comment Cc: Bender, Lisa Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget Hearing Comment and question Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:17:43 PM

Hello and thank you for giving me the opportunity to send in this question/comment.

Part of the Safety for All Budget Plan includes an increase in resources for civilian-led police accountability.

What about holding criminals (including multiple offenders, who may also be juveniles) accountable for their violent criminal activity?

If the carjacking juveniles are known to the police, why can't they be taken off the street?

These teens and young adults gain access to guns and continue to terrorize our communities, both BIPOC and white communities - all citizens of Minneapolis are affected by these violent crimes.

Where is the accountability? Where are the consequences?

I would appreciate an answer on this question.

Susie Goldstein 1805 West Lake Street Minneapolis, MN 55408

612-819-8536 [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Catherine Jordan To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget Hearing testimony Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 1:15:43 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council Members and Mayor Frey:

I strongly support a "Both/And" approach to funding public safety in Minneapolis. Meaning that we must provide public safety and social justice for every member of the community: Black, Brown, Indiginous and White. We must rebuild the "deterrent" aspect of the police force by having enough bench strength in the police department to demonstrate to potential carjackers, muggers, and other violent persons that they cannot commit crimes with impunity. I would advocate for more Bike patrols, beat cops and other forms of community policing to show strength on the streets during the warmer months.

Obviously, all police need to be respectful and honor the rules and laws of our City. Their training must be to de-escalate aggressive behavior not to accelerate it and to use mortal force only in the most serious and life threatening situations.

The "And" part of this equation is to add more mental health and non-criminal capacity to the force:

I support the proposal to add a mental health response unit that would respond to 911 calls 24/7 across the city, beginning as soon as this spring. The funding would cover two teams including a mental health professional and an EMT. NOT a police officer. Currently, the "co responder" program under MPD sends a police officer in FIRST and then a mental health provider. This sets up the situation as more danger of violence against the mentally ill. My mental health professional friends who have worked with police, attest to this EMT/MHP model as being a better approach to mental illness and substance abuse. The proposal would also send non-police city staff to non-emergency 911 calls like reports of theft and property damage, freeing up armed officers to focus on violent crime. It is a good approach given the level of attrition at MPD.

The City Council, Police Chief and the Mayor must come to a resolution. Minneapolis is on the brink of becoming a failed City. Do not leave the more vulnerable neighborhoods without coverage and do not abandon our business districts, parks, campuses and entertainment areas. Impose a tax to cover the costs if you must.

Catherine Jordan 3232 Harriet Ave Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-669-1638 -- Catherine Jordan Community Catalyst she/her/hers [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Brandon Burbach To: Council Comment Cc: Arradondo, Medaria; Frey, Jacob Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget hearing Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:52:20 PM

Dear Council Members,

I'm one of tonight's last speakers. If I don't make it on the call, I have just one important message for you.

Like most Minneapolis residents, I conceptually support efforts to create data-driven, public- health based approaches to public safety. Police are not the answer for everything. No one disputes this.

But Public Health Approaches should NOT UNDERMINE law enforcement. Let me say that again. PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACHES SHOULD NOT UNDERMINE LAW ENFORCEMENT. This statement is the grounding conclusion of an expansive, comprehensive review of the Cure Violence and related programs, published by Butts and Porter in the Annual Review of Public Health in 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25581151/

Why am I pointing this out? Because when many of you stood on the stage at Powderhorn Park and screamed for MPD to be "dismantled" and "defunded" you abicated your authority for promoting public health approaches to curb violence. There is only one way for you to restore the very method that you are championing. To have even a chance at fixing what you broke, you must all, unanimously, immediately, disavow your "defund" and "dismantle" statements. You must apologize to your constituents, and to the local, national and international media, for undermining the integrity of our public safety. The blood in this City is on your hands.

Let me say it a third and final time. Public Health Approaches should NOT UNDERMINE law enforcement. Please, withdraw your Charter Amendment! Under no circumstances can you continue to hold anti-law enforcement views. These views are demonstrably antithetical to your goals.

Thank you

Brandon Burbach Ward 4 763-516-5559

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: leo zaback To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget meeting comments. Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 1:21:05 PM

The city has been lawless with crime spiking. There is and has been a shortage of police officers. We need to get safety under control as soon as possible before more damage is done to the fabric of our city.. We need more police to ensure safety. We need structural change to policing. That can be done more effectively once crime has been controlled. We need MORE police until that happens.

We need the mayor to get his police portion of the budget through. Personally I do not feel his budget allows for the needed police, but otherss on the council want even less and this is the wrong way to go.

Leo zaback.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Patrick Handley To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:36:52 PM

Hello I am Patrick Handley caller 282.

Given all of the violent crimes that have occurred in 2020 and the murder rate that is second to the mid nineties when the city was dubbed muderapolis I support a fully staffed police department.

I find it interesting that certain council members such as Ellison are simply grandstanding as we all know there are multi millions of dollars that can we used to fund parts of the Bender plan. Funds can be taken from the bike lane fund to fund parts of the Bender plan.

Certain council members need to stop all the grandstanding and staff a full police department and find the funds to support some of the Bender plan. If you need help trying to find the funds in the budget. Let me know and I will help you.

I also do not like the end around that the city is trying to do. You need to change the arbitration process at the state level that way you can fire the bad cops. Also the Stanek law needs to be repealed. How many of you are working with your state reps and state senators to get this done? There are certain council members that like the spotlight but do not like to do the work.

Thanks

Patrick Handley 612-590-1992

Sent from my iPhone [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Megan Bauer-Erickson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:49:09 PM

Good Evening,

As a resident of Ward 12 I encourage defunding the police in this upcoming budget. I recognize that shifting our systems takes time and tremendous effort, and the time is now to invest in our community support offerings beyond police.

Wishes for a strong and more equitable future,

Megan

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] budget Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 2:02:36 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council,

I urge you to prioritize the needs of those most hurt by historic injustice and the pandemic in your current budget deliberations. This would mean health, mental health, housing, job training, etc. It also means safety, but the police have proven time and again, regardless of leadership quality, that they are infused with racism and a mafia-like attitude.

Please budget according to values, empowering organizations and agencies who do the most with the least. This might be something that people on many sides of the issue could agree on.

Thanks for your consideration,

June Thiemann 5153 Beard Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55410

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] To: Council Comment Cc: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: [EXTERNAL] budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 12:01:27 PM

All efforts to defund the police budget should be discontinued immediately, along with the highly inflammatory rhetoric surrounding "defund and dismantle". I have no resistance to ideas presented in the Safety for Now plan, the focus should be on funding these ideas from sources other than police budget, and ensuring there is support from the experts who have to make these ideas operational.

What does concern me is the continued "defund" message promoted by Black Visions, which is well funded and organized to help drowning the voices of those of who support the police. The vast majority of us do not protest in the streets and pay significant taxes to run the city. According to Wikipedia, Black Visions is based in Mpls..... how about Black visions kicking some of their many millions raised this year into the implementation of these initiatives?

Laura Murray Ward 11 5021 15th Ave S

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Greg Herrick HS To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Canned comments, talking points and the need to support Mayor Frey"s budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:31:24 PM Importance: High

Dear City Council Members:

As a Minneapolis employer and taxpayer, I wholeheartedly support Mayor Frey’s budget as well as increased funding for the Minneapolis Police Department.

Listening to the Council meeting this Wednesday evening I could not help but notice how the vast majority of those supporting the “People’s Budget” were clearly given talking points by the backers of that largely misguided proposal. These talking points comments included: “dog walking,” “I have never felt safer,” “George Floyd’s murder,” “Police brutality,” etc.. It should be clear to anyone that this was a well-organized effort to make it appear random citizens had suddenly come together will all the same ironically paraphrased thoughts.

In contrast you could easily tell common citizens concerned about the safety and wellbeing of our city and ALL of its citizens. These were words spoken from the heart, not from parroted “fill-in-a-with-a-few-words-of-your- own” talking points.

I can tell you that approximately 50% of my coworkers are people of color. I hear comments every day about concerns for safety and wellbeing from all of my employees. It is not a black, Hispanic, white or special needs issue – immediate public safety is a concern for all of them. If you don’t believe me you are welcome to come to my business and talk with them yourself.

Anecdotally, I find it unconscionable that the city turned down a $1,300,000 for 10 more traffic enforcement officers in part because some thought accepting federal grant money could lead to unnecessarily growing the police force. From all appearances there is NO traffic enforcement in Minneapolis to begin with. Cars are regularly speeding, running red lights, weaving into and out of traffic and driving without license plates. What were you thinking? Anyone could be maimed or killed by these uncaring drivers whomever they are. Forget people getting mugged, shot, beaten and raped – the city can’t even seem to get basic traffic under control.

You have a tough job ahead of you. But you can be certain that the vast majority of the citizens of this city want a larger, well trained police presence while not ignoring the attention to those who are in need of support, counseling and other programs.

Sincerely, Greg Herrick

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Kate Moore To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] City budget meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:29:48 PM

Hello, my name is Kate M and my partner and I own a home and live in the city of mpls. We love this city, and I want it recorded that I support the People’s Budget measure as my first choice, and the Safety For All measure as my second choice.

This is an opportunity to do things differently & make new choices that center the well being of our community members over profits and property.

Thank you, Kate M [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Paola Evangelista To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:44:39 PM

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Paola Evangelista, I’m a resident of the Seward neighborhood and live three blocks away from the 3rd precinct and was here when George Floyd was killed and the riots arose.

I have been on the city budget call for 4+ hours but can no longer stay on, yet I needed to voice my opinion on the budget proposal.

I completely support the people’s budget proposal. Parts 1 and 2 of the Safety for All proposal is the bare minimum the people and the community deserve.

We don’t want to completely defund the police but a minimal percentage cut to their budget shouldn’t be difficult for them to adjust. Chieftain Arradondo is experienced enough that this should not affect them so direly.

This budget cut to the MPD can be so much more beneficial if it is infused directly into the communities of Minneapolis through programs for: Affordable Public Housing, Public Education, Mental Health, and Economic Relief.

This must also be mentioned, the MPD must also make it an urgency to provide better training to their police officers that deal with people in the community. They work for us, we pay their wages, they are there to protect us not to oppress us. The police department as well as many individual officers are running rampant with authority and military attire as if they were in a war zone. I don’t feel safer with them on the streets.

Putting public health first (especially amidst a pandemic) and prioritizing people over profit is the first step for the recovery that this city needs after the trauma we have been experiencing as a people. -- Paola Evangelista [email protected] www.paolaevangelista.com 860.944.1184

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Anna Erbes To: Council Comment Cc: Khamsot, Tou Tou; Police Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council Budget Meeting, December 2nd Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:54:36 PM

City Council Members, Mayor Frey, and Police Chief Arradando,

I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the December 2nd virtual City Council Budget Meeting. Given the number of registered speakers (430), and the limited time for each speaker (60 seconds), I was not able to share this information during the virtual meeting, and submit this correspondence for your thoughtful consideration. The weight of the decision making before each of you is daunting. The health, safety, and well being of the residents of Minneapolis is dependent upon each of you.

In my 34 year tenure as an inner city school teacher, special education specialist, and principal, I intimately understand the demands, and lack of resources, to address the many needs of society placed upon the public sector. The needs continued to outweigh the services that we could, and more importantly, needed to provide. As City officials, I do understand your task of balancing how best to address the multiple budgeting challenges before you, with inadequate funding resources.

NUMBERS MATTER. The loss of lives due to increased crime in Minneapolis during 2020 matters. The increasing number of violent crimes matter. The harsh impact, economic hardship, and uncertainty on an increasing number of people due to Covid 19 matters.

Not since the mid 1990s, when Minneapolis was branded ‘Murderapolis’, has our City faced such a harsh reality. Homicides in Minneapolis are up 50 percent, with nearly 75 people killed across the City so far this year. Residents are killing other residents at alarming numbers. In 2020, more than 500 people have been shot, the highest number in more than a decade, and twice as many as in 2019. There have been more than 4,600 violent crimes, including hundreds of carjackings and robberies, a reported five-year high. These staggering statistics are not unique to Minneapolis alone. Other large cities in our country are experiencing a similar increase in violent crime, in part due to the impact of Covid 19.

WORDS MATTER. Public safety must be a top priority, for the welfare of all persons, of all ages, color, ethnicity, and economic status, in all neighborhoods throughout the City. Your responsibility is to determine how best to protect the citizenry in the ‘here and now’. The rhetoric of City leaders has meaning and consequences. The use of incendiary words such as to ‘DEFUND’ the police, elicits confusion and concern. It is not a ‘plan’ with a predetermined goal, measurable objectives or outcomes. ‘REFORM’ within the Police Department is for changes to be made in the manner police officers perform their duties, and to specify their duties, “To Protect and to Serve.” Specific reforms of allowable police actions and duties are warranted, and more importantly needed, such as: the allowable use of force; disbanding the use of choke holds and neck restraints; limiting the allowable use of force; restrictions for the use of ‘No Knock’ Warrants; increased regulations for the use of cameras; and deployment of police officers for 911 calls. These are examples of concrete ‘new beginnings’ for change, for REFORM. Revised best practices within the Department’s policies are a BEGINNING in the best interest, and safety, of our residents and police officers. Review of other REFORM efforts, ‘best practices’, are worthy of consideration, such as the assignment of mental health provider expertise for domestic abuse cases, mandatory confidential mental health and physical fitness assessments, and the involvement of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for police shootings. REFORM in the Police Department is warranted to eliminate residents being killed by a police officer. Eleven persons have been killed by the police during the past ten years. That number is eleven too many. I understand, and agree with, the desire to transform the Police Department, to envision a Department of Public Safety. I understand, and agree, that a comprehensive short and long-term plan, shared in advance with City residents, and with community input and support, is fundamental for this needed REFORM effort. However, we currently have a depleted number in our police force, due to an unprecedented number of officers retiring, officers aged 50 or older, officers on leave, officers suffering from PTSD, a dwindling number of police officers nationwide, and the 6-9 months needed for police recruits to become eligible as sworn officers.

We currently have a diminished number of police officers on duty to respond to 911 calls, to provide a police presence in our neighborhoods, to stem violence in our City. Residents are experiencing trauma with increased gunfire, violence, and robberies. Residents and business owners are collateral victims. Is it reasonable to expect less crime, to deter and/or investigate crimes, with a nominal police force?

HOW, in the ‘here and now’, can the City address the increasing rate of crime to protect the citizens? Police reform, and law and order, is not an either or proposition. It cannot be divisive, or a political dispute. City leaders must collaborate. We have a dire need for a bipartisan collaborative plan for policing in Minneapolis, with the Mayor, City Council, Police Chief, and the Police Union. NOW is the time to come together, to listen to differing viewpoints, to compromise for the welfare of the people. Please listen to the overwhelming voices of the citizens for safety NOW, for the remainder of 2020, and in 2021.

The winter months will bring increased Covid19 financial demands, with unknown City and State tax revenue, Federal funding, and anticipated budget shortages. It is reasonable to assume that crime will not lessen, as needs increase. Anticipation of potential riots and violence during the police officer’s trial for the killing of George Floyd is a legitimate concern.

For critical community safety, for the 2021 City Budget, I implore EACH City Council member to vote to support:

* continued funding for 888 police officers, the upcoming three Recruit Classes, and the Community Service Officers.

* funding for the proposed Early Intervention System to hold officers accountable.

Voting in support of these financial commitments does NOT negate the need for REFORM of the Police Department, or that it will not occur in the future. Your vote of support can achieve BOTH safety and REFORM simultaneously, NOT one or the other. The Mayor’s proposed 2021 budget of $1.79 million dollars for the Police Department is an expenditure investment of $1.12 per resident for the calendar year, a critical investment for a reduction in the amount of increasing crime, and enhanced safety of our citizens. During these unprecedented times, a vote to reduce the Police Department by eight million dollars may cause irreparable harm to our City and its residents.

CLOSING STATEMENT:

During the past many months, to garner an objective perspective, in addition to viewing local and national news broadcasts focused on the topic of increasing crime in our City, State, and across our nation, I have also diligently read neighborhood, local, and national publications. What I have learned from these multiple news sources is that we are enduring an unprecedented ‘crime pandemic, a ‘disease’ of sorts, that is spreading largely due to the widespread Covid pandemic.

Of great concern are the number of incidents of adolescents who appear to have become emboldened to commit violent crimes, injuring unsuspected persons for the purpose of stealing their property. These violations of personal safety are horrific ‘lessons learned’ by our youth. Factors contributing to their actions are: the family’s financial duress; the closure of schools, recreational and community centers; cancellation of sport activities; and a lack of employment opportunities. These are all important factors that do need to be addressed, and are worthy of planning for the future.

A shortage of patrol officers to respond to the violent crimes perpetuated by adolescents are reportedly also due to a lack of police officers to investigate these crimes; and the belief that they will not be held accountable for their actions. Given the latest statistics of solved carjackings in the City, 75% were committed by juveniles, with less than half of these crimes committed by repeat offenders. Prior to 2020, juvenile crime in Minneapolis was decreasing.

There is a reported record high number of weapons, and the use of weapons in crimes committed in our City. Lives are being adversely affected. Lives are being lost. NUMBERS MATTER. This cannot continue be our ‘normal’ today, or in our future. Full funding of our Police Department NOW is an ‘investment’ that would curtail these violent crimes by adolescents and adults alike. To do otherwise is a disservice to our citizens today, and in the future.

WORDS MATTER. Police REFORM for ongoing accountability and oversight is warranted. Regardless of one’s political viewpoint, progressive, liberal, or conservative, one cannot ignore the impact of increasing crime in Minneapolis. We, your constituents, are dependent upon your leadership, as we all are impacted on a daily basis, be it directly or indirectly, by the increasing rate of crime and weapons in Minneapolis.

Respectfully yours,

Anna Erbes

Reading the headlines in today’s Star Tribune “Carjackings skyrocket in Mpls”, is alarming. Carjackings are reported to be more than three times higher than last year, up 537%. There were 125 carjackings in Minneapolis in the past 2 months, 375 this year, including 17 last week. These NUMBERS MATTER.

I am a resident of Ward 11, who is concerned for all Minneapolis residents.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nicki Earley To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:26:40 PM

Council members,

I urge you to vote for the Mayors budget and DO NOT cut the MPD budget. I am a south side resident of ward 8. I am a 20 year home owner, whom until the current crime waves was planning to stay in Minneapolis and raise my son as a single parent. Now with the horrendous crime I am thinking about selling my house, for the first time in 20 years. Get these criminals under control, tell the judicial system to stop staying sentences and keep violent criminals locked up for full retribution. We can not make change with death and car jacking all around us. I am scared to leave my home after 5pm. Enough of this.

Please fully fund the police department and stop standing in the way of making our city safe.

Thank you,

Nicki Earley Resident of Bancroft [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Karrie Lonetti To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment from 12/2 City Council Meeting Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:41:50 AM

Hello, I signed up to speak last night but didn't hear my name called and didn't know how the numbers worked; I only had a "row"- whatever that is. I tried to chime in anyway but that didn't work. So this is what I was going to say. Please add it to the record. Thank you.

My husband and I have lived in NE Minneapolis for over 20 years. Our family has been on this property for 80 years.

The Minneapolis Police Department created the situation we’re in right now by their long- term unwillingness to reform. There are regular police departments and then there is the Minneapolis PD- which is a stain on the nation. Our police department was protested across the planet this summer. Cops at the MPD are criminals who don’t value public safety, and members of our community are it’s victims. Giving more money to MPD will only give us more of the same.

We don’t need more cops. We need BETTER.

Let us put the blame where the blame is due. We have been asking for reform for many years. The MPD itself has been the obstacle to reform this entire time.

There is a direct line from the Derek Chauvin/ George Floyd incident to what is happening now. The MPD created Derek Chauvin. Hiring new officers at MPD will only create more Derek Chauvins.

Disband and start over.

Also, my husband is a cop (outside of Mpls) and he supports defunding MPD. Thank you.

-Karrie Lonetti

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Randall, Jed To: Council Comment; Frey, Jacob; Gordon, Cam A. Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on city police budget decisions Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 2:04:47 PM

Dear city council and Mayor Frey,

Please do what is best for our city, and make sound decisions moving forward. It is obvious to me as a citizen of Minneapolis that changes need to be made in policing of the city. However, to defund or eliminate the MPD is outright irresponsible. In my opinion, defunding organizations rarely will make them better. The MPD serves a critical function in Minneapolis, and it naive to think that we don't need as many police officers, especially in the high crime wake following the death of George Floyd.

Defunding the MPD will cause more stress on officers, and more difficulty with relations and crime in our community. To improve the relationship of officers with the community, we likely need more officers with fewer stressful hours, supported by social workers, and most importantly oversight to prevent poor policing. I implore our political leaders to look at this more broadly, and to acknowledge that we need to move forward with reforms in a secure manner. In my opinion, you should be asking for the community to step up and help to improve lives of the impoverished in our city, but it does not make sense to pull money funding safety and security when we are in the middle of a crime wave. There needs to be a rational proposal. The violence, crime and murders in our community are at an unacceptable level. Please do your job to help our city be a good place to live for all citizens, from downtown and throughout the neighborhoods.

Regards, Jed Randall, Longfellow resident

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Ari Baum-Hommes To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on the Mpls City Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:39:59 PM

To the City Council,

I enthusiastically support the many powerful testimonies of my fellow community members tonight who voiced their support for The People's Budget. Time and time again the police department in this city has proven themselves to be violent, racist, and unethical -- it is time to divest from an unreformable, carceral institution and to reinvest in our communities by financially supporting violence prevention, mental health services, housing for all, harm reduction, and environmental justice.

At a minimum, I hope that you pass the Safety for All Budget, but I want to be clear that this is not enough. The People's Budget envisions a way forward that lifts up our entire community.

Thank you, -- Ari Baum-Hommes Ward 9

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Dave Bicking To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments on police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:51:48 AM

To all members of Minneapolis City Council, and for inclusion in the public record of the Public Hearing on the 2021 Budget:

I would like to put my comment at the December 2 public hearing into writing, and expand a bit from what could be said in 90 seconds:

"Defund the Police" sure sounded like a radical slogan. But your actions since the killing of George Floyd show the hypocrisy of your rhetoric. Covid has required deep across-the-board budget cuts. But the Police Department has been largely protected from those cuts. Its budget has so far been cut less, by percentage, than nearly any other department in the city. Meanwhile, the Police Conduct Oversight Commission was allowed to die for lack of quorum.

There is a lot you can do now to downsize the police department. You should fully fund the proposal for alternative mental health responses that has been researched and put forward by CUAPB with the support of a large coalition. It is much superior to a watered-down approach coming from the city working group. It is much superior and thorough compared to the plan in the Safety for All Budget Plan. CUAPB has spent over a year consulting with a variety of experts, doing thorough research, with well-documented backing for its recommendations. Their plan is supported by many organizations, including NAMI. It prioritizes responders with mental health experience and credentials, not EMT's. This plan should be implemented city-wide and 24 hours a day instead of the pilot programs that are currently contemplated by the city.

There are other functions that the MPD should not be responding to at all: low-level drug possession, overdoses, other medical issues, breaking up homeless encampments, and more. Just from a budgetary standpoint, the Minneapolis police should not be used for unnecessary, brutal, and escalating responses to peaceful protest. How much did you spend issuing citations to 646 people on I-94?

Your budget in the self-insurance fund is unrealistically low given the lawsuits coming from the killing of George Floyd and the use of projectiles against peaceful protesters and journalists. You need to budget realistically to compensate for the incredibly expensive harm the MPD has created, while taking all possible measures to prevent further harm. It seems crass to raise this as a budgetary issue, but it is that as well as a moral issue.

An immediate reduction of the budget can be had by firing or disciplining the cops who are abusing sick leave, earning full pay and benefits while sitting at home. The union contract does not prevent this. But we have been saying for years that there is virtually no discipline or accountability in the police department for misconduct, and it is apparent that there isn´t even enough discipline for the MPD to get its officers to come to work. No other employer, public or private, would tolerate I/8th of its workers calling in sick for months.

Dave Bicking Ward 8

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Brandi Bennett To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments to Council Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:23:41 PM

Councilmembers:

This email has links to studies showing police deter crime.

It is stated frequently at budget hearings that “police don’t stop crime” - so therefore, divert MPD money to other violence prevention measures.

This email’s purpose is to show for the record that studies do in fact prove police are a deterrence to crime. I am submitting this on my behalf, and on behalf of several speakers who alluded to these studies during their testimonies, Dec. 2, 2020.

Let’s be clear: We believe in a “both/and” approach - both police and alternatives. However, we do not support that the way to get to “and” is to continually and solely nick at the MPD budget to add these other programs. This is especially true during this period of accelerated officer attrition and the need for MPD to rebuild itself.

During this difficult economy, it is incumbent upon city leaders to prioritize and make sure that services that are most essential and valued get top funding. Police protection should not suffer in order to accommodate these other programs. Find money elsewhere in the budget by de-prioritizing other “nice-but-not-essential” services.

Below are links to noteworthy studies and literature supporting the observation that police deter crime; the presence of uniformed law enforcement on the streets makes a difference statistically and in the perception of citizens to move about freely and carry on normal life.

Studies/Literature Concluding More Police = Less Crime https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/13/18193661/hire-police-officers-crime- criminal-justice-reform-booker-harris https://www.city-journal.org/bolstering-police-forces-reduces-crime? fbclid=IwAR00lP9eCVs8I05H_OfPSMXkCyI2Wg1oDvacVuSbM-0dRqqTFuxK3uGFRu4 https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/REST_a_00694 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272718302305? casa_token=j4FWNWyqrIwAAAAA:40uO_Q_vFHJD1NpOluKy6zXm- uLLPzt1a_96RZeTAN2vjFGRnr5ignTvsq-AOLJCU2g8SkTMJsw https://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Publications/CJB/2019-Report-The-effect-of-police-on- crime-and-arrests-CJB223.pdf

Helpful Backgrounders For Trends & Context http://criminaljusticealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Police-foundation-police-and- crime-reduction-2013.pdf https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-says-these-police-tactics-reduce-crime/ https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/economics-of-crime/0/steps/20271 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/02/13/marshall-project-more- cops-dont-mean-less-crime-experts-say/2818056002/

For your convenience, studies/literature from above with excerpts: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/13/18193661/hire-police-officers-crime- criminal-justice-reform-booker-harris

Well-researched, written article shows correlation between more cops and less crime, and notes that even Blacks favor a greater police presence in their communities.

“Solid data suggests that even if you take a realistic view of the police, spending money to hire more police officers — an idea espoused by both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — is a sound approach to the multifaceted problem of criminal justice … More beat cops walking the streets seems to deter crime and reduce the need to arrest anyone. And some of the best-validated approaches to reducing excessive use of force by police officers require departments to adopt more manpower-intensive practices.”

“ … new polling … from the leading Democratic data firm Civis Analytics shows that black voters — just like white ones — support the idea of hiring more police officers. Black voters are likely aware that they are disproportionately likely to be victims of crime and disproportionately likely to benefit from extra police staffing in high-crime areas. … 60 percent of African Americans, 65 percent of Latinos, and 74 percent of whites … support [hiring more officers] … Indeed, as Jenée Desmond-Harris wrote for Vox in 2015, one primary grievance African Americans have with the criminal justice systems is that black neighborhoods are paradoxically underpoliced.” [Note that the August Minnesota Poll similarly showed Blacks more likely to oppose police defunding that whites.]

Study of Washington, D.C. police ... “... the finding was not that adding police officers leads to more arrests and then locking up crooks leads to lower crime in the long run. It’s simply that with more officers around, fewer people commit crimes in the first place … This suggests the possibility of switching to a formula … “more police, fewer prisons, less crime”: uniformed officers patrolling the streets stopping crime before it starts rather than working in prisons surveilling convicts.”

“... the fact that [hiring more police officers] was embraced by the past two victorious Democratic presidential candidates [Clinton & Obama], is broadly popular, is especially popular with key swing voters, and is also well-grounded in policy amounts to a powerful case that it deserves to make a comeback.”

Study of NYC police … “the anti-crime impact … came from putting more cops on the beat rather than from the use of aggressive tactics. New York City, not coincidentally, has continued to enjoy low and falling crime rates since stop and frisk tactics were curtailed. What’s helpful is more officers, not more harassment.”

Study of Obama 2009 $1 billion stimulus to hire more cops … “The data shows that compared to cities that missed out, those that made the cut ended up with police staffing levels that were 3.2 percent higher and crime levels that were 3.5 percent lower. This is an important finding because not only does it show that more police officers leads to less crime, but that actual American cities are not currently policed at a level where there are diminishing returns. Instead, reductions in crime seem to be about proportional to increases in the size of police forces.”

“A larger historical survey by Aaron Chalfin and Justin McCrary looked at a large set of police and crime data for midsize to large cities from 1960 to 2010 and concluded that every $1 spent on extra policing generates about $1.63 in social benefits, primarily through fewer murders.”

On overtime and the correlated increase in citizen complaints and use-of-force incidents: “... linking extra money for hiring officers to reforms of scheduling practices could be an element of a greatly expanded COPS hiring grant program.”

https://www.city-journal.org/bolstering-police-forces-reduces-crime? fbclid=IwAR00lP9eCVs8I05H_OfPSMXkCyI2Wg1oDvacVuSbM-0dRqqTFuxK3uGFRu4

“ ...social-science literature provides overwhelming evidence that bolstering police forces reduces crime. Hiring more police officers allows departments to engage in community policing and proactive police strategies, such as concentrating more police officers in areas where crime is high—programs that a report from the National Academy of Sciences notes have been shown in high-quality experimental research to reduce crime.”

Washington, D.C. Police … “... Increasing police by 10 percent, according to a study we conducted, leads to a better than 3 percent reduction in property crimes and assaults. Other authors examining terrorist-induced policing increases in London found comparable results.”

West Philadelphia vs. neighboring University of Pennsylvania patrols: “ … Penn employs more than twice the number of police in its surrounding neighborhoods compared with the rest of West Philadelphia. We found that property crimes and aggravated assaults increase by more than 50 percent outside the Penn patrol zone, despite the two areas being otherwise indistinguishable. A study conducted on the extra police provided by the University of Chicago found comparable results.”

New Orleans, French Quarter … “ … increasing police in the French Quarter of New Orleans led to significant reductions in robberies, burglaries, and theft, even after accounting for some of the crime being displaced to nearby areas.”

Federal Gvt spending, 1994 Crime Act & 2009 Recovery Act to hire more officers … “... the cities that received these funds had significantly larger reductions in crime than those that didn’t get funds. Each additional police officer hired from the Recovery Act prevented four violent crimes and 15 property crimes, on average. When dollar amounts are assigned to these crime reductions and compared with the salary and benefit costs of hiring new police officers, hiring more police is well worth the expense.”

Cost-Benefit Analysis … “A study by our Penn colleague Aaron Chalfin and Columbia professor Justin McCrary estimated the return to a dollar of spending on police at more than $1.50, leading them to conclude that most cities in the U.S. are actually under-policed —on the economic premise that any public benefit that generates more value than it costs is under-provisioned and could stand at least incremental expansion.” https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/REST_a_00694

Need for Reform … “Just because police are worth hiring in order to reduce crime doesn’t negate the need for institutional reforms. Recent work shows that about 3 percent of police officers in Florida had previously been fired by other police agencies in the state. Less than 5 percent of Chicago cops account for most the city’s police misconduct cases and civilian complaints. The current system does little to weed out bad cops, even when it’s easy to identify who they are. Making it easier to fire corrupt, violent, or negligent officers and ensuring that they don’t get reassigned to other police jobs should be the first order of business in any restructuring of police forces in the United States.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272718302305? casa_token=j4FWNWyqrIwAAAAA:40uO_Q_vFHJD1NpOluKy6zXm- uLLPzt1a_96RZeTAN2vjFGRnr5ignTvsq-AOLJCU2g8SkTMJsw

Landmark study by Princeton Professor Steven Mello. Summary:

* Recovery Act grants to local police departments increased police forces. * Each additional police officer prevented 4 violent crimes and 15 property crimes. * On average, the social value of a marginal police officer exceeds $300,000. * Impacts on crime were largest in areas most affected by the Great Recession. Other background notes:

“Crime victimization is estimated to cost Americans over $200 billion per year and public spending on police protection exceeds $100 billion annually.”

“Federal grants for local police hiring increased during the Clinton Administration, then decreased sharply; the grants increased again during the Obama Administration … [Mello] checked the spike in the number of officers against crime statistics … He wrote that increases in police ranks tend to influence “violent crime” more than “property crime,” but that both numbers dipped after federally-funded local police hiring sprees commenced. “Declines in robbery and auto theft are particularly pronounced,” he wrote. Plus, increased numbers of officers also reduced the murder rate …” ““The lack of arrest rate increases suggests that a deterrence, rather than incapacitation, mechanism underlies the crime reductions … That is important because deterrence is less expensive: incapacitation is associated with increased incarceration costs in addition to the police wage bill.” https://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Publications/CJB/2019-Report-The-effect-of-police-on- crime-and-arrests-CJB223.pdf

Conclusion: The implications of the present study are threefold. First, an increase in police numbers generates a substantial reduction in property crime. Second, an increase in police numbers has no significant effect on the arrest rate for property crime. Finally, the cost of an additional police officer is almost definitely offset by the benefit she provides to society in the form of crime reduction.

In fairness, another view, but with caveats: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/02/13/marshall-project-more- cops-dont-mean-less-crime-experts-say/2818056002/

* 2019 Memphis, parallels to 2020 Minneapolis * Best practice: based police staffing needs on 911 response volumes, not via comparisons to similar-sized cities * Violating bullet point above, Memphis population 650K = 2000+ officers; Minneapolis 430K = 700 (on a good day) - just fyi * MPD has 6,000+ 911 calls with no or very late response two years ago; Chief Arradondo’s internal analysis concluded he needs at least 1000 officers/investigators * Best practice: Reassign patrols to efficiently be where they are most needed * Best practice: Assignments should take into consideration not just 911 demands but time for cops to engage with the communities they serve (implications for larger police force) * Mayor Strickland was indeed re-elected

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Hannah Spaid To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:38:41 PM ople in need. Mental health teams to be contacted before 911 ! A way prevent death by police officer.

Prioritize people’s health before the wealthy’s wealth !

Help house the displaced ! We have far too money within these neighborhood associations not being used to help people in our city !!

Reprioritize money that is being given to the police departments and give it to social workers. Mental health workers. Youth care providers !!!!!!

Help the YOUTH so they don’t become displaced, or in jail, adults !

Give money to organizations like CTUL, We Push For Peace, A mother’s love.

Listen to the communities and the people actually on the ground putting the work into the streets !!!!!

Think less of your own income and think of others lack of ! Think less of yourself and more of the community that YOU WORK FOR ? That you work to serve !!

- Hannah Spaid [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: STAMP Minnesota To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Co-Responders are Statutory Mental Health Crisis Responders, Cahoots Workers Are Not Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:53:00 PM

Chair Bender and Councilmembers, My name is Kathy Czech and I am privileged to live in Ward 4 with CM Cunningham as my representative. Thank you for your service to the City of Minneapolis in these difficult times. I am requesting that the budget include expanding the co-responder teams. These programs have a team of a well educated and experienced mental health provider and a police officer. Regardless of what other programs exist, police will always be answering some mental health calls. Co-responder programs meet this reality. Other programs are still useful. In particular Mental Health Specialists (certified by MDH) have training and experience in this work. There are far more calls available than there are responders able to go to these calls. I was privileged to take part in the MPD/911 workgroup. The MPD/911 workgroup was tasked with finding alternatives to police responses and as such Co-Responder programs were not considered. The current Co-Responder teams are functioning by statute and consist of a police officer and a well qualified (usually masters level) mental health provider. The proposed Cahoots style program lacks statutory standing, professional rank, ability to make legal decisions regarding hospital holds. As shown below there are also issues related to standards and statutes.

(MN Statutes, Chapter 253B.051 EMERGENCY ADMISSION.) and would be a level below any current mental health crisis provider.

Statutory provisions cited below govern mental health crisis providers and the agency they are employed by.

Chapter 245 :

Subd 11a.Functional assessment

Subd. 4a.Clinical supervision

Subd. 7.County Board

Subd. 9.Diagnostic assessment.

Subd. 18.Mental health professional,

Subd. 17.Mental health practitioner.

Chapter 256B.0624 - various subdivisions.

These statutes and accompanying statutes require mental health crisis providers to have specific education and in the field experiences, supervised clinical hours pre-licensure, ability to do diagnostic assessments and individual treatment plans, and be employed by or contracted with Hennepin County. The agency employing the Co-Responder mental health crisis providers has statutory requirements related to administration, training, record keeping, appropriate disposition of clients, use of mental health crisis protocols, assessment tools and intervention and evaluation guidelines. The salary is commensurate to experience and education. The proposed Cahoots style program may come at a bargain and may have outside funding. It is far from a bargain when used alone. While a section of the community has pushed the Cahoots style "intervention", it is just another cog in the wheel. The Cahoots program may be dangerous in that it can temporarily ameliorate a mental health crisis, it does not provide professional care. This type of program delays care and in doing so has potential to make matters worse. The lack of education and experience is evident by the proposed budget for the Cahoots type program budget.

Instead of "either/or" thinking, it is called upon to use a didactic approach of "this and that". With only the Cahoots type program we leave our most vulnerable citizens with police as gatekeepers to the mental health care system and well intended individuals providing substandard mental health crisis care.

Funding is available through the Cares Act, state innovation grants, (245.4662 MENTAL HEALTH INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM.)

, county innovation programs, DOJ (https://bja.ojp.gov/program/pmhc) and general state block grants.

Thank you for your time, consideration and the tremendous work that has come out of City Hall.

Safety Triage And MentalHealth Providers - STAMP Email [email protected] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/STAMP-Minnesota-911170532282244/ Kathy Czech 763-498-1631

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: jo To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Council must support the Mayor’s budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:16:04 AM

Subject: Council must support the Mayor’s budget

,Dear Council members Bender, Cunningham and Fletcher

Do you read the paper? Watch the news? Are you paying attention to what the majority of citizens in this city want as it pertains to the MPD? Do you see what is happening on our streets in Minneapolis every day? Do you care that you are being sued by a group on the Northside of Minneapolis over your lack of police funding? Crime has been skyrocketing in our city since you and your uber- progressive colleagues pushed your “abolish the police” agenda. The residents of Minneapolis do not live in your progressive unrealistic bubble. Your actions have invited the criminals into our city and emboldened them to do whatever they want because they know our MPD resources are stretched and they know that you don’t support our Chief. The lack of respect some of the council members show Chief Arradondo is disgraceful. We citizens see what you are doing as do the criminals. This city has become a free for all and the criminals now run the show in Minneapolis. Every day citizens are being targeted in a variety of crimes. This is the reality for Minneapolis residents.

Do you know that most tax paying citizens of this city want a better funded, better educated, more empathic, stronger police department that has the ability to recruit the best possible candidates for the MPD? Do you see what is happening in our beloved city? As a tax-paying citizen and business owner in Minneapolis, I am outraged at the continued lack of support by you and some members of our city council for Chief Arradondo and the remaining officers in our police department in the wake of George Floyd. While no one denies what happened to George Floyd was a horrifying tragedy that should have never happened, the words and behavior of the city council has and continues to be reckless and inexcusable. Instead of coming to the table and working to build a better reformed department, you have vilified them. You spout off about abolishing the police while criminals and gang activity infiltrate our neighborhoods at alarming rates. The some council members' actions have opened the door to rampant crime by your lack of support for what remains of the department. The increase in crime is a direct result of you and your council's actions. You continually complain about response times and blame the police for the crime but they are severely understaffed with officers working overtime. Would you want to be an officer when you don’t have support from the city you serve? I have a suggestion. Every council member should do a night time ride-along with an officer and see first hand what they are dealing with. What do we the citizens hear? You complaining about how much the MPD spent on overtime. Overtime costs a lot of money and comes with a cost to the mental health and wellbeing of the remaining officers. The police need more resources, not less. Yes, they need to be accountable for their actions but so does every member of our government, including you, the entire city council and Minneapolis residents. You disregard the fact that most citizens want a reformed BUT fully funded police department. Give them more money so they can begin to get the crime under control. The safety and security of our neighborhoods is at stake. This is not possible without our police department. You cannot just send in mental health workers and think that it will solve the problems.

Residents and businesses will start to flee the city. Do your job and help restore safety and security in Minneapolis and let the police do their job instead of tying their hands behind their backs. Approve the additional funding they need to hire more officers and bring the crime under control THEN work with our Chief to build a better, stronger, more empathetic and accountable department. You and your colleagues work for ALL citizens not just the small group of activists in this city. We pay taxes and we demand accountability not only from the police department but from you and the entire city council. We demand you talk to us, ALL of the residents of this city, not just the activists who are the loudest and march to the Mayor’s home and shout from the rooftops. That is not how real work gets done. Roll up your sleeves and actually work with the Chief and the Mayor to start building a better plan with funding for the MPD so that residents and the city of Minneapolis can see there will be light at the end of the tunnel. If not, the Minneapolis citizens will remember this come Election Day 2021. We need bold action and we need you to provide the Chief and the Mayor with the resources necessary to stop the bleeding in our city. We need strong leadership and we have not seen it. Listen to your colleagues who actually have a foot in reality and who actually listen to the citizens of our city. We demand new leadership and accountability and we will show that we mean it in 2021.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Oberpriller Hiawatha neighborhood resident and business owner

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Brice Eichlersmith To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] CUAPB Letter Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 4:11:13 PM

Dear City Council members, Please support the letter below from CUABP. It could save lives of citizen's and police. And it is cost effective also! Thanks you for considering this ground breaking creative program that will bring national attention to my beloved home town.

Pastor Brice Eichlersmith Oak Grove Lutheran 7045 Lyndale Ave Richfield,Mn 55423 [email protected] 612.998.2128

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: bearx006 University of Minnesota To: Council Comment; Giraud-Isaacson, Al; Rubenstein, Andrea; Kozak, Andrew; Clegg, Barry; Kyle Berndt; Lickness, Barbara; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Schwarzkopf, Lyall; Garcia, Jill; Sandberg, Jan; Frey, Jacob; Ginder, Peter W.; Perry, Matt; Abbott, Greg; Newborn, Toni; Cohen, Dan; Smith, Christopher; [email protected]; Dziedzic, Kari - Senator; Sydney Jordan; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Cut 8 M from police, Dumbest Idea Ever Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 10:46:20 AM

Realy?? Give us a break please. Why can't you understand that your retreat from enforcement destroyed Lake Street and other buildings? It's like retreating from the Normandy Invasion after two days. It's like Patton turning around when he was halfway to Bastogne to rescue our soldiers. It's like retreating from the Battle of Midway after sinking only one aircraft carrier. This RETREAT ATTITUDE is leading to the destruction of our city. Common sense would lead anyone to this conclusion. It seems like the radicals who want this are living in another world. Solution: Give the Chief the amount he wants. I am sure the Chief has more knowledge in this area. Then make sure every officer has de escalation training and psychology training. In addition negotiate a union contract that allows the chief to get rid of bad officers. The council seems to be afraid of any union. The unions give a lot to the campaign.

Richard Bear

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: bearx006 University of Minnesota To: Council Comment; Giraud-Isaacson, Al; Rubenstein, Andrea; Kozak, Andrew; Lickness, Barbara; Clegg, Barry; [email protected]; Smith, Christopher; Cohen, Dan; Abbott, Greg; [email protected]; Sandberg, Jan; [email protected]; Garcia, Jill; Schwarzkopf, Lyall; Perry, Matt; Ginder, Peter W.; Dziedzic, Kari - Senator; [email protected]; Newborn, Toni; Kyle Berndt; [email protected]; Jordan, Sydney - Representative; Reich, Kevin A.; Goodman, Lisa R.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Schroeder, Jeremy; Ellison, Jeremiah Subject: [EXTERNAL] Cut 8 M from police, Worst Idea in history of The city Council. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:31:35 AM

Well I hope the Radicals proposing this extremely Radical, missguided, Unproven, extreme left idea do not pack the meeting tonight with radicals and call it a win. This is a far out proposal. I work in North Minneapolis and other parts of the city daily and the lack of police is very noticeable. In North Minneapolis every day I notice people going way over the speed limit. I witness lots of people going through red lights, some at high rates of speed. There is NO ENFORCEMENT. Please for the safety of citizens you are obligated to protect give the Chief the officers he needs. How about giving the Media access to these emails so we can see the people begging for more Officers.

Richard Bear

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Seth Bork To: Council Comment; Seth Bork Subject: [EXTERNAL] Dec 2 mtg Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:25:14 AM Importance: High

Hello:

I’m emailing to dispute my property valuation and subsequent tax bill for Property ID NO : 01-029- 24 23 0084 / 3347 Central Ave NE Minneapolis

I have never done this on any property of mine however this year it is necessary for this property.

Last year you had my market value of this building at 1,248,000 which was too high however I didn’t say anything. This year you raised it to 1,497,000 …….. an increase of 249,000 and I have done no improvements to the building! Since 2019 to 2021 the property tax INCREASE IS OVER $6,000 annually and there is no information to justify the change.

My points of contention are as follows:

1. The next door building at 3457 Central Ave NE Minneapolis is the exact same building. It was built by the same owner at the same time as my building. The interiors, exteriors, size, color, materials, etc are identical. There is nothing different about them other than his building has a new roof which is better. I am buying that building on December 15, 2020 for $1,100,000 which is the going market value for the property. Therfore, there is NO way the current valuation of 3447 Central Ave is correct at $1,497,500 2. You, the city, Governor, advocates etc keep asking landlords to have affordable housing. How can we keep rent affordable when insurance rates increase, rental licenses were increased dramatically last year, you are trying to increase the tax value on this and therefore the tax bill? My mortgage is locked in for a few years at least for some sanity however between 2019 and 2021 between the insurance, taxes, and rental licenses the increase is $11,982 per year!!!!!!!!!!!!! That would mean I need to increase rent on each unit by $100 per month just to break even WHILE everyone is asking for affordable rent. Not to mention this year I am down on rent collection at this building due to COVID by $32,000 and yet my mortgage company expects payments with no assistance.

I need your help to make this realistic and manageable!

Thank you

Seth Bork 763-843-7894 [email protected]

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Leah Robertson To: Council Comment Cc: Cano, Alondra (External) Subject: [EXTERNAL] December 2, 2020 - 2021 city budget meeting comment Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 12:55:48 PM

Good Afternoon,

I have been a homeowner in the 9th ward for over 10 years. I am a white woman, a parent of two, and I work for a local non-profit as part of a strategic information management team. I read both the mayor’s budget plan and the city council-member authored Safety for All budget plan and would like to offer feedback on the 2021 proposed budget.

The recent increase in violent crime has understandably brought with it a lot of fear for Minneapolis residents from many different backgrounds. Many fear the harm the police could bring to them – stemming from a long history of institutionalized racism and some fear the harm that could come from a decreased police presence. It’s challenging to know what specific approaches will bring about real change and provide a sense of safety for all people in our city. However, the approach that clearly will not work is one that upholds the status quo that led to the murder of George Floyd and other innocent people of color; prioritizing the expansion of the police force will not solve this problem.

Although I support Mayor Frey’s plan to increase funding for the Office of Violence Prevention, shift calls to 311 that don’t need a police response, and continue to fund affordable housing plans, I noticed that mental health response teams, training, and supports were not addressed directly in his plan. These are a top priority in the Safety for All budget and I think it is a crucial part of rebuilding our city’s approach to public safety in a manner that is equitable and will create long term, positive change. More money needs to be invested in mental health crisis response teams and supporting those whose basic needs are not being met (e.g. people facing food and housing insecurities and lack of medical attention for both physical and mental health needs). Plans to shift responsibilities and duties take time, but I would like to see more clearly outlined intention along with funds allocated to these areas in the mayor’s plan: shifting duties to crisis response teams and community-based organizations as well as 311 and increasing funding to prevention and support programs in addition to the Office of Violence Prevention.

Sincerely,

Leah Robertson 36th and 12th Ave South Minneapolis

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Elise Frieder To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Defund police, invest in communities Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:29:15 PM

To the city council and mayor of Minneapolis,

My name is Elise, and I am a resident of Ward 8. I have lived in the city of Minneapolis for 10 years. In this time, the twin cities have been home to hundreds of police shootings, many of which have gained national outrage. The most recent of these incidents, of course, being the murder of George Floyd.

As crime continues to spike, we know that policing does not reduce crime. We are functioning with a bloated policing budget, a rising rate of homelessness, and rising poverty. This is proof that material conditions have the largest impact on community safety and crime. Not police. As we look ahead to 2021, the vast majority of you have committed to restructuring the MPD. We have seen no evidence that you meant it. Did you lie to your constituents?

This budget is the opportunity for you to do the right thing, to work towards a world where there will be no more deaths like that of George Floyd, Jamar Clark, Fong Lee, Justine Damond, and so many more.

Defund the police, put the money where it counts.

Sincerely,

Elise Frieder [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Alisa Hoven To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Defund the police Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:39:08 PM

My name is Alisa Hoven. I live in Ward 9-Powderhorn Park.

Please defund the police. I do not support increasing the budget for police. Community safety solutions!

Alisa

-- In peace, Alisa Hoven (she/her) Cell: 763-218-3241 Email: [email protected] Occupied Dakota Land (Minneapolis, MN)

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Libby W To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Defund the Police Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:03:42 PM

Hi, there!

Please define the police. I don’t know much more clearly the importance of this can be conveyed to you. Research backs up this call to action; your citizens are backing up this call to action. You need to listen to the people who are telling you that they are hurt by the current system. You need to see who is being killed by the current system. Defund the police.

Thank you.

Elizabeth W -- Elizabeth Wambheim Twitter: @EWambheim Wordpress

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Mike Kaliszewski To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Defunding Police Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 6:29:09 AM

As senior citizens living outside of the metro area, who used to enjoy different venues held downtown, and who liked to visit their son that lives in the Franklin-Nicollet area. We no longer feel safe with all the unrest in your city. I feel that I must get a CCW permit just to protect us if we want to visit our son. I do not know my way around downtown to navigate it when all the roads get blocked constantly by protesters, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way. Therefore We will no longer support the RV show, car show, Twins, Vikings, and all other venues going on there. Therefore I hope you reconsider defunding the police! I feel you should increase the police department and give them the support they deserve!

Sent from my iPad [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] To: LIMS Subject: [EXTERNAL] Do not cut funds for the Police Department Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:19:26 PM

We need more good police not cuts in police. You were elected to help run the city and cutting funding only allow more criminals freedom to do their worst. Get your head out of the sand and increase the number of "GOOD" police in our city. Protect the citizens by adding police not reducing our protection. Use your head and help the citizens of Minneapolis not the criminals. Sent from my iPhone [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: William C To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] for "Comments on Public Record" - Dec. 2 Budget Hearing Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 4:10:34 PM

Re: The proposed plans for non-police alternative response mental health calls for help.

I am disappointed to see that the plans are going to be based on a homeless response team model instead of creating a true alternative for persons in the depths of mental health crises. The plans for the team and its use simply don’t focus on addressing the most critical calls. The existing plans retain a loophole that will steer suicide calls to police and construct a team (with paramedic) optimized to handle non-crisis calls including a focus on homeless outreach calls. The concept is being pushed by behind-the-scenes activists and staff who have assumed that homeless contacts will be the deciding factor in how to build the team. That is a result of their lack of expertise and the fact that somehow(!) the city prefers a response that excludes suicide calls (per staff: “where there is danger to self or others”). The new team should be used for the most complex and critical calls. Often this will be as a primary sole responder, but the team must be applied as a co-response option (not excluded) on other calls. The EDP category is very broad and problematic here. No effort has been made to ensure the new team is on-hand for true mental health crisis calls. Instead, we are being sold a team based on the Eugene, OR homeless outreach model (simply true- check yourself) instead of team structures like COPE that are optimized for psychiatric emergencies and complex high utilizer situations. Ironically, the new teams are intended to replace the need to collaborate with COPE – which doesn't embed paramedics. The most difficult and costly calls are those involving true mental health crisis (a subset of EDP). These are the calls that we want to take away from the police who destabilize and harm vulnerable persons. There are many hundreds of relevant calls and they are time-consuming if handled correctly. If our new teams are busy administering to “welfare checks” and helping non-crisis homeless calls, then that resource is used inefficiently, and police are still taking the critical calls. Yes, homeless outreach teams are needed, but psychiatric emergency calls and non-crisis EDP calls should be separate full-time endeavors. This is a big city with great needs. We need a separate homeless outreach team (e.g. pair your existing Navigator personnel with an EMT). But we simply must create a separate, effective mobile response to 911 mental health crisis calls. Mixing the two is folly. Mixing the two is also a betrayal of vulnerable persons in crisis who need a dedicated mobile crisis response team. One option is to replace the paramedic with a Peer Support Specialist who meets the base statutory requirements for mobile crisis response work. That substitution transforms your existing homeless outreach hybrid with a pairing of true mental health professionals. The Peer Support Specialists might contribute language skills, cultural competence, and experience with substance abuse. Replacing the paramedic is essential. The paramedic is not needed for transportation. The vehicle used (e.g. specialty van) can be classified for patient transport and insurance can be purchased. This is what crisis response teams do in Southwest Minnesota. It is fallacy to assume that an ambulance is necessary. Ambulances can still be summoned (COPE has that option). Furthermore, a paramedic on a 911 response introduces the specter of sedation for convenience if the team is utilized for co-response with police. This co-response function is desirable when it would prevent a police-only contact. These are key points that are our leadership must recognize. They involve nuance that was not illuminated in the touted surveys, or studied by special-access activists, or fully understood by non- expert staff. It is up to our leadership. It is up to you.

William Czech [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Artemis Hauer Johnson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] frey"s budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:49:20 PM

I am disgusted by the idea of paying higher and higher property taxes just so the same bad apples can beat and murder human beings living in this city, get (rightfully) sued for it for millions of dollars, and leave me stuck with the check.

Frey insults my intelligence by implying that this year's increase in crime indicates a need for more policing. Correlation is not causation. There is no evidence to support the equally insulting idea that our drop in police force caused the increased crime rates. Violent crime is up by double digits in just about every city in America--so the argument that Minneapolis' inadvertent reduction in force or our talk of defunding is what emboldened criminals doesn't hold water.

Across the United States, we are seeing record levels of unemployment. Surely the increased violent crime has more to do with desperation, evictions, lack of support systems. The reports of young teens and tweens implicated in violent crimes suggest that school was serving as a form of daycare for at-risk youth--whose parents, forced to work "essential" jobs, aren't home to make sure they're staying in Zoom class.

Reject Frey's budget, and support Safety for All. The actual changes are small.

When Frey's police once again prove their contempt for our needs, I don't want to be stuck holding the check.

Artemis Johnson, Linden Hills

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Dave Bicking To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Funding of OPCR Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:22:59 AM

To all members of Minneapolis City Council, and for inclusion in the public record of the Public Hearing on the 2021 Budget:

The Safety for All Budget Plan, section 3, calls for increased funding for the Office of Police Conduct Review. Please NO. The OPCR needs to be scrapped. Its problems have nothing to do with lack of funding.

For many years, I have been keeping and updating a spreadsheet of complaint information, along with the outcomes of those complaints. This data comes directly from the OPCR, in response to our standing data practice request. I receive the data and update the spreadsheet quarterly. Currently, the city is a month and a half behind in providing the 3rd quarter data.

CUAPB has regularly reported to the City Council on the incredible lack of discipline arising from complaints filed by the public with the OPCR. NO ONE has ever shown any sign of caring, or any interest in following up.

As of the end of 2nd Quarter 2020, over 3,000 members of the public have filed complaints with the OPCR. Those complaints have led to discipline in only 13 cases, involving 16 officers. That is less than one in 200 complaints leading to discipline. Would you even bother filing a complaint, knowing that statistic? That is a statistical outlier from any other city. Some years ago it was reported that the civilian review agency in Chicago had only a 3% sustain rate. It was a city-wide scandal. But here, not a peep from the City Council.

The maximum discipline in those cases has been a 40 hour suspension - basically a one- week unpaid vacation. In 8 of those cases, the discipline has been only a written reprimand. That is not enough to have any impact as a corrective measure, or as a deterrent for misconduct by other officers.

As a civilian review mechanism, the OPCR is utterly worthless. That is no surprise to us, because it is in no sense civilian review. At the time it was created, the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) said that the proposed model (OPCR) would mean the end of civilian review in Minneapolis. All stages of the complaint review process are controlled by city staff or the police department. If a complaint survives the first stages, it is ruled on by a panel of two civilians and two high ranking officers. Those civilian volunteers are hand-picked by the City Council and the Mayor, never appear in public, and are totally unaccountable to the community.

The OPCR process was designed entirely in secret without community input or knowledge. When information was leaked to CUAPB, we were told that no substantial modifications would be contemplated. When the City Council required 3 community meetings, it was the unanimous opinion of the attendees that there was nothing of merit in the plan, and that it should be scrapped. The Council approved it anyway, in an 8 to 5 vote, but with the provision that it would be reviewed by the Council after a year of operation. After that year, the StarTribune had a front page headline: "439 complaints, no discipline". The Council did that review, and concluded that it was still too early to tell. Seven years later, there has never been a follow-up review by the Council.

NOW is the time to review the OPCR process and results. A community-led panel should determine how to institute REAL civilian review, with real power and accountability. This is NOT the time to increase funding for the utterly worthless OPCR.

The Police Conduct Oversight Commission does have some value, and some of its functions should be included in any new civilian review organization. While being weak and frequently spineless, they and the associated staff have done some very good policy work. The Council and the Mayor have shown their contempt for even this little bit of civilian oversight by not even appointing enough members to maintain a quorum. Next Tuesday, the PCOC will finally be able to meet again. But two of the four members recently appointed are clearly proxies for the police, diluting the civilian nature of the body.

If the City Council had been concerned enough to maintain accountability through a civilian oversight body, George Floyd would probably still be alive. Now is not the time to double- down on the OPCR by increasing its funding. It is time to scrap it.

Dave Bicking Ward 8 [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Rebecca Hare To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: End Policing, Invest in People Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:44:48 PM

Please include the email below in the public comment in support of The People's Budget.

------Forwarded message ------From: Rebecca Hare Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 7:54 AM Subject: End Policing, Invest in People To: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dear Councilmembers -

My name is Rebecca Hare, and I have both seen and experienced the negative impact of the Minneapolis Police Department on those who live, work, and move within the city of Minneapolis. I am writing to urge the City Council to defund and abolish the Minneapolis Police Department and immediately invest directly in people in need of financial support, housing, legal support, and medical care. This triple pandemic of racism, COVID-19, and an economic downturn is a time of crisis that needs a people-centered emergency response - and a new direction moving forward.

1. Police operate without real accountability and are a danger to everyone who moves within the City of Minneapolis. Lack of accountability to the people they are hired to serve, lack of accountability within the city and their own department, and lack of accountability under our court system create an environment that is dangerous for everyone in this city -- and especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, who experience disproportionate effects of this lack of accountability.

2. Unnecessary police interaction and police use of force disproportionately harm low-income folks and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Minneapolis--and this is a humanitarian crisis. We need to move away from calling a 911 emergency line that dispatches guns and oppressive criminal consequences. A militarized police should not be the face of interaction with city services and should not be a source of fear for the people of Minneapolis. People should not fear for their lives or livelihood when the city dispatches public servants. Public servants should not carry lethal weapons or regularly use suppression against people. The uncriticized assumption that police are justified in violent use of force is antithetical to freedom and is state oppression.

3. Overuse and misuse of the criminal system resulting from police encounters disproportionately impacts low-income folks and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Minneapolis--and this is a fundamental injustice. Many so-called crimes criminalize living without a home. Moreover, the court system itself unfairly penalizes the poor far more than those with access to money -- with fines, fees, cash bail, and collateral consequences, including and especially for those in working class jobs without set schedules or sufficient paid time off to attend hearings. Police cruising around the city and targeting poor people with violations of the law hurts Minneapolis and surrounding communities by piling disproportionate consequences on those who have the least ability to successfully weather them.

4. Minneapolis needs a greater array of services that can respond to emergency situations that do not involve the possibility of police violence or criminal consequences. Minneapolis needs a people-first approach that focuses on better outcomes for everyone and that starts with addressing root causes of incidents where police are currently called, and ill-equipped, to respond. To address much of the so-called crime in the city, Minneapolis should be redirecting money that funds police to direct cash distribution to the people of Minneapolis who are struggling financially. To address the intersection of so-called crime and mental illness, the city needs first responders who are professionally equipped to handle these situations and do not have lethal weapons.

These reasons in support of abolishing and defunding the police are supported both by evidence and personal experience and observation. While living, working, and moving within Minneapolis:

I have seen unfair targeting of folks on the lightrail in Minneapolis by law enforcement; I have seen and experienced MPD's use of unnecessary violence, suppression tactics, and criminal consequences against peaceful protesters, medics, and legal observers; I have seen MPD working with the Minneapolis Park Police to displace, harass, and destroy people's belongings without due process or respect for city residents; I have supported people financially who have encountered obstacles to getting financial assistance from the city of Minneapolis despite experiencing desperate need - an area that should be prioritized for reallocation of police funding; I have worked with many individuals in Minneapolis in need of affordable and attainable housing - an area that should be prioritized for reallocation of police funding; I have witnessed mental health crises that needed first responders trained in mental health response - not armed police that can endanger their lives and their housing.

We do not need police to address symptoms of poverty, to perpetuate racist systems, and to commit violence against the people they serve. Instead, we need first responders that put people first and even more urgently, we need immediate direct cash distribution, housing, legal support, and medical care for people in need -- without bureaucratic requirements that frustrate access by those most in need. The effects of Minneapolis policing and lack of sufficient funding to support its residents affects people living both within and outside of the city's borders and reflects poorly on city leadership.

Sincerely, Rebecca Hare

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments.

From: Nathan Peterson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: People"s Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 4:06:23 PM

I forgot to mention in my previous email:

St Paul police department tweeted that they've cleared 28 out of 30 homicides this year. Please find out what they are doing differently!

Sent from BlueMail On Dec 3, 2020, at 1:06 PM, Nathan Peterson wrote: My name is Nathan P. and I am a resident of Ward 10. I like the idea of the People's Budget, however I'm wondering if funding can be found in other areas. With the rise in crime, we need officers to apprehend criminals, a visible presence can also deter crime.

I'm aware of the issues with MPD. Some of the officers can be disrespectful and cross the line, however not all of them are that way. I agree that many calls don't need an officer response, mental health professionals and having other people take crime reports can reduce the burden MPD has to deal with. I responded to an online questionnaire about Minneapolis public safety a while ago and said that people from the recovery community can potentially help those who are suffering from addiction. Many times talking to a regular person, not an addiction counselor, may make addicts feel more comfortable to talk about their substance abuse. I do think that counselors and social workers can help in certain circumstances, however talking to regular people may be easier for some. This also goes for conflict deescalation in the community.

I like the idea of funding for programs to provide people with food, shelter, health care, basic necessities. At the online meeting, I heard a lot of talk about affordable housing, when in Ward 10, we have a dozen luxury apartment complexes with more being built all the time. These are the opposite of affordable. I am a blue collar machinist, I make pretty decent wages, however they are expensive even for me. Some of them are charging $1,600/month for a one bedroom. I have lived in the same apartment building for about 14 years because if I moved anywhere else, I would be paying more. We need housing that the average person can afford. I use public transportation, and Uptown is an easy location to commute from, moving to the suburbs where apartments may be cheaper would make it a hassle for me to find public transportation. I have to rely on Lyft to get home in the morning because Metro Transit reduced services. Moving further away from the city would cost me more for Lyft and put me further away from stores, restaurants, my AA meeting, etc.

Here are some ideas I have for public programs/MPD:

1. Set up a task force for mental health, I fully agree with this idea, however in some situations a disturbed person may be carrying a weapon. We need to have people there who can assist and potentially carry pepper spray or a taser if things get violent. MPD has to be able to respond quickly if an attack happens. Maybe have an officer ride along and stay back, but still close enough to assist if need be.

2. Reach out to addiction services, such as AA or NA, I'm not sure if they'll be willing to help though. As a member of AA, I can say that we don't engage in various public programs from what I know, however they may be able to help find volunteers who would be willing to talk to people suffering from addiction. Reach out to neighborhoods to find people in the recovery community, I could probably help in my neighborhood.

3. Reduce the number of luxury apartment complexes to allow more people with lower income afford housing in decent neighborhoods. Living in Ward 10 shouldn't be limited to people making $65k/year. Also with luxury apartments, they often demolish older buildings which held businesses. These complexes have ground level storefronts, however I can imagine the leases to be extremely high, making it difficult for small businesses to move in. We need to have property that is affordable for living and leasing.

5. Give people in high schools something to do to be productive. Set up a program with local businesses to help students find part-time jobs in their communities. I'm not sure if this program exists, however it seems like a lot of teens are committing crimes and maybe having a decent job would alleviate some of that.

6. Get students in high school interested in careers. Set up a program to give tours of various industries to students, show them what a career looks like. Back when I was in high school, we had a career day with speakers coming in, however bringing interested students to businesses may get them more excited for jobs after school. I took a 24 week program called Right Skills Now at Dunwoody. The same program is offered in other tech schools as well. I think when I took it, it cost around $12k? I don't remember exactly, however it's affordable! I think scholarships to tech schools would be a good idea. You could fund more students taking the Right Skills Now program than a 2 or 4 year degree and get them gainful employment quickly. I think there's too much of a push to get people into 4 year+ college programs for office jobs. Blue collar manufacturing jobs pay well and I don't think many people consider them. Students taking out a loan to pay for a shorter certification program such as Right Skills Now would be able to pay them off quickly.

7. Increase assistance for students with learning difficulties. I think getting good grades gives people confidence, which may help turn them away from crime in the future.

8. MPD culture needs to change. I think there's an "us vs them" mentality that needs to go away. Officers need to feel comfortable talking about issues with their partners and supervisors. They should be able to confront other officers when they are out of line without feeling like they are stabbing each other in the back. How many bad situations could be avoided if officers felt they could speak freely with one another and not get harassed?

9. Get rid of problem officers. There's no need for 5+ chances at work, any other person would be fired after fewer mistakes.

10. Better officer training to use firearms as a last resort only. There's no need to draw a weapon during many confrontations.

Please consider these ideas. I may have others and you can feel free to respond to me about them. I'll do some more thinking.

Nathan P. Ward 10

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Anne Wallick-Bauhof To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Proposed 2021 city budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:56:31 AM

Hello, I was on hold to speak at last night's city council meeting, but unfortunately I had to disconnect. I am glad so many people were willing to speak; it's good to have an engaged electorate. My comments are as follows:

My name is Anne, and I am a resident of Ward 9. I support the people's budget & parts 1 & 2 of the safety for all budget (though I echo sentiments that they are the bare minimum)

Police officers don't prevent crime (even if we assumed the best of them); they show up after a crime has been committed (and what's more, have a low rate of solving said crimes), and even if they are present to prevent a crime, odds are, all they're doing is putting it off. If we want to really stop crime, we need to invest in our communities, especially now with record illness, unemployment, injustice, and houselessness.

Most crimes are committed out of desperation, if we take away the need, we will significantly reduce - if not eliminate - crime. I ask that you increase money for physical and mental health services, housing, food security, education, youth programs, environmental protections, and restorative justice.

Increased numbers of police officers do nothing but give the illusion of safety, while further endangering the lives of our BIPOC neighbors, and/or those with mental health issues, and/or those experiencing homelessness - people whom the police have a reputation of harassing, bullying, and - as we have seen tragically played out many, many times - murdering, all while suffering no consequences.

There was a pledge from a majority of you over the Summer for drastic change. I ask that you now back up that pledge. When these programs are properly funded, and can start to make a positive impact, we can serve as an example to the rest of the country. We can show that a better future is possible for all of us. I ask that you have the courage to put the people's budget into action.

Thank you for your time.

Anne E. Wallick-Bauhof 3411 25th Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55406

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Linda Berglin To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Proposed reductions to police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:55:10 AM

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Linda Berglin Date: December 3, 2020 at 11:48:16 AM CST To: [email protected] Subject: Proposed reductions to police budget

,City Council Members I am writing to urge you not to reduce the Minneapolis police budget. As a resident of Minneapolis, I believe we need more police not less. There have been a lot of car jackings and robberies in daylight hours. This makes me feel less safe. As a senior citizen who lives alone I think it is important to have officers who are responsive to citizens. This does not mean we need less service. Thank you for hearing my concerns. Linda Berglin 4801 5th AV S Minneapolis MN 55419

Sent from my iPhone

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Teresa Fisher To: Council Comment; Frey, Jacob Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Safety for All Budget Proposal Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:36:56 PM

Dear Council Members -

I am a very concerned citizen of ward 3. My Husband and I were both raised in South Minneapolis, we have also lived in the Suburbs, we returned to the city we love, the summer of 2019. We made the decision to be in the heart of the city to enjoy all the wonderful things Minneapolis offers, Restaurants, Sports, Shopping, Theater, walking, biking to name a few. Who would have ever guessed that less than 1 year later we would all be dealing with a pandemic followed by the horrific death of George Floyd. These events have turned our world, and certainly Minneapolis upside down.

I believe wholly that all people deserve a safe environment in which to live. I believe all people deserve shelter, food, and an equal education. I also believe that all people who are fully capable need to work hard for these things, and those who cannot need help from their communities. But I am going to focus on the MPD and Safety for All Budget.

There is no doubt the MPD needs change in how they police, but it cannot be 100% on them to change and fix. Policing has changed significantly over the past many decades. Drugs and addiction, mental health, racism, homelessness have escalated, we have just continued to pile these on the police. We expect our officers to have the capability to skillfully handle the breadth of calls dealing with these and the resulting crime that is associated. Our officers see and deal with the worst of humanity on a daily basis. Yet we expect them to go home at the end of their shift and have a "normal" life, come back the next day with their head screwed on straight, their attitude upbeat and ready to face another day of sad, unbelievably hard work. We need to take things off their plate, make sure they have all the training and support possible so they can focus on what policing should be. We need a fully staffed and funded Police department. They need mental and emotional support to process the horrible things they see and deal with everyday. We, and they need to be held accountable for their actions. This is not a job for just anyone, and those that don't/can't handle the job must be weeded out. The expectations of the police must change, by them, the Mayor, The City Council, and the citizens of Minneapolis. We need to work together to fix this, yet what I see is the opposite. You cannot stand up and shout how the City Council is going to defund the police in the middle of a crisis and traumatic time. I was dumbfounded when I saw that on TV last summer. The resulting crime and lawlessness we are experiencing is a direct result of that claim made in Powderhorn Park by Lisa Bender. Our entire city is impacted by this, people are afraid to be out and about. I also recently read an interview with Lisa where she took no ownership of her actions, blamed the messaging on the organizers of the protest. That is not a leader.

I spent most of last night listening to the feedback from the community on the City Council Call. So many people want to blame all the crime we are experiencing on the Pandemic, sure some is probably a result of that, but most are opportunists, many who have moved into our city and are committing such violent acts on innocent people. We need the Police to deal with these criminals and get them out. No Mental health pro can help with these brazen criminals. Much of the Safety for All Proposal makes sense, and is needed. What I cannot understand is how the Counsel thinks this can happen overnight. There is alot of hard work to do here. We need to get the police fully staffed along with implementing these changes. We need both, not one or the other. BOTH. The time to cut budgets for the MPD is not right now.

The city of Minneapolis deserves better, we need to see our leadership work together to fix this. No more finger pointing, or status quo. I believe Chief Arrodondo can right the ship, but he needs support to do that, you owe us that.

You have a hard job, but like the police if you are not cut out for it, you need to get out of the way.

T. Fisher

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] on behalf of Rachel Steiner To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] I DEMAND a budget that promotes safety for all. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:34:54 AM

Dear

Several members of the Minneapolis City Council have recently proposed a “Safety For All Budget Plan,” which would move $7.9 million away from traditional policing in Minneapolis, and reinvest those resources in appropriate responses to emergency calls, stronger violence prevention programs, and more robust community oversight of police.

I am writing as a Minneapolis resident and ACLU-MN supporter to urge the City Council to adopt the Safety for All Budget Plan. The proposal is an important first step in the process of a broader divestment from policing.

This year has shown all of my fellow residents of Minneapolis that we need major changes in how policing works in Minneapolis. Please vote yes to the changes that we have discussed all year so that 2021 can have a better outlook. If we do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, that's the definition of madness. Please stop the madness.

Black, Brown and Indigenous communities suffer from centuries of underinvestment in mental health care, housing, education, parks, and other social and community services that are routinely funded in white neighborhoods. In many of our communities, the only “services” that are adequately funded are policing and punitive programs.

Police are not equipped to prevent violence in our neighborhoods, and police are not the right response to every problem our communities face. That’s why I support:

• Implementing reporting shifts so that low-level crimes like theft, property damage, and traffic incidents are directed to 311 or other non-police city staff. • Dispatching mental health professionals, instead of armed police, to respond to mental and behavioral health crises. • Investing resources in the existing Office of Violence Prevention so that we can prevent violent crime, rather than simply respond to it. • Strengthening community oversight and community-led police accountability.

We have a lot of work to do toward reversing police violence and public underinvestment in Black, Brown and Indigenous communities. The Safety for All Budget Plan is an important step toward a system of community safety that works for all Minneapolis residents.

Sincerely,

Rachel Steiner 3508 E 45th St Minneapolis MN, 55406-3877

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] on behalf of Holly Robbins To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] I demand a budget that promotes safety for all. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:10:52 AM

Dear

I live in Minneapolis off of 46th Street and Nicollet Ave. We've had neighbors find bullets and bullet holes in their homes, their cars, their businesses. I worry about going out due to the car jackings. I am on high alert all the time for criminal activity. I read all the angry and frightened posts on NextDoor and follow all the crimes.

However, I know that this situation will not change unless we do the brave thing and work on the systemic roots of these problems. I teach systems thinking and I understand how often the complexity in such systems make it so overly-simplistic and linear solutions will fail. More cops does not equal safer neighborhoods. We need to deal with the fact that that system has robbed the poor and working class in our city of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and that they should not be in the situations they are in. We need to do better.

Police are not equipped to prevent violence in our neighborhoods, and police are not the right response to every problem our communities face. That’s why I support:

Sincerely,

Holly Robbins 4715 Pillsbury Ave S Minneapolis MN, 55419-5517

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] on behalf of Kimberly Milliard To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] I demand a budget that promotes safety for all. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:06:45 AM

Dear

Police are not equipped to prevent violence in our neighborhoods, and police are not the right response to every problem our communities face. That’s why I support:

Sincerely,

Kimberly Milliard 4404 15th ave s Apt 2 Minneapolis MN, 55407-5681

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] on behalf of Charles Campbell To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] I demand a budget that promotes safety for all. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:06:27 AM

Dear

Police are not equipped to prevent violence in our neighborhoods, and police are not the right response to every problem our communities face. That’s why I support:

Sincerely,

Charles Campbell 4644 1st Ave S Minneapolis MN, 55419-5602

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Emily Clashe To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] In support of the People"s Budget and pts 1 + 2 of Safety for All budget proposal Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:28:14 AM

Hello City Councilmembers,

I'm Emily Clashe, I live in Ward 2. I'm a renter and a union member with AFSCME 3937. I support the People’s Budget and parts 1 and 2 of the Safety for All budget as a bare minimum. I testified earlier tonight, but wanted to elaborate on what I said.

First, thank you for your time in the hearing tonight. I think it's clear that evening hearings are more accessible to a broader variety of people than daytime hearings, and I hope that you factor this into your assessment of where your constituents stand on the city budget. (I counted roughly 150 People's Budget/Safety for All supporters and roughly 85 mayoral budget supporters, though I'd be interested to see the council's own data, as I missed some callers around when I testified.)

More than 120 officers have left MPD this year of their own accord. We should believe MPD when they say they are overworked, demoralized, have lost public trust, and can't respond to calls in a timely manner -- and we should respond by moving as many calls as possible out of their jurisdiction.

Some callers tonight were concerned about the timing of moving responsibilities out of MPD. Some thought that -- even though the SFA plan would lessen the workload on MPD disproportionately to the funding it would reroute -- it's irresponsible to not match what the police chief is calling for in terms of funding, given the crime wave.

But MPD has not acted as responsible or trustworthy stewards of public funds (see as just one recent example: MPD's recent participation in the multi-agency kettling of 646+ protestors on 94 for 6 hours, resulting in the largest mass arrest in Minnesota history).

So I don't consider it legitimate when Chief Arradondo says that under the Safety for All proposal, minus just 4.4% of their enormous budget, they won't be able to cover patrols. Why would patrols be the first thing to go, instead of the last? (horses? tear gas? PR department admin salaries? the list goes on...)

Instead of pouring money into a department that is hemorrhaging overtime funds (for the officers who haven't yet quit or gone on sick-out), Minneapolis can simply begin the process of building public safety infrastructure that actually works to get people what they need.

The Council should refuse to reward MPD's racist culture and violent tendencies; refuse to give in to Chief Arradondo's budgetary asks, which seem to be infinite without ever being connected to outcomes or accountability. Resist the idea that if we have 1000 cops, Minneapolis residents will be safer, rather than more at risk for harm. A select few might FEEL safer, which is not the same thing. I was struck by the difference in tone tonight between people speaking about losing loved ones to police violence and the trauma of that, versus (mostly white) people outraged that crime is suddenly happening near them.

The People’s Budget is full of thoughtful ideas about where public funds need to go to create real public safety. It has a clear vision of why crime happens and a collection of strategies like funding harm reduction groups and culturally-specific mental health programs, creating warming stations, and providing childcare, that would make a material difference in people's lives. I've called Adult Shelter Connect on behalf of others and been told there's no more beds for the night. And then I've seen cops evict people from tents anyway -- in the snow, in the cold, knowing there is nowhere else for them to go.

Please seriously consider all aspects of the People's Budget, which by getting resources to people who need them the most would do more to increase public safety than hiring any number of cops. I will be contacting the people who have announced campaigns running against some of you to find out their position on the People's Budget, and I think your support for the ideas it contains will be pivotal in the 2021 city elections.

Re: the most moderate, most incremental step you could take in the right direction, the Safety for All proposal - I know that most, if not all, of you agree that we need mobile mental health response teams, and agree that undertrained MPD officers cannot build community trust or establish public safety by responding to situations they are only equipped to escalate. People who DO have the experience and/or training to respond to mental health crises can free up MPD to stop carjackings, or whatever it is they are claiming they could do with more resources. This can happen now. You don't have to be slowed down by the Charter Commission. This is in your power.

For a long time, your constituents have been told to blame you -- Councilmembers! -- and demand an increase in funding when cops don't respond to their 911 calls. Clearly, from tonight's meeting, some constituents are taking that at face value. But I think it's time to reject that protection racket framing and stop expecting MPD to change its stripes. Dismantling MPD can literally start December 9th, and something better is on the other side. It's the least of what we as a city owe to the memory of George Floyd and every other victim of police violence - that what happened to them not be allowed to happen again.

Happy marking up, and thanks again, Emily Clashe

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: JLM To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Increase sense of safety in the city Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:14:40 PM

The ideas of the three council members who want to shift money away from the Minneapolis Police to Violence Prevention may be all very well, but this is not time to experiment by decreasing funding for public safety. I highly doubt that you have many people in South or North Minneapolis who would prefer experimentation that may not have any effect on the increased violence that FINALLY the media has begun to cover as current news. The City Council needs to do something about the fact that residents who live in all areas of Minneapolis no longer feel safe shopping, walking or driving in our own neighborhoods. Money is flowing out of the city as people do not want to risk walking or driving to local shops. The walkability factor in city life has been downgraded due to safety concerns. Represent your constituents, not just yourselves and what you hope to be your future political careers. Be public servants, not self-serving politicians.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: PJ D To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Make Minneapolis better than ever! Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:04:35 PM

Sent from Mail for Windows 10 Dearest folks,

Please give Minneapolis a chance to overcome a few bad apples and don’t stop watering the fruit! Please fund safety to the nth degree and stand by Mayor Frey in helping stop corruptive and dangerous behaviors. Fund everything you can to safe life. Employ and deploy military veterans’ to help us now. We need more community service workers with medical backgrounds. Start implementing fines as I have seen first hand that this is not being done. It’s a great deterrent and helps city fund necessary programs.

Thanks U.S. Veteran Pam

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Ellen Luger To: Council Comment Cc: Goodman, Lisa R. Subject: [EXTERNAL] Mayor’s Proposed City Budget- Police Funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:08:20 PM

Dear City Council Members: I am writing in support of the Mayor and Chief of Police’s proposed level of funding and service for the MPD. I agree the City should have mental health and social service resources working with MPD but not at the expense of the MPD budget. I am against the proposal spearheaded by Lisa Bender to cut the MPD financial and staffing resources. Thank you, Ellen Goldberg Luger

Sent from my iPad [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Paige Wittman To: Council Comment Cc: Eric Nasstrom; Police - PIO; Frey, Jacob Subject: [EXTERNAL] Minneapolis Budget & Safety Commentary for December 2, 2020 Meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:15:35 PM

Good afternoon- This isn’t my first letter. I have called and emailed our city council member, Jeremy Schroeder with these concerns in June, when our council saw fit to rally around the pithy “Defund The Police” phrase. We need real change and real safety, not slogans.

How about change to the laws that don’t allow police officers to be fired when Chief Arradondo, Mayor Frey and other leaders need to make changes? MPR reported in July that 46% of Minnesota police officers get their jobs back through arbitration. That is a staggering number. Beyond the staggering number, that is a license to act with impunity and an unbelievable disservice to the officers who are honorable and hardworking. While we will learn a lot during the trial of the former officers charged with killing George Floyd, I would suspect that they way they acted was because they could and not expect permanent repercussions. I don’t know a lot about the police union, but I would think there is a fair amount of work to do here.

How about uniting our city rather than tearing it apart? This is a tough year, without a doubt, but we need UNITED leadership- Mayor, Police Chief, and City Council. Quit this posturing and get to the work of serving the citizens and businesses of our city. Allow our Chief of Police the budget he has asked for. Do not shortchange our city.

How about instead of hiring 20 violence interrupters, we hire 200 or whatever it takes. Grass root, community interaction and intervention - Like the best coach or mentor you ever had, right when they are needed. Too much money? Not in the long run and not compared to the expenditures from 2020. Consider it an investment in infrastructure. I was a kid in New York City and always appreciated having Guardian Angels on the train with me.

How about use of more technology to aid oversight and creating more effective body cameras? When cop has their knee on the neck of someone for 9 minutes, how is that not captured and an alert raised to management? With 735 officers, down from 888 and 500 on patrol- not at the same time, I find it hard to believe that there isn’t technology to help provide oversight and crisis management during active calls.

As a resident of Minneapolis, I am beyond alarmed by the rise in crime. It is a constant conversation with friends and neighbors. I am concerned about my young kids and their friends. When we should be allowing them a little freedom to ride their bikes to the creek, Starbucks, George and the Dragon and The Malt Shop, we are now concerned every time they step out of the door. A few days ago, a couple of blocks from our house, shots were fired on a woman in her car at 8:00am on a Friday morning.

I am concerned about our neighbors. Every incident we read about is another too many. On a sunny day in October, I stood and watched my son and his team play flag football at beautiful Folwell Park. On November 24th a man was killed right near that park, bringing the homicide number to 77 that day.

In the city council updates, we are reminded to support our local businesses. You don’t need to remind us that these businesses mean a lot to us. We already know it and support them daily. Now, it has to be safe for us to frequent those businesses. A few weeks ago a woman was kicked to the ground near 50th and France, at the uptown Kowalski’s- same. A woman was mugged at the nail salon on 50th & Bryant.

I could go on and on with examples. We need on the ground safety right now.

Best, Paige Wittman

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Humberto Martin To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Minneapolis Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:06:08 PM

I am a Minneapolis resident since 2016 and NE resident since 2018 and I'm urging you to approve the People's Budget and the Safety For All budget. As a person of color I have never had a positive experience with the police despite always being an upstanding citizen. My friends and family have also been victims of police violence and brutality. I understand, as the city council, you have an obligation to listen to your constituents but I also urge you to consider listening to the experts and reading the data that shows violence intervention programs greatly reduce and address the issue at the root. Thank you.

Humberto Martin Ward 3 Windom Park

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Terri Sutton To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Minneapolis City Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 6:06:11 PM

Dear City Clerk:

I was signed up to speak at the budget meeting, and I listened for hours, but I was #243 to speak, and I had to go to bed.

So I hope you can add my statement to the meeting record. If there's a different email I should use, please let me know. Thanks. Here it is:

We've heard a lot of criticism of city leaders. But who tortured and killed a man on our streets? Who refused to take responsibility for that public lynching and instead escalated peaceful protest: gassing hundreds and even blinding people with "non-lethal" weaponry? Who then took sick and disability leave, claiming *they* were traumatized? Who shredded the social contract--showing that the law itself was lawless--and then blamed activists and leadership for the resulting crime? Who pressured their chief, the one who supposedly is changing the culture of the force, to demote a Black deputy for telling the truth about police recruitment? Again, a reminder: The police force is fully funded right now, during this year of record homicide numbers and increased street crime. The MPD has failed us, and the solution is not to hire more of them. You don't keep feeding coins into a broken vending machine, expecting different results. I support the People's Budget or, at the very least, the "Safety for All Budget Plan." The latter's reduction in police budget is *hardly* shocking or irresponsible. Other cities such as San Francisco, LA, and NY are all reducing police budgets. Police chiefs across the country have acknowledged that their officers are being asked to do too much. It's past time we *begin* to figure out a public safety system that is not only equitable but actually *works.*

Thank you, Teresa Sutton

-- Terri Sutton [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Marc Le Voir To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Minneapolis Police commenting Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:22:14 PM

Hello,

My name is Marc Le Voir. I currently live in the Standish Ericsson neighborhood and I was unable to attend last night's meeting. I am greatly concerned about what has happened with MPD over the past year (and years before that also). The members of MPD have made it clear that they are not going to comply with any changes that have been attempted and they have continued to elect Bob Kroll as their union president. The only way to move forward is to make a clean state and start over with a public safety department that has the interest of the city and its residents in mind.

MPD officers have shown that they do not have my or anyone else's interests in mind beyond their own selfish goals. They have shown this by the huge number of officers that have left the force since May, leaving us with a staffing crisis that has forced the discussion to use additional officers from Metro Transit PD, etc. They have shown this with the increased response times. They have shown this with the numbers of ptsd and disability claims that have been filed for since May.

We cannot allow them to use a decrease in the budget to give them any ammunition to justify their own existence. We need to change the budget to put an emphasis on mental health treatment and social services. We need to get rid of the systems in place that have allowed the officers we currently have to go against the current city recommendations and policies in order to get indoctrination with the warrior training, etc.

I am not against having a police force, but the force that we have needs to be defunded so that it can be removed and replaced with something that works for us.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: DOUG TANNER To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] MONDAY"S VOTE - LET"S GET THIS RIGHT! Date: Monday, December 7, 2020 3:34:39 AM

I feel it is hypocritical that the City Council get's FREE private security for your home and families while calling to defund the Mpls Police Department, while violent crime is skyrocketing!

Especially when you throw 'safety is a privilege' in our face. As soon as you felt threatened, you called the police. Why did you not call a friend or neighbor as we are told to do?

Defund City Hall and give $1.5 million to MPD if you need to make cuts.

The lack of acknowledgement from this Council that there is even a problem is irresponsible! I see no sense of urgency. I'm sure you know the latest crime statistics: Carjacking is up 537%! Over 500 shootings, 80 homicides and 3,000 shots fired! This is not acceptable!

The violence is escalating and i fear a blood bath is emanate. Minneapolis citizens are arming themselves and guns are flowing into the neighborhoods. These are people who would never consider owning a gun but feel no one has our backs. Minneapolis needs help!

I understand you must plan long term and look 10 - 20 years into the future for your reforms/initiatives. I support that 100% but not at the expense of cops on the street when crime is at an all time high. Lots of ideas look good "on paper" but don't necessarily work out in real life. Reimagining modern day police policies needs time to take root, grow and mature. Then if the results are what we want the force can be reduced proportionately as the crime rate drops.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not good policy. If this is a funding issue then by all means get alternative funding for your reforms. I feel this is not and cannot be an either/or proposition. We must reform MPD AND provide safety and security for all citizens.

Unless you stop this chaos and restore order to the streets there is no future to plan for.

A strong visible police presence will make criminals less emboldened.

More police = more arrests, more quickly.

AND the investigations will move along more quickly.

Our own experience is that my wife was carjacked, robbed and assaulted. The police told us it was the 3rd carjacking they responded to in 2 hours at the time.

Four weeks later an investigator called for details. FOUR WEEKS!

We asked about our car that was at the Impound Lot under police hold. We were told that there was one forensics investigator to work on over 100 hundred cars!

I ask that you fully fund the Mayor’s police budget and give Chief Arradondo what he needs to do his job.

Peace out, Doug Tanner Ward 8/Bancroft [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jamey Erickson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] MPD Budget Comment Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:43:59 AM

Hello, My name is Jamey Erickson and I’m a resident up in Waite Park of Northeast, or Ward 1 to be more specific.

I’d like to officially support the People’s Budget. Our status quo, in regards to public safety, is simply not working. Why do we keep penguin so much money on something that has proven itself time and time again to fail. If money was the solution, then the continued rise in MPD budget over the past, approximate decade, would have helped solve that problem. It has not.

I’ve watched the MPD shoot incapacitated black men from point blank range. I’ve watch the MPD raid my neighbor’s home, sending small children screaming into the streets, only to discover they “had the wrong house.” How is any of this acceptable? Why in any scenario would this kind of behavior illicit an increase in budget?

The time has come to change course. We cannot let this moment pass us by, by hiding behind the veil of bureaucracy, or by crumbling to the will of those who benefit from this oppressive violence. We must shift these funds to resources that actually provide safe communities, liker adequate mental crisis support systems, legitimate affordable housing, economic support mechanisms for neighbors struggling not only from this current pandemic, but any other numerous uncontrollable circumstances that place our community members in a state of crisis.

We DO NOT need more police. If you’re serious about reimagining a Minneapolis that is safe for everyone, not just white people, you will take this moment seriously and you will works towards actual change, not empty gestures.

Thank you.

-- Jamey Erickson [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: LeAnn Livengood To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] MPD BUDGET Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 6:48:00 PM

Dear Councilmembers,

My name is LeAnn Livengood, and I live in Apple Valley.

I urge you to invest your tax dollars in public safety strategies that actually work, and not in the Minneapolis Police Department. I hope the events of the past year have finally convinced you (as they have many in Minneapolis and around the world) that the MPD is an ineffective, violent, and unaccountable organization that is itself a threat to the public safety of our communities.

1. Expanding non-police alternatives to 911 2. Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice offices

In the past year, the city council unanimously committed to a "transformative new model for cultivating safety in our city." I am joining my neighbors in presenting to you one aspect of the plan for a better public safety system, and I am demanding that you honor your commitments to your constituents. Thank you, LeAnn Livengood

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nancy Beach To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Mpls Budget Discussions Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 4:23:51 PM

I would like to add my voice to others who are advocating a “both-and” approach to public safety. I believe we need both a comprehensive public safety strategy AND an adequate police force. The budget must allow for funding to improve recruiting, training, and discipline for police and for funding a mental health crisis team and initiatives to have other city departments process property damage and parking violation reports. I also welcome the fund offered by local businesses for badly needed police reform.

Nancy Beach 1201 Yale Place Minneapolis [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] To: Ngo, Nicholas; Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] My comment Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:51:00 PM

Since I am unable to call VRS and being on YouTube watching but can you please submit my 90 seconds. Not sure when my name is getting called but here it is:

I’m just trying to get a clear understanding on all of this, let’s say if there’s a situation where there’s no officer to be sent but a transform safety officer to attend and the other person ends up having a gun, it just doesn’t make any sense. I’m more concerned with the less police that we have in ward 4, back in 2008 through 2017- I would see a police officer in my alley at least once a day but I haven’t seen one in about a year. I have change how I live because of my fear of the skyrocketing crime and we shouldn’t have to live like that so I am disagreeing with Lisa Bender, Steven Fletcher, and Phillipe Cunningham’s plan.

Thank you for hearing me out and hope you all are really taking all of our concerns very seriously. [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Craig Smith To: Council Comment Cc: Ellison, Jeremiah Subject: [EXTERNAL] My Dec 02 Testimony Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:37:22 AM

Dear council members, I admit I stopped listening at 12:20am this morning (with speaker 317) but, up to that point, seems the majority of callers were in favor of the proposal to reinvest money from the police budget into social alternates with 115 speaking in support, 80 opposed.

I accept your invitation to send a copy of my testimony from last night.

TESTIMONY OF CRAIG SMITH (SPEAKER 302) ON 2020-DEC-02 This is Craig Smith. I want to thank the council for this opportunity to testify. I’m a long-time ACLU member and resident of Ward 5 - where police shot Jamar Clark. My wife and I have organized block clubs, national night out, attended police CERT training, and graduated from the Sheriff’s Citizen Law enforcement academy (or CLEA). No doubt about it, police work is very difficult and dangerous. I also campaigned for Jeremiah Ellison and was delighted when council members voted to defund the police in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. I recognize the need for change but think the term “defund” is confusing and emotionally charged. I say we must reimagine the police – as highly trained and well-paid professionals, weeding out those not qualified to serve, not just with weapons training, but with deescalation tools, empathy, and a national misconduct database. Let’s craft a narrow mission for the police, leaving mental health issues to those better equipped, and eliminate qualified immunity so police cannot kill with impunity. We must fund social services, housing, education, and opportunities for youth & minorities, to address the underlying causes of crime. Private prisons should be banned. I cannot remain silent and complicit, while unarmed men, women, and even children across the nation, are gunned down in the street with my tax dollar, just because they are black. Thank-you. -- Craig A. Smith mailto:[email protected] Cell 612.518.2200 no voice messaging but you can TXT me if I don't answer

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Larry To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Oppose the diminishing of the police force during this crime wave! Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:36:47 PM

Police officers do not simply take reports at the crime scene as many seem to claim. They investigate the crime and hopefully apprehend criminals, removing them from society where they have proven to be dangerous to good citizens. This is no time to lower their numbers! Larry Ludeman, 2817 Garfield Av. So., Mpls. 55408

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Dave Bicking To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Outside police officers Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:38:14 AM

To all members of Minneapolis City Council, and for inclusion in the public record of the Public Hearing on the 2021 Budget:

A few weeks ago, the City Council passed a $500,000 budget increase to pay for officers from other agencies, particularly Metro Transit and Hennepin County, to provide additional policing in partnership with the MPD. That was a bad idea. We don't need more policing, we need better policing. We don't need outside policing that is even less accountable to the residents of Minneapolis than our own Police Department (that is a very low bar).

Fortunately, those other departments have not agreed to lend officers to implement this planned partnership.

But it appears that the outside policing plan for the remainder of 2020 was intended to remain in place for much or all of 2021. Please do NOT provide for this in the 2021 budget.

Dave Bicking Ward 8 [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: PATRICIA A THOMAS To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] People’s Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:25:30 PM

I live in Lowry Hill and would like to voice my support for the people’s budget. I think we are paying non resident policemen to do little for residents. I watched them hit a handcuffed prone man on our front terrace. Was spoken to very rudely by the sergeant in charge. More of them would make me feel less safe.

Pat Thomas Sent from my iPad [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nathan Peterson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] People"s Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:07:07 PM

My name is Nathan P. and I am a resident of Ward 10. I like the idea of the People's Budget, however I'm wondering if funding can be found in other areas. With the rise in crime, we need officers to apprehend criminals, a visible presence can also deter crime.

Here are some ideas I have for public programs/MPD:

4. We need to help people have better access to food. I have donated time and money to the Lowry Hill Easy Neighborhood Association to help buy and bag groceries for people in need. It's a good program that can help other neighborhoods, we should see if a similar program can be started in other areas of the city. 5. Give people in high schools something to do to be productive. Set up a program with local businesses to help students find part-time jobs in their communities. I'm not sure if this program exists, however it seems like a lot of teens are committing crimes and maybe having a decent job would alleviate some of that.

7. Increase assistance for students with learning difficulties. I think getting good grades gives people confidence, which may help turn them away from crime in the future.

9. Get rid of problem officers. There's no need for 5+ chances at work, any other person would be fired after fewer mistakes.

10. Better officer training to use firearms as a last resort only. There's no need to draw a weapon during many confrontations.

Please consider these ideas. I may have others and you can feel free to respond to me about them. I'll do some more thinking.

Nathan P. Ward 10

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Erniece Allen To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] People"s Budget? (Not sure what People) but anywho Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:17:09 PM

I have been a home owner and resident of North Minneapolis since 1998. I have never felt unsafe living in N Mpls until this past summer. After I witnessed that power grab of a shit show the council members performed in June. I knew then my time in Mpls was limited.

I wish I could sue each and every one of you for putting my life in danger. I now have to leave my home and move someplace safe and I blame you! I hate you for making me leave my home. I know hate is a strong word, but I literally hate each and everyone of you who stood on that stage that day!!!

As I live my life in fear because of that ridiculous performance on that stage in June, you hire security (using my tax dollar) to protect you and your family. What a smack in the face! You took advantage of George Floyd's death and everyone who was hurting at that moment. You preyed on peoples feeling at the moment and totally used that for your own agenda. What a sorry pathetic group.

I have been on many of these budget calls. As I listen to each and every scripted caller regurgitating the same scripted word jumble, it pisses me off. Imagine a bunch of young liberal guilt ridden white people speaking on behalf of a person of color. I listened as they said police don't deter crime or prevent crime. Firemen don't prevent fires yet they are needed. At least when police patrol the neighborhood, it deters crime.

As a black woman with 5 black sons (young men) I am more scared of them getting shot by someone that look like them than I am of them getting shot by the police.

I am not against funding for social services, but not at the expense of the police. If you need funding for these social services, take the money from the useless bike lanes that no one uses. I drive slow behind bikers riding in the middle of the street when there is a bike lane right there. They are useless yet you want to defund the police. I'm sure you can find funding elsewhere because the bike lanes are not the only useless effort you throw money at.

At this point I am highly against taking money from the Mpls Police Dept. As I make plans to leave my home because of your irresponsibility and negligence, I leave you with this. I hope your plan does go through. And when one of your mental health workers get shot going on a call with no police support I want you to look that person's family in the face and remember this was your doing. It is going to take years before any (if any) resources will be allocated from cutting the police budget, because this is a long- term solution. So literally nothing will be done immediately as you make people believe.

You have no real plan nor have you actually done adequate research. If you had a plan you would put your plan in place while working with the police department not defunding the police. And when this fails horribly, I will hopefully be somewhere safe where I can sit outside or go for walks and not live in fear of the very same people who look like me. Not the Police.

I am totally against your peoples plan (I am still wondering what people as 99% of the people on your calls are white and not from Ward 4 or 5)!! A part of me want to stay just to vote against this plan and vote in a new council member!! Again, I wish I could sue the city council for destroying my life and messing up my finances as I now have to start over purchasing a home! If I can figure out a way to sue you for the injustice you put me in, I would!!!!

Erniece Ward 5

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Heather Day To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] please fully fund police/public safety in the 2021 budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 9:50:50 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council members,

I recently viewed a recording of the December 2nd City Council meeting. Like the vast majority of speakers who called in I am deeply concerned about the recent uptick in violent crime and rapid deterioration in safety in Minneapolis - especially in North Minneapolis. I have lived in Minneapolis for over 20 years and this simply is not the same city. While there is no doubt that reform is needed to ensure just, equitable, and civil law enforcement practices the number of homicides, shootings, armed robberies, and carjackings is untenable. I urge you to listen to the concerns of residents and business leaders and support full funding of the police in the 2021 budget proposed by Mayor Jacob Frey, including overtime. There certainly is a role for alternative practices such as trained mental health workers to help those facing mental health crises and I support funding alternatives in addition to fully funding the police.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Heather Day Ward 12 resident

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jamie Ronnei To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Cc: Frey, Jacob; Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please work WITH Mayor Frey and Chief Arradondo to create real public safety for all. Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:46:11 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council Members:

I was overjoyed to hear today about the work our Mayor has been doing to create a private fund to help our city identify public safety alternatives which can help our city.

The bedrock of our public safety department is our Minneapolis Police Department. We need well trained, well staffed, well rested, well funded police, and our Chief has indicated we need around 1000 officers on our force. I realize our current political climate makes it exceedingly difficult to grow our department right now, but we also must not shrink them, either.

Let’s just pause changes to the department now, and use this additional funding to identify supplementary programs which work to increase safety for all. These additional funds are truly the gift we need. Please don’t waste this opportunity.

I believe there is broad support for alternative and supplementary programs, as long as they don’t come at the expense of public safety, as long as they don’t come at the expense or staffing of our most critical public safety department, the MPD.

Mayor Frey has given us the pathway to find a true public safety “win, win” solution. Mayor Frey’s fundraising allows us a chance to stay safe while also developing critical data on alternatives. Mayor Frey has given us an opportunity to pause, and heal, and step back from the fear and outrage our city has been suffering.

Please support Mayor Frey’s current Budget. Please support our Minneapolis Police Department. Please support Chief Arradondo. Please support public safety AND please take this opportunity to really experiment with supplemental public safety alternatives without decimating our dedicated police department in the process.

This is a win for our city, all you have to do is take it.

Thank you,

James Ronnei Ward 13 [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Marta Knutson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] please... Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:33:58 PM

Please do not vote to defund the police - we need more!

As a long time business owner and resident of Powderhorn Park, I'd like my voice to be heard that defunding the police, even talk of it, is having a very negative impact on our neighborhoods. I believe that there are many people who are misguided in thinking that this would be a smart thing to do. They mean well, but it's a bad idea; there are other ways to reform our system.

Thanks!

Marta Knutson 35th St and 12th Ave

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Joani Essenburg To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] police budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 1:31:34 PM

Hello, I would like to register my comment about the upcoming conversation about the budget for the city's police force. I read the Safety for All budget plan, and while I think there may be some good ideas, the fact remains that our city is in need of a strong police force AND community engagement. I believe that depleting our police budget puts us all at risk. Instead, I would request that the police budget remain or be increased and that the additional community strategies be started with some additional funding from another line or source. thank you Joani Essenburg resident: 2524 16th Ave South Minneapolis, MN 55404

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Kurtis Fechtmeyer To: Council Comment Cc: Goodman, Lisa R. Subject: [EXTERNAL] Police funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:47:07 PM

In the last 5 years, the total property tax receipts for the City of Minneapolis have increased over 20% while the proposed 2021 police budget is only 7% higher than in 2017. Minneapolis is now we'll below it's peers in funding its police at a time of soaring crime.

Reduced police presence and soaring crime are directly related.

Kurtis Fechtmeyer

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: kathy ford To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] police funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:34:08 PM

I strongly support the mayor"s proposed police funding as listed in his 2021 budget. If any changes were to be made, I would want more money directed toward officers on our streets. When I hear of proposals to divert police funding to other ideas, I question whether council members actually have been anywhere in Minneapolis lately. Every person I know can relate a serious crime issue present in the neighborhoods. I have seen neighbors move out because of the lack of safety in this city. Maybe it is not an issue to council members since taxpayers are billed for their personal security. Please stop the nonsense whereby you do not acknowledge the greatly reduced number of officers available to be on the streets as well as your role in undermining safety in our city.

It is time for council members to provide for the safety of the citizens of this city. Give Arrodondo a fighting chance to get this crime wave under control. Please begin to recognize that Minneapolis residents deserve to feel safe in this city and actually matter when decisions are made.

Kathy Ford

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Dave Bicking To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Police Sickout and Slowdown Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:30:10 PM

To all members of Minneapolis City Council, and for inclusion in the public record of the Public Hearing on the 2021 Budget:

In all discussions of police staffing and budget, there is an elephant in the middle of the room which apparently can't be seen. Are we talking about the number of sworn officers on the payroll, or the number of officers who are actually working?

The last I heard, over 120 officers are on leave. Some of that is legitimate. Some PTSD claims are legitimate - and I don't want officers with PTSD patrolling our city with guns.

But that leaves probably close to 100 who are engaging in a coordinated sickout. Amd unlike the "blue flu" in other cities, this has been going on for months, with no indication of when it ends. The "blue flu" is a frequent push-back whenever police fear that there will be any limits on their conduct. The current "blue PTSD" has the same motivation. And with so many calling in sick, it is reasonable to believe that many other officers are engaged in a deliberate slow-down, as was the case in Precinct 4 after Jamar Clark was killed.

There is nothing in the Federation contract which prevents the MPD from disciplining or firing those who are abusing sick leave.

"Section 27.01 - Sick Leave Permanent employees who regularly work twenty (20) or more hours per week shall be entitled to leaves of absence with pay, for ACTUAL, BONA FIDE ILLNESS, temporary physical disability, or illness in the immediate family, or quarantine." (my emphasis)

"Section 27.02 - Definitions The term illness, where it occurs in this Article, shall include bodily disease or injury or mental affliction, whether or not a precise diagnosis is available, when such disease or affliction IS, IN FACT, DISABLING." (my emphasis)

Perhaps investigations have been initiated, as also allowed by the contract. But if that were the case, someone should say so, so the public knows what is going on. Especially as we are supposed to be commenting on the proposed budget! This must not be ignored any longer!

But I doubt there is any movement to discipline those who abusing sick leave. CUAPB has for years been documenting the virtual absence of any discipline for misconduct in the MPD . It is only logical to believe that the MPD exercises no control over its officers for other infractions.

This should be the "low hanging fruit" in decreasing the budget of the MPD.

It is claimed (mostly by the police) that many officers suffered PTSD from the effects of the uprising after George Floyd was killed. But those officers were protected by full riot gear, and were heavily armed. They incurred no significant injuries. But they shot tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades at US. Who should be expected to develop PTSD?! It appeared that many officers were having a lot of fun at our expense.

So when the mayor's proposed budget and the Safety for All Budget Plan call for a sworn officer staffing level of 770, do they mean 770 being paid for in the budget with only 650 actually working, or do they mean 770 on duty with another 120 being paid to stay home? I am guessing the latter, but this must be made more clear in the budget discussions.

And it is long past time for the MPD budget to be cut. If they want more officers on the street, they should deal with the cheaters and loafers in their ranks.

Dave Bicking Ward 8 [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Lieberman, Dan To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Police Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:13:10 PM

The idea of restructuring the police department may be noble, but as they say, timing is everything And the devil is in the details.

The city council trio- Bender, Fletcher, Cunningham. Understands none of the above

First, we are in a crime crisis that has the potential to negatively impact our city for years. Organizational Change takes time and planning and to jam a new program through an already stressed department makes no sense.

Secondly, there seems to be an attitude as follows - we have a plan, we know what is good for you, trust us. That will never work. To change a complex system requires a detailed game plan and involvement from stakeholders. There seems to be little time spent on the “how to execute” part of this proposal.

So, slow down, get a plan and get some buy in. After all, you are supposed to represent your constituents not just your own ideas.

Dan Lieberman 3311 Holmes Ave S

Sent from my iPad [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: [email protected] To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Proposed Budget Amendment To Re-Allocate Public Safety Funds Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 6:32:02 PM

Hi -

I am writing to voice my support for the budget amendment that would shift $7.9 million from the MPD budget to other public safety departments. This amendment would take pressure off police to respond to calls that they are not best suited for and to deal with mental health calls in a more humane way.

Thank you, Robert Kahn Ward 2 [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Patrick Quigley To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Proposed MPD Cuts Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:07:12 PM

To whom it may concern

My name is Patrick Quigley and I have been a resident of Minneapolis for the past 10+ years.

I can personally testify that I have seen the rapid decline of safety and increase of crime in downtown Minneapolis.

This affects me daily because in the parking lot next to my building at 730 Hennepin Ave. there is an open air drug market.

I have emailed the Mayor’s office, police chief’s office, have made a 911 report and a 311 report.

I have neither seen any improvement in the situation or have any feedback from the above listed offices.

I do NOT support any cut to the Minneapolis Police Department.

Safety of the citizens has to be paramount.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Patrick Quigley 730 Hennepin Avenue Suite 600 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403

Sent from my iPhone [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nathan Roberts To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment- 2021 Budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 5:30:59 PM

My name is Nathan Roberts I am a Ward 9 homeowner.

I am a Pastor with ISAIAH. I have worked as a Minneapolis Public Educator. My wife is a small business owner in Uptown. I support the Safety for All Budget Plan from Cunningham, Fletcher, and Bender and I also support the People’s Budget. For years I have witnessed too many undisciplined Minneapolis Police officers bullying my neighbors and students. This reached a deadly end with the police murder George Floyd.

I live right across the street from South High where I used to work. Outside the school 4 Minneapolis Police falsely accused me and two black teens of smoking weed. They held us at gunpoint in front of a public school.

I don’t feel safe calling the police to respond to crimes in my neighborhood. We have families living on the street, teens out of school, and people out of work.

We are in a pandemic and a recession. We need increased funding for affordable housing, homeless outreach, Youth programming, and non-violent Mental health interventions. Please stay brave and keep the promises you made this summer.

Nathan Roberts Corcoran Neighborhood

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Peter Haakon Thompson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment- 2021 budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 3:02:30 PM

Madam President and Councilmembers, My name is Peter Thompson—I live in Ward 9 in Powderhorn. Right after the police murdered George Floyd, during the unrest in our neighborhoods, I told myself (a white guy) to remember the fear that I felt due to the white supremacists who were roaming about our city. The reason I wanted to remember, was I knew that feeling of fear was an ongoing and daily occurrence for my neighbors of color, a fear that would remain for them after the unrest ended and the MPD remained.

Our police have not insured public safety for all of my neighbors and fellow citizens. Experience and history shows us that they never will. It is time to reimagine how we use our resources and fund the needs of our communities. Let’s work towards making our city a place that fulfills its promises to all of our citizens, not just some. Let’s ensure that our citizens of color can live their lives free from the threat of criminal violence AND free from the threat of police violence.

I support your Safety for All proposal and encourage you to continue to move towards more radical change and support the People’s Budget.

Thanks for your time. Peter Thompson 3549 16th Ave S

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Peter Haakon Thompson [email protected] he/him

Check out: phtpht.com

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[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jana Friedrich To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] public forum comments tonight - 2021 budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:15:12 PM

Mpls City Council Members,

I’m #394 on the list for the 2021 budget public forum tonight. I dropped from the call because at the pace we’re going, I’m afraid it will be quite late into the evening and I’m not able to stay on that long. With that, I wanted to email my comments instead. One suggestion I might offer is to shorten the public comments to one minute in the future to get through them more quickly. Thank you for conducting this forum tonight. I appreciate you taking the time to hear the concerns your constituents and act in a responsible manner to protect the safety of Mpls residents.

I live in the Mill District, Ward 3, and Steve Fletcher is my city council rep. Until very recently, I served in a volunteer capacity as HOA Board President of the largest condominium building in the neighborhood. In that role, I also served on the DMNA HOA Advisory Group which was comprised of all the HOA Presidents within the DMNA. The top concern both at my condo building and in all conversations with the DMNA have been public safety. You heard this same comment tonight from Pam McCrea, DMNA President. It is worth sharing I have not felt heard by my council representative. He has joined our meetings for the DMNA HOA Advisory Group and I’ve also joined his coffee chats. He listens to his constituents but he only “hears" those that align with his position. I feel the majority of his constituents are not being appropriately represented as a result. There is a vocal small group of people that supports his position. The majority do not. With that, it’s important to note I do not support Councilman Fletcher’s proposed plan on MPD funding and his overall position on public safety, or the Safety for All Budget Proposal. I am committed to actively supporting efforts to ensure he is not re-elected next year.

Secondly, I support the Mayor’s budget despite my concern on the shortcomings specifically in the reduction of MPD funding. I have worked and lived downtown for the past 20 years. The reasons I moved downtown are now the reasons I dislike living here. We are losing many residents in our building that are fleeing the city because of public safety concerns and it will continue unless you get things under control. The downtown economic viability is on the line and the housing market is already seeing impacts. I’m saddened and angry by what has happened to our city over the past 6 months. I’ve never felt so unsafe doing things I didn’t even think twice about even just a year ago. I am now driving out of the city more and more to areas where I don’t fear for my safety or have to constantly look over my shoulder to do normal every day activities such as grocery shop or get gas. The crime is completely out of control. I am avoiding many areas of Minneapolis as a result. Because of this, I believe many businesses are facing major economic challenges, and it’s not just because of COVID - public safety is without a doubt a major factor as well. I hold the city council responsible for the chaos that has ensued as a result of their “defund” pledge after George Floyd’s murder. This was a publicity stunt that was not well thought out and there was no plan to back this up when you made this bold and dangerous statement. Criminals are emboldened and feel they can act without consequence. The police force is dealing with inadequate resources to appropriately maintain public safety. I fully support the Chief and respect him deeply. I feel strongly that we need a well-baked, thoughtful plan to support keeping residents safe by fully funding the police as well as implementing change/reform over time. I support an “and” approach, not an either or. We can do both and we must. The type of change you are advocating for is not going to happen overnight. Extreme budget cuts that put your citizens at greater risk is not the way to get there and is completely irresponsible to your constituents. I hope that the thousands of victims of crime are brave enough to share their personal stories so you can hear first hand the day to day impact of what is really happening out there. This is not a perception or “white privilege” issue. A small vocal group has completely distorted the community’s position on this issue and does not represent the majority view. I’m asking for you to work in partnership with the MPD, not against them. Change will only happen when you collaborate and work together, as Sharon Sayles Belton so eloquently stated tonight. Fully fund the police including the $5 million in overtime to cover shifts that will otherwise go unstaffed. It’s irresponsible to your constituents and their safety to do otherwise.

In closing, I would like to particularly thank council members Goodman and Palmisano for their level headed comments in recent meetings around their support of what I call the “and” approach. I appreciate their common sense and thoughtfulness and hope the rest of the council can follow their lead. We are at a turning point in Minneapolis and your actions on this budget will directly determine the future of our great city. Do the right thing and support the mayor’s budget including the $5M in MPD overtime.

Thank you, Jana Friedrich

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: John Kostouros To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public safety plan Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:23:47 PM

For one thing, continue to move away from the disastrous “defund the police” messages you fell into in the heat of the George Floyd disturbances. Right up their with “New Coke” for public relations catastrophes.

Second, put your message people to work on new language that emphasizes the things people care about right now: violence prevention; mental illness intervention; police retraining; conflict resolution.

Right now in the midst of this crime wave citizens want to know that help is on the way.

How about promoting a proactive police strategy for rapidly responding to calls about violence or robbery, two of the most frightening things a person can experience.

Also be honest about the fear that citizens have about not seeing as many cops around as they are used to seeing. It’s real, and it’s not just us privileged white people, as some of your progressive alllies like to assert. Nobody likes being scolded for being concerned about their safety or lack of police presence.

We need to engage street cops more positively in this work. You can start by speaking more positively about what good things they are doing to handle the shortage of officers. Right now you come across as though everything is all the cops fault. A little praise or at least appreciation for the challenges cops face on the streets with guns everywhere could go a long way

John

John Kostouros 612-719-4998 [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Tom Jorgenson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] re newsletter and providing safety for all Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:41:05 PM

Hello Councilmember Schroeder,

I appreciated your comments in your most recent newsletter about public safety. I am glad to hear you support redirecting non-emergency calls, a non-police 911 response, expanded violence prevention programs. I assume this means you stand behind the "Safety for all" budget plan that you linked in your email. These are great first steps, and I encourage you to expand the reallocation of police funding further and support the "People's Budget," currently backed by dozens of community organizations and businesses.

Thank you as always for your responsiveness to feedback and openness to creative ways of thinking about public safety.

Best, Tom Jorgenson 5214 Bloominton Ave

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: DOUGLAS JONES To: bearx006 University of Minnesota; Council Comment; Giraud-Isaacson, Al; Rubenstein, Andrea; Kozak, Andrew; Clegg, Barry; Kyle Berndt; Lickness, Barbara; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Schwarzkopf, Lyall; Garcia, Jill; Sandberg, Jan; Frey, Jacob; Ginder, Peter W.; Perry, Matt; Abbott, Greg; Newborn, Toni; Cohen, Dan; Smith, Christopher; [email protected]; Dziedzic, Kari - Senator; Sydney Jordan; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Cut 8 M from police, Dumbest Idea Ever Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 8:24:43 PM

RICHARD I agree cooler heads on the Council and from our community need to step up and make good solutions about the future of the police department. I hope the council and Mayor are ready to immediately vote down this proposal to cut the police. That would send a message. The police union is not cozy with the Council and the Mayor. They have if anything gone off the deep end to the right. I hope new police union leadership steps forward and brings their ideas to the Council and the Mayor on how the City could move forward. Whoever does would be a hero. It would end the sniping and both sides could work together again. I agree you cannot cut funding while trying to increase training and solve the problems we have in the City.

Douglas K. Jones 4025 Stinson Blvd N.E. Minneapolis, MN 55421 612-272-5600 cell

On 11/30/2020 10:46 AM bearx006 University of Minnesota wrote: Realy?? Give us a break please. Why can't you understand that your retreat from enforcement destroyed Lake Street and other buildings? It's like retreating from the Normandy Invasion after two days. It's like Patton turning around when he was halfway to Bastogne to rescue our soldiers. It's like retreating from the Battle of Midway after sinking only one aircraft carrier. This RETREAT ATTITUDE is leading to the destruction of our city. Common sense would lead anyone to this conclusion. It seems like the radicals who want this are living in another world. Solution: Give the Chief the amount he wants. I am sure the Chief has more knowledge in this area. Then make sure every officer has de escalation training and psychology training. In addition negotiate a union contract that allows the chief to get rid of bad officers. The council seems to be afraid of any union. The unions give a lot to the campaign. Richard Bear

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Larry Cronin To: "bearx006 University of Minnesota"; Council Comment; Giraud-Isaacson, Al; Rubenstein, Andrea; Kozak, Andrew; Clegg, Barry; "Kyle Berndt"; Lickness, Barbara; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Schwarzkopf, Lyall; Garcia, Jill; Sandberg, Jan; Frey, Jacob; Ginder, Peter W.; Perry, Matt; Abbott, Greg; Newborn, Toni; Cohen, Dan; Smith, Christopher; [email protected]; Dziedzic, Kari - Senator; "Sydney Jordan"; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Cut 8 M from police, Dumbest Idea Ever Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 2:37:23 PM wawawa

Richard Bear

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: merv.moorhead1 To: [email protected]; Council Comment Cc: Pam McCrea; Schmid, Thomas J Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association Comments regarding the City"s 2021 Budget Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 11:08:16 AM

Terrific!

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

------Original message ------From: [email protected] Date: 11/30/20 9:13 AM (GMT-06:00) To: [email protected] Cc: Pam McCrea , Thomas Schmid , [email protected] Subject: Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association Comments regarding the City's 2021 Budget

Good Morning:

I am submitting the comments below regarding the City's 2021 Budget, along with the attached letter, into the public record on behalf of Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association Board Chair Pam McCrea.

I have the privilege of being the chair of the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association. The DMNA represents some 20,000+ individuals living in Minneapolis, and thousands more who work downtown. Our association is greatly concerned that entire areas of downtown, including the Nicollet Mall, are considered unsafe by many of these residents and workers. Proactive steps are needed to assure that our downtown public spaces are safe, active, and welcoming for everyone.

Downtown Minneapolis has received a lot of negative press about its public safety problems, and it is now time for press coverage to show the Mayor, City Council, the Minneapolis Police Department, and downtown community organizations working together to keep our city safe. The DMNA Board of Directors has elected to endorse the policing component of the Mayor’s 2021 budget proposal, as an essential element in assuring downtown safety. We urge the City Council to adopt this proposal.

You can view the letter the DMNA Board shared with downtown residents regarding the City's 2021 Budget via the attachment or through the link below.

https://www.thedmna.org/dmna-letter-to-residents-regarding-the-citys-2021-budget/

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this submission.

Kind regards,

Christie Rock Hantge, AICP, CEDFP Neighborhood Coordinator [email protected] www.thedmna.org

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Pamela McCrea To: Schmid, Thomas J Cc: Christie Rock Hantge; Merv Moorhead; Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association Comments regarding the City"s 2021 Budget Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 10:04:36 AM

Thank you. Tom I am testifying on the second which I think is Tuesday if you want to talk about some of the remarks that I should be making.

On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 9:23 AM Schmid, Thomas J wrote: Beautifully done!

On Nov 30, 2020, at 9:13 AM, [email protected] wrote:

Good Morning:

You can view the letter the DMNA Board shared with downtown residents regarding the City's 2021 Budget via the attachment or through the link below.

https://www.thedmna.org/dmna-letter-to-residents-regarding-the-citys- 2021-budget/

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this submission.

Kind regards,

Christie Rock Hantge, AICP, CEDFP Neighborhood Coordinator [email protected] www.thedmna.org

-- Sent from Gmail Mobile

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Terri Sutton To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Minneapolis City Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 6:20:47 PM

Forgot to say that I am a homeowner in Ward 1.

On Thu, Dec 3, 2020 at 6:05 PM Terri Sutton wrote: > > Dear City Clerk: > > I was signed up to speak at the budget meeting, and I listened for > hours, but I was #243 to speak, and I had to go to bed. > > So I hope you can add my statement to the meeting record. If there's a > different email I should use, please let me know. Thanks. Here it is: > > We've heard a lot of criticism of city leaders. But who tortured and > killed a man on our streets? Who refused to take responsibility for > that public lynching and instead escalated peaceful protest: gassing > hundreds and even blinding people with "non-lethal" weaponry? Who then > took sick and disability leave, claiming *they* were traumatized? Who > shredded the social contract--showing that the law itself was > lawless--and then blamed activists and leadership for the resulting > crime? Who pressured their chief, the one who supposedly is changing > the culture of the force, to demote a Black deputy for telling the > truth about police recruitment? Again, a reminder: The police force is > fully funded right now, during this year of record homicide numbers > and increased street crime. The MPD has failed us, and the solution is > not to hire more of them. You don't keep feeding coins into a broken > vending machine, expecting different results. I support the People's > Budget or, at the very least, the "Safety for All Budget Plan." The > latter's reduction in police budget is *hardly* shocking or > irresponsible. Other cities such as San Francisco, LA, and NY are all > reducing police budgets. Police chiefs across the country have > acknowledged that their officers are being asked to do too much. It's > past time we *begin* to figure out a public safety system that is not > only equitable but actually *works.* > > Thank you, > Teresa Sutton > > > -- > Terri Sutton

-- Terri Sutton Communications Specialist | Department of English | english.umn.edu 207 Church St. S.E., Suite 207 University of Minnesota | umn.edu [email protected] | 612-626-1528 Pronouns: she/her/hers [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: BeckerMpls To: [email protected] Cc: Council Comment; Frey, Jacob; Carl, Casey J. Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Self Insurance Fund - Liability Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:58:11 PM

The Mayor chose to not fully disclose the budget details until after the BET had to act. I fought this battle and lost - but it doesnt make it right.

> On Dec 3, 2020, at 7:53 PM, Dave Bicking wrote: > To all members of Minneapolis City Council, and for inclusion in the < > public record of the Public Hearing on the 2021 Budget: > > The amounts budgeted for future settlements and judgments for police liability in the Self- > Insurance Fund are optimistic to the point of delusional. As such, there is a significant risk of > budget shortfalls in 2021 through 2025. I believe the mayor's budget is deliberately hiding > this risk, thus putting off any consequences for this year's police misconduct until some time > in the future - likely past the time when he and most of you will be voted out of office. > > The City Council, to be responsible, should adjust these numbers upward to reflect the reality > of the situation. > > To be fair, it is very difficult to estimate future liability. But it is much easier to estimate future > liability for events which have already occurred. The murder of George Floyd is generally > expected to cost the city more than the murder of Justine Damond. The international > attention, the availability of damning video, and the deliberate nature of the offense (8 > minutes vs a split second) will factor into the settlement. And the Floyd family has a VERY > good and high-profile attorney. Add to that the serious injuries caused by inexcusable > conduct by the MPD in the days following the murder of George Floyd. Many of those > lawsuits have already been filed, so rough estimates of the settlement costs can be made - > costs which, in the aggregate, are probably greater even than the Floyd family lawsuit. > > The settlement in the Justine Damond case was a significant blow to the city's finances - or, > more correctly, to the city's taxpayers (roughly $100 per household). The cost was much > higher than the amount of proposed increase or decrease to the 2021 police budget which is > the source of so much current conflict. So the accuracy of the projected future liability is of > great significance. > > The liability budgets in the Self-Insurance Fund include no breakdown by department, but the > majority of it is for police misconduct, rather than Public Works snowplows hitting parked > cars, for instance. This is a serious lack of transparency, as is the lack of a budget number > for the transfers between the MPD and the Self-Insurance Fund. We have tried to get those > numbers without success. Have you ever tried? > > Using the historical numbers that are available to the public in this budget, we see that in > 2018, $4.9 million was budgeted, but only $1.9 million spent. Similarly, in 2020, $6.2 million > was budgeted, but only $2.2 million spent. BUT, in 2019, $4.7 million was budgeted, but > $23.3 million was spent! The reason is obvious. (Figures from Mayor's Recommended > Budget, page 189. That is page 189 in the "Financial Plans" pdf, not page 189 in the "Capital > Program" pdf. More on the overlapping page numbers later.) > > The Mayor's Recommended Budget for 2021 includes $9.2 million for all liability, not just > police. Small increases are forecast for years 2022 through 2025. We don't know in which > years the various lawsuits will be settled. But the total projections for the next 5 years are > unlikely to be sufficient to cover even this year's misconduct. And future misconduct - and > future settlements, large or small - are inevitable without major changes in police > accountability, culture, training, and policy. > > The budget for Self-Insurance in 2021 is simply a lie and a cover-up. Please modify the > Mayor's Recommended Budget to increase these figures to match a more accurate estimate > of reality. Because the total budget is capped by the Board of Estimate & Taxation, that may > mean painful cuts elsewhere. But that is better than scrambling to make needed cuts later, > or drawing down reserves to an irresponsible level. > > Speaking of the Board of Estimate & Taxation, it appears that they had to do their work > without any knowledge of the mayor's Self-Insurance Fund budget proposal. When the > mayor's budget proposal was first revealed and posted online, more than 5 weeks after the > August 15 due date in the Charter, it included no information on Special Revenue Funds, > Enterprise Funds, and Internal Service Funds (including the Self-Insurance Fund). Pages 99 > through 185 (87 pages) were simply missing, with no explanation for the gap. The city's > budget website presented the 6 pdf files as the Mayor's Recommended budget, with no > mention or explanation of those missing pages - or pages 1 through 28, or 42 through 44, or > 459 through 517, or 531 through 533. That is 180 pages missing out of 540. > > I noticed the missing pages in early October, when I was looking for the self-insurance > numbers. I should have reported this earlier to the City Clerk. The information on the Self- > Insurance Fund and the other internal funds was posted on the city website on Friday, > October 30, over 5 weeks after the BET took its action on the budget. The information on > these funds was not available to the public until then. Was it available to the BET? Was it > available to the City Council? Did any elected official notice? When did the Mayor send this > portion of his Recommended Budget to the Council, the BET, the City Clerk, and the public? > > It appears to me that the budget process, including the Self-Insurance Fund, has been > particularly opaque and irresponsible this year. There is still time to correct these errors. > Please take a closer look at the Self-Insurance Fund, particularly if you have not even looked > there yet. > > Dave Bicking > Ward 8 > > [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Patrick Kegley To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Regarding Hearing on Cut to Police Funding ! Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:18:07 AM

Sent From Patrick Kegley

It is My View along with Thousands of Others that it is Not Responsible to Make Funding cuts To Police Budget! Most Police Officers Do Fine Work and R Truly Necessary for Law & Order; Crime has grown with 500 shootings and Hundreds of Car Thefts by Armed Thugs this Requires Armed Response to Prevent Continueing Crime Escalation. Clearly I’d Think Majority of Minnesotans Agree We Value A Strong Police Force in this Time Particularly..What is Needed is Reform Not Defunding [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Steve F To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Safety for All comment for the record Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:19:08 AM

I reject the Safety for All proposal.

I want a fully funded, fully staffed police department per city charter.

I want arrests and conviction of juveniles with criminal behavior.

I want jail time for felony crimes.

I want the city to reject Mike Freeman's zero bail policy.

It is my earned right to be safe and free from threat of harm, theft and death in Minneapolis. It is the city's obligation to protect its law abiding citizens.

Criminal behavior must have significant consequences regardless of the perpetrators age.

I want loitering law for Nicollet Mall.

I want the Community Service Officer program staffed and fully operational.

I want City Council to respect and honor it's responsible citizens; don't not pander to and don't enable those who commit crimes against society.

I want safe city parks, free from homeless and their associated criminal behaviors.

Stephen Fry 45 University Ave SE Unit 206 Minneapolis, MN 55414

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Linda Vanderpoel To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Safety for all Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:16:28 AM

Safety for all, to me, means fully funding the police, not chasing rainbows. I have yet to hear any sources of the "data-driven" approach.

So, with the "holistic approach," we have to give everybody a house to prevent crime?! That is crazy. The North Side is all Section 8 anyway--who would want to own a house when you get most of the rent paid for you and not ever worry about upkeep or a new furnace, etc?!

By the way, holistic practitioners are usually people who didn't make it into med school! Holistic like Paul Macartnery's wife dying from breast cancer simply because they believed in some crazy holistic idea? Talk is cheap. If you have cancer, like crime, it needs to be cut out before it spreads further.

This is a public policy nightmare scenario. This isn't a Rainbow Gathering.

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: steve longstaff To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Safety in south Minneapolis Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:56:00 PM

No longer can you feel safe at any hour of the day in South Minneapolis North let your guard down. Even a simple task as taking out the garbage we’re checking your mail could be a life altering event these days. The number of carjacking , break-ins while people are in their homes is devastating. People have been approached doing daily tasks getting gas walking down the street. The dangerous element has no reference for age handicap nothing is off-limits. We actually were told by police to check out a neighborhood watch group around 18th and Lake Street when doing so we spoke to some residents who had to forcefully take back their street our hearts went out to them We actually were told by police to check out a neighborhood watch group around 18th and Lake Street when doing so we spoke to some residents who had to forcefully take back their street our hearts went out to them... yes we’re not talking conceal and carry talking about openly walking and blocking off streets with fire arms. This cannot be the citys answer To crime. There are not enough officers to even respond to calls that seem to be extremely dangerous in preventable Situations throughout the city. This entire summer was horrendous with a crime around the perimeter of Powderhorn Park , Lake Street Chicago and 38th. Simply standing back and seeing what will happen in the future months is not an option. Tina longstaff [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: MACBOOKPRO To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Safety Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 11:52:58 AM

Thank you city council members for the destruction of downtown Minneapolis. Under your watch we have managed to totally demoralize the police department and enable those who would prefer to create havoc and hatred toward their neighbors and merchants. We have lived in downtown Minneapolis for over 20 years and until the last year, we never feared to live in the city. The most common conversation now with neighbors is not if, but when we will move out. Now you want to defund and create more complexion. Take a walk down Nicollet any day at any time and I bet you’ll observe numerous crimes and harassments in process. Do your job.

Dennis Hunchar [email protected] +1 (612) 801-1342

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: T G M Z To: Council Comment; Goodman, Lisa R. Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support Chief Arradondo and Mayor Frey"s budget proposal Date: Sunday, December 6, 2020 9:43:04 PM

Members of the Council:

My wife and I have lived in Ward 7 for the past 4 years. Mary has lived either in Minneapolis or the first ring suburbs her entire life. I have lived and worked in Minneapolis for many years. We both trained at Hennepin County Medical Center in the 1980s.

We are dismayed at the ongoing violence in the city. We support police reform, but agree with Mayor Frey that financially supporting the police is a matter of life and death.

Use the $5 million dollars from the recently announced Minneapolis Community Safety Innovation Fund to develop a model for alternative first responders. Modify the current police structure using the successes from the alternative responder model in future budgets. This is not a time to dangerously pull back from a fully supported police department without a well developed plan to protect all the citizens in the City of Minneapolis.

Thank you for your consideration

Tim and Mary Miley

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Chris Thompson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support of Mayor"s Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:57:51 PM

Minneapolis City Council,

I am troubled by the false choice that has been set up by many on this City Council and their supporters. To them, this budget debate is a choice between police reform and a fully funded police force. It’s one or the other. That’s the kind of rigid ideology that has us in this crime- infested mess. Reality is we need both – we want a police force that is more transparent, more accountable, more reflective of the community it serves – and much further along in eradicating the systemic racism we all abhor.

But let’s not kid ourselves. We also need a fully staffed police force. Police deter crime. Police respond to crime. Police make other public safety programs effective. I understand why you felt compelled to take action in June. I urge you to consider the consequences of those actions. Let’s be more thoughtful going forward. Before you rush to cut or transfer programs in a punitive manner – let’s see your fully baked plan for a new public safety department. It’s due next year. Until then, finish your job. Keep police funding and programs where they are. Let the police rebuild into the force we need now and in the future to restore peace and calm.

Thank you,

Sincerely Chris Thompson Powderhorn

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Katie Fritz To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support of the People"s Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:36:17 PM

We need to make real change. Police need to be held to the same standard and accountability as other departments- not just continually given more funding without demonstrating responsible stewardship of those funds. Police do not equate to safety- they cause harm, trauma, and as we have seen too often in the past few years, unnecessary death, including the murders of our community members George Floyd, Jamar Clark, Thurman Blevins and Philando Castile among others.

When you hear the calls of people who are saying they feel unsafe- I hear that, but the solution isn't more police- it's funding for more necessary services, basic needs, and economic opportunity, while working to dismantle systemic racism within our city. We need a public health prevention model- with the understanding that racism is a public health crisis. We need money for crisis response, for housing, for restorative justice. Fund healing, fund housing, fund the community! I am writing in support of the People's Budget and at minimum the Safety for All part 1 and 2 budget as a Minneapolis resident in Ward 4.

Thank you- Katie

Katie Fritz Fogel

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Sara Lara To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support Safety for All Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:20:22 PM

To the City Council members of Minneapolis:

I want you to support the Safety for All Budget that was proposed by 3 of our council members. I am in complete agreement of diverting funds from the police department in its current form to support a 24/7 mental health hotline with appropriate community response by a mental health team as well as expand violence prevention programs.

I would prefer deeper cuts, such as those presented in the People’s Budget offered by Black Visions Collective and Reclaim the Block. Even though the council’s budgets do not look like this, we need to start making that paradigm shift of what safety looks like for a diverse community as ours. The Safety for All Budget is an important but a very small step toward that goal.

I am a Nurse Practitioner for HCMC’s community clinic and a mom who lives in Ward 6. I want safety for myself, my kids and my community and I want professional partners in this. Unfortunately, the MPD is not that, nor can it be. The world has seen how the MPD responds with brute force to non- violent crimes. We have also seen how the police purposely slowed down their response in certain wards and even go so far as to tell residents to call their council members when the council has tried to cut their budget or call for more accountability.

It feels like the police union has tied the chief’s, mayor’s and ultimately our community’s hands and I am tired of paying them to do a horrible job and not having any accountability. Stop their shake down. Divert funds to support safety programs that actually work to prevent crime.

Thank you, Sara Lara

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: alison townley To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] support the MDP budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:24:09 PM

Dear City Council Members,

Your number one responsibility to your constituents is to create a functional city where people feel safe living, working, and running businesses. I have no better analogy than to say - Wake up! Your house is on fire and your family is inside. The statistics speak for themselves. – record-breaking violent crime – the victims are out-numbered, out armed, they are most often people of color, women and the elderly. All victims are psychologically traumatized and often brutalized to the point of hospitalization or worse. The other victims are mpls small business owners who are suffering the double whammy of COVID and now a community that is afraid to do business uptown or downtown. A business I frequent in the North Loop is closing this month. It is a highly successful black-owned business that employs a large staff and caters to women who no longer feel safe coming into Mpls for services. It is unconscionable that you, our city council, are callously ignoring the real physical and psychological fear that these dangerous criminals are inflicting on your constituents and their livelihoods.

Please, find your humanity, stop the terror, allow Chief Arradondo to put out the fire whilst also having discussions of ways the police and other trained professionals can better serve and protect their communities.

Alison Townley Ward 7

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Madeline Shaw To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] support the Peoples Budget and Safety for all Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:45:02 PM

Please support the Peoples Budget and Safety for All Budget.

A lot of people are scared by an uptick in crime, but I think people are dramatizing the crime in our city as a way to play on our fear and block bold, systemic change that threatens the status quo. The truth is that we need to address the root causes of violence and crime, otherwise we will have to give more and more money to band-aid solutions, such as MPD.

I think the Safety for All Budget put forward by members Cunningham, Fletcher, and Bender is a great start toward concrete solutions to community safety. MPD has complained about being overloaded and under-resourced. But instead of allocating more money to MPD so that they can try to be the solution to way to many issues, we can reduce their workload by diverting funding to other entities and systems who are better-equipped to handle things like mental health crises. I think it will be very effective to divert work from MPD (which is complaining about being overworked and overloaded), while at the same time putting more resources toward addressing root causes - mental health crisis response and violence prevention.

These are the first basic steps needed to transition to a truly safe community. We also need to address the root causes of violence in our community - poverty, internalized racism. To me, this mainly looks like allocating more resources to education, investing in living-wage jobs and infrastructure for poor and working class people and communities, mental health services, and restorative justice to name a few. I encourage you to support the Peoples' Budget supported by over 40 organizations and hundreds of individuals.

Respectfully, maddy shaw Bde Ota Otunwe, Mni Sota Makoce, aka "Minneapolis, Minnesota", USA occupied Dakota homeland and Anishinaabe territory pronouns: she/her

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Clayton Silva To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support the police Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:46:01 PM

Hi,

I am a constituent in uptown and am encouraging you to fund the police! I want to feel safe outside of my home and while outside. The police deserve full funding and any insane attempts to remove funding from the police should be rejected.

Thanks [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jamari Jones To: City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Testimony For Community Budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 8:31:35 PM

My Name is Jamari Jones, I am 20 years of age and I attend school at PYC Arts and Tech. I was born and raised inNorth Minneapolis. We have a class 3 days a week, in which we go over the issues in the police department and within the community. I also work for KRSM radio and I have a report I’m doing on some of the issues we are facing.. I spoke with Council Person Jeremiah Ellison, and we briefly discussed some of the questions I had, and he was very cooperative on his end. I asked about an opportunity to speak to the Council and the Mayor about reform and defunding. I would be in favor of putting the funds toward a community benefits type agreement where the police and community would engage and enter a legally binding agreement about police conduct. More education is needed about the police, what they were designed to do, and what they actually do, and the people’s rights when the police pull up on them. Young people shouldn’t feel like the only place their voice can be heard is in a police station. We need to put Less money toward police, and more money towards engaging the community in what public safety really would be in a world without police racism. I believe a community benefits agreement for policing that is legally binding would be a good faith gesture coming from the police telling us that they truly want to improve. This could set an example for other cities. [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Laura Russ To: Council Comment Cc: Frey, Jacob Subject: [EXTERNAL] Thank you for Supporting a Full Police Department Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:18:53 PM

Dear Councilmembers,

Thank you for responding to the overwhelming feedback that Minneapolis residents need and value the Police Department and are also eager to add alternatives to some police roles. Many of the voices pushing the "defund" agenda are using their millions of dollars raised from outside Minneapolis to represent themselves as the majority, but it is clear that they do not represent the good faith efforts of Minneapolis residents and their representatives to put forth a realistic and grounded public safety program.

City officials must hold criminals responsible for their activities which includes supporting the investigative work of police officers. Acting as if no one has any choice but to act out criminally is dehumanizing both to the offender and to the victim.

Please continue to support FULL funding of the police department and work collaboratively to create a real plan. Please also continue to ignore the immature antics of some of the councilmembers which we all clearly see through.

Sincerely, Laura Russ Minneapolis

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Rebeccah Thompson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] the Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:36:33 PM

Hi,

I am caller 417. I am assuming that I will not be able to speak as we are on 64 and it is already 7:30. I am emailing you my comments which have been enlarged since I am no longer cut by time:

I am calling in myself to remind the council about the complexities of their jobs. Of course, we know in education and government, that our public school are funded by property taxes and that has been mandated by the state. This budget is one of the only things, INTACT, which can help prevent the mass exodus of residents and businesses from this city, which is absolute hemorrhaging.

The council seems to think that they can hold citizens hostage and that their property taxes are static to never be down- when home owners leave in droves, which I have seen in my own neighborhood since the events of this summer- we can no longer figure that into the budget nor can we ignore the fact that our downtown hotels are down to below 20% occupancy after 65% occupancy a year ago now. That ISN’T statistically possible to all be blamed on the pandemic.

I am concerned the continued rash behavior on behalf of this council does not take into account the larger picture of Minneapolis, it only seeks to corner the market on certain activists and concerns. PLEASE stop the bleeding and fund the MPD as asked by the Mayor on behalf of the chief, PLEASE consider wisdom as you proceed and PLEASE STOP ignoring the majority of our citizens.

I have heard many callers talk about other callers being ‘white people’. How can they possibly know that from a phone call? I could charge you to simply LISTEN rather than make assumptions about who is concerned about what. The arrogance of such statements, along with the seriously misguided and Trump like deceit stating that ‘there is no correlation between officers and crime’, when there is EXTREME correlation.

I have been told by an officer friend also that there are many working 100 hours a week to try to bolster their pensions so they too can get out early and that, often, there are only 2 people in a shift in a precinct actually there and able to answer calls. It is much much much worse than people realize. Who wants a cop on their 100th hour of work that week? Furthermore, I'd argue (and have) that this kind of taxing nature and slow burn refusal to employ and staff our police dept led to two rookies, a checked out cop and a long veteran with a record of complaints to even end up at the intersection with George Floyd at cup foods.

We were already understaffed back in May and our department was already going through this kind of burn- out. From my perspective the death of George Floyd actually rests on the hands of the same people who have slowly taken money from the police, the city council. I have seen this happen in schools where bad teachers are shuffled around because no one can get rid of them and they can’t be replaced because it is a thankless job to work in certain schools under certain conditions- but no one ever wants to talk about that.

People instead want to complain and look at fault, that’s fine if you’re an activist, but not if you are an elected official meant to represent EVERYONE in the city and in your ward. And that has not happened under this council at all. The MPD needs to be funded, the ‘safety for all plan’ is arrogant at best and reckless at worst. No amount of cheerful rhetoric can save bad policy. Please do your jobs and stay with the mayor’s budget. Were it up to me, we would have the number of officers the chief requested last year.

I work at PYC in ward 5. I live in ward 4. The programs you are trying to fund instead of MPD already exist. It is arrogance to try to reinvent the wheel and cut out community voices who have been in this game for a long time.

Thank you.

Becka Thompson

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Julie Solfest To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] The Budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 5:38:35 PM

I do NOT support Lisa Bender’s amendment which would cut nearly $8 million from the police budget.

If you are determined to implement the redirection of non-emergency and mental health calls and the creation of violence prevention programs, the money must come from another source. The implementation must also be done by working with Chief Arradondo, not against him.

The Minneapolis Community Safety Innovation Fund (currently standing at $5 million) is a unique and exciting opportunity to add to public safety without subtracting the safety our police force provides.

It is a false choice that we must choose between a fully staffed police force and public safety reforms.

Please be a bridge to unite our fractured city by voting against cuts to our police budget and vowing to work with our partners supporting the Minneapolis Community Safety Innovation group and with Chief Arradondo.

Julie Solfest 4717 17th Ave S

Sent from my iPhone [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Jerry Olson To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Transparancy Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:52:58 PM

Half of this Minneapolis City Council is a pack of rats.

Your terms are over. You will be replaced by people of integrity.

Pardon the brevity. Sent from my iPhone. [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nicholas hall To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Unite to save our beloved City! Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:36:57 AM

I have owned Commercial property in ECCO for over 25 years on Irving & Lake. A couple weeks ago when Lake & Irving restaurant was burglarized on a Saturday at 6Am my wife who is a front-line worker, as an RN literally drove by at the almost exact time that the restaurant was burglarized. Within the same week there were multiple car jackings within the same block. I had enough and had to do something! I contacted other property owners on Lake St in the area to have us all work together to help support the Mpls Police & their limited resources that do not allow them to do their jobs. So about 10 property & business owners in Uptown met with Lt David Garman from the 5th precinct a few days later to discuss the dramatic increase in more violent crime in the area and what we need to do as a community to make a difference. After the meeting we felt the only way to protect our properties, tenants, and customer's is to work together to help support law enforcement!

We have support from numerous property & business owners in the area. We have approximately $10 Million collectively paid annually in property taxes total represented. These property taxes pay to run our city. Part of that responsibility is providing public safety. We have no choice but to consider hiring private security(some business's already have). Who pays for that?

We are currently working with Mpls. Voices, Downtown Voices, Mplscrime.com, Lake St Council, Uptown Assocation, and Safetynowmpls.com. We all agree that cutting funding for the Mpls Police during a pandemic & current dial back/pause is asinine. We support the idea of additional non police resources to help support the police but not at the expense of public safety. Cutting back on police resources would be something that the City may never recover from. I'm hoping to speaking to the City Council on Wednesday.

Sincerely, Nicholas Hall Coldwell Banker Realty 612-275-3474

Sent from my iPhone

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments.

From: Anne Q. Ulseth To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Council Comment; Frey, Jacob Subject: [EXTERNAL] WARD 11: I support the Safety for All Budget Plan Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:46:22 AM

Dear Council member Schroeder: I have contacted you earlier about my concerns about increasing the budget for the Minneapolis Police Department and I’d like to re-confirm my original position. Even with the current rise in crime (and NextDoor-generated hysteria), I believe we can better address this issue by focusing on the root causes. I support the proposed Safety for All Budget Plan and shifting the nearly $8 million away from traditional policing. I would like to see the money reinvested in resources and services that actually work to decrease poverty, prevent crime and keep our communities healthy and safe.

I also support the People’s Budget and endorse its vision, including investing in life-affirming institutions and putting health first; prioritizing people over profit; funding prevention, not punishment; and helping communities thrive, not just survive.

Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion. -aqu

103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice --- Anne Q. Ulseth 5251 12th Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55417 [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Robert Johndrow To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] We need more police protection Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:52:12 PM

Dear Jacob Frey,

I very much appreciate your response and your sensitivity to addressing this crime surge in Minneapolis. We support your budget and appreciate all that you do. Our block in Ward 12 has been working closely with Andrew Johnson, and as I stated earlier, we appreciate all that Andrew has done to listen to us and vote in favor of the additional police presence in our neighborhoods through the end of the year. We appreciate your responsiveness, your leadership, and all that you have done to clean up this mess.

Lisa Bender, on the other hand, has never responded to one email that I have sent. That just shows that she clearly has no class or interest in impacting positive change to our city. Two hours later, I am waiting my turn to make a statement during this hearing and two hours later they are currently hearing from speaker #72 of 430 speakers. Unfortunately, I will not be able to stay up all night long to try and make my voice heard because I have work to do, and early in the morning I will have to take my husband (who is also LGBTQ, Latino, and a first responder) to the airport to help move his father to an assisted living facility. We have supported you ever since you first campaigned, and we very much appreciate Andrew Johnson for changing his mind and voting for more police protection after listening to his constituents. Because we are ignored by Lisa Bender and disagree with her so much, I can only see her as a white, heterosexual, clueless woman who is out of touch with our community, our needs, and our safety. I hope this city never again sees such a poor public servant as Lisa Bender. Calling her a colleague has got to be so embarrassing to all of you.

I agree with your budget proposal more than ever. We need more police. Police deter crime. Studies back this up. Those studies have been made part of the official record. We can't afford to go through next year with even fewer police than we have now. That's not logical, that's pragmatic. I hope that the city council members will vote responsibly in favor of your proposed budget; it is necessary for the vitality of this city.

Again, thank you for your call last week and for continuing to demonstrate that you hear us and wish to help decrease the violent crime and deterioration this city is experiencing.

With warm regards,

Bob Johndrow Yader Madriz

1838 E. 42nd Street Minneapolis, MN 55407 612.283.8697 Ward 12

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Taylor Shevey To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] written comment / proposed 2021 budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:39:03 PM

This is a translated written comment from a CTUL member. "Hello my name is Adriana, I am a member of CTUL. I have worked in downtown Minneapolis and in the city of Eagan, I live in Minneapolis. With the covid pandemic, I lost my job where I had been working for 6 years, I also lost my job downtown.

This has affected me a lot. I had to start looking for another job during the pandemic and although I found one, I do not feel ok financially. I have family problems that I cannot resolve because I cannot make the decisions that I would like. Because this is a temporary job that I found, I don't feel safe.

At CTUL I have found support in learning about my rights at work, so I support the city giving more money from the budget to more organizations that support us as workers. We need more money for the community and workers and not so much for the police. With the covid crisis, I applied to several places for financial support but I did not receive any since there were many of us, and there wasn’t enough for us all. We need you to invest more in our communities and more investigators for our labor rights."

-- Taylor Shevey

Lead Organizer Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) Pronouns: they/them, she/her | elle/ella 612-470-3485 [email protected]

This is a translated written comment from a CTUL member "My name is Marbella Villanueva. I live in Ward 9. I work downtown. At my work, we didn’t know about the paid sick days law. The boss did not give training or information about this law. This is why we need more money for more investigators and more money invested in organizations like CTUL. It was through CTUL that I learned about the minimum wage increases and the covid and paid sick time laws. I support more money being invested in workers. I’ve lost work hours with the pandemic. I have 2 daughters and my parents who depend on me. My mother has diabetes. My father also lost hours at his job, he was my support. We need money for workers and for families in this crisis. The millions invested in police would be better invested in the people who really need it."

-- Taylor Shevey

Lead Organizer Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) Pronouns: they/them, she/her | elle/ella 612-470-3485 [email protected]

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Paul Kirk-Davidoff To: Council Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL] Written comment for 12/2 meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:45:47 PM

Hi all,

Please support funding for Mobile Mental Health Teams! We do not need police responding to mental health emergencies ever again!

Best, Paul Kirk-Davidoff

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Julie Pederson To: Bender, Lisa; Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: "Defund the Police" Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:12:33 PM

Good morning –

Why is it considered necessary to take funds away from the police in order to set up Mental Health and Addiction resources? Couldn’t the funds come from another source in the Budget?

It seems as though the Minneapolis City Council is blaming and punishing the police for having them enforce the laws, set up by the legislature.

The whole premise seems illogical to me. It is a very contentious approach in my opinion.

Regards, Julie Pederson From: Hunter Hedin To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: 2021 Budget Proposal Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 4:13:50 PM

Dear Councilmember,

My name is Hunter Hedin.

I urge you to invest our tax dollars in public safety strategies that actually work, and not in the Minneapolis Police Department. I hope the events of the past year have finally convinced you (as they have many in Minneapolis and around the world) that the MPD is an ineffective, violent, and unaccountable organization that is itself a threat to the public safety of our communities.

1. Expanding non-police alternatives to 911

2. Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice offices

3. Add your own here!

Thank you, Hunter Hedin From: sarahjustad To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: 2021 Budget Proposal Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:45:33 AM

Dear Councilmember,

1. Expanding non-police alternatives to 911

2. Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice offices

3. Affordable housing.

Thank you, Sarah Justad

-- Sarah Justad Cell: (612) 816-5287 [email protected] From: Melissa Andrie To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: 2021 Budget Date: Sunday, November 22, 2020 11:35:30 PM

Dear Councilmember Schroeder and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K) - We need to invest in outside oversight, not spend money that relies on police being the ones to punish police. This works to expand the overall budget, which MPD can direct as it chooses.

Co-Responders: This $685K investment this year ($430K ongoing) is in direct opposition to the recommendations coming out of the 911/MPD Workgroup that was tasked at looking at MPD’s duties to see if there is opportunity to removed duties and reassign them to folks with different expertise. Allocate money towards the work group's recommendations and bolster funding so that staff may stay engaged in that project until pilots are complete. Invest in mental health response separate from police and let the skilled professionals in our city do this work

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) - With the current state of affairs and the way that general attitudes around policing have shifted across the country and the globe, we have to consider who wants to apply to MPD right now. We cannot create a pathway for more violence to be enacted upon Minneapolis residents.

Additional Overtime ($5M) - Through Frey’s proposal, MPD is due to shift and additional $5M towards overtime (on top of $3.5m). With reduction in response times and general interaction with the public there is no need to more than double their overtime expenses.

I want you to cut these from the proposed budget, and make deeper cuts to MPD’s $179M proposed budget. Instead of funding MPD, I want you to fund the things our communities really need, like: Access to low-income housing

Direct economic relief

Support for rebuilding small businesses, especially those owned by people of color and indigenous community members Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice and grants for restorative justice initiatives in other neighborhoods

You have the chance to make change we need and use our tax money to invest in our community! We need the council to stop bankrolling the harmful and often dangerous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Melissa Andrie-Her Ward 2

-- The small woman Builds cages for everyone She Knows. While the sage, Who has to duck her head When the moon is low, Keeps dropping keys all night long For the Beautiful Rowdy Prisoners

- Hafiz From: Maya Dengel To: Maya Subject: 2021 Budget Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 3:26:30 PM

Dear Councilmember,

My name is Maya and I live in Ward 2.

1. Expanding non-police alternatives to 911 2. Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice office 3. Supporting BIPOC communities and neighborhoods as initially promised after the murder of George Floyd.

Thank you, Maya Dengel

Sincerely,

Maya Dengel B.A. Communication, Media and Screen Studies, Spanish Minor | Northeastern University ‘20 From: Max Miller To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: 2021 Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:36:02 PM

Hello Councilmember Schroeder,

My name is Max Miller and I live in Ward 2, over in Longfellow. I appreciate your time and careful consideration of your constituents opinions. I urge you to stand in support with your fellow council members around the Safety for All budget amendment proposal.

As Councilmember Ellison aptly stated, "It develops appropriate responses to appropriate crises-- it is not some severely upstream proposal. It is the bare minimum we should be doing". The amendment is built on research conducted by the city and gives thoughtful allocation to resources that have proven effectiveness in addressing mental health crises, homelessness, and traffic concerns. Continuing to give the MPD exorbitant budgets without question, with no evidence that it will change the outcomes of crime in this city and decades of evidence that it will be used to terrorize communities of color and militarize against calls for accountability, is reckless. It is giving into fear fueled by racism, giving into pressure from the bullying MPD and turning away from justice. I would like to see better mental health crisis response than stables for police horses. This is asking for scraps and being told to starve.

The whole world is watching. Do the right thing.

Thank You, Max 847.858.2446

-- Max Miller (They/Them) [email protected] From: Kait Macheledt To: Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Zaffrann, David; Palmisano, Linea; Moua, MaiTeng; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gangelhoff, Sara; Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Osman, Jamal; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Freude, John; Nelson, Kate R.; Reich, Kevin A.; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Garwood, Robin D.; McDonough, Shannon; Fletcher, Steve Subject: 2021 Council Budget Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 1:26:26 PM

Dear Council members and staff, As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the $500k increase for the Sheriff in the upcoming proposed budget and, instead, propose you fund the things my community really needs right now: Access to low-income housing Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis Direct economic relief Designing and Promoting a Public Health Model to Public Safety

As a citizen that works and is a student in the ward 2, I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Sincerely,

Kait Macheledt -- Kait Macheledt B.A. Psychology, Integrative Arts and Art Studio [email protected] 701-429-1553 From: Katie Eaves To: Council Members Cc: Frey, Jacob Subject: 2021 policy proposal Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 7:19:02 PM

Good evening,

I’m writing to urge the city council members to vote against the 2021 public safety policy proposal. As a Mpls resident I am deeply concerned about the future of our city due to the leadership spearheading such important work. Rolling out systemic change and reform requires a willingness, an understanding that success will largely be born out of meaningful partnerships with the impacted communities and professionals involved.

A few examples of why I’m concerned:

Ward 4 pilot program was positioned by Phillipe Cunningham as a data driven/scientifically backed public safety reform model that will have ‘immediate city wide impacts’ on reducing the surge in violent crimes. What happened to this scientific plan? How are the failures being addressed? I see selling of these new ideas from certain council members but then a lack of transparency in publicly addressing real-time impacts/outcomes; unless, of course it supports your narrative, I think it’s fair to assume success within ward 4 pilot program would’ve been widely shared/discussed had the results been favorable.

It was pointed out by a constituent that Sue Aberholden, head of NAMI, does not support the mental health portion of this policy. Who are the mental health professionals you are engaging within policy development?

I whole heartedly support reform but as a licensed social worker that works intimately within government systems I have strong reservations in how this is being rolled out. Dismantling/abolishing, I’m using some of the councils’ own words here, is a hugely enormous project that, if not responsibly developed, could lead to further decline of our great city of mpls. This policy needs further buy-in from the community and professionals from various public safety avenues need to be involved from beginning to end.

Katie Eaves From: katie capistrant To: Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Reich, Kevin A.; Palmisano, Linea; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Fletcher, Steve Subject: 2021 proposed budget Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 8:56:25 PM

Hi I live in ward 9 and I signed up to speak today but I’m so far down the list that I may not get the chance and had to leave the meeting before 4 pm. I was listening to a lot of the comments from folks in Minneapolis who feel that more police with make everyone safer. I hear a lot of people say that we should fund both police and public services. I dont see this reflected in the proposed budget , I only see an increased fund for mod. Where are the increase in funds for public schools, violence prevention, harm reduction, affordable housing and mental health services that would be a long term alternative to the cops. I know my tax dollars are being funneled out to fund outer rung suburbs while we are left to care for our own communities as best we can. I’m wondering why so many people are making the correlation between the number if police on the force and our crime rates when it seems obvious that people commit crimes at a higher rates when the community needs are not being met. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, an economic crises and a housing crises. I see I sheltered folks get harassed by police and shuffled around the city with no where to go and no services to help. Crime rates are higher because people are desperate. I’m a victim of theft this summer. I had my catalytic converter stolen off of my car which is a very expensive fix. I don’t see copes preventing thefts or investigation of the scrap yards that buy these stolen converters from people, they may simply take a statement from a victim of crime and move in with their day writing up tickets and making drugs arrests because those increase revenue for their department. Why do I have to hear about people not having access to healthcare, healthcare workers not having adequate Ppe during a pandemic, schoolteachers having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet when mpd somehow has a whole Arsenal of military equipment and funds for chemical weapons that are banned by the United Nations to be used on its own citizens. How is assaulting the citizens they are supposed to serve a higher priority than crime prevention. It’s not in their job description to protect people, let’s use my tax dollars to hire more city workers who’s job it is to serve the community. There’s all this talk about our police department not having enough resources. Well every other public service has a fraction of that budget. What are we doing here? Why make promises and then back down when some scared property owners call in to drown out the voices of BIPOC community members harassed in the daily, perhaps who may not have the resources of time and mental energy to attend a 6 hour public hearing From: Jennifer Kleven To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Against cutting police funding; support providing additional supports to emergency response options Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 10:23:37 PM

Mr. Schroeder:

I have been a resident of Minneapolis since 2005, and the issue of crime in this city is prompting me to write to a city council member for the first time. While I abhor what happened to George Floyd, and many actions of the police department, I feel the City Council response to the situation has made our city a worse and less safe place, and beg you to make it stop.

I loved this city when I moved here in 2005 with my husband and 2 children. Since then, I had another child and moved to another neighborhood in Minneapolis. After watching two children work their way through MPS, I have lost faith in the district’s interest educating all children. After choosing to live in two different neighborhoods in Minneapolis, the 2040 plan makes me feel like a pariah for wanting to live in a single-family home. Now, after the events of the Spring, I am living in a city that I don’t think values the safety of its residents. After a carjacking a block from my house at 8am on a Saturday morning, I need to tell my daughters to look carefully at the cars passing by as they leave our house to go to work, as someone their age may be waiting to carjack them. They are terrified to leave our house, and wondering what is being done. I tell them the police are doing what they can, but they are busy elsewhere.

This city is happy to make more bike lanes and 20 mph speed limits that no one is around to patrol, but does not want to do anything to educate them, to protect them, or support their housing choices.

Please consider that your choices have made our city less safe and and less livable. Our family has loved living here for many years, and fully realize that there are changes that need to be made to improve the experience of citizens of this city. Please just know that as a long-time resident of this city, I feel your choices around policing have made this city a more dangerous place for all residents —please think before you act, and urge your fellow council members to do the same. I am tired of being terrified of walking out of my house in this city due in part to the City Council rhetoric around defunding the police.

We need police, we need schools that function, parks that are open and cities that offer reasonable transportation and housing options for people in a winter climate. Please just know that you have constituents like me who really disagree with much of your vision and your actions for this city, who are begging you to at least do something to stop the bleeding and crime we are now experiencing. We need well-funded and well-supported police, and other well-funded response options.

-Jennifer Kleven 525 Prospect Ave Minneapolis, MN 55419

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Tram Hoang To: Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara Subject: Alliance Budget Comment - Housing Inspectors Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:14:12 PM

Hi Councilmember Schroeder,

I hope you're doing well. I'm reaching out on behalf of The Alliance to offer our budget comment for 2021, which is targeted specifically at housing inspectors.

In solidarity with many of our partners at the Make Homes Happen coalition, we are asking that you fund and fill the multiple housing inspector positions that are currently vacant in Reg Services. In this pandemic, data shows that BIPOC renters are experiencing the most economic devastation, which is undoubtedly impacting their housing stability. Furthermore, we know that habitability complaints are the largest category of issues for which renters seek legal support. As our city wrestles with what true public safety means, we have to recognize and prioritize the critical role that housing and fire inspectors play in maintaining the health and safety of residents in their homes. While we don't often think of them as being "on the frontlines", these inspectors are indeed essential workers - they ensure that children aren't exposed to lead, that households have running water and heat, that housing units are livable enough to be called home.

Funding existing positions in Reg Services is a tangible and cost-effective way to support renters during the pandemic, support long-term public health and community safety, and maintain the quality of the city's housing stock.

We hope you consider this as you enter into critical decision points regarding the budget.

Thanks, Tram

-- The Alliance is conducting the vast majority of our work remotely until further notice.

Tram Hoang Policy Advocate

The Alliance 2525 Franklin Ave East, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55406 (503) 998-6613 | [email protected]

December 1, 2020

Dear Minneapolis City Council Members,

The Asian Minnesotan Alliance for Justice (AMAJ), which is a coalition of Asian and Asian American identified organizations, supports the proposed 2 021 Minneapolis People’s Budget. AMAJ seeks to fight the inequities that are rooted in white supremacy and are exacerbated by the pandemic through direct action, creating systems of support, and policy. The People’s Budget was a collaborative effort that BIPOC communities all over Minneapolis worked to create. As carefully outlined in the People’s Budget, divesting from policing and into life-affirming institutions that invest in Black communities in Minneapolis is a necessary step to repairing harm that police have perpetuated since their inception.

We recognize that institutions of policing that targets and harms Black communities are the same systems that surveil and inflict violence on Asian and Asian American identified people in this country. Additionally, we have seen a rise in violence against our communities stemming from an unaddressed public health crisis. In order for these interconnected inequities to be addressed, it’s vital to fund access to true safety and health care for all. For these reasons, we believe the People’s Budget is a clear set of demands that the city can implement so that its residents are not just surviving, but thriving. The people elected you to best represent and fight for our needs. Fulfill your obligations as representatives of our communities by approving the People’s Budget. We will continue to fight for these demands, and if necessary, shift power.

The city of Minneapolis has an opportunity to show the country and world where our values stand. Prioritizing Black lives is a first step to healing the harms and violence of white supremacy and creating a world where all of our community members can access safety and wellness. AMAJ believes that our shared liberation depends on it. We ask that the city council and Mayor Frey include the 2021 People’s Budget as part of the full Minneapolis 2021 budget.

Signed,

Asian American Organizing Project (AAOP) Asian Media Access (AMA) Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) Filipinx for Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice Minnesota (FIRM) National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, St. Cloud chapter (NAPAWF) Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE) Siengkane Lao MN (SKLM)

Release MN8 The SEAD Project (SEAD) TaikoArts Midwest

From: Mankwe Ndosi To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Frey, Jacob Subject: Be ALL IN for the Stabilizing Arts Resolution Dec 2nd and 4th. Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:19:50 PM

Hello Caring and Hard Pressed Council members and Mayor during this momentous and challenging time in our history!

I am writing to enthusiastically support the Stabilizing Arts Resolution as drafted by Council members Ellison, Jenkins, Cano, and Reich. I have been an artist, educator, non-profit arts leader, and a contractor in creative conflict mediation, community engagement, and healing practitioner in Minneapolis for 25 years. I was born and raised here and am proud of our stretching, learning, and leading transformational change in the City of Minneapolis.

The work that ACCE has done, led by Gulgun Kayim and strengthened by Amelia Brown and Teeko Yang, has been momentous, nationally recognized, and has made new rivers of income for the artist workforce, and new and invigorating practices by which the City of Minneapolis addresses some of our most challenging and entrenched problems. I have worked several times with ACCE which has been uniquely supportive and sophisticated in being able to work between the worlds and cultures of Artists and of the City Enterprise. The work with ACCE through the Creative CItyMaking Program and the Creative Response Fund has helped me build a new and well-paid river of work for me as a Culture, Healing, and Engagement Consultant which has allowed me to employ artists, interpreters, healers as well as to support other Minneapolis businesses - an example of how impactful each dollar invested in the Arts is as part of the economies of Minneapolis and the State of MN.

As a lead of the innovative Hearing Tenant Voices Creative CityMaking team that also included Reggie Prim, Griffen Jeffries and Rebeka Chrisanta de Ybarra, we helped beleaguered inspectors and renters vulnerable to exploitation in our housing market (more extreme in 2020) to learn about and from each other. The project strengthened and grew the capacity of Inspection teams, built trust between community members and Reg Services employees, and gave evidence and support for the shifts by our city to develop the Renters First model to support our most vulnerable neighbors.

As a recipient of one of ACCE's Creative Response Fund Awards, Griffen Jeffries and I held active gatherings about Public Safety with Neighbors in Powderhorn Park and with concerned space holders in and around George Floyd Square to build relationships, share information, and express opinions and concerns about how we build Safety for All in our city. Each gathering was deeply valued, invigorating and strengthening desire to be in collaboration with neighbors. There was desire for more active and healing processes that can build our belief in each other, our ability to address the conflicts between us, and to share the wisdom and healing that we crave, that we have, and that we need during this time of extreme economic and social upheaval.

The innovative practices and processes stewarded by ACCE are nationally, if not world, renowned and activate a field of creative innovators - a collective superpower in the Twin Cities of 20 years of development of relationships and practice between artists and municipal, non-profit, and community development workers. Changemakers who are persistent, flexible, ethical, diverse, and nourishing in their practices for building ONE Minneapolis.

In a time of challenge, artists respond, even when they are often ignored in planning for workforce support. The Stabilizing Arts Resolution is a rare time when artists are seen and included in the economic consideration of our City. As research by ACCE has evidenced - Artists always give back - multiplying many times over in support of the people and places of the city we love - and lovingly leading , and inspiring us to make new ways out of times of challenge and hardship.

We move forward, no going back!

Thank you for your commitment to the people of Minneapolis!

Mankwe Ndosi Culture, Conflict and Healing Engagement Worker From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Bender"s $8M reduction to MPD Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 8:58:27 AM

Jeremy I know typically side with Bender. I ask you however to not vote to remove money from the mayor’s proposed police budget. Especially for unproven programs like the “Violence Interrupters”. Prove programs work with non police dollars – then reduce the police budget. Don’t make citizens suffer because you want to do some R&D to see what works. Al From: Rob Riggins To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Bike path and bike lane winter maintenance Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 12:56:47 PM

I heard that Mayor Frey’s budget reduces winter maintenance of bike paths and lanes. I hope that is not the case. I ride all winter and this would force me to ride in the streets instead. Others who ride in the winter might avoid riding. I know you are a serious bike commuter so I’m guessing you understand. If you can, please include information about this in your email updates. Thanks -- Rob Riggins From: Pat Parnow To: Schroeder, Jeremy; Jenkins, Andrea; Bender, Lisa; Ellison, Jeremiah; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Fletcher, Steve; Gordon, Cam A. Subject: Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:22:31 AM

City council members, While I highly support police reform, I do NOT support cutting the budget or the number of police officers at this point of crisis. Our neighborhood is in crisis if we can’t even feel safe walking between our car and our destination. City council folks have security - where is our neighborhood security that we pay for in our taxes? Our Walgreens is still not open due to crime. We need neighborhood patrols - we need to know someone is out there for us. This is not the city I grew up in. I have lived in Minneapolis my whole life and have ALWAYS felt safe in my home and on the street. Now I carry pepper spray walking my dog in the middle of the day. We can’t keep living with this kind of stress. People are moving out of my block - I don’t want to move - I like my neighborhood and home. PLEASE DO NOT DEFUND OR CUT THE BUDGET TO THE POLICE. Reform, retrain, hire more officers and institute some creative solutions involving other professionals to make Minneapolis great again. My neighbors and I will remember what you do with this issue at the next election.

Pat Parnow 4305 Elliot Ave. Minneapolis

Security for me but not for thee.

Three members of the Minneapolis City Council who voted to eliminate the local police force are being protected by a private security detail that costs taxpayers $4,500 a day. From: Pliego, Kali L To: Council Comment Subject: Budget Comment Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:44:52 AM

Dear Council, First, I must begin this “testimony” with some disclosure. I work for the City, in the Police Department. For that reason, I have not participated in these processes, but after listening to comments last night, I decided that I would regret it if I didn’t weigh in. I live in Ward 8, and the areas I cover as a Crime Prevention Specialist include parts of Ward 6 and 9 (3rd Precinct, Sector 1). While I have an obvious bias that serves self interest (to stay employed), I am also a tax payer in the City and will attempt to keep my comments aligned with my experience as a City resident and not employee (although knowledge of “how the sausage is made” has been enlightening and formative in my processing through these times).

As a collective, you 13 council members are breaking my spirit. I love Minneapolis, and I cannot emphasize this enough. I have lived in Minneapolis since 1999, when I moved into the City as a freshman at Augsburg College (now University). Over and over throughout the years since then, I continued to choose Minneapolis. For my first professional job, I chose to teach in Minneapolis Public Schools (South High, math teacher). I moved around a bit, but always maintained residency in Minneapolis, including one year as an Urban Neighbor with Urban Homeworks—in the Central Neighborhood, where I later chose to buy a house with my husband in 2009 (we were married at Park Avenue UMC in Central, also). The only exception was when I moved to Guatemala (2005- 2007) to found a non-profit that employs Positive Youth Development and Asset Based Community Development theories to address youth gang violence in that country.

After listening to the first half of last nights hearing, my husband and I had a conversation about moving out of the City. It was a conversation that was earnest and sad. My husband, a Mexican National, said, “You know I don’t like the Police, but I don’t like crime even more.” I am thankful that he doesn’t have the exposure to crime statistics and stories to the level that I do, because otherwise our exodus would be urgent. His sentiment matches what I hear from the residents in the neighborhoods I serve for work. I find your attempts, as a City Council, to be anti-racist as extremely disingenuous because in the aftermath of proclaiming you would “defund MPD”, communities of color and lower wealth have suffered and have not been heard. I’ve seen the same neglect and lack of engagement reflected in the work of Reclaim the Block. I bring this criticism directly to you at the high risk of personal consequence. Because I love this City. I cannot remain silent.

I am baffled at the thought of further restricting resources from MPD, and then on top of it thinking that overtime can be reined in. The required staffing numbers don’t change, and in my opinion should be expanded upon so that the department can play a role in prevention (by bringing back proactive models like CCP/SAFE, Beats, CRT, etc.). Yet with fewer resources (people to staff the shifts), refusing overtime would mean running shifts below the required minimums for staffing. It’s no wonder why the department seems so ineffective! Because it is right now. I am asking you not to punish MPD by further cutting its budget, and thus keeping them hamstrung and prolonging the suffering for our City’s vulnerable communities.

Thank you for your time, Kali Pliego Resident

From: Linda Andell To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Frey, Jacob Subject: Budget cuts to police department Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 12:07:49 PM

Jeremy - My name is David Andell. I live at 5915 Oakland Avenue South. I am writing to express my concern over the increase in crime in Minneapolis over the past few months. My wife and I have lived in Minneapolis for almost 50 years and have always defended this city as a great place to live. Unfortunately we no longer feel we are able to continue to do so. The atmosphere of fear and lawlessness is overwhelming - people afraid to be outside after dark - afraid of going to downtown - afraid of violence! Enough is enough!

Now we are told that the city council is planning on cutting funding for an already underfunded, understaffed police department. We understand the need for police reform and look forward to changes in police policy but not at the expense of a fully funded police department. We need both - a police force that is accountable and reflective of the community it serves and a force that is fully staffed to deter crime.

Let’s be thoughtful moving forward. Let us see your plan for a new public safety department due next year. Until then - finish your job. Keep police funding and programs where they are and let the police rebuild into the force we need now and in the future - let them restore peace and calm.

All Minneapolis residents need this now!

Thank you for your commitment to Minneapolis.

David and Linda Andell [email protected] Sent from my iPad From: Raphael Coffey To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Budget hearings Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:42:28 AM

Good morning council member Schroeder,

My name is Raphael Coffey. I am a homeowner in South Minneapolis and would like to let you know how I feel about the budget hearings.

The “Safety for all” plan cuts only about 5% of the Mayor’s proposed police budget while also significantly reducing the responsibilities of the police. This would return the police budget to its 2018 level. While preferable to the status quo, it has built-in problems that will prevent its success.

2 examples of this are: 1) The mental health crisis teams are underfunded leaving only 1 team available for half of the hours each day. At those times it would only take two mental health crises happening in the city at the same time for one to either not receive a rapid response or to be referred to police. 2) It contains no specifics. This increases the likelihood both that this will lead to symbolic "initiatives" rather than authentic, fully implemented programs, and that any programs that do result from the plan will be more easily co-opted by punitive systems.

Despite these shortcomings, the Mayor and the Police Chief have pushed back hard against even the Safety for All Budget Plan. Media such as MPR News and the Star Tribune have also made it sound extreme. The truth is that this plan does not go far enough for it to be effective.

You have a choice, capitulate to the powers maintaining the status quo, or be a leader. Take a stand with me, and all people of conscience, and choose the compassionate, loving, and just side of history. Join me in supporting the full People's Budget that has been endorsed by more than 40 community organizations and businesses.

Thank you for your time, Raphael 510-978-2665 From: Jim Duffy To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: Budget Proposal to Reduce Funding for Police Officers Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:43:30 PM

Dear Council Member,

I am writing to strongly urge you to resist the budget proposal by council members Bender, Cunningham and Fletcher to reduce the funding for police officers. While I understand the logic and the desirability of using some law enforcement revenue to fund alternatives that will lighten the load for uniformed police officers, now is not the time. In light of the dramatic and frightening rise in violent crime in the wake of calls for defunding the police and massively reduced police force, this is not the time to shift resources away from regular front line police officers. For the first time in 25 years that I have lived in the Windom neighborhood, people are being carjacked and robbed at gunpoint (in broad daylight) in Tangletown and other neighborhoods in our immediate area. See today's paper -'Staggering' surge in violent carjackings continues across Minneapolis Such attacks were up 537% compared with last November, worrying residents. By Liz Sawyer Star Tribune DECEMBER 2, 2020.

What was once unimaginable has become a terrible reality in a few short months. You have seen the statistics. This City is on fire and the budget proposal is the equivalent of diverting funds from firefighting to planning more fire resistant building construction. We need to first put out the fire or there will be no City. People and businesses are already fleeing the City. If crime is not brought under control very soon, this will continue and there will not be the tax revenue needed to fund the initiatives and reforms that are desired.

I suggest that the City really needs to increase funds for restaffing the ranks of the police officers in the near term to get crime back to historic levels. The planning envisioned by the council members should be done in addition to that not instead of that. Finally, I encourage the board to seek input from the Chief of Police in the future for any such initiatives. Thank you.

James Duffy 612-618-7850 From: Jim Duffy To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Carolyn Duffy; Jim Duffy Subject: Budget Proposal to Reduce Funding for Police Officers Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 8:46:24 AM

Dear Mr. Schroeder,

I am writing to strongly urge you to resist the budget proposal by council members Bender, Cunningham and Fletcher to reduce the funding for police officers. While I understand the logic and the desirability of using some law enforcement revenue to fund alternatives that will lighten the load for uniformed police officers, now is not the time. In light of dramatic and frightening rise in violent crime in the wake of calls for defunding the police and a dramatically reduced police force, this is not the time to shift resources away from regular front line police officers. For the first time in 25 years that I have lived in the Windom neighborhood, people are being carjacked and robbed at gunpoint (in broad daylight) in Tangletown and other neighborhoods in our immediate area.

Jim Duffy 612-618-7850 From: CUAPB Minneapolis To: Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Osman, Jamal; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Reich, Kevin A.; Palmisano, Linea; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Fletcher, Steve; Council Comment Subject: Budget Recommendations Related to Mental Health Crisis Response Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 9:08:00 PM Attachments: Letter to City Council 20201124.pdf

Please read the attached letter, which expands on our comments to the Budget Committee. Please also see that it is entered into the budget hearing record. Thank you.

-- Communities United Against Police Brutality 4200 Cedar Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55407 24-hour hotline: 612.874.7867 [email protected] CUAPB on Facebook cuapb.org From: Ellen Shriner To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Budget thoughts re: policing and safety--fund BOTH Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:04:22 PM Attachments: Screen shot 2012-02-19 at 4.21.47 PM.png

Hi,

I’d prefer to have the MPD budget to remain fully funded (i.e. don’t subtract 5% for other safety initiatives).

I’d prefer that other safety initiatives (mental health interventions, social service interventions and violence prevention programs) be funded IN ADDITION to the MPD funding. Also/and.

I remain troubled that there are no concrete plans for —

—How MPD will address the crime wave —How MPD will address reforms within the department

AND

— How additional safety initiatives will be implemented.

It seems like the process is backwards—ask for the money, then decide how to use it. I’d really really like to see city council and MPD formulate actionable plans (they don’t have to be perfect) and then ask for the funding—here’s what we want to do and here's what we think it will cost.

If those plans exist, the information needs to be shared.

Sigh.

I’m probably sending my comments too late for your budget meeting, but I felt compelled to share them.

Thank you,

Ellen Shriner

Creative Nonfiction www.ellenshriner.com wordsisters.wordpress.com 651-815-1935 From: Joan KLOIBER To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Budget Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 10:18:30 PM

Please do NOT vote for the proposal to reduce the police department budget. There will be opportunities to reevaluate the structure of the police department and it’s budget after the current increase in violence has been brought under control. If fact, I believe the MPD budget should be increased at least temporarily until the violence has been brought under control. Joan Kloiber

Sent from my iPad From: Susan Priem To: Council Members Subject: City Budget - Police Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 3:50:07 PM

I agree in principle that we need a change in the type of trained personnel that answer mental health and other non violent activities that occur in Minneapolis, but I strongly question if this year is the year to make those changes.

I’ve lived in my neighborhood for close to 30 years. Muggings, car jacking and shootings were a rarity until the last six months. I rarely if ever saw a police officer even when the MPD was fully staffed. If violent crime is increasing in my neighborhood it has to be far worse in other neighborhoods.

We need trained police officers NOW, we have violent crime occurring at much higher rates than previously and our neighborhoods are not safe.

Please, do not defund the police - that is exactly what you are doing. Don’t promote your own agendas and advance your political careers on our lives.

Susan

Sent from my iPad From: Kate Sandweiss To: Bender, Lisa Subject: City Budget for Police Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:34:18 PM Importance: High

Dear City Council Member,

As you discuss amendments to the city budget, I STRONGLY URGE you to support Police Chief Arredondo’s funding request. As well, I urge you to continue to hold the Chief of Police and his force accountable for police reform related to social and racial justice. These are essential. Give Chief Arredondo the budget he needs to do his job. It is folly to think that the police can be reformed without adequate money for new training and a modicum of good will and support from the City Council.

We need an adequately resourced Police Department with enough police officers to provide public safety and security. As I’ve heard directly from homeowners and business owners, the current crime spike will drive away businesses and homeowners essential to our tax base and the vibrancy of our communities and neighbors.

Over the past six weeks alone, I’ve consoled neighbors within a three block area in East Isles who’ve been the victim of an: attempted car jacking; actual car jacking; threatening graffiti; a stolen carburetor; and a business that had a break-in. And this is in East Isles where we have not yet had to contend with the murders plaguing many other neighborhoods in Ward 7 and beyond.

We can not tolerate this level of crime and fear of crime anywhere in our city, and yes, we can not tolerate fear of racist police. GIVE CHIEF ARREDONDO THE OPPORTUNITY to make reform!

Sincerely,

Kate Sandweiss 2515 Lake Place From: Lynnell Mickelsen To: Palmisano, Linea Cc: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John; Palmisano, Linea Subject: City budget hearing tonight: please stop rewarding bad behavior and incompetence. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:14:50 AM

Hey Linea:

I know we don’t agree on this, but as a resident of the 13th Ward, I support the proposal from Council members Bender, Fletcher and Cunningham to re-allocate funds from the police department to effective professionals who are better trained to handle tasks like mental health crises, theft reports, etc.

I believe supporting the current structure of the MPD is a bad waste of taxpayers funds. The MPD is a dysfunctional, broken department that mostly reacts to crime as opposed to preventing it. Right now, parts of the city are being terrorized by car-jackings, robberies and shootings being committed by small groups of juveniles that the police can’t seem to apprehend—in part because huge numbers of city residents do not trust or speak to the police —for very good reasons.

If any other city department was THIS broken, deviant and incapable, you would be demanding huge changes, not sending them more cash. Right now, we have more than 100 officers collecting full-time pay without working because of their group action to file for PTSD disability——a power play/scam by the police union that you and the mayor continue to ignore or excuse.

For the record, I am a 63-year-old woman who continues to confidently walk my dogs throughout the city and go to the grocery store, etc. But I know many people are frightened by the uptick in crime. I have been robbed in the past. It’s awful. We all deserve to live in a city where we feel safe. But I do not think more investment in our broken police department will make us more safe.

Please support the modest proposal by Bender, Fletcher and Cunningham.

All the best.

Lynnell Mickelsen 4233 Linden Hills Blvd Minneapolis, MN 55410 cell: 612-245-3844 [email protected] From: Kathleen Sikora To: Council Members Subject: City Budget wrt Police Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 4:20:03 PM

Dear Council Members,

We are liberal/progressive (not radical, not Socialist) Democrats who are attempting to add my voice to the discussion of Police Funding in MInneapolis. While the Police Dept has many issues it needs to address, it will take money to do so. The actions of some police have been horrendous and that needs to stop, but it will not (perhaps can not) without better training ... and that costs money.

We think that changes to the police department can be made with the Council's urging and help, including the accountability of Police for actions taken that result in unwarranted death, better use of language, etc. (The rush to seen to "defund" or "demolish" the police is, basically, ridiculous and has caused a lot of problems from which it will take time from which to recover). Our particular precinct is extremely large, but we have few police working it. Policing needs to be done on an as-needed basis and well as on high-density population.

Additional funds outside of the currently discussed policing budget are needed. It is right that better use of social services is a goal, but the goals of social work in lowering such things as drug abuse and domestic abuse take time (and has been neglected for a long time by the Council as well as the Police), and police intervention still may be needed in many instances in order to that that. Money must be provided for such good programs and the enhancement of the 311 system (the City system advocated by the City Council) to ensure that the correct agency is contacted by 311 for response to an emergency call. Find the funds to do that without lessening the ability of the police to protect the citizens of Minneapolis. Sometimes, people do bad things; this happens in all races, for a huge amount of reasons, and victims of crimes need to be considered as well. Also, funding needs to be put toward finding "better" top police candidates.

In closing, we'd like the Council and Police Dept to find a way back to policing as Peace Officers, as opposed to Law Enforcement ... where there is some discretion in, for example, taking someone to his/her home without their car if they are inebriated, without putting them in jail, arresting them, etc., and in ensuring that they and domestic abusers get required counseling. Right now, the closest thing we have to that are the CCP/SAFE officers, who, in our neighborhood, have been a help for more than 20+ years in diffusing situations that have the possibility of resolving problems on a more proactive basis. Additional staffing there would be beneficial.

Kathleen Sikora & Robert Hain 2801 S. 9th St Minneapolis, MN 55406

-- \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Kathleen Sikora From: Molly Beth Griffin To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: City Budget: Fund our Community Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:31:12 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

Every time I drive through the city I am struck with images of the Minneapolis uprising--buildings that are still rubble, street corners where neighbors fought to defend their homes and businesses. That extraordinarily traumatic event was a judgement on our police and our city--we have neglected our most vulnerable too long. We have allowed violence against our community as acceptable collateral for an imagined safety provided by the MPD, when the MPD has consistently shown itself to be more invested in its own power than in actually protecting our community. As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for: The Early Intervention System ($230K) Co-Responders ($685K) New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now: Access to low-income housing and real solutions for the unhoused--we cannot continue to treat our unsheltered citizens as criminals, we cannot continue to allow developers to dictate the terms of our housing market during an unprecedented health crisis Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis, and real mental health solutions independent from the police department.

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD, we quite literally cannot afford to put our tax dollars towards their misconduct. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Molly Griffin Ward 8 3824 16th Ave S From: Emer Griffin To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: City Budget: Fund our Community Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 4:41:49 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for: The Early Intervention System ($230K) Co-Responders ($685K) New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

Emer Griffin Ward 8 3824 16th Ave S From: Anna Erbes To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: City Council Budget Meeting Closing Statement, December 2, 2020 Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:36:58 PM

CLOSING STATEMENT:

Dear Jeremy – I know you are one of the main council members wanting to significantly lower the Minneapolis Police Department budget and I want to send you a copy of the email I sent to the Council feedback site. As you know, I AM COMPLETELY OPPOSED TO CUTTING THEIR BUDGET. As my note below says, I would even favor increasing their budget to allow them to get fully staffed – and to give them a broader skill level (within the department) to better handle a variety of 911 calls. I will certainly try to vote you out of office if you continue in your pursuit of defunding police.

Your Erin Dunn Name Address 4804 10th Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55417 Email [email protected] Address Comment As you consider whether or not to cut the budget of the MinneapolisPolice Department you should consider what the -majority- of your constituents want to do FULLY FUND THE POLICE. It is perhaps less newsworthy than the Council's promise to defund police BUT fully funding the police is the right thing to do. I would go so far as to say that perhaps you should increase the budget of the department so they can do all of the following: fully staff officer ranks (including recruitment efforts, new recruit classes), enhance officer training, invest incommunity policing activities so that officers and citizens have a better understanding of one another, add mental health specialists to the force. It makes sense to me to have response to 911 calls all handled by one organization with common goals and common oversight. That would still allow you to triage 911 calls and send them to staff with the appropriate skills. Right now a significant majority of my neighbors are calling for defunding of the Minneapolis City Council because of their inability to understand what our priorities should be. Based on what I'veseen since last May - I would agree. Get your act together and stop trying to think in terms of media "sound bites" - think about what this community needs.

From: Maygen Keller To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: City Funding for the MPD Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 7:12:36 PM

Hello City Counselors and Staff,

I’m a resident of Ward 11 in Minneapolis, and have lived in the City of Minneapolis for 8 years. I am disheartened, though not surprised, at the budget recommendations from Mayor Frey, and want to let you know that I intend to hold every member of the council accountable for promises made to defund the MPD.

I’ll be honest, and keep this brief. I have no faith in the MPD to actually reform, serve their public, or do anything besides protect property, intimidate people, and inevitably kill people because that’s the guidance they’ve received. Many people in my community share this sentiment.

George Floyd’s murder was not surprising, though it continues to be incredibly sad. The MPD has been killing people well before Floyd, and will continue to do so if left unchecked.

I’ve actually contacted the MPD on a few occasions, and never really felt safer or even supported. Imagine a world where instead of funding this obviously ineffective department, we funded literally anything else our community needs. What would that look like?

You could try funding:

Access to low-income housing--I could list the countless studies about the impact providing a home to a person has versus arresting them, but my hunch is this well- educated council has seen those. Here is one from earlier this year. Using the MPD (and the Park Police) to forcibly remove people camping in our parks does what? It alienates the MPD further and creates a greater divide in our community. Think about what might happen if people had a home that they knew they wouldn’t be evicted from. And think about how revolutionary Minneapolis would be if it made major moved like supporting housing first.

Direct economic relief--Holy Hannah, are you aware there is still a pandemic going on? What’s the plan, y’all? What if we used some of the MPD funds to support the many, many people in need in our community?

Please don’t latch on to whatever makes sense in the moment. If the Mayor, City Council, and City of Minneapolis don’t act, then more people will continue to be killed by the MPD and be failed by our justice system. Be the change. maygen keller 612.237.7531 From: Courtney Sanders To: Council Members; Frey, Jacob Subject: City of Minneapolis 2021 Budget Comment Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 9:41:32 PM

Good Evening Minneapolis City COuncil Members and Mayor Frey,

I am reaching out regarding the 2021Minneapolis Budget. Please take the following thoughts in to consideration:

1. Please maintain the neighborhood 2020 plan to provide base funding of $10k to neighborhood organizations. DO NOT RAISE THIS AMOUNT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

First of all..if each of these groups are independent non profits...the city can provide them with this base funding and if they want more funding they can apply for funds through the equity fund to advance Minneapolis 2040 objectives. These neighborhood groups have proven over the years that they have NOT BEEN ABLE or willing to actually act on any equity work as is evidenced by the lack of representation by BIPOC or renters in their neighborhood groups.

In addition, add a requirement to their allowed Neighborhoods 2020 Guidelines that IN ORDER TO RECEIVE FUNDING, these groups also MUST SUBMIT ACTION PLANS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS TEAM UP FRONT TO RECEIVE ANY MONEY EACH YEAR.

The action plan needs to be approved by the City of Minneapolis. DO NOT JUST HAND OUT MONEY TO NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS TO JUST SPEND HOWEVER THEY WANT. THEY NEED TO ALIGN WITH THE MINNEAPOLIS 2040 goals or seek funding ELSEWHERE.

2. Please roll the tape back and stop the MPRB's frivolous and out of hand spending on the MPRB PARKS. They are engaged in a metaphorical parks version of an arms race. They need to be stopped.

I love the Minneapolis parks just as much as anyone but CLEARLY OUR CITY HAS MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES TO BE FUNDED than the continually overhauls of the MPRB parks. WE HAD PEOPLE LIVING IN THE PARKS THIS SUMMER AND YET THE MPRB was moving forward with implementing 1 million dollar plans to refresh the waterway between isles and cedar lake... and the park board foundation is utilizing funds for ridiculous projects such as their bogus new riverfront park and fancy restaurant. ROLL BACK THE TAPE. STOP THIS WORK and FACE THE FACTS! THESE PHONY PARK PROJECTS are COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS'S TRUE NEEDS.

DIVERT THESE FUNDS TO VIOLENCE PREVENTION, TO SUPPORTING POSITIVE YOUTH PROGRAMMING AND DEVELOPMENT for children and youth and divert their funds to stable housing programs.

The parks arms race HAS GOT TO END.I LOVE THE PARKS BUT I DO NOT THINK WE NEED ANOTHER MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL IF there are MORE CRITICAL NEEDS IN MINNEAPOLIS. STOP THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FACE THE FACTS CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS. STOP THE FRIVALOUS AND OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING AND THINK CRITICALLY.

3.Also what are you doing to protect the CITY AGAINST FUTURE VIRAL OUTBREAKS? DOES THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND MDH HAVE A PANDEMIC PLAN OR INFECTIOUS DISEASE PLAN. WE NEED TO HAVE THIS IN PLACE TO PREPARE OUR CITY AND STATE PRIOR TO ANY FUTURE OUTBREAKS.

Thanks, Courtney Sanders Comment in support of budget for legal representation for immigrant residents of Minneapolis Submitted 11/30/2020 by Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

Immigration policy changes over the past four years make funding for legal representation of detained immigrants more important than ever. The federal government's policies aimed at reducing all kinds of immigration and deporting as many immigrants as possible put many Minneapolis residents at risk. ICE has specifically targeted Minneapolis and Minnesota for immigration arrests, as "sanctuary" jurisdictions.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memos target people who may have committed a minor crime, but have not been charged or convicted. ICE also prioritizes deportation of legal permanent residents who have been convicted of crimes in the past, regardless of how long they have lived in the United States, which has meant targeting Southeast Asian refugees.1 People who pose a subjective “risk to public safety” have also been prioritized for removal.

Minneapolis legal support funding has made it possible for ILCM and other legal assistance organizations to represent some of those Minneapolis residents targeted by ICE.

One person we represented as part of the Minneapolis program was arrested by the Minneapolis Police Department last year and then transferred to ICE custody. This left his pregnant fiancé, their one-year-old child, and her two other children without his support for about two months. We were able to secure bond for him, so that he could return to his family. His case is still pending and our representation continues.

Another client was detained by ICE 16 years after he was convicted of theft when he was a teenager. This client was lawfully present in the country and had a clear path to relief. ICE refused to release him based on the 16 year old conviction. His wife and child, and his elderly. parents and siblings relied on him for economic support and babysitting. We fought for six months and finally obtained his release on bond.

A bond hearing is the first level of representation. Securing a client’s release from ICE custody has significant impacts for both the detainee and his/her family. These impacts include economic stability, especially when the detainee is a primary breadwinner, and mitigating the emotional trauma that family members, particularly children, experience when a parent or loved one is detained for a prolonged period.

When clients are released on a bond, they are more able to participate fully in their defense by helping to gather evidence to support their cases. They are also able to access the criminal

1 Riham Feshir. "What you need to know about Trump's plan to deport Hmong, Lao immigrants." Minnesota Public Radio. February 10, 2020. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/02/10/what-you-need-to-know-about-trump- plan-to-deport-hmong-lao-immigrants (consulted 11/15/2020) justice system and resolve pending charges, if necessary. Even if the case ultimately results in the client’s deportation, a release on bond allows the client time to put his/her affairs in order prior to leaving the country.

Each step of the deportation process is frightening and most people are unaware of their rights or defenses. Legal permanent residents who have lived here for decades, who have jobs and homes and families here, may be placed in removal proceedings. People with Temporary Protected Status or with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) are at even greater risk of removal proceedings.

Not only immigrants, but also their U.S. citizen children and family members suffer severe consequences from detention and removal proceedings. Statewide,2 nearly 10 percent of Minnesota residents are immigrants, and another 7 percent of residents are native-born U.S. citizens with at least one immigrant parent. Statewide, more than 64,000 U.S. citizens in Minnesota live with at least one family member who is undocumented.

More than 65,000 Minneapolis residents, nearly 16 percent of all residents, are immigrants.3 Nearly 19,000 residents of Minneapolis live with at least one family member who is undocumented.4

People facing deportation may be detained in local jails, often without eligibility for release while the case is pending. During the COVID-19 pandemic, detention poses greater dangers to health and life. Current administration policies of opposing bail or any other alternatives to detention have continued unchecked during the pandemic. Unlike people facing criminal proceedings, there is no right to government-appointed attorneys in removal/deportation proceedings. These are our neighbors, our co-workers, the home health aides who care for our parents, the construction workers who build our homes, the parents of U.S. citizen children in our schools.

When Minneapolis funds legal services, the city is funding defense of these residents. An immigrant who is represented by a lawyer has a far better chance of having a bond set that enables them to work and support their families while their cases are pending. They also have a far better chance of requesting and obtaining a favorable outcome. A 2016 study by the American Immigration Council found that

• "Represented immigrants in detention who had a custody hearing were four times more likely to be released from detention (44 percent with counsel versus 11 percent without)….

2 "Immigrants in Minnesota" fact sheet. American Immigration Council. August 6, 2020. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-minnesota (consulted 11/15/2020) 3 Minneapolis city profile from Minnesota Compass. http://www.mncompass.org/profiles/custom (consulted 11/15/2020) 4 Extrapolating from percentage of immigrants in Minnesota living with an undocumented family member (28.6%), and number of immigrants in Minneapolis. • "Among detained immigrants, those with representation were twice as likely as unrepresented immigrants to obtain immigration relief if they sought it (49 percent with counsel versus 23 percent without)." With today's increase in immigration detention, the need for legal representation is even greater than in 2016.

In addition to this vitally needed representation for detainees, Minneapolis city funding also supports naturalization for city residents. About half of all immigrants living in Minnesota already have become U.S. citizens. Many others want to become citizens and participate fully in the civic and political life of the community. Naturalization has become a lengthy, complicated, and expensive process. Support from the City of Minneapolis makes this next step possible for long-time residents.

Like more than two dozen other communities across the country, Minneapolis has chosen to support legal representation for immigrant and refugee residents. We strongly support the continuation and expansion of this program. The federal government is not acting to create a rational and humane immigration system. Additionally, this administration is seeking to detain and deport individuals who are long-standing members of our community and who have historically not been the target of deportation.

Even when a new administration takes office, reversing these policies will meet with great resistance and will take time. As former President Barack Obama said, changing the direction of government is like reversing the course of an ocean liner. In the year ahead, as in the past two years, funding removal defense of detainees is key to supporting immigrant families in our community.

Respectfully submitted, Veena Iyer, Executive Director Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

From: Paul Steiner To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Constituent"s plea to support police funding during budgeting process Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:01:50 AM

Councilman Schroeder,

I am writing you to ask you to not support the budget proposal of your three fellow City Council members, Bender, Cunningham and Fletcher, that defunds the police department by 5% and that actively works toward significantly reducing the size of the police force. Yes, police reform is a great goal. However, public safety alternatives to the police should not come at the expense of current public safety systems during a public safety crisis, which is exactly what we are experiencing right now on a historic scale. This is not a time of “either/or” regarding police but rather a time of how do we fund alternative public safety initiatives going forward while maintaining the correct level of policing for a community of our size. People across the city are in fear of violent crime as criminals become more brazen. I, myself, am concerned about my 24-year-old daughter’s safety Uptown and also downtown where she works. And just a couple of weeks ago nearly every car on our block was broken into overnight here in the Hale neighborhood. And I know of several carjackings that have taken place nearby as well.

Please do not support police defunding efforts during this public safety crisis. But rather support at least the current level of policing while also working on funding for alternative public safety measures and for sensible police reforms.

Thank you, Paul Steiner From: Drekonja, Dimitri M To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Crime meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:27:05 PM

Hi Council member Schroeder- I’m one of the Tangletown residents on this current call. My house is the one in the background of the shooting video. I’d like to offer some words of encouragement and support- I recognize new police officers do not become immediately available, and I support the plan to use non-police resources for non-violent calls, in order to free-up the police for things they have the skill set to handle.

Long-term I’m more concerned about the quality of the force than the numbers- I want police that are well-trained, well-educated, and trusted by the community. Ideally living in the city that they work in. I think much of the current spike of violence is due to a lot of other factors- economic downturn, COVID and lack of structure for kids, etc.

Appreciate your work.

-dd

Dimitri Drekonja, MD, MS Chief, Infectious Disease Section, Minneapolis VA Health Care System Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota

612 467 4183

From: Ryan Justak To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Council Comment Subject: Cut MPD Funding; Fund Real Crime Prevention Strategies Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 9:24:47 AM

Dear Councilmember Osman and the rest of the City Council

My name is Ryan Justak, and I live in Ward 6 across the street from East Phillips Park.

Instead of continuing to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the same failed “public safety” strategies that center the MPD, I demand you to fund strategies that have generated proven results and have widespread acceptance in the city, including:

Expanding non-police alternatives to 911 like Emergency Response Mental Health Response teams

Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice offices like Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice

And for real long term solutions, Antipoverty measures like ending homelessness (funding and expanding public housing), providing low to no cost health care (mental and physical), culturally competent drug addiction counseling, investing back into public schools, youth programs, and neighborhoods that best know how to address their hyperlocal public safety issues

Thank you, Ryan Justak From: Chris McCollom Subject: Decision to give MPD more resources Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:31:38 PM

Dear Council members and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities and search for proactive solutions, instead of falling back on the same regressive and reactive solution of sending in cops.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for: New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now: Access to low-income housing Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis Direct economic relief Real civilian oversight and cutting cops out of oversight positions

We need the council to stop burning money on the MPD. Please prove to us you actually care about your constituents and show us you're not afraid of the police as many of you seem to be. Real leadership means acknowledging what isn't working and fixing it, not passing the buck on to the Charter Commission or giving the people who covered for Derek Chauvin and "lost" 1,500 rape kits, the benefit of the doubt.

Chris McCollom, Ward 1 40 S. 7th Street, STE 212 PMB 172 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Phone: (612) 659-1279 Online: www.thedmna.org

The DMNA Land Use Committee works to promote a safe, active, and welcoming public realm; a stable, civically engaged residential neighborhood; and architecturally distinctive urban design.

November 10, 2020

Dear Neighbors:

On October 27th, the DMNA hosted its virtual annual meeting and public safety forum and the number of residents participating was record setting – we had over 300 participants. Neighbors engaged with Mayor Frey, Councilmember (CM) Fletcher and several representatives from the Minneapolis Police Dept. (MPD) on the current crisis in public safety, asking what can be done to reverse the increase in violent crime plaguing Minneapolis. That very high attendance validates that public safety is a priority issue for residents and compels neighborhood organizations such as ours to urgently engage in the discussion to support policies that will again make all Minneapolis neighborhoods safe.

Earlier this year, the DMNA endorsed Guiding Principles for Police Reform and Public Safety. They include five main elements:

1. Accountability and oversight of police and public safety; 2. MPD reform and re-invention; 3. Safety strategies; 4. A clear role for MPD in public safety; and 5. Build broad consensus on the path to a safer city for everyone.

Today what stands before the city council is Mayor Frey’s proposed budget for 2021 which includes funding for three additional MPD recruit classes. We have all been alarmed by the sharply reduced staffing levels that MPD has weathered while at the same time crime is dramatically increasing in our neighborhoods.

The DMNA’s goal for the annual meeting forum was to facilitate resident interaction with decision makers and to help each of you decide where you stand on the policy decisions. The DMNA’s official position regarding the Mayor’s proposed 2021 budget is to fully support the police component outlined by the mayor. Your decision is, of course, your own. But as a neighborhood association we encourage residents to write or call their council member with feedback. You can find your ward and city council member’s contact information through this link: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/city-council/find-my-ward/

The time is now. Budget deliberations have already begun and will end in December. The DMNA encourages residents to also participate in the public comment sessions to be held November 16th and December 2nd discussing the city budget. If you want to speak, you will need to sign up for one of the available speaking slots on November 16th or December 2nd. Use the following link to sign up; scroll down to select which meeting you prefer: http://www2.minneapolismn.gov/meetings/onlinemeetings/attend-citycouncil-meeting

We are in a time that many would characterize as a crisis in public safety and our elected officials need to hear from their constituents loudly and clearly. The current state of the city is unacceptable on multiple fronts. Providing a safe environment for residents is the most basic responsibility of the city council and improving our police force is equally important. We need to ask ourselves which policies will enhance public safety in our city and reverse the ever increasing crime rate.

The DMNA believes the answer must be to support Mayor Frey’s proposed police budget at a minimum, while we work together for positive change. We hope our fellow residents will share their views as well in support of the proposed police budget from Mayor Frey.

Thank you,

The DMNA Board of Directors

Pam McCrea, Chair Kevin Frazell, Vice Chair Carletta Sweet, Secretary Dianne Walsh Treasurer Max Erickson Andy Gittleman Laurie Rice Tomek Rajtar Joe Tamburino

Cc: DMNA Public Safety Task Force From: Linda Korman To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Do not cut funding to police budget Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 7:32:55 PM

Councilman Schroeder, I am writing to ask you not to cut funding for the police budget. We need more police presence! Thank you. Linda Korman 35 year resident From: Sirdar, Deebaa To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: do not cut mpd force for 2021 budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:25:43 PM

From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet Sent: Monday, November 30, 2020 8:49 PM To: Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: Ward 8 Online Contact

Contact Ward 8 - Andrea Jenkins

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Last Name Schon

Question/Comment I just read the report in the Star Tribune outlining the plans to cut the MPD from the currently 835 or so officers by a serious number. I am all for potential police reform but as a resident of South Minneapolis and the 3rd Precinct who receives the weekly and as of late overwhelmed crime reports from the 3rd Precinct, the council will do well to remember that in aftermath of George Floyd, mine and the surrounding neighborhoods have suffered major increases in crime. And to date, this is still not under control. Cutting forces without a clear and well communicated plan in mind will only make this situation worse and allow the further deterioration of our neighborhoods. You will have to work a lot harder to get pubic input and communicate planned changes before making a massive cut to forces. Also, the “defund the police” slogan was seriously flawed from the beginning and has emboldened those that want to commit crime in our areas. Andrea, I have always admired your work on the council and will continue to support you and your efforts during this unprecedented period, but I have serious concerns about a proposal that may only make an already bad situation worse. Thank you for your consideration. Be safe.

Email [email protected]

Phone 6128897729

Phone Type Cell

Address 4953 Columbus ave

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55417

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‒‑‒–‐—‑‑‒‐‒‐‑—‑––‑—— From: justin miller To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Do not defund police Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 8:22:40 PM

Mr. Schroeder,

I am a long time resident of Minneapolis. I've lived in downtown Minneapolis for 15 years before moving to the Hale neighborhood 5 years ago. In all my time in Minneapolis, this last year had been the most scary. Crime is up all around the city. If one looks at the MSP crime map, there is not one city block that hasn't had any crime this year. There has been much news about the gun violence and the car jackings that are on the increase but the smaller "petty" crime is also up. Its only petty if its not happening to you. Combine that with the fact that some on the city council want to shrink an already depleted police force. These are scary times.

Mr. Floyd's death was a terrible travesty, everyone agrees to that. But that is no reason to defund the police. The city needs police to maintain law and order and to protect its citizens. But its also quite obvious that status quo is not acceptable either. There needs to be reform, not defund of the police department.

The news have mentioned that police spend as much time on overtime as they do with their regular shift. That suggests two things, first there is a demand for police. Second the police do not have much time off for rest and family. I suggest that we increase the amount of officers so that we have enough for the demand and at the same time to give officers the time off they need. Other industries have limits to amount work an employee can perform (truckers and airline pilots are two examples) the police should be no different. By having well rested officers can help the officers make the proper decisions to keep our citizens safe.

I believe that the threat to defund the police has emboldened some to commit crime, in the belief that there will be no police to catch them. We as a community need to change that message, by standing by our law enforcement personnel.

I hope that you too agree that defund is not the answer.

Thank you for your time.

Justin Miller From: Molly Hapgood To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Do not defund police Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:16:27 PM

I am not in your ward, but I feel so strongly about this that I'm writing to all of the city council people.

I do not want the police defunded. We are entitled to a well funded, professional, and accountable police force. Minneapolis is rapidly becoming unlivable with multiple car jackings every day. It's not good, not for the victims and not for the (often very young) people committing the crimes. We need more of a police presence and the police need to do their job without killing people. It's city council's job to make our city safe for everyone- not to make it more unsafe by depleting the police force. Yes to social workers, and more funding for the currently-very-weak safety net. And we need better-funded schools and after-school activities. This funding is definitely needed. . . just don't take it out of the police budget. Figure out a way to provide these much-needed services in addition to keeping the police force fully staffed. Thanks for your service to the city of Minneapolis, and I sincerely hope these issues get resolved so that we have a city that works for everyone. From: Sirdar, Deebaa To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: do not fund mpd Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:30:34 PM

From: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2020 4:50 PM To: Bourgerie, Zoe J ; Sirdar, Deebaa ; Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Ward 8 Feedback Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * Patrick Snyder Email * [email protected] Phone (859) 536-3549 Phone Type Address 3145 Pleasant Avenue City Minneapolis State MN Zip 55408 Question/Comment * Hi, I am deeply, deeply disappointed to learn that Council VP Jenkins voted, along with 6 other council members, to give the MPD an additional half a million dollars today. It was a close vote and Jenkins could have said no, or at least asked for more time to review the proposal. That this happens on a day when snow is falling and temperatures dropping, and our unsheltered neighbors remain without stable housing, makes this even more upsetting. I am so very upset about this. Please help me understand how half a million dollars will help--and why giving it to the MPD, and not, say, for shelter options, is what's best for our community. I'm being honest, too -- I would like to know, respectfully, why do you think this was the best decision? Thank you, Patrick

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From: Sirdar, Deebaa To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: do not increase mpd force Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:28:10 PM

From: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020 4:23 PM To: Bourgerie, Zoe J ; Sirdar, Deebaa ; Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Ward 8 Feedback Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * Lynn Rabinovitch Email * [email protected] Phone (612) 269-7928 Phone Type Address 3940 Harriet Ave City Minneapolis State MN Zip 55409 Question/Comment * With the recent council conflicts about bringing in outside enforcement, I have a question. I understand the recent increase in crime both on the streets and carjackings. But I have not seen any information about who are committing these crimes. I'm sure it is not one group but is it primarily youth/ people needing jobs/ mental health/ gangs? I advocate looking at the reasons for increases in crimes and funding community agencies rather than just increased enforcement. As always, Thank you for your work

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From: Sirdar, Deebaa To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: do nut cut mpd for 2021 budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:26:24 PM

From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2020 8:37 PM To: Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: Ward 8 Online Contact

Contact Ward 8 - Andrea Jenkins

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First Name Scott

Last Name Kenyon

Question/Comment Andrea Jenkins, You are personally responsible for the deaths of Minneapolis residents due to you very poor handling of the surge in crime. Now the city council wants to double down on their stupidity. If you vote to reduce the police in Minneapolis I will devote every waking hour to making certain you are not re-elected.

Email [email protected]

Phone 16124585645

Phone Type

Address 209 W 31st St City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55408

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‑‐‒‑‑–‒–—‒—‐‑‐‒––‑—‒ From: Rebecca Hare To: Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Johnson, Andrew; Osman, Jamal; Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R. Subject: End Policing, Invest in People Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 7:56:00 AM

Dear Councilmembers -

These reasons in support of abolishing and defunding the police are supported both by evidence and personal experience and observation. While living, working, and moving within Minneapolis:

Sincerely, Rebecca Hare From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; [email protected]; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Frey, Jacob Subject: Escalating Crime in Minneapolis | Mayor"s Police Proposal Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:48:27 AM Attachments: IMG_8181.JPEG

Dear Council Member Schroeder,

My name is Kathy Higgins Victor and I live in Tangletown, Minneapolis, Ward 11. Last week, on Nov. 27th, a visitor to my home was the victim of carjacking and attempted murder. Despite holding up photos of her young children and pleading for her life, two young men shot her car and the driver’s side window three times. By the grace of God, she was not physically harmed.

I ask you to think about this for a moment and try to visualize the terror and trauma experienced.

A strong police force is essential to our safety as residents of Minneapolis. Having police visibly present stops crime from happening. The Minneapolis Police Department does not have the resources they need to stop the escalating crime and violence in our city – we simply need more police coverage.

In the 35 years that I have lived in this city, I have never felt unsafe like I do today. I am unsettled by the acceptance that carjacking and attempted murder is being normalized as a new way of life in our city. Police are gone. Criminals are emboldened. City leaders are not working toward common goals.

Shootings, car jackings, and robberies are happening city-wide and impacting every neighborhood. Rising violent crime and a shrinking police force is a bad formula for our neighborhoods. As a city, we are at a public safety crossroad and need our city leaders to work together with their constituents and agree on what reform must look like over the next few years.

The Cunningham, Fletcher and Bender ‘Safety for All Budget Plan’ does not address rising violent crime, institutional racism, culture within MPD or social justice for residents. Having civilian-led police accountability is a very bad idea. While it contains some good ideas, it’s a hurried response that has not been analyzed with any rigor and almost seems like a short shrift response to appease a select audience. I urge you to ask all of your constituents what they want to see in police reform plans.

Be the leader we need right now and do the right thing for the city of Minneapolis. Support and fully fund the Mayor’s proposal – do not shift police programs and money to other untested programs. Let the police rebuild the force we need to protect our residents. AND, let’s work together to support police reform, this is not an either/or choice. As a city, we need both a fully funded police budget and a thoughtful plan for police reform.

We need a ‘both-and’ approach: protecting our residents and intervening in the cycles of violent are both critically important. I urge you to think deeply, work together and partner with other Council Members and your constituents to address these challenging matters, and let the reality of the moment be your guide in making Minneapolis a safer place to live.

Kind regards,

Kathy

Kathy Higgins Victor 612-827-0089

From: Erin Anderson Subject: Fund communities, not the Minneapolis Police Department Date: Friday, November 20, 2020 1:44:42 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

I am a 31-year-old full-time law student and resident of Minneapolis's Ward 7. As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I am a white, upper-class woman, and, though I have thankfully never been directly harmed by police, they have also never made me feel safer. More importantly, I have seen my community and communities across the country bleed from police presence. I worked representing detained immigrants for years, and I saw first-hand how racist, discriminatory policing resulted in neighbors and friends being swept up in our draconian immigration dragnet because police departments handed people over to ICE, subjecting them to prolonged detention, family separation, and deportation. Within a year of returning to Minnesota after a nearly eight year absence, George Floyd was murdered. The city burned and a revolution. I do not want this incredible movement organized by my community to be for naught--I want to see leadership divest from MPD.

Specifically, I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K)

Co-Responders ($685K)

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K)

Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate money from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now, such:

Access to low-income housing

Access to healthy, nourishing food Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief for persons experiencing job loss as a result of COVID

Support for renters going into housing debt

We need the council to stop bankrolling the MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Thank you for your time and energy on this issue.

Sincerely,

Erin From: Nathan Lackey To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: Fund Our Communities not MPD Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 7:14:21 AM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

Co-Responders: This $685K investment this year ($430K ongoing) is in direct opposition to the recommendations coming out of the 911/MPD Workgroup that was tasked at looking at MPD’s duties to see if there is opportunity to removed duties and reassign them to folks with different expertise. For example, the 911/MPD workgroup recommended that Hennepin County’s COPE program be more deeply invested in at a city level AND there are multiple prototyping sessions happening within the 911/MPD workgroup to determine recommendations for a 2021/2022 pilot. Allocate money towards the work group's recommendations and bolster funding so that staff may stay engaged in that project until pilots are complete.

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) - With the current state of affairs and the way that general attitudes around policing have shifted across the country and the globe, when given an opportunity to join the force in 2021 who is realistically going to apply. We cannot create a pathway for more violence to be enacted upon Minneapolis residents.

Additional Overtime ($5M) - Through Frey’s proposal, MPD is due to shift and additional $5M towards overtime (on top of $3.5m). With reduction in response times and general interaction with the public (barricading themselves into precincts) there is no need to more than double their overtime expenses.

I want you to cut these from the proposed budget, and make deeper cuts to MPD’s $179M proposed budget. Instead of funding MPD, I want you to fund the things our communities really need, like:

Access to low-income housing Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

Access to mental health services

More (and better paid) social workers

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Sincerely, Nathan From: Megan Person To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John; Palmisano, Linea Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 1:03:52 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for: The Early Intervention System ($230K) Co-Responders ($685K) New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

We need the council to start bankrolling alternatives to the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Ward 5,

Megan Easter Person From: Sarah Larsson To: Cano, Alondra (External) Cc: Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 9:18:34 PM

Dear Councilmember Cano & colleagues,

I was thrilled by the power we felt when our neighbors gathered together this summer.

I’m a 9th Ward resident, just a few blocks South of Lake Street; I’ve worked on Lake Street for 7 years and call the district’s cafés and mercados home. I was out on the street while it burned, helping the business owners I love protect their spaces. I was completely terrified and disturbed by the destruction this summer.

And, I remain steadfast in my commitment to the vision of a police-free future. I do not see this summer as the starting point of a wave of crime, as it’s often described. (As I’ve heard some of you describe it.) I see betrayal by the MPD written all over our streets — written in the bullet casings outside our homes on 37th Street and 10th Avenue, in the steps of the young people looking for a project to work on. I see MPD as a core cause of both: In the short term, this summer, the lack of responsiveness by the department to come to speak to us, to meet communities on our terms, to envision a future together that doesn’t include the deaths of unarmed Black men. And in the long-term: in the ways that youth are picked up and spat out by the system, dropped back onto the streets to get picked up again.

As you consider how to shape the city’s budget for 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K)

Co-Responders ($685K)

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K)

Additional Overtime ($5M) I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now:

Critical and strategic partnership on property redevelopment on Lake Street — investing funds in empowering advisory organizations and nonprofit developers to lead local ownership and design

the East Phillips Neighborhood Initiative’s proposal for the Roof Depot site. Why can’t we use this space to create an innovative, amazing hub of a green future?

Direct relief to essential workers and businesses affected by COVID-19

An immediate emergency relief measure for Twin Cities performing arts venues, many on the brink of collapse from the pandemic’s effects

The power we had when we came together to envision the future was amazing. Let’s channel the feeling of that day in the park, just the way our neighborhood did in creating our block groups, our WhatsApp channels, and our art parties. We are out here building something new and beautiful! Come hang out! Come join us! We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Thank you so very much, Sarah Larsson Ward 9 (resident on 10th Avenue S until October 2020, now on 18th Ave S.)

Sarah Larsson +1 952 818 0021 | [email protected] @folkwillsaveus she/her

Folk Will Save Us Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Podbean | Stitcher folkwillsaveus.org

The Nightingale Trio Spotify | Bandcamp | Youtube From: Jessica Arend To: Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Zaffrann, David; Palmisano, Linea; Moua, MaiTeng; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gangelhoff, Sara; Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Osman, Jamal; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Freude, John; Nelson, Kate R.; Reich, Kevin A.; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Garwood, Robin D.; McDonough, Shannon; Fletcher, Steve Subject: Fund Our Communities, Not MPD! Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 5:15:43 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for: The Early Intervention System ($230K) - It is a waste of money to invest in a program that relies on police being the ones to punish police. The trial of Mohamed Noor showed that the Blue Code of Silence is pervasive. It works to expand the department’s overall budget, which we know MPD can direct as it chooses Co-Responders: This $685K investment this year ($430K ongoing) is in direct opposition to the recommendations coming out of the 911/MPD Workgroup that was tasked at looking at MPD’s duties to see if there is opportunity to removed duties and reassign them to folks with different expertise. For example, the 911/MPD workgroup recommended that Hennepin County’s COPE program be more deeply invested in at a city level AND there are multiple prototyping sessions happening within the 911/MPD workgroup to determine recommendations for a 2021/2022 pilot. Allocate money towards the work group's recommendations and bolster funding so that staff may stay engaged in that project until pilots are complete. New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) - With the current state of affairs and the way that general attitudes around policing have shifted across the country and the globe, when given an opportunity to join the force in 2021 who is realistically going to apply. We cannot create a pathway for more violence to be enacted upon Minneapolis residents. Additional Overtime ($5M) - Through Frey’s proposal, MPD is due to shift and additional $5M towards overtime (on top of $3.5m). With reduction in response times and general interaction with the public (barricading themselves into precincts) there is no need to more than double their overtime expenses.

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Sincerely, Jessica Arend 2932 34th Ave S Ward 2

-- Jessica Arend she/her/hers From: Beka Hennessey To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 3:09:41 PM

Dear Council Members and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K)

Co-Responders ($685K)

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K)

Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now:

Access to low-income housing

Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Sincerely,

Beka Hennessey Minneapolis Resident, Ward 11 From: Fran To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John; Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 2:31:21 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K)

Co-Responders ($685K)

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K)

Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now:

Access to low-income housing

Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Thank you, Fran Webber, Ward 1

-- Website: franwebber.com Newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/franreads Twitter: @franwriting From: Ashley Guzman To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John; Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020 12:49:38 PM

Dear Council Members and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police. I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K) Co-Responders ($685K) New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to re-allocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now:

Access to low-income housing Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis Direct economic relief Financial support for BLOCK clubs that are working without funds to promote anti-racism and providing help for those who've experienced the downfall of the economy due to COVID.

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Thank you, Ashley Guzman Ward 8 Resident From: Morgan Vessel Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 6:47:00 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

Co-Responders: This $685K investment this year ($430K ongoing) is in direct opposition to the recommendations coming out of the 911/MPD Workgroup that was tasked at looking at MPD’s duties to see if there is opportunity to removed duties and reassign them to folks with different expertise. For example, the 911/MPD workgroup recommended that Hennepin County’s COPE program be more deeply invested in at a city level AND there are multiple prototyping sessions happening within the 911/MPD workgroup to determine recommendations for a 2021/2022 pilot. Allocate money towards the work group's recommendations and bolster funding so that staff may stay engaged in that project until pilots are complete.

Additional Overtime ($5M) - Through Frey’s proposal, MPD is due to shift and additional $5M towards overtime (on top of $3.5m). With reduction in response times and general interaction with the public (barricading themselves into precincts) there is no need to more than double their overtime expenses.

I want you to cut these from the proposed budget, and make deeper cuts to MPD’s $179M proposed budget. Instead of funding MPD, I want you to fund the things our communities really need, like:

Access to low-income housing Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Morgan Vessel Ward 12 From: Amanda Brown To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John; Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: Fund our communities, not MPD! Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 6:18:42 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

Co-Responders: This $685K investment this year ($430K ongoing) is in direct opposition to the recommendations coming out of the 911/MPD Workgroup that was tasked at looking at MPD’s duties to see if there is opportunity to removed duties and reassign them to folks with different expertise. For example, the 911/MPD workgroup recommended that Hennepin County’s COPE program be more deeply invested in at a city level AND there are multiple prototyping sessions happening within the 911/MPD workgroup to determine recommendations for a 2021/2022 pilot. Allocate money towards the work group's recommendations and bolster funding so that staff may stay engaged in that project until pilots are complete.

Additional Overtime ($5M) - Through Frey’s proposal, MPD is due to shift and additional $5M towards overtime (on top of $3.5m). With reduction in response times and general interaction with the public (barricading themselves into precincts) there is no need to more than double their overtime expenses.

Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

Education and community programs

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Thank you - Amanda Brown Resident, Ward 10 From: Rachel Moritz To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Moua, MaiTeng; Hans, Dani; Goodman, Lisa R.; Palmisano, Linea; Freude, John; [email protected]; Fletcher, Steve; Gangelhoff, Sara; Schroeder, Jeremy; Garwood, Robin D.; Gordon, Cam A.; SanCartier, Ryan J; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; [email protected]; McDonough, Shannon; Reich, Kevin A.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Nelson, Kate R.; Johnson, Andrew; Cunningham, Phillipe M Subject: Fund our Communities, not MPD Date: Friday, November 20, 2020 1:43:20 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city's 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police Department.

I do not support the Mayor's recommendations for additional funding for: * The Early Intervention System * Co-Responders * New Recruits/Cadets * Additional Overtime

I do support reallocation from MPD's $179M proposed budget to, instead, fund the things our community really needs right now:

* Access to low-income housing * Harm reduction and prevention for the opioid crisis * Direct economic relief due to COVID19 * Office for Violence Prevention and any other initiatives that shift community care away from a disastrous and murderous police force.

We need the council to stop bankrolling the MPD. We had a tremendous opportunity this year to respond to the crisis of George Floyd's murder and the ongoing civil unrest following the Uprising, and I'm so immensely disapppointed that our leadership is not moving forward with the true change that Minneapolis desparately needs.

Sincerely, Rachel Moritz Ward 6

______

Rachel Moritz 651-206-0852 [email protected] she/her From: Tzippi C Johnson To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David Subject: Fund Our Community, Not MPD Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 10:21:21 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K) - It is a waste of money to invest in a program that relies on police being the ones to punish police. The trial of Mohamed Noor showed that the Blue Code of Silence is pervasive. It works to expand the department’s overall budget, which we know MPD can direct as it chooses Co-Responders: This $685K investment this year ($430K ongoing) is in direct opposition to the recommendations coming out of the 911/MPD Workgroup that was tasked at looking at MPD’s duties to see if there is opportunity to removed duties and reassign them to folks with different expertise. For example, the 911/MPD workgroup recommended that Hennepin County’s COPE program be more deeply invested in at a city level AND there are multiple prototyping sessions happening within the 911/MPD workgroup to determine recommendations for a 2021/2022 pilot. Allocate money towards the work group's recommendations and bolster funding so that staff may stay engaged in that project until pilots are complete. New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) - With the current state of affairs and the way that general attitudes around policing have shifted across the country and the globe, when given an opportunity to join the force in 2021 who is realistically going to apply. We cannot create a pathway for more violence to be enacted upon Minneapolis residents. Additional Overtime ($5M) - Through Frey’s proposal, MPD is due to shift and additional $5M towards overtime (on top of $3.5m). With reduction in response times and general interaction with the public (barricading themselves into precincts) there is no need to more than double their overtime expenses.

I want you to cut these from the proposed budget, and make deeper cuts to MPD’s $179M proposed budget. Instead of funding MPD, I want you to fund the things our communities really need, like:

-Access to low-income housing -Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis -Direct economic relief -More sites for COVID testing

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police. -Tzipporah From: Ani C To: Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Zaffrann, David; Palmisano, Linea; Moua, MaiTeng; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gangelhoff, Sara; Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Osman, Jamal; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Freude, John; Nelson, Kate R.; Reich, Kevin A.; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Garwood, Robin D.; McDonough, Shannon; Fletcher, Steve Subject: Fund the community not MPD Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 11:32:22 AM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

My name is Ani Cassellius, I am a resident of the 13th ward in Minneapolis. I am concerned about the 2021 budget and urge you to divest from MPD and use funding for healing instead of policing.

I am aware that 37% of the budget is invested into MPD, I feel this number is way too high considering that the health department receives a fraction of that. The fire department receives over twice that of the health department! Our community is literally sick, they need health care and housing to stay safe and healthy not policing.

I DO NOT support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for: The Early Intervention System ($230K) Co-Responders ($685K) New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Best, Ani Cassellius, resident of the 13th ward. Thank you From: Emily Truckenbrod To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Funding mobile mental health teams Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:53:12 AM

Hello,

I am a constituent living in the Hale neighborhood. I'm writing to express my support for funding mobile mental health teams to shift some of the burden off the police force. I feel that it would be more effective to respond to calls involving nonviolent but disruptive behavior related to mental health issues to teams better trained and able to respond to affected individuals in an effective and non-confrontational manner.

I support the Safety for All Budget as a way of funding these teams, although other funding solutions could work as well.

I am interested in knowing where you stand on this issue.

Regards, Emily

-- Emily Nestor Truckenbrod, DVM PhD Candidate Center for Immunology University of Minnesota From: Pat Burns To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Funding of police Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 5:59:55 AM

Good morning, For what it is worth, I'm with Mayor Frey and Chief Arrodondo on the funding issue. There is no question that the police department needs serious reform. However, cutting funding now seems to gain little in that direction while hampering operations.

Pat Burns 4441 18th Ave. So. From: Sirdar, Deebaa To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Alliance Budget Comment - Housing Inspectors Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:23:38 PM

From: Tram Hoang Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:13 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Cc: Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: [EXTERNAL] Alliance Budget Comment - Housing Inspectors

Hi Council Vice-President Jenkins,

My name is Tram Hoang, and I'm a policy advocate at The Alliance and a member of the Anti- Displacement Policy Network. I'm reaching out on behalf of our organization to offer a 2021 budget comment targeted specifically at housing inspectors.

We hope you consider this as you enter into critical decision points regarding the budget.

Thanks, Tram

-- The Alliance is conducting the vast majority of our work remotely until further notice.

Tram Hoang Policy Advocate The Alliance 2525 Franklin Ave East, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55406 (503) 998-6613 | [email protected] [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments.

From: Bourgerie, Zoe J To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Conventional Wisdom and the MPD Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:41:42 PM

From: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:03 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea ; Sirdar, Deebaa ; Bourgerie, Zoe J Cc: 'Carmen Means' ; Sandra Richardson Subject: [EXTERNAL] Conventional Wisdom and the MPD

Hi Andrea

I hope you can recover from the 7-hour hearing last night. I know you have a busy day today with the Truth and Reconciliation Group this AM and the CANDO meeting and who knows what after that. Makes me tired just listing what I know.

I am writing this to strongly urge you to support the Safety for All proposal by Bender, Cunningham and Fletcher. I feel that we are being held hostage by “conventional wisdom”. The critique of “conventional wisdom” as described by CM Ellison in today’s Strib is totally on point (Conventional wisdom has produced chaos and injustice in Minneapolis). The only thing I would add is that conventional wisdom says that we are safer when there are more police around. This “wisdom” is just not true. The current increase in crime (car jackings, robberies, etc.) is happening all over the country. So, to me, even though here in Minneapolis, there are viable ideas about reducing the MPD or that a group of your colleagues stated they want to reduce the MPD these are not the cause of the increased crime.. What makes sense to me is that police arrive after a crime has been committed. Therefore, the deterrent effect doesn’t exist. As far as I can tell this increase in Minneapolis crime is occurring when the MPD is still intact and not affected by budget cuts. Still, there is an uptick. Increasing police numbers will not affect the crime rate.

I also strongly believe that what will affect the crime rate is redirection of city resources to actions that support communities. These include mental health services, advocacy and resources for homeless people, expand violence prevention programs, invest in neighborhood safety strategies, reconfigure 911 to direct the “right response” to calls (rather than armed police), etc. If these alternatives to police response are enacted, than we need less armed police. This makes sense to me.

Finally, in the long run, I strongly believe that we all would be safer if the city moves resolutely to a new department of Community Safety grounded in a mission based on a public health idea of safety. It would focus on ensuring citizens feel safe and are treated humanely with support and resources (rather than incarceration). This new department would incorporate all the “right response” strategies that are listed as alternative to police response and manage the dispatch for 911. As I understand it, these “right responses” are the vast majority of calls that 911 receives. The new department would also manage the “right” number of armed individuals to respond to potentially violent situations. To accomplish this, I can see the whole MPD disbanded. Current employees can reapply for the new jobs with new job descriptions that contribute to the new department’s mission. If the past employees cannot support the new mission, they need to find another employer.

Thanks for your consideration and for being out there listening.

Art Serotoff Administrative Services That Tell Your Story

Grant Writing and Reporting Evaluation and Participant Tracking Organizational Development Project Management 4524 Columbus Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407 651-492-7070 [email protected]

Here is another type of good behavior we can all implement right away to protect each other: Do not spread coronavirus lies.

"We can't undo history but, if we're in the present, in our time, we're going to influence the future." -- Maya Angelou

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments.

From: Bourgerie, Zoe J To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Minneapolis police funding Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 12:25:55 PM

From: Colin Planalp Sent: Friday, December 4, 2020 10:26 AM To: Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: [EXTERNAL] Minneapolis police funding

Hello:

I am writing because this madness about defunding the police needs to stop. Yesterday, my neighbor was assaulted and robbed by 4 men right in front of my and her houses. Check yesterday's police logs if you want more information.

We need police in Minneapolis more than ever because the city is becoming a lawless hellscape where normal people have to live in fear. It needs to end.

Thank you for the attention.

Colin Planalp [EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments.

From: Carl, Casey J. To: City Clerk Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Self Insurance Fund - Liability Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:54:11 PM

To add to the public record, as requested. CJC

-----Original Message----- From: Dave Bicking Sent: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:53 PM To: Council Comment Cc: Frey, Jacob ; Carl, Casey J. Subject: [EXTERNAL] Self Insurance Fund - Liability

To all members of Minneapolis City Council, and for inclusion in the public record of the Public Hearing on the 2021 Budget:

The amounts budgeted for future settlements and judgments for police liability in the Self- Insurance Fund are optimistic to the point of delusional. As such, there is a significant risk of budget shortfalls in 2021 through 2025. I believe the mayor's budget is deliberately hiding this risk, thus putting off any consequences for this year's police misconduct until some time in the future - likely past the time when he and most of you will be voted out of office.

The City Council, to be responsible, should adjust these numbers upward to reflect the reality of the situation.

To be fair, it is very difficult to estimate future liability. But it is much easier to estimate future liability for events which have already occurred. The murder of George Floyd is generally expected to cost the city more than the murder of Justine Damond. The international attention, the availability of damning video, and the deliberate nature of the offense (8 minutes vs a split second) will factor into the settlement. And the Floyd family has a VERY good and high-profile attorney. Add to that the serious injuries caused by inexcusable conduct by the MPD in the days following the murder of George Floyd. Many of those lawsuits have already been filed, so rough estimates of the settlement costs can be made - costs which, in the aggregate, are probably greater even than the Floyd family lawsuit.

The settlement in the Justine Damond case was a significant blow to the city's finances - or, more correctly, to the city's taxpayers (roughly $100 per household). The cost was much higher than the amount of proposed increase or decrease to the 2021 police budget which is the source of so much current conflict. So the accuracy of the projected future liability is of great significance.

The liability budgets in the Self-Insurance Fund include no breakdown by department, but the majority of it is for police misconduct, rather than Public Works snowplows hitting parked cars, for instance. This is a serious lack of transparency, as is the lack of a budget number for the transfers between the MPD and the Self-Insurance Fund. We have tried to get those numbers without success. Have you ever tried?

Using the historical numbers that are available to the public in this budget, we see that in 2018, $4.9 million was budgeted, but only $1.9 million spent. Similarly, in 2020, $6.2 million was budgeted, but only $2.2 million spent. BUT, in 2019, $4.7 million was budgeted, but $23.3 million was spent! The reason is obvious. (Figures from Mayor's Recommended Budget, page 189. That is page 189 in the "Financial Plans" pdf, not page 189 in the "Capital Program" pdf. More on the overlapping page numbers later.)

The Mayor's Recommended Budget for 2021 includes $9.2 million for all liability, not just police. Small increases are forecast for years 2022 through 2025. We don't know in which years the various lawsuits will be settled. But the total projections for the next 5 years are unlikely to be sufficient to cover even this year's misconduct. And future misconduct - and future settlements, large or small - are inevitable without major changes in police accountability, culture, training, and policy.

The budget for Self-Insurance in 2021 is simply a lie and a cover-up. Please modify the Mayor's Recommended Budget to increase these figures to match a more accurate estimate of reality. Because the total budget is capped by the Board of Estimate & Taxation, that may mean painful cuts elsewhere. But that is better than scrambling to make needed cuts later, or drawing down reserves to an irresponsible level.

Speaking of the Board of Estimate & Taxation, it appears that they had to do their work without any knowledge of the mayor's Self-Insurance Fund budget proposal. When the mayor's budget proposal was first revealed and posted online, more than 5 weeks after the August 15 due date in the Charter, it included no information on Special Revenue Funds, Enterprise Funds, and Internal Service Funds (including the Self-Insurance Fund). Pages 99 through 185 (87 pages) were simply missing, with no explanation for the gap. The city's budget website presented the 6 pdf files as the Mayor's Recommended budget, with no mention or explanation of those missing pages - or pages 1 through 28, or 42 through 44, or 459 through 517, or 531 through 533. That is 180 pages missing out of 540.

I noticed the missing pages in early October, when I was looking for the self-insurance numbers. I should have reported this earlier to the City Clerk. The information on the Self- Insurance Fund and the other internal funds was posted on the city website on Friday, October 30, over 5 weeks after the BET took its action on the budget. The information on these funds was not available to the public until then. Was it available to the BET? Was it available to the City Council? Did any elected official notice? When did the Mayor send this portion of his Recommended Budget to the Council, the BET, the City Clerk, and the public?

It appears to me that the budget process, including the Self-Insurance Fund, has been particularly opaque and irresponsible this year. There is still time to correct these errors. Please take a closer look at the Self-Insurance Fund, particularly if you have not even looked there yet.

Dave Bicking Ward 8

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments. From: Nelson, Kate R. To: Council Comment Subject: FW: : Police Funding Proposition Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:41:27 AM

-----Original Message----- From: Jeris Godwin Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2020 4:09 AM To: Johnson, Andrew Subject: Police Funding Proposition

Hello Mr. Johnson,

My name is Jeris Godwin. I live in the Howe neighborhood and I work as a medical laboratory scientist for Allina Health. I recently read about the plan put forward by several members of the council to cut the police department funding and reduce the number of officers. I agree with some of the ideas behind the concept, for example I do believe there should be a separate response group for minor crime like theft and property and that trained mental health professionals should respond to mental health calls rather than officers. I also support the idea that there needs to be some major reform of the department especially regarding its history with treatment of people of color, and I think Bob Kroll is especially problematic in protecting bad ideologies and officers in the department.

That said, this plan seems very rushed and right now the city is seeing a surge in violent crime, particularly in carjackings. My neighbor behind me in my alley, an upper middle-aged women was the victim of one at the end of last month, where she was badly beaten outside her home and her car was stolen. Cutting funding from the police now seems an exceptionally bad idea when the city is in such a state of instability.

If anything we should be looking at addressing the loophole In our justice system that the youths responsible for these assaults are not really being held accountable due to their age. It seems they just get off with a slap on the wrist and are back at it. Perhaps we could look into some sort of ordinance where if you commit an assault as a minor you could be tried as an adult in Minneapolis? I’m not very knowledgeable about the legal system to be frank, but I think this issue needs to be addressed. I will admit something like that is not ideal, and making strides to prevent the crime from happening would be much preferable. Achieving a goal like that would likely be a very long and complicated undertaking and I feel as if something needs to be done to attempt to stop these assaults now, even if it is just the deterrence of facing serious consequences.

Thank you for your time and consideration, Jeris Godwin

[EXTERNAL] This email originated from outside of the City of Minneapolis. Please exercise caution when opening links or attachments.

From: Nelson, Kate R. To: Council Comment Subject: FW: Comment on proposal to reduce police budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:26:25 PM

-----Original Message----- From: Beverly Conerton Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:25 PM To: Johnson, Andrew Cc: Murphy, Suzanne Subject: Comment on proposal to reduce police budget

Andrew,

I am writing to encourage you to oppose reduction in the police department budget and to instead support fully funding the police department while efforts to reform the police department are being considered. Currently, three council members have proposed to reduce the police budget by 5%. This is not the time to cut the police budget.

The police department has seen an unprecedented loss of police officers this year because of disability leave and because of retirements (with a large number of police officers in the category for retirement in the coming years). In addition, all Minneapolis neighborhoods have seen an unprecedented rise in gun violence and violent carjackings. The numbers are detailed in today’s Star Tribune — 375 carjackings so far in 2020 (3 times the rate in 2019) and the largest number of people shot by gun violence in 15 years. Carjackings have been citywide - not limited to one neighborhood, but have particularly focused recently on the south side of Minneapolis. I have heard of carjackings that have occurred this year at unexpected places — for example, the parking lots of Seward Coop and the Cub Foods on 46th Street and at gas stations. The target is often the elderly and women. In the past, no one imagined that it was not safe to go grocery shopping, get gas, or just be in your car. That is no longer the case.

Cutting the police budget at this time would be irresponsible and would reinforce the view that Minneapolis is no longer a safe place to live, with citizens on their own, without the help of the police, to stop such behavior, or being injured or killed as a result of such crimes.

Funding other activities (such as mental health workers) may be useful ONLY IF it does not reduce the funding for the police department. However, if additional funding is added for mental health workers (without reducing the police budget) to respond to certain calls, the presence of a police officer will often still be needed because many such calls involve reports of violence or weapons. Thus, adding mental health workers to assist police does NOT reduce the need for police officers. If mental health workers are to be added to the budget, additional funding (supported by an additional tax) could be considered, but not a reduction of the police department budget.

Thus, I urge you to oppose a reduction in the police department budget and encourage you to fully fund the police department this year (while considering future police reform efforts) so that police officers are available to respond to, investigate, and reduce the rise in violence and crime. It is the minimum that citizens expect from their city — to feel safe living and working in Minneapolis.

Could you see that my comment is included in the public comments on the proposed budget? I am not able to attend the meeting to provide comments.

Thank you.

Beverly Conerton 3644 46th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55406 From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Council Comment Cc: Bourgerie, Zoe J; Sirdar, Deebaa; [email protected] Subject: FW: Dec 2nd public comment Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:08:29 PM

Hello Hugh, Thank you for this input, I take these comments very seriously. Best, Andrea

From: Hugh Aylward Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:04 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Dec 2nd public comment

Ms. Jenkins, After listening to the public comments, the citizens who called in overwhelming are calling on the City Council to fully fund the Minneapolis Police and overtime. As a Mental Health Professional, I agree with more assistance with MPD to address some of the issues the MPD deals with day in day out, but not at the expense of less cops on the street. Please support the Mayors budget and fully fund the MPD.

Hugh Aylward MA LP President Kelly Norton Programs 3104 East 58th Street Minneapolis, MN 55417 (O) 612 726-1502 (f) 612 726-1009

The information in this message is confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any distribution of this message is prohibited. If you received this message in error, notify us immediately and delete. From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Council Comment Cc: Sirdar, Deebaa; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: FW: i am afraid to go out during the day Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:02:53 PM

From: Elinor Rosenstein Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:54 PM To: Goodman, Lisa R. ; Palmisano, Linea ; Polly Franchot ; Cano, Alondra (External) ; Jenkins, Andrea ; Johnson, Andrew ; Frey, Jacob ; Osman, Jamal ; Reich, Kevin A. Cc: Geoff Emerson ; Joanne Jaensch Rosenstein ; Karin Birkeland ; Lillehei Searcy ; Martin Rosenstein ; Ruth Bly ; Sam Rosenstein ; Susan Lenfestey Subject: i am afraid to go out during the day please, council members and mayor, do whatever possible to support chief arrandano's budget requests to strengthen our police department. reforms and safety must proceed simultaneously. we live near uptown, not far from where a lady was assaulted in broad daylight in the kowalski's parking lot as she loaded her groceries into her car. how bad does it have to get for the city to do something to stop the crime? is the goal here to drive us all out of Minneapolis? i don't go in my car or outside without my personal alarm and my pepper spray. these will be our holiday gifts to our family members who reside in the city but not our family members residing outside the city, who avoid coming into the city. minneapolis is a national embarrassment and a frightening place to live. i would sooner walk down any street in new york city - without my alarm or pepper spray- than any street in minneapolis after dark and many areas in broad daylight. without the resources the chief and mayor are requesting, how do you expect them to implement the necessary reforms and training? we are heartsick at the disaster this formerly wonderful city has become.

thank you in advance for your efforts to look after all of us, elinor rosenstein -- elinor rosenstein 1401 lincoln ave minneapolis mn 55403 From: Ritchie, Heidi To: Council Comment Subject: FW: MPD Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 1:34:01 PM

Heidi Ritchie, BSN, RN, PHN Policy Director to Mayor Jacob Frey

-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:36 PM To: Goodman, Lisa R. Cc: Frey, Jacob Subject: MPD Budget

Lisa,

I am writing in support of the Mayor’s budget proposal for the MPD. I am not sufficiently informed to know whether the proposed spending of $7.9 million on the various components of the “Safety For All” initiative is a good idea. But I am sufficiently informed to be certain that reducing the MPD budget is not a good idea. Our City is in a safety crisis affecting all areas of the City and has been for six months. During that time the City has done little to address it. Short term, we need an immediate response, something observable to communicate to law breakers that the City is committed to quelling random acts of violence. That requires more police officers on the ground and unified expressions of commitment from the Mayor, the City Council and the MPD, as well as the community. To date, the voices from the City Council getting publicity are those of the defund-the-police members. It should be possible to support the efforts of the MPD to keep us safe and insist on reform at the same time.

The “Safety for All” initiative may have merit but it it is not an immediate observable response to the current crisis. Council members who insist they share their constituents’ sense of urgency should offer tangible evidence of that commitment. As I write this, several people will be assaulted in our City today, and the assailants can be relatively confident that they will face few if any consequences.

The Chief and the Mayor need some support now.

Thanks for your efforts to support them.

Jim Stephenson From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Council Comment Cc: Sirdar, Deebaa; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: FW: Safety for All Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:37:06 PM

From: Bennett Johnson Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:32 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Safety for All Budget

Hello, my name is Bennett and I’m a constituent. I would love if you would support the Safety for All Budget. Mental and community safety response teams are important to me because the police force needs to be extremely diminished. Police often are unqualified and/or make a situation MORE dangerous.

I understand that a safety response team could be just another police. They must be qualified and vetted. However we can’t get to that phase without funding.

Thank you for your time, -Bennett From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Council Comment Cc: Sirdar, Deebaa; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: FW: Stand on the side of the Mayor and your fellow CM supporting the 2021 MPD budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:53:38 PM

From: jo Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:13 PM To: Schroeder, Jeremy ; Jenkins, Andrea ; Cano, Alondra (External) ; Osman, Jamal ; Ellison, Jeremiah ; Gordon, Cam A. ; Reich, Kevin A. ; Cunningham, Phillipe M Cc: Goodman, Lisa R. ; Johnson, Andrew ; Palmisano, Linea ; Bender, Lisa Subject: Stand on the side of the Mayor and your fellow CM supporting the 2021 MPD budget

Minneapolis City Council members,

I sent this to your colleagues this morning. Please take a stand tonight and and approve the Mayor’s budget. Fight for ALL Minneapolis residents in the effort to stop the crime in our city and make our neighborhoods safe. Our city is bleeding out and not until it is stopped will we be able to move forward on the efforts to rebuild a better MPD. The Mayor’s 2021 budget for the MPD should not be cut. We need more officers on the streets to stop the violence. We need you to go to the table with the Mayor and Chief Arradondo and work together for all residents.

Jennifer Oberpriller

,Dear Council members Bender, Cunningham and Fletcher

Do you read the paper? Watch the news? Are you paying attention to what the majority of citizens in this city want as it pertains to the MPD? Do you see what is happening on our streets in Minneapolis every day? Do you care that you are being sued by a group on the Northside of Minneapolis over your lack of police funding? Crime has been skyrocketing in our city since you and your uber-progressive colleagues pushed your “abolish the police” agenda. The residents of Minneapolis do not live in your progressive unrealistic bubble. Your actions have invited the criminals into our city and emboldened them to do whatever they want because they know our MPD resources are stretched and they know that you don’t support our Chief. The lack of respect some of the council members show Chief Arradondo is disgraceful. We citizens see what you are doing as do the criminals. This city has become a free for all and the criminals now run the show in Minneapolis. Every day citizens are being targeted in a variety of crimes. This is the reality for Minneapolis residents.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Oberpriller Hiawatha neighborhood resident and business owner

From: Ritchie, Heidi To: Council Comment Subject: FW: Supporting Mayor Frey"s Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 1:29:57 PM

Heidi Ritchie, BSN, RN, PHN Policy Director to Mayor Jacob Frey

From: swanx009 University of Minnesota Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:37 PM To: Wallace Swan Subject: Supporting Mayor Frey's Budget

Hi there,

I would like to indicate my personal support for Mayor Jacob Frey's budget, especially the current budgeted amounts for the Minneapolis Police Department.

I do not support the proposal to substantially reduce police funding made by Councilmembers Lisa Bender, Steve Fletcher, and Phillippe Cunningham.

Dr.Wallace ("Wally") Swan 15 South 1st Street, Unit A-420 Minneapolis, MN. 55401 From: Ritchie, Heidi To: Council Comment Subject: FW: We need more police protection! Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:52:39 PM

Heidi Ritchie, BSN, RN, PHN Policy Director to Mayor Jacob Frey

From: Robert Johndrow Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:17 PM To: Frey, Jacob ; Bender, Lisa ; Johnson, Andrew Subject: Re: We need more police protection!

Dear Jacob,

Again, thank you for your call last week and for continuing to demonstrate that you hear us and wish to help decrease the violent crime and deterioration this city is experiencing.

With warm regards,

Bob Johndrow Yader Madriz

1838 E. 42nd Street Minneapolis, MN 55407 612.283.8697

Ward 12

On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 09:58:03 AM CST, Frey, Jacob wrote:

Thank you, Bob, for sharing your feedback. I agree with you – crime is out of control and we must have officers and reform – we can’t stop one for the other. I look forward to hearing from you tonight at the hearing.

From: Robert Johndrow Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:09 AM To: Bender, Lisa ; Johnson, Andrew ; Frey, Jacob Subject: We need more police protection!

Dear Lisa,

I will be on the call today and I cannot believe how irresponsible you are being with police funding. I plan to be heard. We live in the 12th ward and we are proud of Andrew Johnson for voting for some temporary relief, but to be honest, you are scaring the shit out of us. What is wrong with you? Our neighbors are arming themselves now which can only lead to more problems.

I’ve never felt so unsafe, and the same holds true for my neighbors. Crime is out of control. Our city is in chaos. There are many reasons for this – but your defunding pledge is largely responsible for the mess we’re in. Police are gone. Criminals are emboldened. Our city is defenseless. And a small vocal group has distorted where our community stands.

Sincerely,

Bob Johndrow

612.283.8697

Sent from my iPhone From: [email protected] To: Palmisano, Linea; Cano, Alondra (External); Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Fletcher, Steve; Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Schroeder, Jeremy; Osman, Jamal; Reich, Kevin A. Cc: Goodman, Lisa R.; Arradondo, Medaria Subject: Fwd: MPD Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:59:01 PM

> I am writing in support of the Mayor’s budget proposal for the MPD. I am not sufficiently informed to know whether the proposed spending of $7.9 million on the various components of the “Safety For All” initiative is a good idea. But I am sufficiently informed to be certain that reducing the MPD budget is not a good idea. Our City is in a safety crisis affecting all areas of the City and has been for six months. During that time the City has done little to address it. Short term, we need an immediate response, something observable to communicate to law breakers and to our citizens that the City is committed to quelling random acts of violence. Right now that requires more police officers on the ground PLUS unified expressions of commitment from the Mayor, the City Council and the MPD. To date, the voices from the City Council getting publicity are those of the defund-the-police members. It should be possible to support the efforts of the MPD to keep us safe and insist on reform at the same time. > > The “Safety for All” initiative may have merit but it it is not an immediate observable response to the current crisis. Council members who insist they share their constituents’ sense of urgency should offer tangible evidence of that commitment. As I write this, several people will be assaulted in our City today, and the assailants can be relatively confident that they will face few if any consequences. > > City leadership needs to show the community some unity of commitment. Individual campaign materials talk about your abilities to bring people together. Let’s start putting those abilities to work! > > Jim Stephenson From: Anna Erbes To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Fwd: My "Script" for Tonight"s City Council Budget Meeting Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:39:38 AM

Jeremy ~ I appreciate the opportunity to participate in tonight’s City Council Budget Meeting. As our Ward 11 representative, I wanted you to have a copy of my ’script’ before I speak tonight.

I remain hopeful that the Council members will give thoughtful consideration in their difficult decision making, for the safety of the residents of Minneapolis. ~ Anna

Begin forwarded message:

City Council Members,

I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the virtual City Council Budget Meeting. The weight of the decision making before each of you is daunting. The health, safety, and well being of the residents of Minneapolis is dependent upon each of you.

I understand, and agree with, the desire to transform the Police Department, to envision a Department of Public Safety. I understand, and agree, that a comprehensive short and long- term plan, shared in advance with City residents, and with community input and support, is fundamental for this needed REFORM effort. However, we currently have a depleted number in our police force, due to an unprecedented number of officers retiring, officers aged 50 or older, officers on leave, officers suffering from PTSD, a dwindling number of police officers nationwide, and the 6-9 months needed for police recruits to become eligible as sworn officers.

For critical community safety, for the 2021 City Budget, I implore EACH City Council member to vote to support:

* continued funding for 888 police officers, the upcoming three Recruit Classes, and the Community Service Officers.

* funding for the proposed Early Intervention System to hold officers accountable.

Respectfully,

Anna Erbes From: mike hickey To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Fwd: Proposal to divert/reduce police funds for mental health crisis response Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:51:40 AM

I strongly urge you to oppose this at this time Jeremy. I understand that the city wants to try to do something different with people in mental health crisis, assuming they’re not violent and a threat to other people, but now is NOT the time to do this considering our current crisis. A friend of mine who lives in a beautiful neighborhood on Kenwood Parkway, a block or two from Lake of the Isles has had two horrible violent incidents occur right on his street! We are in a crisis situation, we need more officers, and it’s not the time to divert this money. Innovations, need to be put off until we have dealt with this crisis.

Mike

Get Outlook for iOS From: Sean Gosiewski To: Ebnet, Peter J.; Gordon, Cam A.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Bender, Lisa; Jenkins, Andrea Cc: Kyle Samejima; Russ Adams; Andrea Siegel; Kristel Porter; marcus.j.mills; Lee Samelson; Alice Madden; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Jennifer Munt; [email protected]; VickiO O"Day Subject: Hello Peter! Budget Markup Request - maintain sustainability office & climate/resilience budget investments Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:19:36 PM Attachments: 2021 Minneapolis Budget Comment RCC Mpls Green Teams Prioritize equitable climate resilience investmements.pdf

Peter Ebnet, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, Mayor's Office 612-673-2156 [email protected]

Hello Peter! Best wishes for your team’s work on the 2021 Budget Mark up today and tomorrow!

Thanks for making a priority when passing the 2021 City of Minneapolis budget to continue equitable investments in energy efficiency, rebuilding, resilience and climate solutions!

On behalf of 30 neighborhood environment committees across Minneapolis active with our Mpls Green Teams coalition with and Minneapolis Climate Action and Resilient Cities & Communities www.rccmn.co/minneapolis/

Please make sure that full amount of annual revenue from the .5% Franchise fee increase approved to fund climate and energy action is spent on equitable investments in energy efficiency and climate solutions.

While it looks like the 2021 proposed budget for the Sustainability Office and Climate Investments is at about 1.4 million, please work to increase that number to closer to the 2.1 Million the City included in its 2020 budget for this work. While the city is facing a revenue shortfall for 2021 investments in energy efficient and resilient reconstruction must be a priority because of the long term benefits of building back better.

We are excited that the Mayor Frey and Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins have announced the Minneapolis Forward: Rebuild Resilient program on Nov 17 which includes $1.17 million in small business energy efficiency grants aimed at small businesses owned by people of color, immigrants and those affected by this year's civil unrest.

Please prioritize maintaining energy efficiency and solar incentive investments for home owners and businesses city wide that are funded by the .5% franchise fee increase. Resident and business demand for city supported energy efficiency programs is increasing rapidly city-wide through the Energy Benchmarking program and the Truth in Sale of Housing ordinance that requires energy audits when you are selling your home.

Let’s get the city on track to meet the new climate targets of 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050 while reducing energy burdens for residents and businesses and expanding good paying jobs in energy efficiency and solar.

Thanks so much! Sean

Sean Gosiewski, Program Director 612 250-0389 [email protected] Resilient Cities & Communities In the Greenway Building, 2801 21st Ave S. Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55407 www.rccmn.co Visionary Leaders. Vibrant Places. Regenerative Futures.

cc. Russ Adams, Executive Director, Resilient Cities and Communities, (612) 964-1647 [email protected] Kyle Samejima, Executive Director, Minneapolis Climate Action (612) 849-0725 [email protected] Kristel Porter Executive Director, MN Renewable Now 763 645-6743 [email protected]

From: Joe Norcross To: Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Frey, Jacob; Osman, Jamal; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Reich, Kevin A.; Palmisano, Linea; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Fletcher, Steve Subject: I support The People"s Budget - defund the police! Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:25:02 AM

I support The People's Budget. Parts 1 and 2 of the 'Safety for All' proposal is the bare minimum that we expect from the council.

Joseph Norcross Loring Park, Ward 7 From: Joe Norcross To: Cano, Alondra (External); Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Gordon, Cam A.; Frey, Jacob; Osman, Jamal; Ellison, Jeremiah; Schroeder, Jeremy; Reich, Kevin A.; Palmisano, Linea; Bender, Lisa; Goodman, Lisa R.; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Fletcher, Steve Subject: I support The People"s Budget - defund the police! Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:25:02 AM

I support The People's Budget. Parts 1 and 2 of the 'Safety for All' proposal is the bare minimum that we expect from the council.

Joseph Norcross Loring Park, Ward 7 From: John Farrell To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: I support the police alternatives, I hope you will, too Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020 10:26:06 AM

Hi Jeremy,

I saw the Star Tribune article about the budget proposal for policing alternatives and I hope you support it, or similar efforts to diversify our public safety approaches beyond armed responses. Most of my interactions with police have been for situations that wouldn't require an armed officer (reporting a burglary, recovered vehicle with stolen items, etc), and I think we need more options for non-lethal force.

I know you're doing some deep thinking about what's right, that the decisions are complex, and the pressure intense. So good luck and thanks for your work to get this right!

Sincerely, John From: Dave and Marnie Peichel To: Neighborhoods 2020; Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Frey, Jacob Subject: Increase funding to neighborhoods Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 9:52:59 AM

Dear City Leaders,

The Kingfield Neighborhood Association has a long history of advocating for affordable housing in our neighborhood. KFNA administered an Exterior Matching Grant Home Improvement program that provided funds to homeowners at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). This program provided 58 grants and almost $150,000 to visible repairs; in some areas of the neighborhood KFNA also matched our own dollars to support families in financial need and spent an additional $19,000. Additionally, the Emergency Home Repair Grant provided another $150,000 to homeowners who earned at, or below, 50 % AMI to stabilize hazardous household conditions. Over the past two decades KFNA has also worked with, and supported, the City of Lakes Community Land Trust, PPL, Habitat for Humanity, Hennepin County, Minneapolis Public Housing, and Beacon Interfaith Housing to develop 50 units of affordable housing in our neighborhood.

With the extreme housing crisis, we need all neighborhoods to step up and work at the local scale to meet this need. To continue this work and advocate for this diversity of housing in our community, we need money to be at the table when projects are being proposed and planned. I urge you to increase the funding allotted to all neighborhoods by at least $3 million for a minimum total allocation of $7.1 million to ensure the Kingfield Neighborhood Association can continue to do their part of increasing economic and racial diversity by increasing affordable housing options in the city.

Sincerely, Marnie Peichel 4217 Garfield Ave.

December 4, 2020

Minneapolis City Council Members 350 South 5th Street, Room 307 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

RE: “Safety for All” Budget Recommendations Joint Statement

Dear City Council Members:

We strongly believe that there is a need for a mental health response to mental health crisis calls. It is critical that the city council take steps to implement an effective response.

After reading the Safety for All Budget Plan we have serious concerns with the inclusion of EMS personnel on the response teams. EMTs and paramedics do not have extensive training on mental health issues and thus shifting funds will dilute the ability of the teams to meet the needs of people experiencing mental health crises. As you know there have been problems with the use of ketamine which have created issues of mistrust. It’s important to note that under MN Stat. 256B.0624, subd. 5, EMTs and paramedics do not meet the requirements for mobile mental health crisis responders.

The language in the Safety for All plan indicates that the teams will only respond to “nonthreatening” calls, a vague term. In addition, the OPI pilot states that the teams will respond to calls that “don’t involve a weapon and don’t pose an immediate risk to self or others.” Both sets of language imply that the teams will not respond to suicide calls when those are the exact calls that need a mental health crisis team response, not a police response. Even in those situations in which a person has threatened others or has a weapon, co-response should be utilized. This would place a mental health professional on the scene and available to take over the call once the scene is safe.

We are in agreement with the proposed expenditures for training 911 call center staff and embedding a mental health professional in the 911 call center to ensure that staff gain proficiency in recognizing these calls and handing them off to the mobile mental health crisis response unit. We also appreciate that the Safety for All plan calls for extended hours rather than the shorter hours of 10 am to 6 pm in the OPI proposal.

As the city considers implementation options, there should be strong consideration of contracting with the Hennepin County Mobile Crisis Team (COPE) to quickly ramp up the ability to respond to mental health crises within the city. Time and funds to develop infrastructure would not be needed if there is a contract with Hennepin County. COPE uses the Epic medical records system, which is interoperable with hospital medical records systems.

Our organizations stand ready to assist in the implementation of a city-wide dedicated mental health crisis response service that will unburden the Minneapolis Police Department from a significant number of calls while ensuring that people experiencing mental health crises get the quality of response they need.

Sincerely,

/s/ Sue Abderholden /s/ Michelle Gross

Sue Abderholden Michelle Gross Executive Director President NAMI Minnesota Communities United Against Police Brutality

From: Emma Weinstein-Levey Subject: Keep your commitment to us Date: Monday, November 23, 2020 9:55:26 AM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

As a resident of Ward 10, I am pleading with you to invest in our communities in the city's 2021 budget and not the Minneapolis Police. It was just a few months ago you were considering taking transformative steps for this city–what happened?

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K)

Co-Responders ($685K)

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K)

Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now, which are evidence-based crime prevention tools:

Access to low-income housing

Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

We must fund improvements to our community, not the We need the council to stop bankrolling the murderous MPD. I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

In accountability, EBWL

– Emma Weinstein-Levey (she/her/hers) 612-703-1542

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Dear City Councilmember,

My name is Melissa Heuer and I am the Director of Public Policy for Sonder, an accommodations company with operations in Minneapolis. I have previously submitted a letter and testified at the BHIZ committee hearing where this issue was briefly discussed. Given that there is no other opportunity to speak publicly in front of the City Council, I would like to submit the following letter to be included in the public record.

The City has not adequately studied the issue of short-term rentals in Minneapolis, and has not provided supporting data or transparency to the public as to how the 10% cap for commercially zoned, multifamily buildings was determined. When most cities have amended their existing STR regulations to enhance restrictions, as Minneapolis is doing, their City Planning Departments conduct extensive research to develop policy recommendations backed by hard data, and publish studies (often 150+ pages) to share their findings and justifications with the public. Most cities with STR caps actually set them at 25%.

Excluding condos from having to comply with the 10% cap directly conflicts with the stated housing preservation policy goal of the legislation. Speculator investment in condos will actually incentivize developers to build condo projects for the sole purpose of utilizing units for STR. Without restrictions on this practice, there is no incentive for an investment property to be rented to a traditional long-term tenant.

The timing of this legislation -- with the proposal happening in winter and enforcement beginning in the early Spring, all in the midst of a devastating pandemic -- will leave many landlords and property owners in incredible financial hardship. Impacted landlords and property owners will be faced with a sizable number of vacant units during a time where leasing rates in Minneapolis have slowed dramatically. In light of COVID, there is also a high need for flexible shorter term housing options, specifically from healthcare providers who are being recruited to cities where there is the most need, and from residents/visitors who need solutions for stays that include spaces with kitchens as restaurants are closed.

The lack of legal nonconforming use rights (“grandfathering”) will directly impact many hourly employees and workers who support the operations of STRs in Minneapolis. Without the ability to maintain our existing portfolio in Minneapolis, and reducing operations by May, it will mean terminating employees, many of which represent minorities earning a living wage no less than $16/hour; putting housekeeping companies, that are minority and women owned, at risk of going out of business; and terminating stays for guests that are in need of this flexible accommodation, especially much needed healthcare providers.

I hope you will reconsider and take the adequate time to study this important issue, and advocate to allow existing, compliant operations to be grandfathered in the pending legislation.

Thank you, Melissa Heuer

Director, Public Policy Sonder [email protected]

Also attached below are all of the letters and testimony that Sonder has submitted on this issue.

November 15th, 2020

Dear Council Member Lisa Goodman, Kevin Reich, Jeremiah Ellison, Cam Gordon, Jeremy Schroeder, and Jamal Osman

I am writing on behalf of Sonder, Inc., a global accommodations business operating in Minneapolis. On your BIZ agenda for Tuesday is draft ordinance language that proposes to increase the existing restrictions and regulations for the STR industry in Minneapolis. While we recognize that the city has legitimate needs to regulate STR, as proposed today, the ordinance is short sighted and takes a very narrow view of STRs, and does not recognize that STRs provides a critical flexible housing option for people visiting and staying in Minneapolis.

We have spent the past year working with Councilmember Fletcher and City staff to provide best-practices on STR regulations, based on our years of operating successfully in 35 cities in 7 countries. We are disappointed that this draft proposal has disregarded stakeholder and industry recommendations and concerns. Rather, this ordinance, if passed as drafted, will inhibit the efficient and effective operations of STRs, create significant and burdensome limitations to fulfilling flexible living needs, and risks limiting the benefits that STRs can provide in driving more housing development in Minneapolis.

Sonder currently operates 220 units in Minneapolis in 9 buildings. All buildings are located in zones that allow for hotels and in Tier I Market Rate buildings. We do not operate in low-density residential neighborhoods nor in any properties that are or have previously provided “affordable housing”. Sonder has been licensed to do business in Minneapolis, and to date we have paid +$282,000 in sales taxes and forecast +$500,000 in sales taxes for 2021. Additionally, we have active negotiations for multiple opportunities that would accelerate development AND provide incremental housing downtown.

We do not allow one night stays and maintain a strict no-party policy, ejecting guests who violate our House Rules. Sonder stays in Minneapolis average 15 days and +60% of our booked nights are guests that stay +30 days. Rather, we are a professionally managed accommodations provider serving people moving to our city, business travelers, snowbirds, people wishing to visit family in Minneapolis, hospital patients and their loved ones, and first responders. Even Council Member Fletcher has publicly acknowledged that we are a “best in class” operator. STR has evolved during COVID and should be considered an asset to our city, not a threat. The demand is clear. In spite of COVID, people need and want to come to Minneapolis. Hotels provide only one kind of accommodation option and are struggling to reach 15% occupancy. People visiting Minneapolis want a space where

(999) 999-9999 sonder.com [email protected] A better way to stay

they can cook safely, wash laundry, isolate appropriately, and have a flexible space. The need for STR units is clear, with Sonder operating at 80% occupancy.

The demand is changing and people, more than ever (including your neighbors, friends, and family locally), are needing affordable, flexible, stays and living solutions. During these volatile times, flexibility is key for many. People are looking for:

● Flexibility in length of time to rent and cancel; ● Flexibility to have furnished solutions so they don’t have high upfront costs and / or burden of moving; ● Flexibility to adjust room types and location as their needs change; ● Flexibility to not have to pass a credit check during a time when so many are between stable employment.

The proposed ordinance language is based on fear and a very isolated, generally negative perspective, rather than recognizing the important role that STR plays in the housing and accommodations ecosystem. I would ask that you consider the information below and suggest changes to the proposed ordinance to insure we have a well-regulated, balanced approach to STR so we can continue to provide an important accomodation option for our City, and continue to be a driving force of more housing development.

10% cap for buildings 20+ is too limiting. Minneapolis needs more housing of all types. STR is a tool that can be used to aid in the financing of multi-family buildings thereby helping to create much-needed housing in our city. That only works if there are enough units in each building. 25% is the amount needed in order to provide the necessary financial support to the development and ensure proper oversight and responsibility by the operator. Additionally, the ordinance already greatly restricts STR in buildings 20+ to only be in areas zoned for hotels. Other cities such as Austiin, New Orleans, and Nashville also restrict by zones, but don’t place such an additional restrictive cap. Proposed Changes: ● Increase density cap to 25%. ○ There is no precedent or clear justification on why a 10% cap is right for Minneapolis. Conversely, many cities similar to Minneapolis, i.e., New Orleans, Nashville, Austin, have 25% caps. ● Provide ability for variance to go above 25% when disclosed at time of land use or other government approvals and development provides incremental housing. ● Cap should include language ensuring full floor of operation for STR. Operations are more efficient and less disruptive to residents/neighbors when compact and contiguous on dedicated floor(s).

(999) 999-9999 sonder.com [email protected] A better way to stay

STR license holder should be same company/person that is responsible for delivering the operational standards that the license will dictate. This will ensure that the proper operating standards are being met. The STR license should be the responsibility of the STR operator to ensure standards followed; while the rental permit should be held by the owner of the property to ensure building is safe and secure for multi-family rental property use. Proposed Changes: ● Suggest Short-term license required by the company/person managing the STR operations with approval by property owner (if different) and in conjunction with a rental permit secured by property owner.

Add “grandfathering” (legal nonconforming use) language to ensure that the investments and those that have been operating in compliance with Minneapolis’ current STR regulations prior to this ordinance may continue to operate. Not properly addressing those that have a legal right and were operating in compliance prior to this ordinance raises risk of litigation and significant financial strain. Proposed Changes: ● Add language into the ordinance to allow current units to remain in place while also having them addressing new operating standards, i.e., notice to neighbors, 24 hour contact, etc. ● “Properties which are used as STRs as of the date of ordinance adoption, that can also provide written confirmation showing proof of registration with City and proof that their account is not in arrears for sales tax collection, may be registered as STR establishments and will be granted a permit, subject to compliance with other requirements under this article.”

With the changes allowing 25% of the units in a building to be STR, together with grandfathering the units that currently exist, we can continue to offer this important accomodation option to Minneapolis and continue to support and grow Minneapolis’ tax base. Additionally, this will contribute to much-needed housing growth in Minneapolis.

We look forward to working with you. I will be in committee to speak on Tuesday, but if I can answer any questions prior to Tuesday, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for reviewing and consideration in driving meaningful improvements to the STR ordinance.

(999) 999-9999 sonder.com [email protected] A better way to stay

Alisa Mulhair General Manager Sonder Minneapolis [email protected]

(999) 999-9999 sonder.com [email protected] A better way to stay

November 17, 2020

Dear BIHZ Committee,

My name is Melissa Heuer and I am the Director of Public Policy for Sonder, an accommodations company with operations in Minneapolis. In my role at Sonder, I support all 28 of our North American markets with their regulatory compliance and government relations.

For the past year, Alisa Mulhair , the General Manager of Sonder Minneapolis, and I have met with City staff, elected officials and various industry stakeholders to share information about our business and operations and to help provide insight into best practices based on our experience in other cities in the U.S. and around the world. Unfortunately, very few of those best practices are reflected in today’s proposed amendments.

Minneapolis has always been an outlier among other Sonder cities for a few reasons: the average length of stay has always been twice that of other cities, it has among the highest number of repeat guests (despite deep seasonality), and has significantly more information about the types of guests that choose to stay with us based on the information they share with us in their reviews.

We’ve attributed much of this to the unique profile of Minneapolis as a city. It is home to: several major corporate headquarters; some of the best hospitals and medical treatment facilities in the world; and has become a notable cultural destination with top rated restaurants, theater and music experiences, and sporting events. Sonder’s success in Minneapolis is due in large part to the traveler demand for a lodging offering that can comfortably accommodate longer stays.

In the COVID pandemic, we have found that we are providing an accessible, flexible living option for the various needs that are unique to these times: quarantines and social distancing, as well as those who may find themselves with a lack of financial liquidity, employment stability and the general long-term certainty needed to secure traditional leases.

In light of all of these factors both pre-pandemic AND in the midst of a second wave of new cases, it is difficult to ascertain why the City is moving forward now with hugely impactful regulatory changes -- and with that, why these particular changes?

When most cities have amended their existing STR regulations to enhance restrictions, as Minneapolis is doing, their City Planning Departments conduct extensive research to develop policy recommendations backed by hard data, and publish studies (often 150+ pages) to share their findings and justifications with the public.

With density caps as restrictive as 10% (most cities with caps set them at 25%) and a refusal to formally acknowledge legal nonconforming use rights of existing STRs in compliance with current city regulations -- it begs the question, where is the data to support these policies? Where is the data that suggests these restrictions are the appropriate and necessary measures to respond to the actual STR market in Minneapolis?

I request that this Council undergo the necessary due diligence to study the realities of the STR market in Minneapolis: how many STRs actually exist in Minneapolis, where are they operating, who is staying in them, and for how long? Sonder remains eager to continue to provide transparency into our business and insight into best practices both in Minneapolis and in other similarly situated cities.

Thank you, Melissa Heuer

Director, Public Policy Sonder [email protected]

November 15th, 2020

~TWO-MINUTE Talking points for public speaking at the BHIZ meeting….

Thank you Council Member Goodman for providing me the opportunity to be heard and considered today.

I’m Alisa Mulhair, resident for over 25 years and currently live in Ward 3. I’m General Manager for Sonder, an accommodations provider that offers furnished stays from a few days to 1 year in multiple locations across Minneapolis. We provide spaces for people where they can cook, work, clean their clothes, and “live in” for days, weeks, and months at a time.

Every day, I witness first hand how live and stay needs are evolving, especially during these extreme uncertain times, and how relevant and needed our accommodation type is...but is not properly being addressed with this ordinance.

We are a solution that falls between traditional hotel rooms that provide stays conducive for a few days and the unfurnished rental apartment market that requires long-leases and high upfront costs for deposits and furnishing. Our accommodation type is needed, even and especially during COVID, averaging 80% occupancy since May, with guests staying an average of 15 days +60% of our booked nights coming from people staying with us for +30 days.

We support so many people, with so many needs - locals needing flexible housing (Such as Michelle, a resident in CM Reich’s ward that lost everything in a fire and we supported her as she picked up her pieces and went through hip surgery). We support longer term business travelers (such as Michael, who launched a new business here and stayed with us for days and weeks at a time), People staying for short and long periods of time to be near their family,

(999) 999-9999 sonder.com [email protected] A better way to stay

hospital patients and their loved ones (like the majority of our guests staying with us next to the Children’s Hospital that need to be close to their children in long term care), And First responders & health providers (like we have staying with us so they can be in walking distance to HCMC and be close when emergency calls).

If this ordinance passes as is, it will terminate our ability to provide Short-Term Rental operations that are “best in class”, a standard that Council Member Fletcher has publicly acknowledged we provide. It will result in 1. Terminating employees, many of which represent minorities and where I pay a living wage no less than $16/hour 2. Putting housekeeping companies, that are minority and women owned, at risk of going out of business 3. Turning people away and terminating stays for people that are in need of this flexible accommodation, especially much needed healthcare providers 4. Defaulting on my leases and in turn putting risk of landlord’s defaulting on their housing properties 5. It would create situations where STR units that do remain will now be operating less effectively and cause more disruption as we’ll have to intermix floors with long-term resident and short-term guests. 6. And, Reducing sales tax revenue to Minneapolis that I estimate in 2021 would be $500K, just from my existing units.

I implore you, if there is just one concession you make today, please acknowledge our ability to continue our legal right to operate in the buildings we are already active in. Help ensure we can keep providing the flexibility in stays that are needed, keep people getting paychecks and not risk multi-family buildings going into default.

Thank you for your consideration.

Alisa

(999) 999-9999 sonder.com [email protected] A better way to stay Communities United Against Police Brutality™ 4200 Cedar Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407 612-874-STOP www.CUAPB.org

November 24, 2020

Minneapolis City Council Members Submitted to: 350 South 5th Street, Room 307 [email protected] Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

RE: Budget Recommendations

Dear City Council Members:

We shared our budget recommendations during the November 16 public hearing but wanted to amplify and submit our position in writing for the record.

Our organization’s mental health work group, made up of mental health professionals, people living with mental illness, advocates and caregivers, spent 18 months developing a white paper with evidence-based recommendations to end police-only responses to mental health crisis calls. This effort is critical because 50% of people killed by police are in the throes of a mental health crisis at the time. Travis Jordan, killed November 9. 2018 on the Northside by Minneapolis police, is just one example of a tragedy that did not need to happen.

Over the last few months, we’ve met with you to outline our recommendations. We thank you for your support, suggestions and assistance. In a nutshell, we are recommending:

 IMPLEMENT DISPATCH TRIAGE AT 911 CALL CENTER: Train 911 call center staff to recognize mental health crisis calls and to assign them directly to the mental health crisis response unit. In those rare instances when a call has a public safety consideration that requires a police presence, dispatch calls to a co-response team.

 DEVELOP A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE UNIT: Create a unit to respond to 911 calls for assistance with mental health crises by sending out teams of mental health professionals or practitioners. MN Statute 256B.0624 outlines the staffing requirements for these teams. Our recommendations include the use of Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LICSW) as they meet these statutory requirements, can provide on-scene assessments and initial treatment and, unlike other mental health professionals, are at a surplus in the labor market.

 ENABLE REAL TIME CO-RESPONSE TO PREVENT POLICE-ONLY CONTACTS. In those rare instances where there is a public safety concern that requires a police officer to be present, send a co-response team consisting of a mental health professional and police officer. This ensures that a mental health professional is on-scene in real time to take over the call once the scene is safe. Ideally, police officers would be designated and receive special training but even if that is not possible at this time, research shows that it is essential that both members of the team arrive on the scene together.

We had the privilege of meeting with Brian Smith and his staff with the Office of Performance and Innovation. We’re pleased that his team pulled from our paper in developing their proposal. We appreciate their proposal for a pilot of a non-police response but we’d like to suggest a few changes:  The OPI presentation indicates that mental health crisis teams will respond to calls that “don’t involve a weapon and don’t pose an immediate risk to self or others.” We are quite concerned about this because suicide calls are exactly the calls these teams should respond to. Further, there needs to be a co-responder option for calls that involve a weapon. The mental health professional should be on the scene and available to take over the call once the scene is safe.  The hours of the pilot as presented are 10 am to 6 pm. Research shows that people in crisis tend to “sunset”—develop serious psychological symptoms in the evening. Thus, the hours of service need to reflect this reality. For purposes of the pilot, the hours should be 3 pm to 11 pm or 4 pm to midnight. Once the pilot is over, MN Stat. 256B.0624 requires mental health crisis response services to be available 24 hours a day.  The OPI pilot creates a team of one mental health professional and one EMT. However, MN Stat. 256B.0624 requires mental health crisis response teams to be made up of mental health professionals and practitioners. Thus EMTs, who are, essentially, ambulance drivers, do not belong on these teams. If the mental health crisis response team comes across a situation needing EMS services, they can call for those services at the time.  We are concerned about the pilot serving only certain geographic areas. We want to ensure it is city-wide. We feel certain that if crisis response services had been available on the Northside when Travis Jordan had his mental health crisis, he would still be alive today.  As the pilot is underway, we want to ensure that data is collected on which calls are deflected to the crisis response teams versus which calls continue to be sent to Minneapolis police. It is essential to ensure the teams are used for mental health crises, not just welfare checks and not just as follow up to police contacts with people experiencing mental health crises. There must be adequate funding in the pilot for data collection and analysis.  We would like to see more community input and involvement in the implementation of both the pilot and the permanent program.

Whether by pilot or direct implementation, it is essential that Minneapolis adopt a model that has mental health crisis teams responding to mental health crisis calls. This model will save money, provide excellent return on investment, and reduce the criminalization of mental illness but, most importantly, ensure better service for a vulnerable population.

The OPI’s recommendations would cost between $705,000 and $1.285 million. Our estimate for full implementation with teams of mental health professionals providing 24-hour availability is $2.606 million. These are small sums of money in the grand scheme of the city’s budget. Further, these costs are easily recovered through a reduction in the calls handled by the Minneapolis police department.i We urge you to fund the OPI pilot, with our changes, and allocate funds for full implementation after the pilot.

For justice,

Michelle F. Gross /s/

Michelle Gross President

i The average cost of a Minneapolis police response to a call or stop is $429.00 (2020 budget of $193 million divided by 450,000 calls and stops per year). Last year, 911 reported receiving 5500 EDP (emotionally disturbed person) calls. We estimate the true number of EDP calls in the coming year to be 6500 (due to better call coding, increased stress, and reduced access to mental health providers) and we based our cost estimates on this assumption. Even if this new system deflected only 66% of these EDP calls to mobile mental health crisis teams, the savings to the MPD budget would be $1,840,410 providing a source of funds for the program. Communities United Against Police Brutality™ 4200 Cedar Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407 612-874-STOP www.CUAPB.org

December 4, 2020

Minneapolis City Council Members Submitted to: 350 South 5th Street, Room 307 [email protected] Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

RE: OPCR Funding

Dear City Council Members:

The proposed Safety for All Budget Plan item #3 calls for increased funding for the Office of Police Conduct Review and movement of any Early Intervention System under that office. We are opposed to both parts of that item.

That section of the plan refers to the Office of Police Conduct Oversight as “civilian-led” when nothing could be further from the truth. Every level though which a complaint could pass is controlled by city staff and/or police officers. Even the hearing panels are composed by half police officers and half unelected civilians, a number of whom are retired officers or other law enforcement proxies and none of whom are accountable or even visible to the community.

In terms of accountability, the OPCR is an unmitigated failure. Their own data shows that in 8 years, the agency’s actions have led to discipline in 13 complaints filed by members of the community—a 0.42% discipline rate when the national average for civilian oversight bodies (real ones) is 7-8%. This agency should not receive additional funding because resources are not the problem. The design flaws in this model are not fixable. This agency should be dismantled and replaced with actual civilian oversight with subpoena and direct disciplinary powers.

At yesterday’s budget markup session, Chief Arradondo discussed the purposes of an early intervention system (EIS). He was correct that the purposes of these systems go far beyond discipline. Early intervention systems provide a way to intervene with officers whose personal problems are spilling into their work life before there is a need for discipline. Further, these systems help police administration detect when policies need to be clarified or further training is needed. Done well, these systems can improve performance and reduce incidents leading to discipline. The MPD is long overdue in adopting an EIS. We strongly support the implementation of an EIS as soon as possible and urge you to fund it but for the reasons cited, it must be implemented under MPD leadership, not the OPCR.

Please consider these points as you finalize changes to the city’s budget. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, we can no longer afford to tolerate a city agency that whitewashes police misconduct.

For justice,

/s/ Michelle Gross

Michelle Gross President From: Erin Dunn To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: LISTEN Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 6:09:31 PM

You need to listen to the Mayor, the Chief and residents in your ward. Approve the Mayor’s proposed budget!

Erin Dunn

December 2, 2020

Minneapolis City Council Members,

2021 will be difficult for our entire community, particularly BIPOC residents and low-wealth communities disproportionately impacted by both historical disinvestment and COVID-19. Now, more than ever, the City must use its power and resources to keep people safe in their homes. As you consider the City’s 2021 budget, Make Homes Happen offers the following comments:

Holding multiple inspector positions vacant in Regulatory Services for 2021 is unacceptable and violates the City’s own commitments to racial and economic inclusion. It is also counter to the City's Renters-First Housing Policy which aims to ensure all residents who rent their homes live in safe, dignified, stable, and healthy housing.

• These staffing levels will limit proactive enforcement, and will cause slower response time for habitability complaints (the most common issue HOME Line advises renters on in Minneapolis). This is concerning, especially when proactive enforcement of rental housing quality needs to increase—both due to the unique nature of inspections during the pandemic, as well as with new City obligations to inspect thousands of Minneapolis Public Housing Authority units.

• Housing & Fire Inspectors play a critical role in the health and safety of Minneapolis residents. Funding existing positions in Regulatory Services is a tangible way to support renters during the pandemic and is also important for long-term public health and community safety in Minneapolis and its housing stock. When other core City services that engage community differently, like housing inspections, are underfunded, the police will continue to be overburdened and reactionary.

• Proactive, targeted inspections are critical to prevent lead poisoning in children, according to a recent presentation by the Public Health Advisory Committee to the Public Health & Safety Committee of the Council. An underfunded and reactive Regulatory Services department ensures more Minneapolis children will experience devastating, life-altering harm from lead poisoning—these children are more likely to be BIPOC, renters, and with low incomes.

The City’s resources for housing development and preservation should prioritize the deepest affordability, for the longest time, for people who are currently unhoused or unstably housed, including renters and homeowners. Make Homes Happen has long called for more predictability in City funding for housing. We support the various base budget increases proposed within CPED for 2021:

• Adding $1M ongoing investment to Affordable Housing Trust Fund program • Adding $2M ongoing investment to Minneapolis Homes

Make Homes Happen is a coalition of nonprofit housing and community organizations mobilizing for the production and preservation of affordable housing and the protection of tenants’ rights in Minneapolis.

Make Homes Happen • 3137 Chicago Ave• Minneapolis, MN 55407

• Adding $2M ongoing investment to Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing preservation • Adding $25k ongoing investment to the Tenant Resource Center • Adding $125k ongoing investment to Tenant Stability Hotline While these increases provide some predictability and move towards the goal of sustainable local funding, they fall short when compared with the housing needs of Minneapolis residents who are not well served by the current market and state & federal affordable housing finance tools.

Despite the challenges 2021 will bring, Minneapolis is full of opportunities and potential as diverse as its residents and neighborhoods. Make Homes Happen firmly believes an equitable recovery is possible with intentional investments and accountability to the City’s racial equity goals. This starts with a commitment to the health, safety, and dignity of Minneapolis renters by fully funding inspection staffing in the Regulatory Services department in 2021, and prioritizing City resources for deep, long-term affordability in both rental and homeownership programs.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to continued opportunities to share our perspective towards a future where everyone in Minneapolis lives in safe, healthy, dignified housing.

Sincerely,

Members of the Make Homes Happen coalition:

Aeon Align Minneapolis Alliance for Metropolitan Stability Alliance Housing City of Lakes Community Land Trust HOME Line Hope Community, Inc. Housing Justice Center Jewish Community Action Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers Minnesota Homeownership Center Minnesota Housing Partnership Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Urban Homeworks

Make Homes Happen • 3137 Chicago Ave• Minneapolis, MN 55407

From: Deborah Smith To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Mayor"s budget Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 12:43:01 PM

Hello. I think it is very important to support the Mayor's budget at this time of high crime in this city, and certainly hope you will do so. Sincerely, Deborah Smith From: Anna Schmitz To: Reich, Kevin A.; Brock, Lisa A; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ward 4; Ellison, Jeremiah; Hans, Dani; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Bender, Lisa; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Murphy, Suzanne; Palmisano, Linea; Freude, John; Vautrin, Josie B Subject: Mental health professionals in support of Mobile Mental Health Teams Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:51:32 PM

Hello Council Members and Policy Aides,

When Fair State launched our open letter to all of you from a small business perspective, I had a small group of mental health professionals reach out to me to ask if their professional experience could be helpful. I connected them with each other, and they have now worked together to co-write a letter in support of fully funding mobile mental health emergency response teams in the 2021 budget.

In their own words:

"Mental illness is not a crime, and we do no service to people in mental health crises to treat them as though they are criminals. People in crisis deserve to be treated with understanding and respect. We believe that a Mobile Mental Health Unit would be the best way to do this. We strongly encourage our City Council members to include such a Unit in the 2021 Budget."

You can read the full letter here.

I'll be submitting the letter as part of the public record as well as submitting it to the Star Tribune, but I wanted to be sure you all saw it first.

If you're on the fence about the Safety for All Budget and would like to connect with these wonderful experts, I would be thrilled to connect you--just let me know.

As a friendly reminder, I would still love to hear from Council Members Reich, Osman, Goodman, Jenkins, Cano, Schroeder, Johnson, and Palmisano regarding where you stand on the Safety for all Budget so I can update your constituents. Please feel free to reply directly to this email to let me know and I'll update our tracker immediately. Thank you to Council Member Ellison for the update on your stance--appreciate it!

Thank you, -Anna

-- Anna Schmitz she / her / hers Community Manager Fair State Brewing Cooperative fairstate.coop From: Robert Kean To: Council Members Subject: Minneapolis Budget - Support for Police Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 1:48:27 PM

Members of the City Council,

One thing I’ve observed in my 30+ years of living in Minneapolis: nothing destroys the quality of life in a city faster than the fear of violent crime. Right now, the people of Minneapolis have a good reason to be fearful. We hear daily about an epidemic of armed robberies and carjackings, occurring with increasing boldness. As reported in the Star tribune yesterday (11/15) the city has had more than 500 shootings and 74 homicides so far this year. (Homicides 64% above 4-year average). Many of these are associated with gang activity and turf battles. While it is clear to many of us that there are changes needed in the Minneapolis Police department (to address issues of systemic racism and excessive use of force), we definitely need the Police Department (staffed at an adequate level) to combat the current surge in crime. I’m not alone in this belief. A Star Tribune poll in August showed that a plurality of our community does not support defunding the police, and among African- Americans it was 50% – so clearly the loud voices calling for drastic changes are in the minority. I further agree with the opinion editorial written by Sondra and Don Samuels of the North Side in the Star Tribune on Aug. 24 of this year. They called for a “both/and” approach – we need both reform and good cops added to our police force.

The people of Minneapolis have a right to expect a reasonable level of public safety, both downtown and in their own neighborhoods. That will not happen with a seriously understaffed police department. Therefore, I call on the city council to fully fund the police budget as submitted by the Mayor. In parallel, I encourage the city to continue exploring alternative approaches to crime prevention, so that we can ultimately reduce the need for a traditional police force.

This is an extremely important issue. With the next city council election only one year from now, your decisions on this matter will likely have a strong impact on the results of that election.

Robert Kean

3136 James Ave. S.

Ward 10 From: Mvmoel To: Goodman, Lisa R. Cc: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: Minneapolis City Budget 2021 Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:36:44 PM

Dear Council Member Goodman,

As the city council develops its budget for the next year, I ask you to consider issues that are of concern in the City of Minneapolis.

This summer was a time that revealed how some of the decisions made showed up as very discounting of different populations.

Community Safety and Violence Prevention Many in our city are homeless living in tents on the streets, park benches or under the bridges. I find this inhumane that we let our neighbors live in conditions that are unsafe.

Many of these neighbors are suffering from mental illness. They need mental health care. The response, so far, has been the police moving them around the city, which sometimes leads to altercations between the police and the those who are homeless, hungry, and ill, further putting them in jeopardy. These matters are urgent and your attention is required.

It should not matter if individuals are white, black, brown, they are our neighbors and should be treated with respect and dignity.

In your budget considerations I urge you to prioritize:

- - Safety beyond policing – fund an office of violence prevention

- - Funding for our neighbors who are without homes/place to reside – do not keep moving them around

- - Funding to address the mental health care issues – partner with agencies that have expertise with mental health care.

I believe we need to address these issues if we want The City of Minneapolis to be a city that cares about its citizens.

Thank you for your consideration.

Cordially,

Valeriana Moeller 1201 Yale Place #609 Minneapolis, MN 55403

Reply Reply All Forward

Friday, November 27, 2020

Dear Councilmember,

My name is Alisa Mulhair, I’m a resident of over 25 years and currently live in Ward 3. I am also the General Manager of Sonder’s operations here in Minneapolis. I am writing today to appeal to you to please reconsider the Council’s position prior to December 4th vote regarding legal nonconforming use or “grandfathering” of existing, compliant short-term rentals that have more than 10% of a building with 20+ dwelling units.

Sonder currently operates 220 short-term rental units across 9 buildings (most commonly having one full floor in a building) , and through our operations directly employs 14 full and part time Minneapolis area residents, and partners with multiple minority and women owned businesses in the City to help drive our operations. Sonder is the largest contract for many of these businesses and we have helped to keep workers employed and even enabled new hires throughout the pandemic. If our current operations are not grandfathered and we are forced to reduce our current operations by more than 50% to be in compliance with this ordinance, the impacts reach far beyond just Sonder.

The intent of this council to restrict short-term rentals is clear, and for over a year we have consistently been offering transparency and compromise to ensure we supported your goals and provided insight on how Short-Term Rental is a flexible housing solution. In an effort to meet the public policy and housing goals of the City and to exhibit goodwill and collaboration, Sonder, at the request of sitting councilmembers, amicably reduced more than 100 units from our contracts and chose not to pursue many offerings brought to us that we did not feel supported your goals.

We hoped that these good-faith efforts mattered and that the ordinance brought forth would allow us to continue the operations we have activated in compliance with the current ordinance while we adapt respectively to the new ordinance. Unfortunately, the ordinance actually has significantly more impact on Sonder than any other operator, even though CM Fletcher has acknowledged we run a “best in class” operation and I received positive support from almost every Councilmember meeting I had with each of you.

I’m not writing to you today to challenge the ordinance or try to prove to you how unjustified it is, or how short-sighted it is, or to make a bunch of recommendations to improve it. I’m solely focused on imploring you to add a sentence to acknowledge that what we have active today, can continue in order to help save jobs, small businesses, and to support flexible accommodation needs that have spiked during COVID. This simple sentence can make a huge impact and I’m asking you to bring it forward to amend the ordinance before a final vote. ● “Units that have active listings at time of this ordinance being adopted, are exempt from the ten (10) percent cap”

For context, this small adjustment to the ordinance would allow 116 Sonder units to continue to operate as STR, and have a big impact on securing jobs and much needed places to stay as we recognize the flexible accomodations people are needing during COVID (our average stay is +14 days). With more than 10,000 apartments in Minneapolis listed for rent on Apartments.com and occupancy for Class A buildings falling to 89% in Minneapolis Core (the lowest on record in over 10 years), these 116 units may

not add much stock to housing, but they sure do protect much needed jobs and flexible housing needs we service today.

We support so many people, with so many needs: locals needing flexible housing, such as Michelle, a resident in CM Reich’s ward that lost everything in a fire and we supported her as she picked up her pieces and went through hip surgery. We support longer term business travelers, such as Michael, who launched a new business here and stayed with us for days and weeks at a time, people staying for short and long periods of time to be near their family, hospital patients and their loved ones,like the majority of our guests staying with us next to the Children’s Hospital that need to be close to their children in long term care, and first responders & health providers, like we have staying with us so they can be in walking distance to HCMC and be close when emergency calls.

If this ordinance passes as is, it will eliminate our ability to provide short-term rental operations that are best in class and in need now more than ever. It will mean terminating employees, many of which represent minorities earning a living wage no less than $16/hour; putting housekeeping companies, that are minority and women owned, at risk of going out of business; and turning people away and terminating stays for people that are in need of this flexible accommodation, especially much needed healthcare providers.

I hope you will reconsider and advocate to allow existing, compliant operations to be grandfathered in the pending legislation.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Alisa Mulhair General Manager Sonder Minneapolis [email protected] +1-612-384-7127

From: Jon Tickle To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Minneapolis Crime Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:01:57 AM

Hi Jeremy,

My name is Jon Tickle and I have lived in South Minneapolis for the 18 years and have grown to love the city. However, the current crime environment must stop or I will be forced to move my family. I currently live in Tangletown. Of my two next door neighbors, one is currently moving because of the increase in crime and the other was victim to a break-in, while they were home, and stole their wallets and car keys while they were sleeping. Another neighbor had their car stolen and just this week there was a car jacking near by. I frequently travel for work, pre COVID, and do not feel safe leaving my wife and two daughters alone. I have to stand outside to watch my family walk to the car to make sure they leave safely and then get a call to come outside when they return home. No one should have to live like this.

I am adamantly opposed to the proposed budget cuts for the police. Further, I implore the city council to table whatever items that are up for budget discussions and prioritize funding for more police presence to stop these problems immediately. I am all for police reform but it is ludicrous to think this can be achieved with budget cuts. We can lead reform and increase police funding at the same time. Thank you.

Jon Tickle Mobile Mental Health Unit Support from Mental Health Professionals December 2, 2020 723 words

We are a group of mental health professionals writing in support of the establishment of a Mobile Mental Health Unit in Minneapolis. We are therapists, social workers, members of mental health teams, physicians, and community psychologists, who practice in clinics, private practice, community service, and emergency departments in the Twin Cities area.

With the Minneapolis Police Department demoralized and short-staffed after the events of last summer, we believe this is an opportune time to reorganize the way emergency calls are handled, in order to remove some of the burden from the police as well as create an emergency response system that better serves our citizens. The new Safety for All Budget budget proposal acknowledges that many police calls can be handled in a more efficient manner. It includes, for example, financing for a separate unit to take property damage reports. It also proposes directing mental health and welfare emergency calls to a Mobile Mental Health Unit modeled after those that have been successful in Eugene, Denver, and other cities.

Armed and uniformed response is not necessary for most mental health calls, and can even escalate the problem. The police are not trained in--and often do not have time for--the slow work of Identifying the issues, de-escalating, assessing, and ultimately providing support for people who are having a mental health crisis. Mental health professionals are trained to talk to people in crisis, de-escalate situations, assess the cause of a problem, and decide the best way to meet a person’s ongoing mental health needs, and do so on a daily basis.

Recent surveys done by the City of Minneapolis 911/MPD Workgroup show that people who need help are often reluctant to call the police, because of fear and lack of trust. We believe that a Mobile Mental Health Response team that is separate from the police would be more acceptable, less intrusive, and less likely to result in a criminal record or escalate to violence. Plus, it would free the police to do the work they actually are trained to do. Putting mental and behavioral health professionals in charge of these crises would benefit everyone.

Mental health workers are also trained to triage calls to gauge an appropriate level of response. One of the first things we learn is to determine which people might be a danger to themselves or others. We do not feel that police will be needed on most mental health calls to secure the scene in advance or to co-respond with mental health workers to provide back-up. We recognize that what we are suggesting will require a change in the way emergency calls are handled, and so we also support the addition of professionals trained in mental health triage to 911 staff.

We understand that many people think this work would be prohibitively dangerous and that no one would be willing to go on mental health calls without armed back-up. However, upon hearing that a Mobile Mental Health Unit was under consideration in Minneapolis, a 67-year-old female psychologist who has been practicing in South Minneapolis for decades said, “Of course I would go. In a minute. These are my people, no different from the people I live and work with all the time. Sign me up!” This is the work we are trained, qualified and prepared to do to serve our community.

The stigma that is unfairly attached to mental illness carries an aura of danger. People are often afraid of others who are different, acting in unexpected ways, or who seem out of control. This attitude is born from unfounded fear of the unknown and an exaggerated sense of risk. People with mental illness in crisis might be angry or confused. They may not be entirely connected to reality, or be able to respond sensibly. But they are ordinary people. They are our friends, our neighbors, our families, and sometimes ourselves. They are frightened and hurting and in need of help.

Mental illness is not a crime, and we do no service to people in mental health crises to treat them as though they are criminals. People in crisis deserve to be treated with understanding and respect. We believe that a Mobile Mental Health Unit would be the best way to do this. We strongly encourage our City Council members to include such a Unit in the 2021 Budget.

Lisa Freitag, MD, MA Bioethics Barbara Ann Jensen, community and counseling psychologist Luci Russell, MSW, LGSW Lynn Welles, Senior Psychiatric Associate, Emergency Medicine and EMT-B Alissa Kaasa, MSW, LICSW Cassie Sawyer, MA, ATR-P, RYT, Art Therapist Daniel Wolpert, M.Div., MA, volunteer Communities United Against Police Brutality Rachel Zaidman, Certified Peer Specialist Patrick Parker, MA, LMFT Kyle Davis, MSW, LICSW Sarah Lentz, MSW Student Amber Phelps, Mental Health Practitioner, LADC/LPCC Student

From: James Hanneman To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: MPD Funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 1:21:00 PM

Jeremy,

I live at 5036 17th Avenue in your ward and I work as a prosecutor in Hennepin County. I help lead our county's efforts to prosecute sexual assaults and to improve the response for survivors across systems.

I'm writing to strongly urge you to oppose any proposals to cut funding for MPD. We have made great strides in serving victims of sexual violence in the last couple of years, including significant improvements within MPD. Those improvements are already significantly threatened by the hiring freeze and by the loss of over 120 MPD officers.

It goes without saying that attrition in the department means that investigators are becoming overworked and are struggling to fully investigate all of the cases they have. But the attrition and hiring freeze means that specialty units have been scuttled to try to maintain patrol levels. This means that there is no longer a Violent Offender Task Force to locate and arrest rapists once they are identified as perpetrators. This can stall cases indefinitely and leave survivors feeling unsafe knowing their perpetrator remains at large.

Budget cuts have also already eliminated some of the CSOs and civilians who support the work of the department and the unit, helping to take lower-level tasks off of the officers' plates. More cuts would inevitably eliminate more of these positions. Funding reductions that are being marketed as a way to shift work to non-MPD entities and take certain burdens off of officers will result in the opposite. More routine tasks piled on top of already overworked investigators.

Cutting MPD further will mean that we serve survivors less well and we hold fewer perpetrators of sexual violence accountable. That is unacceptable, and I hope you oppose these efforts.

James Hanneman 5036 17th Avenue 651-247-3036 From: veronica To: Bender, Lisa; Fletcher, Steve; Vautrin, Josie B; Gordon, Cam A.; Ellison, Jeremiah; Vitali, Gia; Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou Subject: Mpls Downtown Workers Council Date: Friday, November 20, 2020 11:55:15 AM

Hellos CM's Bender, Fletcher, Ellison, Gordon, Shroeder as well as representatives Josie and Gia

I am writing both on behalf of the Minneapolis Workplace Advisory Committee as well as CTUL. A couple of weeks ago the MWAC sent you a letter regarding an increase in the budget for Community contracts and investigators within the Civil Rights Department to the Labor Standards Enforcement Division as well as the creation of a Downtown Workers Council to be a subcommittee of the MWAC and provide advice to the city around COVID safety in Downton.

I am writing in hopes that you all are willing to support an increase in budget for this area given the current pandemic and the importance of making sure that workers have a voice in creating safety standards around COVID. As we all know Worker Safety = Public health.

Also, I would like to talk with this particular request around a workers council. Specifically, we would like to receive the public support of CM's and the Mayor's office to create a DT Workers council as a MWAC subcommittee. If electeds are down with this, I propose we plan for a press event in the next couple weeks to hear from electeds calling on the MWAC to build this Workers Council. We think this will be critical in ensuring that employers understand that there is a body of worker that have a voice at the table.

I look forward to your response! Thank you! -- Veronica Mendez Moore She/Her CTUL

Help CTUL imagine and plan beyond our day-to-day needs by providing reliable funding for organizing low income workers: Make a monthly contribution to CTUL!" From: Wayne To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: My Opinion Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 4:33:31 PM

Two thngs about what Government should do:

1) For the general population of the city the priorities should be: #1 Public Safety #2 Public Works #3 Public health #4 Parks and Recreation

2) For individuals of the city: Government will provide assistance, either short or long term, to any citizen who, thru no fault or choice of their own, needs assistance.

I am in favor of more Police and more Police funding including a traffic unit.

Wayne Hoppke 4541 16th Av S life long resident of South Minneapolis From: Lynne Soderlund To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Neighborhood crime Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:16:27 PM

I am afraid to leave my house, even in broad daylight! If I do go out I no longer take my purse, just one credit card and a little cash. My husband bought whistles for us to use if someone tries to approach us. This situation must not continue.

I have lived in my home in South Minneapolis for 46 years and we’ve never seen anything like this. I’m ready to sell and relocate to the suburbs. Lots of my friends and neighbors are thinking the same.

Add community services for mental health, but let’s get our police force back to full strength.

When these juvenile criminals are arrested, prosecute them to the full extent of the law.

Lynne Soderlund 53xx 2nd Ave So

Sent from my iPhone From: Erin Bogle To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Sirdar, Deebaa; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David Subject: No police! Fund our communities Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 6:36:47 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

I live in Ward 9 and work with youth in Ward 4. I would have spoken at the meeting this morning but unfortunately was working and could not make it. I'm reaching out to request you to fund our communities, and not MPD, Hennepin County Sheriffs dept staff or other police personnel.

I stand firmly against the Mayor’s recommendations: The Early Intervention System ($230K) Co-Responders New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K) Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to cut these from the proposed budget, and make even deeper cuts to MPD’s $179M proposed budget. Police have proven time and time again they are not the solution we need in our communities, not only are they not the solution, they are actively harming and murdering people. Adding more money to a system that does not work is not the answer. Please support community in trying something different. Instead of funding MPD, I want you to fund the things we really need, like,

Youth programs and quality job opportunities for young people Community trainings offered on topics like restorative justice de-escalation and basic crisis support Access to low-income housing Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis- safe injection sites and further training and access to narcan for residents Direct economic relief to residents Violence intervention programs not connected with police

I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Kind regards, Erin Bogle From: Catherine Rye To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: No to police budget cuts Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:11:11 PM

Good evening,

I am writing today about the proposed budget cuts to the MPD. To cut the budget of the MPD during a time in our city where violent crime is on the rise seems completely short sighted.

I agree, we need to create support structures and community intervention groups to better deal with non violent crimes, mental health and provide support for officers so they are not doing so much but we do not have the luxury to do that at the expense of an already tight MPD budget. We especially do not have that luxury when violent crimes are happening every day often in broad daylight. This will not happen overnight. We need police while we are building these other structures and we will need to find the money elsewhere.

I am asking you to keep the immediate issue of the safety of your constituents in mind. We need immediate help to calm the waters before we can turn to building the vision of the future.

I ask you do not vote to cut any more funding from the MPD.

Thank you, Catherine Rye Unity Community Mediation Team “By The People, For The People”

December 2, 2020 Open Letter to the Minneapolis City Council:

The Unity Community Mediation Team calls on the Minneapolis City Council to end its campaign to defund and dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Our Unity Community Mediation Team has a nearly twenty-year record of working for reform, transformation and accountability in public safety in our city. We have had many successes, but it is clear to all that we have much work before us yet undone.

Our team joins with the worldwide response to the death of Mr. George Floyd last summer. We call on all of Minneapolis to break with the systemic racism in the justice system that has helped make Minneapolis such a difficult city to live in for Black, Indigenous and Latino communities. The disparities in the justice system reflect Minneapolis’ long-time status as a city with some of the worst racial disparities in the nation in health, education, income, employment, housing, really in all areas of life.

Our Team is made up of the diversity that is Minneapolis: African American, Native American, Latino, Somali, LGBTQ and behavioral health advocates and other community affiliates. Our continued goal is to push for reform and transformation of the police department but also strengthening public safety in all Minneapolis communities.

We have put on the table the 31-page Memorandum of Agreement that we signed with the Minneapolis Police Department in the early 2000s with the goal of amending and updating this existing comprehensive agreement between diverse communities and the MPD that was negotiated with the help of DOJ and that was accepted by the Mayor and the City of Minneapolis. We strongly believe this MOA provides a foundation for the reforms and the transformation we seek. It provides a roadmap. It is a place to start as we all work together to reform and transform our police department and our community.

We join with neighborhood leaders, small and large business leaders, faith leaders and community activists, young and old across Minneapolis who work every day for an increase in livability and safety in Minneapolis.

Just a year ago the Minneapolis City Council voted to commission a formal study of the staffing of MPD to create the basis for decision making on how MPD staffing can be reformed or even transformed. But we are troubled today that this same City Council has created a self-imposed deadline of December the ninth when there will be a vote on major reductions of MPD staffing before anyone has even seen the findings of the study they voted on and spent taxpayer dollars to pay for. Is that because the city council does not believe the study will support the draconian cuts they are calling for to de-fund the Minneapolis Police Department?

This is a serious study, and we insist on seeing the findings and having broad community input before there is a debate and votes on MPD staffing in the city council.

1 UCMT c/o Barbara Schneider Foundation, 2419 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404 Contact: Rev. Ian Bethel (612)801-0034 Unity Community Mediation Team “By The People, For The People”

The study was designed to review all MPD staffing to identify optimal staffing levels including patrol shifts and scheduling in relation to 911 calls for service And it will look at variation of staffing based on season, day of week, time of day, precinct or beat.

Overall, the study will provide data to inform decisions the City Council has scheduled voting on next week, based on their theories and pre-conceived opinions not on hard data. That’s why the city council needs to wait so we can make informed decisions that we won’t have to rush back and try to change once we see they were made in error.

Let’s see what the study will tell us about MPD’s existing administrative and operational functions and business processes to identify whether other enterprise services or entities can serve MPD needs. What will it tell us about the use of overtime to meet staffing needs? What level of overtime maximizes both cost efficiency and scheduling flexibility?

What does it say about the use of sworn vs. civilian personnel, including the use of civilian personnel in administrative or technical roles? And about the use of one-person vs. two-person patrol cars?

Chief Arradondo has been completely transparent about why increased funding improves public safety in Minneapolis. And we agree with him.

Our Chief has made a strong case for increasing the MPD budget as a way to respond to the growing population in Minneapolis, the growing problem of officer overwork and over stress and other officer wellness issues as well as community frustration with wait times for response to dangerous and deadly situations that provoke 911 calls.

And these calls are serious. They involve car jackings, murders, shots fired, assaults in progress, domestic violence in progress and with weapons, persons in a behavioral health crisis, traffic accidents, hit and runs and personal Injuries. These are serious situations where we need the help of a police officer.

This year we have experienced a reduction of time officers have to do more than respond to 911 calls and to build relationships in the communities they serve. Understaffing does not allow for officer- initiated activity to deter crime, reduce disorder, reduce citizens' fear of crime, and remedy other specific concerns in a given area.

Recent research reveals much about the flawed logic behind the move to defund MPD. It reveals that more community connected officers walking on foot in our neighborhoods deters crime and reduces the number of arrests while it at the same time it reduces excessive use of force by police officers. As MPD continues to face staffing challenges they are squeezed between tight budgets and a recovering labor market, the need for more peace officers becomes paramount.

Appropriate resources improve community safety while helping to build trust with those the officers serve. An increase in police hiring and police presence leads to a significant decrease in the level of crime. Uniformed officers patrolling the streets stops crime before it starts rather than making numerous arrests that send more individuals to prison. Reduction in crime is proportional to increases

2 UCMT c/o Barbara Schneider Foundation, 2419 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404 Contact: Rev. Ian Bethel (612)801-0034 Unity Community Mediation Team “By The People, For The People”

in the size of police forces. In fact, research shows that every $1 spent on extra policing generates about $1.63 in social benefits.

Police response times impacts trust by the community. Adequate staffing will improve response times, which will build that trust. Each call pending has the potential to erode the public trust. Anti-crime impact comes from putting more cops on foot. What’s helpful is more officers. And increased staffing levels reduces the number of excessive force incidents.

Officer wellness improves public safety. Fatigue matters. Tired officers generate more complaints from the civilians they interact with. Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments equivalent to those of alcohol intoxication. After 17 to 19 hours without sleep, performance is equivalent or worse than that of a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.05 percent. After longer periods without sleep, performance reached levels equivalent to 0.1 percent.

In fact, working a single hour of overtime leads to an increase in the odds that the officer would be involved in a use-of-force incident the following week. Being assigned to a 13- hour rather than 10-hour shift leads to increases in fatigue and community complaints. Working back-to-back night shifts increases the odds of public complaints, and the effect is particularly large when the officers have to make court appearances in the daytime between the night shifts.

MPD supervisors make the decision that there are not enough resources to handle the current calls for service hundreds of times every month. This means more hours of work which Impacts officer sleep, wellness and relationships with communities and family.

More policing is broadly popular across racial groups. Research confirms that up to three quarters of residents in African American and Latino communities and among whites say they support hiring more officers.

Providing money to hire sufficient officers is a proven and cost-effective means of bringing crime down that offers a humane alternative to harsh prison sentences as a deterrent while helps cut down on excessive use of force as well.

So rather than rushing into ill-conceived schemes to defund MPD, to transfer work to other agencies and call that reform, to predict that fewer officers will enhance public safety, let’s slow down and get the data. Let’s have community forums across the city, let’s open up the process so that all community members, mental health advocates, civil rights organizations, faith communities, neighborhood associations, small business owners, down town business leaders and anyone interested in public safety can be part of the conversation with the City Council in this tinderbox atmosphere in the middle of a pandemic. Lives are at stake. Our city is at stake.

Sincerely,

Rev. Ian Bethel Frank Paro Zackary Metoyer UCMT Co-Chair UCMT Co-Chair UCMT Co-Chair

3 UCMT c/o Barbara Schneider Foundation, 2419 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404 Contact: Rev. Ian Bethel (612)801-0034 From: Erin C Peterson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Oppose Safety For All Plan Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:40:23 PM

Hi, I am a Ward 11 resident, and I oppose the Safety For All plan. We need a plan that includes more policing + thoughtful specific reform.

Erin Peterson

-- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message or their agent, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply email and then delete this message and any attachments. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, copying, or storage of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited. From: Eric Nasstrom To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Opposition to Safety for All Budget Plan Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:25:31 PM

Councilperson Schroeder:

My family lives on Rustic Lodge West in Upper Tangletown. We have lived there for over 12 years, and I have lived in Minneapolis for over six years previously.

Changes to the police department are necessary. But significant reductions in the police budget that will result in less police officers on the street is not the answer right now. Crime is up significantly, and residents are on edge. People do not feel safe performing routine daily tasks. Voting for the Safety for All Budget Plan does not make sense under current circumstances. Thank you for considering my position.

Eric Nasstrom 952-239-4164 From: Wensday Berman To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: People"s Budget! Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 6:52:20 PM

Dear Councilmembers,

My name is Wensday Berman, and I live in Ward 10.

1. Expanding non-police alternatives to 911

2. Investing in neighborhood-based restorative justice offices

Thank you, Wensday From: Erin Goodrich To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Please - Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:29:23 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Hello - I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

I worked at a DTH for 5 years and personally dealt with mental health emergencies. I dealt with violent situations as a young, unarmed woman. I have an idea what it is like to be in danger and I feel it is imperative we seek out new solutions.

Erin Goodrich [email protected] 2717 Central Ave NE Apt 207 Minneapolis, 전라북도 55418

From: Lori Johnson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Please do not reduce police funding Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 5:26:14 PM

Jeremy -

Please do not vote to reduce funding for the police, as proposed by council persons Cunningham, Fletcher, and Bender. The huge uptick in violent crime in our city means that we need every officer we have on the street right now, and then some.

I agree with offloading some tasks from officers to civilians — but that effort should be funded from a new source, not the officer budget. I would support increasing taxes. Perhaps well-off businesses would offer funds, to back up their claims of supporting a diverse community?

You mentioned to me before that Chief Arradondo could not prove that more officers would result in less crime. We now have fewer officers, and we do have more crime — so there seems to be a correlation. What actual proof do we have that the new methods will reduce crime in Minneapolis? There are theories, but there can be no proof until after the new methods have been in place for some time.

Please apply the new methods first, without reducing any officers now. AFTER the new methods have been in place for a year, if there is shown to be a huge decrease in crime, then you could consider whether fewer officers are needed for 2022. Show the drop in crime first — please do not leave us even more vulnerable than we are now.

Thank you for serving on council during this most difficult year.

—Lori From: Jaden Hansen To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Please for “yes” on 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:36:16 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you asking that you vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD as well as to vote yes on the people’s budget.

The police-only approach to public safety has not worked in making our communities safer. It’s time to invest in mental health responses, violence prevention, and removing report-only calls from MPD’s plate at a minimum.

Please vote yes!

Jaden Hansen [email protected] 3659, 40th Ave S Minneapolis, 전라북도 55406

From: Christina Redondo To: Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Faulkner, Graham R; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Hans, Dani; Ellison, Jeremiah; Bender, Lisa; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Moua, MaiTeng; Johnson, Andrew; Nelson, Kate R.; Palmisano, Linea; Goodman, Lisa R.; Sadler, Patrick A.; Reich, Kevin A.; McDonough, Shannon; Jenkins, Andrea; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Freude, John Subject: please fund our communities, not MPD Date: Monday, November 16, 2020 2:48:03 PM

Dear Councilmembers and staff,

More policing does not automatically lead to less violent crime, but it does lead to a greater threat of police violence. Investing in crime prevention begins with investing in our communities. Crime rates are highest in poverty stricken areas, why? Because when you live with a deficit mindset, crime and possibly violence can seem like the only solution to life's problems.

These statistics are not hard to find! Why are you continuing to pour so much money into policing and punishment? If your real goal is to lower crime and make Minneapolis safe for everyone, you would allocate the money elsewhere.

As you consider how to use the city’s 2021 budget in 2021, I urge you to fund our communities, and not the Minneapolis Police.

I do not support the Mayor’s recommendations for additional funding for:

The Early Intervention System ($230K)

Co-Responders ($685K)

New Recruits/Cadets ($400-$503K)

Additional Overtime ($5M)

I want you to reallocate from MPD’s $179M proposed budget and, instead, fund the things my community really needs right now:

Access to low-income housing

Education in low-income areas

Harm reduction & prevention for the opioid crisis

Direct economic relief

Access to mental health and human services I look forward to hearing how the council can invest further funds into what our communities need, not police.

Christina Redondo Ward 7 From: Judy McClellan To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Judy McClellan; Mark McClellan ([email protected]) Subject: Please fund the Minneapolis Police Department AND make the necessary systemic changes! Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:05:07 PM Importance: High

December 1, 2020

Dear Jeremy:

My name is Mark McClellan and my wife is Judy McClellan. I was born in Minneapolis in 1952 and have been a long-term resident of Minneapolis. I have lived in Tangletown, Powderhorn, Cedar-Riverside, Whittier, Seward and Kenwood neighborhoods. My wife had a home, prior to our marriage, in the Lyndhurst Neighborhood.

I owned a half a dozen companies spanning 45 years in the city of Minneapolis and have employed thousands of individuals. I was a board member/treasurer for the Kenwood Neighborhood and have participated extensively with the Lyndale Neighborhood Association. Through one of my businesses I provided housing to individuals experiencing homelessness. I did this through partnerships with St. Stephens, House of Charity, and Cabrini and others.

Additionally, my wife and I have volunteered for decades to better the city of Minneapolis by working with: St. Vincent de Paul Ministries, Families Moving Forward, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Basilica of St. Mary’s, Community Bridge Food Shelf and Days for Girls Twin Cities MN, which my wife co- founded.

We strongly believe we have helped Minneapolis become a better city.

We believe in Minneapolis and all it has to offer and want to express our very strong support for funding the Minneapolis Police Department. While we fully realize that there needs to be systemic change within the department and its structures, we also feel strongly that the funding needs to support the demands.

I am sure you are all fully aware of rapid increase in crime within our specific neighborhood and around the city. We are personally aware of the impact this violence has on emotional well-being, and overall pride in our community.

Around 15 years ago we purchased a condemned building on 35th and Nicollet Avenue and with the Lyndale Neighborhood Association did a completed renovation. During the civil unrest this building was impacted by looting, rioting, and burning buildings within the block. One of the commercial units was damaged and looted. At the same time, our two daughters and our son-in-law who lived upstairs, feared for their lives and had to evacuate the building in the early morning hours of the rioting.

The civil unrest and the inability of the Minneapolis Police Force to keep up with the carnage made our daughter and her husband feel unsafe and they moved to the suburbs. This is a clear example of the next generation not sharing our love for the city. We implore you to not “throw the baby out with the bathwater”. We need to fund the Police Department in order to get a grip on the escalating violence in our city before it is too late!

Again, we do realize that there needs to be extensive change within the department to address critical issues and the existing culture and we realize this takes time. But to not fund the Police Department is not the way to go.

Please FUND THE POLICE AND MAKE the necessary ADJUSTMENTS TO THE NON-EFFECTIVE AREAS, BUT FUND THE POLICE.

And, please send your time and energy changing the culture within the Minneapolis Police Department.

PLEASE FUND NOW so we can keep the city we love and the people we love in the city.

Thank you for hearing our concerns and thank you, in advance, for acting upon our urgent request!

Best regards,

Mark McClellan 952.237.7337 [email protected]

From: TIM BERARDINIS To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Please increase police Date: Sunday, November 22, 2020 11:05:22 PM

Mr. Schroeder,

I'm sure you've received many emails on this topic. Thank you for reading.

As a 20 year resident of the Northrup neighborhood, the crime and the feeling of unease has never been greater. The current situation is a safety concern and causes many to question living in the city.

My request: Please do not cut the staff or funding that staffs the police department.

I wish for our leaders to both support the police and provide what is needed for them to keep our streets safe, especially during this difficult moment.

I am in favor of: Eliminating inequality, injustice, and systemic racism in policing Providing staff and training to work with mental disorders Policing approaches that result in fewer confrontations Policing protocols that reduce use of firearms and lethal force Changing from a negative slogan of "defund" to a positive one that "improves community respect in policing" More law enforcement staffing for patrols, investigations, & community engagement

I truly hope that you and the city council can find a reasonable middle ground that both provides enough officers short term to reduce our current crime and put us on a path to wholistic law enforcement that is fair, equitable and just, and which is respected by the community.

Thank you for reading, considering this request, and serving me and my neighbors.

Tim Berardinis 4704 18th Ave S From: Alicia Reuter To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Rick Reuter Subject: Please protect the safety of our city!!! Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 1:26:59 PM

Dear Council Member Schroeder,

I am a resident of Ward 11, my husband and I have both lived here for 45 years.

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a neighbor on my street was attacked by two male perpetrators in an attempted carjacking. The crime quickly escalated to ATTEMPTED MURDER when one of the perpetrators shot at the victim’s head THREE TIMES. Luckily, the victim was able to escape, but narrowly!!!

This ATTEMPTED MURDER is appalling and represents yet another brazen and chilling escalation of violence on the streets of our city.

Enough is enough! We need more officers on the street! We need a fully funded and staffed police force AND we need police reform, it is not one or the other.

Please listen to ALL of your constituents.

Fully fund the Mayor’s budget proposal. Do not shift police programs and money until you are able to present your new plan for a Public Safety Department next year. WORK ON REFORM and set real and tangible goals relating to a comprehensive reform effort.

Please protect the safety of our city!!!

Sincerely,

Alicia and Rick Reuter

Sent from my iPad From: Keegan Xavi To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Frey, Jacob Subject: Please Support the Stabilizing Arts Resolution Dec 2 and 4th!! Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 12:04:39 PM

Greetings:

I was shocked and dismayed to learn that a proposed City of Minneapolis budget cut would eliminate two vital positions in the Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy (ACCE): the roles of Amelia Brown and Teeko Yang.

I understand that Council members Ellison, Jenkins, Cano and Reich drafted the Stabilizing Arts Resolution to advocate for the security of their positions. I am writing this letter to amplify this resolution and seek your vocal support to do the same. The Resolution is a policy statement that will be discussed in a Council Committee at the POGO (Policy Government and Oversight Committee) meeting on Dec 2nd at 1:30pm. We need your support of this resolution.

As part of an artist team, Sayge Carroll and I were recipients of a 2020 Creative City Making Creative Response Fund grant along with nine other local artists/artists teams. Arts Midwest partnered with the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy of the City of Minneapolis “to help disburse grant funds for 10 projects that will support urgently needed artist-led creative healing in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police and the subsequent community uprisings.” (https://www.artsmidwest.org/news/2020/09-16/creative-response-artists-announced)

Sayge and I produced two successful events uniting neighbors through food and creativity in our respective North and Southside neighborhoods. In an interview with the Kresge Foundation, Gulgun Kayim, Director of ACCE, spoke of the success of our events: “The project went very well, so much so that neighbors then organized their own project with the aid of the artists. They called their project Release It and it involved action painting using paint filled balloons in a public space to help release stress and tension. The reason this project sticks in my mind is because it was intimate, beautiful, responsive and deeply caring. It grew organically from one event to several events and demonstrated how artists use their skills to weave community relationships, build social cohesion and help communities heal on their own terms.” (https://kresge.org/news-views/as-minneapolis-continues-to-see-a-surge-in-unrest-city-leaders-partner-with-artists- to-provide-10-community-healing-projects/? utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=)

This project would not have been possible without the support of the ACCE including the work and skill Amelia Brown and Teeko Yang bring to the office. This is the third Creative City Making Project that Sayge and I have participated in. We were one of two artist teams selected for the 2015 Creative City Road Map project where we first met and worked with Gulgun Kayim and Amelia Brown. It was a very positive experience for all as they had a respect and understanding for the artistic process.

In 2017 Sayge and I were selected for a different City program and we were unable to work with ACCE for this project. It was not successful. There was a disconnect in the relationship between the City and community-based artists. This department did not understand how artists work and it created conflict. Sayge and I were uncertain if we’d ever work with the City again.

But this year, in 2020, when we received the RFP for the CCM Creative Response Fund, we found the language to be inviting, encouraging and supportive so we took a shot and decided to give working with the City another try. We received one of the ten grants and produced some of the best events we’ve experienced as Creative CityMaking artists. There were a couple instances where our original production plans had to evolve and ACCE was supportive and understanding of how creative processes function.

Why cut funding to a department that has well-demonstrated their ability to work with community artists to produce events that the City is unable to produce themselves?

I implore you to seek other ways to save money in the budget and preserve Amelia’s and Teeko’s positions. The CCM Creative Response Fund was worthy enough to fund this year and now that creative strategies prove to be impactful and effective, why stop now? Please support the Stabilizing Arts Resolution.

Sincerely,

Keegan Xavi From: Samuel Ero-Phillips To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Frey, Jacob Subject: Please Support the Stabilizing Arts Resolution Dec 2 and 4th!! Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 12:45:43 PM

Greetings: My name is Samuel Babatunde Ero-Phillips, and I am an artist, designer and educator. I grew up mostly in North Minneapolis, but also in Nigeria. I went to school for architecture and studio arts at the U of M for my undergrad, and I have a Masters in Architecture. I’ve worked in the public art world in the Twin Cities since 2007. I was one of the original artists to help start the Creative CityMaking pilot program in 2013-14. I was shocked and dismayed to learn that a proposed City of Minneapolis budget cut would eliminate two vital positions in the Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy (ACCE): the roles of Amelia Brown and Teeko Yang.

I was a recipient of a 2020 Creative City Making Creative Response Fund grant along with nine other local artists/artists teams. Arts Midwest partnered with the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy of the City of Minneapolis “to help disburse grant funds for 10 projects that will support urgently needed artist-led creative healing in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police and the subsequent community uprisings.” (https://www.artsmidwest.org/news/2020/09- 16/creative-response-artists-announced)

Here is the blog post about my own project.

This project would not have been possible without the support of the ACCE including the work and skill Amelia Brown and Teeko Yang bring to the office. This is the second Creative City Making Project that I have participated

Why cut funding to a department that has well-demonstrated their ability to work with community artists to produce events that the City is unable to produce themselves?

Sincerely,

Samuel Babatunde Ero-Phillips From: Jamie Ronnei To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Cc: Frey, Jacob; Council Comment Subject: Please work WITH Mayor Frey and Chief Arradondo to create real public safety for all. Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:46:11 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council Members:

I was overjoyed to hear today about the work our Mayor has been doing to create a private fund to help our city identify public safety alternatives which can help our city.

This is a win for our city, all you have to do is take it.

Thank you,

James Ronnei Ward 13 From: Andy and Karen Uhler To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police Budget Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 4:57:42 PM

Council Person Schroeder,

As more budget talks occur this week, I would like to tell you, as a constituent, that I would like to see more funding for the Minneapolis Police Department. Plans to put people on the right path when they are young are critical to making productive members of the community, but that is in the long-term. We have police to respond to crime in the short-term. This simple difference is getting confused in the Council's refusal to help victims of crime.

As you've seen on "Nextdoor," we now have photos of people being carjacked in broad daylight. Or, the StarTribune published an article about a 66 yer old woman being assaulted at 5:15pm at the Uptown Kowalski's. It is sad to watch what was once a great city decline into regular violence as our leaders try to assuage activist groups instead of representing their constituents.

On behalf of whom are you acting? I'm utterly baffled. I cannot figure out who is benefitting from our becoming less safe.

Andy Uhler 5505 10th Ave. So. From: Jill Johnson To: Schroeder, Jeremy; Gangelhoff, Sara Subject: Police cuts concerns Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:51:37 AM

Hello Jeremy, I understand that the city council began the route of defunding the police after the killing of George Floyd and resulting unrest. I, too, am very disturbed about the ongoing racial injustices shown by our police, but also by our society in general. Changes must be made! However the use of "defunding" and of seriously limiting our police department now at the height of gun violence and general other crimes (break-ins, robberies, car-jackings, etc) is also of concern and inappropriate--especially now as alternative have neither been started to be instituted or readied by the city, nor reviewed by the population. Our police staff is at a low point and not adequately responding with their diminished workforce due to low morale and other attrition. Please oppose this severe reduction in our police force and their budget, while continuing to examine alternative programs for some 911 emergencies and continuing to work with the police force on issues of injustice in their application of law enforcement in minority populations. Sincerely, Jill Johnson 4646 15th Av S. (Northrop neighborhood) From: rich thomasgard To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police Department Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 9:51:48 PM

Dear Council Member Schroeder,

My wife and I live at 18 East 49th Street and I have lived and worked in the City of Minneapolis since 1977. As one of your constituents, I want to let you know that I believe the Police Department needs a sworn force somewhere around the 888 that I understand the Mayor is proposing in his budget.

I also believe there are better ways to do policing, and that we need better ways to attract and retain quality officers and assure that officers who behave inappropriately are counseled, disciplined or dismissed. I do not think that it is realistic that reducing officers and putting more money into housing, mental health, etc. is going to reduce crime, although I would like to see more money spent on housing, etc.- probably from county, state and federal sources. I would like to see the City study the "issue" of policing in a way that brings expertise to bear, and after careful study begin to make changes for the better.

While I think public input is important, I don't think a massive public engagement process around the issue of policing is the most effective way to make improvements. I think our elected officials and staff already know what some of the improvements should be, and some of those changes have already been made. Our elected officials and staff, after careful analysis, should take the lead in making more changes. That is what we have elected them and are paying them to do.

Thank you for considering my thoughts.

Sincerely,

Rich Thomasgard From: Sue Bremer To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police Department Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 10:18:40 PM

Dear Jeremy, I know the city is in budget talks about the police budget. I am all for holding the police accountable and adding more mental health workers, but do not believe now is the time to take money away from the police and cut the number of officers. The crime in our neighborhoods with break ins and car jackings are way to high. We need more officers on our streets. Please don't cut the police now.

Thank You for your time. Sue Bremer 5229 Bloomington Ave S

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android From: RICHARD C martin To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police Funding and Policing Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020 11:15:53 AM

Jeremy, I read about the most recent 'Lisa Bender' proposal to cut the police dept budget and staffing level. I understand she may be feeling burned by her charter amendment failure and the recent 7-6 vote in favor of outside officers. Her proposals do not stand up to the reality of the post George Floyd crime wave our city is dealing with. I support the idea of deploying additional resources to deal with mental health and substance abuse issues but not as proposed. I suggest we start by ensuring police officers have better training and the ability to call in professional resources as needed. This one citizen suggests:

1. Support the move to community policing and expanded police resources to deal with mental health and substance abuse. This includes the chief. Back him (I do at this time) or replace him. 2. Continue/increase coordination with county and state agencies that also work on mental health and substance abuse issues. If these issues decrease so does crime. 3. Do not consider cuts to the police budget/staffing until crime is under control and a detailed plan is developed that lessens their workload. Block clubs and social workers contribute to strong communities but we would need to see reductions in criminal behavior before we can reduce our reliance on policing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts.

Regards...... Rick Martin From: Eric Erickson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police Funding Vote Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:07:53 AM

I support police reform whole-heartedly. And yet now, in the midst of a crime wave, pandemic and mass exodus of police officers due to PTSD and retirements, seems a poor time to further hollow out the force. Imagine if hospitals chose now to cut nursing staff. I hope you will support the Chief's and Mayor's request to maintain funding, while still committing to meaningful reform.

Eric Erickson From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police funding Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 9:33:19 PM

Jeremy

I hope all is well.

Just a note to inform you that I don’t support a major cut back in funding for the police department in next years budget, or a reduction in the number of officers. Our police, with a few exceptions, are hard working (under very difficult conditions), and invaluable to our city.

I would request that the council focus on building a better police department by purging the bad apples as much as possible. My understanding is the police union protects offices with a history of breaking laws and continue to work on our force. What is the council doing to correct this problem? I would rather see reform within the police department and the police union, not defunding or reduced funding of the department.

Thanks, Bruce

Bruce Carland [email protected] Cell: (612) 308-9578 5129 17th ave S. From: Ronald Moody To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police funding Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:09:44 PM

Do not take money from the police

Sent from my iPhone From: Pedro Restrepo To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police funding Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:53:56 PM

Dear Mr. Schroeder,

I am a resident of the Windom district, part of Ward 11. I am writing to you to express my utter dismay at the on-going idiocy within the City Council regarding the police force. It's clear to anybody that crime in this city has been increasing after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a rogue police officer. Defunding the police is not the answer!!! There may be elements within the police department that need to receive additional training, discipline or dismissal. But cutting the police funding is NOT the answer.

I am a life-long Democrat, but this issue is not a partisan question. It is a question of public safety. I strongly encourage you to work with the other members of the City Council to stop the nonsensical demagoguery about cutting the police force.

My wife and I are both in our 70s, and, everyday we hear the news about the City Council and the Police Department, we fret. We'd like us, and the rest of the citizens of Minneapolis, to feel safe not only in our homes, but also on our streets.

Talks about defunding the police force without proposing a single feasible solution rings like the GOP's criticism of the Affordable Care Act. For 10 years they have been talking (and trying hard) to defund it, without a single concrete alternative.

Sincerely,

Pedro J. Restrepo, Ph.D. P.E. 5652 Pleasant Ave Minneapolis, MN 5519 From: Mary Oslund To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Mary Oslund Subject: Police News from City Council Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 4:06:59 PM

I can’t believe what the city council is trying to pull. With the increase of violence in the city and the occupation of 38th and Chicago I can’t believe how you are trying to make matters worse in the city. By trying to decrease the amount of police on the streets and making less funds available for the hiring of police you make absolutely no sense. I can’t believe that I am saying this but I think thoughts like yours is the reason why the Dems lost seats in Washington and I will not be voting for you in the upcoming year. I agree that everything this past year has gone nuts and all the terrible things that happened since the murder of George Floyd but I can’t agree with the drastic cuts that you are trying to do to the police force in Mpls. You are making it hard to get the city back to safety and part of the city is still under the occupation of the thugs at 38th & Chicago. I am not the only citizen of the city that is having a hard time with the council’s decision. You will lose my vote.

Mary Oslund 5828 44th Ave So Minneapolis MN. 55417 From: john bartsh To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Police Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 6:58:46 PM

I voted for you. I’ve lived in mpls for 70yrs. I expect you to vote to increase spending and support for police. Police reform yes. Police defund no.do you suggest I arm myself? I should expect to feel save if I go for walk.I should feel save when I go to bed at night.if you vote to cut police or defund my wife and I will not vote for you again. From: Karen Bachman To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Cc: Goodman, Lisa R. Subject: Policing in Minneapolis Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:23:21 PM

"Surging, skyrocketing, staggering" -- these are the words the Star Tribune used this morning to describe the crime wave in Minneapolis. Yesterday I wrote to Council President Bender to express my outrage at what I view as the Council's reckless and irresponsible approach to policing in our city. Today I am writing to each of you. I am a strong advocate for police reform. I am also a strong advocate for safety. You seem to believe that it is "either or". I believe it is "both and". It must be clear to you that your actions have demoralized the police force and emboldened criminals. I want to see more police, not fewer. So do my North Minneapolis friends in the Black community. I will cite again John Lewis's admonition expressed shortly before he died. He feared that "Defund the police" would have the same effect in derailing progress as "Burn, baby, burn" did in the 1960s. He was right. Please listen to him and to the citizens of your city, who want safety as well as a police force worthy of respect. The ill-considered ideas that you advocate are an impediment to both. Please support the Mayor and the Chief of Police. Sincerely, Karen Bachman From: Amy Fitzgerald To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Policing in Mpls Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 7:02:46 PM

Dear Councilman Schroeder,

I write in periodically about policing after reading StarTribune updates and other community notices, such as yours. I would like to understand why no one is directly addressing the elephant in the room, Bob Kroll and the police union, as there is talk about restructuring the policing system. Does abolition of the union require a city-wide, constituent vote? Or the complete abolishment and restructuring of the police department? And the rise in crime this year -- what possible incentive would Kroll and the union have right now to do good policing? Good policing and a lower crime rate would only support that the policing budget doesn't not need to be as large as it is.

Simply reconfiguring who answers specific emergency calls will not necessarily lead to more equity and empathy on the part of police officers. It is pretty clear that there's not much real work that can be done to change the culture of policing in Minneapolis as long as Kroll and the union are in place. And although it may seem that many Minneapolitans are complacent right now, we have the pandemic, the holidays, and homeschooling children to focus on.

Just wait until March and trial of four Mpls police officers -- when all of the problems and the history of Minneapolis policing are broadcast for the world to see.

As always, thanks for your time. Amy From: Richard Champley To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Public Budget Hearing Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 4:42:58 PM

Dear Council Member Schroeder,

Although some Police reform actions are called for we are definitely NOT in favor of Defunding the Police nor even cutting the PD budget. Rather, increase the City budget to cover social actions and traffic management ‘enforcement’.

Thank you,

Richard Champley & Sharon Farrell 312 W. 52nd Street Minneapolis 55419 Email: [email protected] Phone: 612-823-4079 From: Julie Rybarczyk To: Council Members Subject: Public Safety and budget Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:55:37 AM

City Council,

I’m a resident of North Minneapolis and I want to make sure you hear my voice as you are making decisions.

- Please continue to push for the hard work of changing how policing happens in Minneapolis - by taking some things off the shoulders of police and moving it to others who are better equipped - like mental illness, drug addiction, homelessness, etc.

- Please reduce the power the police unions have and increase accountability.

- Please continue to find the line between keeping our communities safe, and keeping our black community safe.

- Please make sure that Minneapolis police officers live in Minneapolis or maybe in a first- ring suburb.

I know this work is complex and I appreciate your efforts. Please do not let up now!!

> Julie

__ julie rybarczyk 612.770.9000 minneapolis From: Marie Franchett To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Public Safety for All Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:31:02 AM

Hello Councilmember Schroeder,

I am writing to ask you support the “Safety For All” budget proposal Council Members Bender, Fletcher and Cunningham have put forward. We can’t continue with the same old approach to public safety that has been supported these last two decades. Conventional reforms haven’t worked. Too much violent force has been used by police officers when the needs of the community could be better served through other services. Our city needs to put more money towards providing mental health emergency services, violence prevention and drug treatment. The Safety For All proposal achieves the first two objectives (though doesn't address the paucity of drug treatment available). It does this by reducing the amount of funding for the police department by 5% and allocating it toward these new services. Five percent is not a huge cut. While there have been spikes of crime and violence over the last six months, research has shown that increased policing rarely results in less crime. Successful models emphasize building better relationships between the community and the police force.

I strongly encourage you to support the Safety for All proposal and encourage other councilmembers to do the same.

Sincere,

Marie Franchett 4917 Garfield Avenue South Public Safety Testimony

My name is Sharon Sayles Belton. I live in Ward 2.

I am speaking today in support of Mayor Frey’s budget for Public Safety.

One of the primary responsibilities of the city council and the mayor is to provide for the public safety of the citizen’s and properties in the city.

When it comes to “public safety” we cannot be a city divided. The mayor and the City Council must govern together. The problems we face require coordination, cooperation and the input of all stakeholders. Flashy quick fixes not backed up by data, analysis and review will not build the public’s trust. It will on the contrary further undermine it and put the citizens of the city of Minneapolis at great and further risk.

25 years ago, the public expressed impatience with my strategy to reduce violence crime, rather than rush to judgement we methodically devised a shared solution and worked together as a city, the whole city and the county and implemented a “coordinated” and “unified” plan that reduce crime, stabilized the city and fueled redevelopment across the city.

The safety for all plan is not such a plan. It has elements that warranted additional review by subject matter experts in mental health service and the develop of criteria for execution to affirm it efficacy.

This is not the time for the City Council to second guess, experiment with people’s lives.

• We must provide Chief Arradondo with the resources needed to fulfill his duties and obligation to our citizens. • The Mayor has allocated funding to boost recruitment efforts, proposing three recruit classes in his 2021 budget, funding for the CSO program vital which promote diversity in the MPD and gap funding to ensuring adequate staffing while recruits are in training.

• Strongly support funding for the Early Intervention System (EIS). This is an important tool to hold officers accountable and increase the Department’s ability to identify behaviors requiring intervention.

• We have Chief that is ushering in real change and I support him

• Procedural justice, the People’s dashboard, policy changes that require review anytime an officer draws a weapon, duty to intervene policy with teeth.

• The chief needs the tools to do his job!

• The mayor’s budget provides these tools.

• Please support it.

From: Mavis Habte To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: [email protected] Subject: Public safety Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:25:17 AM

I strongly oppose the proposal to reduce the police force and the budget at this time.

I do support many of the ideas for redirecting some of the 911 call work where an immediate police presence is not required or where a mental health team would better serve the community. When those alternatives are in place and the actual workload reduced then and only then should you be redirecting the budget funds from the police police department. Some of the ideas for avoiding crime may require an investment from elsewhere since it may take years rather than months to produce concrete results. I was surprised to see my property taxes going down next year if we need more services now. By the time the first taxes are due, vaccinations should be widely available . You will be sabatoging the possibility for change by eroding community support if you Reduce the police department budget too early.

The council currently has an adversarial relationship with the police chief because you are pursuing a win-lose strategy. It is the city residents who will lose. We have a well-respected police chief who department serves your respect and cooperation.

Both the Public Safety Department and the Police Department should report to either the Police Chief or to the Mayor. The immediacy of this work with city-wide coordination require a single management voice. (11 council members cannot do that) There has to be strong collaboration between the police and the public safety functions which the current management reporting status cannot supply. The council would still have significant control since budget and goals are still in your hands.

I have lived in this ward since 1977. I have never felt a need to contact the council on any issue until this year. I am worried for my safety for the first time in all those years.

Sent from my iPad From: Tom Jorgenson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Council Comment Subject: re newsletter and providing safety for all Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:41:05 PM

Hello Councilmember Schroeder,

Thank you as always for your responsiveness to feedback and openness to creative ways of thinking about public safety.

Best, Tom Jorgenson 5214 Bloominton Ave From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Max Miller Cc: Sirdar, Deebaa; Bourgerie, Zoe J; Council Comment Subject: RE: 2021 Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 4:16:27 PM

Dear Mr. Miller, Thank you for this input. Best, Andrea

From: Max Miller Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:33 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: 2021 Budget

Hello Councilmember Jenkins,

The whole world is watching. Do the right thing.

Thank You, Max 847.858.2446

-- Max Miller (They/Them) [email protected] From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Andrea Thone Cc: Bourgerie, Zoe J; Sirdar, Deebaa; Council Comment Subject: RE: 2021 Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:52:25 AM

Hello Andrea, Thank you for this input, I do support the Safety for All proposal, Please stay healthy and safe, Best, Andrea

From: Andrea Thone Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:11 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: 2021 Budget

Hello Vice President Jenkins,

I'm writing to ask you to support the People's Budget or at a minimum the Safety for All Budget. Violence is up across the country because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. Violence is up because we have failed to support our neighbors. Before the pandemic Minneapolis already had one of the biggest income inequality gaps in the nation. We already had one of the biggest education gaps in the country. True safety happens when people’s basic needs are met. We need to fund our community. City budgets reflect values. There is only so much money. Let’s value affordable housing, community health resources, education, alternatives to the police, and livable wages. Let's make Minneapolis safe for everyone.

Thank you for your time, Andrea Thone From: RYAN MURPHY To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: Don"t be pressured to boost MPD Budget Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 6:54:46 AM

Mr. Schroeder, I urge you to support the amendment being proposed this week to further redistribute police funds to other areas and even ultimately reduce police force size, which should be fine given the plan also aims to redistribute police needs to other departments so police can focus on their core competency (if they have one other than keeping the poor down for decades).

Are you aware of which amendment I am referring to?

Its mentioned in this article: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/council-members- propose-more-cuts-to-minneapolis-police-and-long-term-reduction-in-officers/89-64bf6ea1- c762-4f4c-912f-2974ce528c6a

Apparently it is being put forth by Council President Lisa Bender, Ward Three Council Member Steve Fletcher and Ward Four Council Member Phillipe Cunningham, which will take the form of an amendment during 2021 budget negotiations.

I ask what your involvement has been on these matters. Where do you stand on this? Your previous response to me was reassuring, but how far are you willing to go and have you made any commitments previously in your post or career that would hold you back from making changes for the good, despite how "radical" they may appear?

Thanks. I support you, if you support these measures and more.

Also, let's push for a cancellation of Bus / lightsail Fairs for the next 6 months. I bet it wouldn't take that much public or private support to accomplish that.

Have a nice week. We will be watching. Ryan Murphy 952-949-2430

On Mon, Nov 23, 2020, 11:20 AM Schroeder, Jeremy wrote:

Dear Ryan,

First off, my apologies for the delay in responding to your email. I don’t check my campaign email as often and this is my official work account. Please use it in the future and I’ll get back to you quicker.

Thanks for writing in your support. I agree there is a lot more MPD can be doing to be transparent about their budget. Every other department in the City is held to the standard of providing this information to justify their budget and MPD should provide this information. Additionally, with the numerous lawsuit payouts, MPD needs to show how they are addressing through their budget the history of misconduct.

And thanks for being engaged on giving feedback. There is a city survey out right now asking residents what they want their public safety system to look like and you can find it on the City’s community safety website: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/community-safety/

Kind regards,

Jeremy Schroeder

Council Member, Ward 11

City of Minneapolis – City Council

350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415

Office: (612) 673-2211

Cell: (952) 923-6691 [email protected] he/him/his

Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here.

From: Jeremy Schroeder Sent: Monday, November 16, 2020 4:10 PM To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Fwd: Don't be pressured to boost MPD Budget

------Forwarded message ------From: RYAN MURPHY Date: Tue, Nov 10, 2020 at 8:14 PM Subject: Don't be pressured to boost MPD Budget To:

Hello Councilperson Schroeder,

South Minneapolis resident Ryan Murphy here.

I just wanted to convey my wife and I's opinion that the MPD has plenty of money to work with. If it's not enough, they're using it unwisely. All the classic arguments. And I don't want the city council to be pressured by a vocal minority you hear about on NextDoor that report every break-in and loud noise and linking to every Star Tribune article they read about how crime is out of control. I, for one, don't think the data points to crime being out of control and especially not beyond what you'd expect given the economic turmoil many are facing.

For one example of $$ spent unwisely,

Our home was broken into maybe 2 years ago and when we came home the crooks were gone, we called the police to report it and an hour or 2 later 2 MPD with their squad car arrived to process the scene. I don't think 2 MPD officers needed to come fill out paperwork, given that we'd told the dispatcher on the phone that there was no more threat on the scene. Send one person in a $30,000 smart car with a pen and paper and maybe a laptop ($2,000 worth of gear perhaps) instead of 2 MPD in a $100,000 key fully loaded police cruiser with $5,000 worth of gear on their person between the gun, taser, cuffs, pepper spray, body cams, radio, bullet proof vests, etc etc. There's lots of budget cutting that can be done first, before allowing anyone to say the budget is not adequate.

And about that uptick in crime in 2020,

Yes, there's been a 22% uptick in "violent crime" since this time last year, according to data linked to below. Well did you know there was a 13% uptick from 2018 to 2019 and you can't attribute that to staff shortages and budget cuts. Sometimes the numbers are just random. And hasn't anyone observed the other elephant in the room that was always going to lead to an uptick in crime? The unemployment that has been taking place is significant. https://mn.gov/deed/data/data- tools/current-employment-statistics/ I'd suggest sliding the low end date range up to maybe 2016 to block out stuff that's too old. See the major drops in employment due to covid (or our nation's lack of taking care of people/companies hit by it and its effects)? We're the only developed nation to see a tripling of unemployment, by the way. Look at the "Leisure and Hospitality" sector specifically on that graph. Looks like in the Twin Cities there was a MASSIVE 55% reduction in jobs over a 4 month period. It did gain back some but is still 25% lower than it was at its height. You can't discredit that as a reason for some increase in crime. So what do we do about it? Of course crime is bad. But is the answer to send in more troops with billy clubs, handcuffs, and... guns? People are struggling and too many loud people in their homes can look no further than arresting them to quite them down? I'm not even saying we don't need more cops (though I do not think we do)... But what I'm saying if we spend even $1 more on more cops, we had better be spending some similar portions of $$ on other things to help people. One idea, however small, is to temporarily make all Buses and Public Transit free of charge. The price for bus fare is probably already a somewhat small portion of the total cost so let's just go the rest of the way with it. What other ideas would you have to help people with the assumption that in the long run, helping people will lower crime numbers? What's being done right now? Please think about it. People who spend 10X or infinitely more effort complaining about crime than complaining about the societal causes of crime need to spend less time worrying about the belongings in their garage for a minute and a few minutes more worrying about the people most affected and how they may not even have a garage with belongings, let alone retirement savings... let alone $400 to fix a broken car so they can get to work if they're fortunate enough to still be employed (at a low paying job I might add). We need sympathy and empathy and effort to help people right now. Not just effort on arresting more people. I just wanted you to also hear the other side, in case you're only hearing it from loud people who want to see more cops and quicker response times (which don't do anything anyways).

Please feel free to call me or include me in some survey or information request anytime. I'm a Minneapolis home owner and business owner, and maybe someday a fellow city councilperson... who knows. ;)

Thanks, Ryan Murphy

952-949-2430 From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Erin Christensen Cc: Bourgerie, Zoe J; Sirdar, Deebaa; Council Comment Subject: RE: Hearing tonight Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:59:42 PM

Hello Erin- Thank you for this input I am certainly incorporating all viewpoints as I make these difficult decisions. Best, Andrea

-----Original Message----- From: Erin Christensen Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:46 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Hearing tonight

I cannot participate in tonight’s hearing on the city budget, but I would like to strongly urge you to adopt a stronger plan to cut money from the MPD. I believe that the plan Reclaim the Block has created, The People’s Budget, should be adopted, or the budget should be moving in that direction. We must do more urgently and radically. Reforming the MPD has not worked, we must redirect money now.

Thank you, Erin Christensen Ward 5 From: Steve Hufendick To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: I live in your ward - Don’t disband MPD Date: Friday, November 27, 2020 11:02:33 PM

Hopefully you are aware of the Armed carjacking this morning in Tangletown as well as several Violent in-person stolen vehicle reports over the last few days in The neighborhood.

We need an increase in the budget for traditional policing. you can focus all you want to on George Floyd’s death but, while you are busy stroking your conscience, the Good people of this town are under assault.

Be Careful what and who you prioritize. You might not be left with enough Good people to pay the taxes.

Steve Hufendick Tangletown

> On Jun 8, 2020, at 1:23 PM, Schroeder, Jeremy wrote: > ,Dear Steve < > > Thanks for writing in with your concerns and while there is no vote or proposal currently in front of City Council, hopefully this will give a better idea of my position. Mr. Floyd’s brutal murder represents the latest in a too-long list of reasons to build something different and better. To your point, I do believe there will be a need to protect residents in the case of violence and I believe there is a place for focused and accountable law enforcement in this city. We know the MPD is not meeting that standard. Our community cannot survive under the current system, and we need change now. > > The transformation of our public safety system will take time, and this process is only beginning. It will be informed by community members across our great city, including in Ward 11. I look forward to ample public engagement, reflection, and planning. I hope the many, many Ward 11 neighbors who have contacted me about public safety in recent weeks stay engaged over the long haul. > > As we pursue changes and going forward, it is critical that the needs of our community are met. All of our neighbors must be cared for and safe. Here are a few steps we could take in the near term, which I’ve begun to discuss with my colleagues: > > • Shifting public safety funding from Minneapolis Police to violence prevention and community-based programs > • Completing the study I included as part of last year’s budget process to determine roles/job duties that can be transferred out of the Minneapolis Police Department to other parts of the City, then following through on making those changes > • Exploring in earnest the options to contract with other jurisdictions like Hennepin County to provide for public safety > • Fighting to unwind state law that prevents Minneapolis from imposing a residency requirement for police officers (Many people suggest this as a reform, but the City is currently prohibited by State Law) > • Fighting to undo state laws that limit civilian oversight of law enforcement, especially by prohibiting these civilian agencies imposing discipline on officers (This also is a good reform people suggest, but again, it simply is not possible under State law, as well as under the current police contract.) > • Pursuing the creation of and significant investment in a new City department to respond to community issues/conflicts and to provide help without force, totally separate from the Minneapolis Police Department > • Ending the City’s relationship with the Minneapolis Police Federation > > This is not a complete list, and I remain openminded as we consider the best path forward. What I do know is that incremental change has failed us so far. It is now time for full transformation. We simply must do better. > > Kind regards, > > Jeremy Schroeder > Council Member, Ward 11 > > City of Minneapolis – City Council > 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 > Minneapolis, MN 55415 > > Office: (612) 673-2211 > Cell: (952) 923-6691 > [email protected] > he/him/his > > Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Steve Hufendick > Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2020 11:25 PM > To: Schroeder, Jeremy > Subject: I live in your ward - Don’t disband MPD > > I am extremely troubled by Mpls city council member comments concerning disbanding the MPD (in light of Floyd death / protests). Citizens will continue to need protection from violent persons and a community-based “new model” of ‘gentle‘ policing puts citizens at risk. (Think of the multitudes of black-on-black shootings (which no one seems to want to discuss), assaults downtown, assaults of vulnerables on public transport, home break-ins, and the list In Mpls goes on.) While we can all be dumbfounded and angry about MPD’s role in Floyd’s death and seek to improve MPD performance in such areas, good heavens, don’t throw the baby out with bath water. We are only as safe as policing makes possible. Lots of good MPD people doing good work. > > Steve Hufendick > Tangletown From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Michelle Greene Cc: Bourgerie, Zoe J; Sirdar, Deebaa; Council Comment Subject: RE: I support police reform Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:08:27 AM

Good Morning Michelle- I will insure that your input is included in the public record. I support the Safety For All proposal that I believe addresses may of the concerns you identified. Best, Andrea

From: Michelle Greene Sent: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:58 AM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: I support police reform

Dear Council Member Jenkins, Thank you for your service in Ward 8. I am a resident in this Ward and would like to express my concern about the uptick in crime in this area. I believe it is closely tied with the blocked area at 38th and Chicago. I live at 40th and 11th Avenue and feel the tension in this neighborhood on a daily basis. I would like for there to be an official Memorial honoring the life and murder of George Floyd and the movement it inspired, however I believe that intersection needs to be opened so that citizens may move about freely.

I support police reform, I do not want the police resources to be redirected away from protecting citizens. However, I do believe that we need a better approach to keeping our community safe with trained Mental Health Providers to help with incidents involving mental illness, domestic violence, and homelessness. I am unable to attend the budget meetings, but I would like my opinion to be noted for the record as a citizen of this Ward. Thank you, Michelle Greene

From: Reich, Kevin A. To: Jamey Erickson Cc: Council Comment Subject: RE: MPD Budget Comment Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:19:14 AM

Hello,

Thank you for your detailed input on the 2021 City budget, it’s much appreciated. I am cc’ing [email protected] for inclusion in the public record.

Regards, Kevin

Kevin Reich l Council Member l City of Minneapolis – Ward One l Office: 612-673-2201 l [email protected] Sign up HERE to receive Ward One newsletters and updates

From: Jamey Erickson Sent: Thursday, December 3, 2020 10:13 AM To: Reich, Kevin A. Subject: MPD Budget Comment

Good morning Councilmember Reich, I’m doing my best to keep up, but caring for small children doesn’t provide me the opportunity to publicly testify at the hearings, or attend many forums, so I’d like to provide my formal comment to the record.

I full support the People’s Budget that has been presented. Our current system is failing. It has been for decades, yet somehow we continue to shove more money at it, thinking it’ll magically fix the problem. It has not and will not.

The time has come to change course. To invest in real resources that lift our community, not a police force who aim to keep our community under their thumb. We must divert these funds away from the MPD to provide true intervention methods, crime prevention teams, community support, mental crisis support teams, affordable housing and more. Again, throwing more money at the MPD will not reduce crime and it will not keep our neighbors safe.

We cannot let this moment pass us by. We can’t use procedure and bureaucracy as a tool to pretend like there was nothing we could have done, or that the machine is too big for any one of us to change it. The People’s Budget will start us down that path. It is change, yes. Change can be scary. But the continued murder of our neighbors at the hands of the MPD, and the complete lack of any accountability for those recurring actions, is a far scarier future than the one we must courageously seek.

We do NOT need more police. We for NOT need more money for police. We MUST divert these funds to the people, places and tools the People’s Budget outlines.

Thank you.

-- Jamey Erickson [email protected]

From: Adam Wolf To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: On the topic of the MPD, from 47th and Lyndale Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 7:35:07 PM

Hi!

The Safety for All budget looks like a great first step to fixing our issues... thanks!

Adam

On Mon, Jun 8, 2020 at 10:51 AM Schroeder, Jeremy wrote: > > Dear Adam, > > I very much appreciate your note. While there is no immediate proposal in front of the Council that would lay out the specifics, hopefully this will help clarify where I am and the deep level of change I will be looking for in both the upcoming budget and police contract negotiations. I am fully committed to disinvesting in the MPD as it exists today and rebuilding a public safety system that is designed to serve the public with compassion and respect – with enough guardrails to prevent another tragedy like George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police. > > What I and the City Council are doing to reform MPD is three things 1) looking at what can be done within the City and doing them immediately, such as removing the requirement that events are staffed by MPD, 2) working with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, such as what can be done about the police contract and finally 3) working with our state elected officials on removing the laws of pre-emption that currently exist. > > Kind regards, > > Jeremy Schroeder > Council Member, Ward 11 > > City of Minneapolis – City Council > 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 > Minneapolis, MN 55415 > > Office: (612) 673-2211 > Cell: (952) 923-6691 > [email protected] > he/him/his > > Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Adam Wolf > Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2020 8:31 PM > To: Schroeder, Jeremy > Subject: On the topic of the MPD, from 47th and Lyndale > > Hi Jeremy, > > I love to see that you have an Electrical Engineering degree. I am a founder of a small business that creates and sells DIY electronics kits (little microcontrollery things that you solder together) for kids and adults, but this is not why I am mailing you. > > I live here in south Minneapolis, at 47th and Lyndale. I live with my wife and my two sons, 5 YO and 3 YO. We've lately been spending our mornings cleaning up after the police and other uniformed officers who have been assaulting protestors and journalists throughout our city. > > I am writing to you to urge you to take the most radical, large steps you possibly can to completely dismantle the existing police department and replace it with something completely different. > > I am typically a person who calls for slight adjustments to make even large changes, but I am not typically involved in matters of great injustice. Please do not be timid here. > > More training, slight defunding, removing a figurehead or two, requiring police officers to live in the city... none of these are sufficient. These things need to happen, but they are not sufficient. > The bad apples have spoiled the bunch. If literal bad apples killed a fraction of the people the police do, we would have national apple reform--and the police are party to more forms of injustice than "just" killing people. > > I expect you will hear time and time again that grand changes are not possible. Please ignore them. We do so many things today that were completely impossible or extremely difficult in the past. We can be better. > > Thank you for your time. > > Adam Wolf From: Jenkins, Andrea To: Julie Swanson Cc: Bourgerie, Zoe J; Sirdar, Deebaa; Council Comment Subject: RE: Please listen Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:39:18 PM

Hi Julie, Thank you for this input, I take your concerns very seriously. Best, Andrea

From: Julie Swanson Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:38 PM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Re: Please listen

Following this? https://www.facebook.com/groups/uptowncrime/?ref=share

From: Julie Swanson Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:35:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Please listen

Hi. I can’t attend the online session tonight but please hear my plea for more police to address crime.

We need MORE officers to arrest (& incarcerate/jail vs. plea bargaining and staying execution) the increasing numbers of violent criminals who are breaking laws and putting our citizens and neighbors in danger — robbery, burglary, car jacking, assault, vandalism, etc.

We also need to use the existing resources to get social services for those who need it.

First — address crime.

We can’t live in an unsafe city — these violent times where criminals own the streets and neighborhoods are untenable. From: Carly Melin To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: Public safety Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 11:51:55 AM

Jeremy,

Please support the Mayor’s budget. Thank you.

Carly Melin

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 16, 2020, at 8:53 AM, Schroeder, Jeremy wrote:

Dear Carly,

Thanks for writing in and that is terrible about the attempted burglary. I’m glad everyone is ok. During the ongoing budget process, I will be investing funding in proven programs to reduce crime within our balanced budget. I agree with your point that more police isn’t the only solution and know that I am concerned that we have enough officers to focus on reducing crime. Unfortunately, the Mayor and Chief’s proposal didn’t address any of these points. When asked directly, the Chief could not explain how these additional officers would be used to reduce crime, let alone how the funding would address the car jackings and robberies that we have been seeing, nor could he explain how the historically high budget of over $180 million for MPD had been spent to address the crime we have been seeing for months. Additional, both agencies who were supposed to provide officers hadn’t been consulted. Hennepin County isn’t sure if they can lend officers to MPD and Metro Transit said it wouldn’t be able to provide officers: https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-city-council- narrowly-oks-plan-to-bring-in-outside-police/573066922/

We, along with other cities in the nation, are under extreme financial stress due to COVID-19 and every small business, homeowner, renter, senior, resident of the City will very likely need more aid in the upcoming months and that money would come out of the contingency/emergency fund. I’m not opposed to hiring outside officers while MPD does the work to address its multiple issues, but spending half a million dollars out of the contingency/emergency fund without a plan, or strategy, or any accountability is irresponsible.

That all said, the proposal was approved. My hope is that my questions will lead to a more comprehensive program and I will continue to work with the Chief to make this City safer.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Schroeder Council Member, Ward 11

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415

Office: (612) 673-2211 Cell: (952) 923-6691 [email protected] he/him/his

Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here.

From: Carly Melin Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2020 4:14 PM To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: Public safety

Hi Jeremy-

I hope you're well. Since we last spoke, our family faced an attempted burglary during the early morning hours. On Friday, October 9 I woke up slightly before 5 am to two individuals outside my bedroom window trying to get in. We immediately jumped out of bed and they ran away. After we made sure the house was secure, we called law enforcement and they arrived about 5 minutes later. They had sent another squad to the block next to us because unfortunately the men that didn't get into our house did get into the house across the alley from us. The homeowner confronted them and they fled back through the window they came in through. That family has a 3 year old child.

I never thought I'd wake up to two people trying to get into my bedroom window. The pandemic is stressful enough especially on families with young children. We don't need the added stress of worrying about criminals entering our homes.

More police isn't the only solution to the increased crime in the City, and it certainly won't solve the whole problem, but it should be part of the solution. I respectfully ask that at the full Council meeting tomorrow you vote to approve additional resources to contract with Hennepin County and Metro Transit.

I appreciate your consideration.

Carly Melin 4816 15th Ave. S Minneapolis, MN 55417

On Fri, Sep 18, 2020 at 4:18 PM Schroeder, Jeremy wrote:

Dear Carly,

Thanks for writing in and one important starting point is that City Council only has a vote over MPD's budget. The Mayor and the Mayor alone has sole oversight over MPD under the City Charter. My questions for MPD, which are questions I've heard from many constituents and business owners, concern how the MPD budget of over $180 million (which was their budget just a few years ago) to address the uptick in crime this summer. Those questions are not about blaming MPD, it is about answering residents questions about what their tax dollars are being used on.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Schroeder Council Member, Ward 11

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415

Office: (612) 673-2211 Cell: (952) 923-6691 [email protected] he/him/his

Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here.

-----Original Message----- From: Carly Melin Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 4:10 PM To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Public safety

Hi Jeremy-

Since we last spoke, our vehicles have been broken into twice and our garage was broken into in the middle of the night, while we were home. Thousands of dollars worth of bikes and tools were taken. They came into our yard to access our garage.

I now wake up in the middle of the night every night to make sure our home is secure. I don’t let my kids sleep with their window open even though they are on the second floor. Our next door neighbor who has lived here since 1979 said this is the first time she’s felt unsafe. Our neighborhood meeting two weeks ago was focused solely on public safety and the lack thereof in our neighborhood.

I read your latest newsletter, ad I’ve read all of them, and you’ve placed the sole responsibility on the police department. As our elected city councilor, I’d like to hear what you’re doing to make neighborhoods safe for families again?

Carly Melin 4816 15th Ave S Minneapolis

Sent from my iPad From: Jenkins, Andrea To: jim saliba Cc: Bourgerie, Zoe J; Sirdar, Deebaa; Council Comment Subject: RE: Safety for All & the 2021 Police Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:32:48 AM

Thank you for this input Jim, I do support the Safety For All proposal. Best, Andrea

From: jim saliba Sent: Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:28 AM To: Jenkins, Andrea Subject: Safety for All & the 2021 Police Budget

Dear Councilmember Jenkins,

I am a White/Arab homeowner in my fifties living in Seward. Like many of the speakers at your budget hearings, I am often afraid walking in my neighborhood, especially during these pandemic times. Several years ago our car was stolen from right outside our house. The police did nothing to address the theft of our car. I know that more police will not make me feel any safer on my walks.

I am also the father of a Black son. I have had to talk with him about things I should not have to since he was five: how to interact with police so that he can survive.

Police have been enacting "reforms" for decades. None of those "reforms" prevented the murder of George Floyd. None of those "reforms" have allowed my child to grow up without my having to constantly remind him how to act to reduce the chances he will be murdered by the police.

This year the charter commission blocked your amendment from the ballot partially because you already have budget authority over the police. This is your opportunity to use that authority.

I urge you to support the People's Budget to truly increase safety for all communities in Minneapolis.

At the bare minimum, I call on you to support points 1 and 2 of the Safety for All Budget Plan, with the addition of ensuring that the plan's Mental Health Crisis Response teams are sufficiently staffed to provide rapid-response, citywide, 7/24.

I have had to call for mental health crisis help - to the county service. I was told that there would be a six hour wait. I know that if this service is not sufficiently funded to respond rapidly, it will not succeed. People will not receive the help they need. People in mental health crisis will be faced with police, who are trained to wield violence, not trained mental health professionals.

Even if you are not moved by the harm people experiencing mental health crises continue to suffer at the hands of the police, you must admit that using police as emergency responders to mental health crises is inappropriate, unfair to the officers themselves, and fiscally imprudent.

Supporting the People's Budget would set our city on a new, more just path that would truly increase safety for all.

Supporting the Safety for All Budget Plan is the very least you can do to increase real safety in our city.

Thank you for your time and for your support, jim saliba From: james robin To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: RE: Ward 11 Contact Form Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 7:22:21 AM

Council Member Schroeder I do not want the budget reduced for the Minneapolis Police. I do want you, as one of the “influencers” of the police budget, to support meaningful change in how the police operate. Thank you, James Robin 5715 Longfellow Ave

From: Schroeder, Jeremy Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 6:35 PM To: james robin Subject: RE: Ward 11 Contact Form

Dear James,

Thanks for writing in with your concerns and giving me the chance to elaborate on my reasoning. There are three major barriers to making the meaningfun reforms you mention: 1. State law (ex. Residency requirements, arbitration) 2. the current police union contract (discipline and management of officers) and 3. the City Charter (requirements for specifically trained officers and only oversight by the Mayor). On each of these barriers, the City has advocated for changes in State law for years. Second, as long as there is a Minneapolis Police Department, their officers will be represented by the Police Federation, its president Bob Kroll and the police union contract. Other cities in the United States have dismantled their police departments and immediately created a new department in which the new departments are able to re-interview every officer and enact new policies. Finally, changes to oversight and different types of 911 response are either prohibited or extremely difficult under the current Charter. The first thing to do is to make sure changes can happen. That is why the Council is suggesting the City Charter be amended. Simply being able to make changes is not the same thing as the change itself. The Charter change makes changes possible (assuming it gets on the ballot and assuming it passes), but further action, based on community input, will be needed.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Schroeder Council Member, Ward 11

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415

Office: (612) 673-2211 Cell: (952) 923-6691 [email protected] he/him/his

Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here.

From: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 5:11 AM To: Weinmann, Karlee ; Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Contact Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * James Robin Email * [email protected] Phone (612) 309-3946 Phone Type Address 5715 longfellow ave s City minneapolis State MN Zip 55417 Question/Comment * I don not want the police department defunded. I expect you to support meaningful reforms for police department policy and laws that govern police behavior and misbehavior. Thank you.

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk.

From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:21:50 PM

The Police Chief doesn't support this proposal, along with the majority of frightened citizens who are being hunted by feral youth. The credibility of the council is extremely low, based on past decisions and communications. You need to decide whether you have a political future, and stand on the right side of police support, Which means stepping back from any reduction is the MPD. Find the money for these ideas somewhere else.

Laura Murray

-----Original Message----- From: Schroeder, Jeremy To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, Dec 2, 2020 10:44 am Subject: RE: Ward 11 Online Contact

Dear Laura,

What I am hearing consistently from constituents is that MPD needs drastic changes to prevent the misconduct, loss of life and lawsuits we have seen and at the same time we need to address crime now. The proposal to cut 4.4% from MPD’s budget is to move money from MPD into other departments that are currently doing similar work in public safety and to fund programs to address non-emergency calls which will free up officers to answer emergency calls. The proposal does not cut officers, but in fact keeps the additional recruiting class of new officers. You make a good point about needing officers in the short term, but only proposal for that in the Mayor’s budget is the recruit classes. The recruit classes will make sure we have new officers in the future, but it takes over a year to get a new recruit on the street and best option is to focus our officers on solving and responding to violent crime by having other non-law enforcement personnel respond to non-emergency calls. The City has been piloting and studying this approach for years but has never funded these programs enough to have a City-wide reach. When faced with these realities, this proposal is the best and most pragmatic compromise.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Schroeder Council Member, Ward 11

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415

Office: (612) 673-2211 Cell: (952) 923-6691 [email protected] he/him/his

Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here.

From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2020 2:49 PM To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact

Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder

Changes since 11/29/20 2:46 PM

2 rows added

2 rows added or updated (shown in yellow)

Created First Name Last Name Question/Comment Email Phone Phone Type Address City State Zip Code

11/29/20 2:46 PM Laura Murray I was horrified to learn of the recent "Safety for all Budget [email protected] 612-825-1209 Home 5021 15th Ave S Minneapolis MN 55417 Plan" to remove nearly 8 million more dollars from the police budget at a time when carjackings, assaults and thefts continue to escalate throughout the city. Even more concerning is the news that juveniles who commit carjackings are caught and quickly released, only to repeat the cycle...this must stop! The timing of this new proposal brought forth by Bender, Fletcher and Cunningham is suspicious and disrespectful to all those who have worked on these budgets in recent weeks, including the public. The content does not appear to have been coordinated with those who need to actually make these recommendations work. There is a real difference between conceptual ideas and actual implementation,. The plan is not well thought out with specific 9 roles/responsibilities/ timelines/measurements....which means no quick action. Why did it take 6 months after Floyd's death to come up this, and where is the buy-in from those who would implement? Did anyone with actual credentials in law enforcement have input to the plan....how about the Police Chief? We have a crisis and need immediate support to the Police department, who have the necessary skills and are already making steps toward reform. A judicial system that allows violent juvenile offenders to go free must also be changed for the protection of us all. The council seems completely unmoved those of us who want law enforcement and pragmatic, common sense leadership. Fund the Mayor's budget and put energy and resources into immediate solutions. If the city continues to decline, there will be no funds for transformational efforts,

11/29/20 2:46 PM Laura Murray I was horrified to learn of the recent "Safety for all Budget [email protected] 612-825-1209 Home 5021 15th Ave S Minneapolis MN 55417 Plan" to remove nearly 8 million more dollars from the police budget at a time when carjackings, assaults and thefts continue to escalate throughout the city. Even more concerning is the news that juveniles who commit carjackings are caught and quickly released, only to repeat the cycle...this must stop! The timing of this new proposal brought forth by Bender, Fletcher and Cunningham is suspicious and disrespectful to all those who have worked on these budgets in recent weeks, including the public. The content does not appear to have been coordinated with those who need to actually make these recommendations work. There is a real difference between conceptual ideas and actual implementation,. The plan is not well thought out with specific 10 roles/responsibilities/ timelines/measurements....which means no quick action. Why did it take 6 months after Floyd's death to come up this, and where is the buy-in from those who would implement? Did anyone with actual credentials in law enforcement have input to the plan....how about the Police Chief? We have a crisis and need immediate support to the Police department, who have the necessary skills and are already making steps toward reform. A judicial system that allows violent juvenile offenders to go free must also be changed for the protection of us all. The council seems completely unmoved those of us who want law enforcement and pragmatic, common sense leadership. Fund the Mayor's budget and put energy and resources into immediate solutions. If the city continues to decline, there will be no funds for transformational efforts,

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‑‒‐–—‒‒‒‒‑‒–—–‒‒‑‒–— From: Keith Mishler To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Re: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:00:55 PM

Jeremy,

Thanks for responding back to me and sharing this helpful and enlightening information. It makes sense the way you explain it. I listened in on the City Council calls last night. There are some very strong and divided opinions on this. I think a lot of people don’t understand what is being proposed, including myself. Thanks for sharing.

Keith

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 3, 2020, at 8:29 AM, Schroeder, Jeremy wrote:

Dear Keith,

What I am hearing consistently from constituents is that MPD needs drastic changes to prevent the misconduct, loss of life and lawsuits we have seen and at the same time we need to address crime now. The proposal to cut 4.4% from MPD’s budget is to move money from MPD into other departments that are currently doing similar work in public safety and to fund programs to address non-emergency calls which will free up officers to answer emergency calls. The proposal does not cut officers, but in fact keeps the additional recruiting class of new officers. The recruit classes will make sure we have new officers in the future, but it takes over a year to get a new recruit on the street and best option is to focus our officers on solving and responding to violent crime by having other non-law enforcement personnel respond to non-emergency calls. The City has been piloting and studying this approach for years but has never funded these programs enough to have a City-wide reach. When faced with these realities, this proposal is the best compromise.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Schroeder Council Member, Ward 11

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 S. Fifth St. -- Room 307 Minneapolis, MN 55415

Office: (612) 673-2211 Cell: (952) 923-6691 [email protected] he/him/his

Subscribe to the Ward 11 email newsletter here.

From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:36 AM To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact

<~WRD000.jpg>

<~WRD000.jpg>Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Changes since 12/1/20 11:33 AM

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Last Name Mishler

Question/Comment I am very concerned about the police budget cuts proposed. With rising crime - violent crime, burglaries and carjackings, I don’t see how reducing our police force will improve things. Rather, I feel this will only make things worse. Please explain the rationale for this proposal. I am a long time resident very frustrated and worried about this. Thanks, Keith Mishler

Email [email protected]

Phone 962-463-6760

Phone Type Cell

Address 5801 11th Ave S

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55417 Changes made by [email protected]

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From: Ben Nuthals To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: RE: We don"t feel safe here. Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:32:14 PM

Jeremy, I second everything shared below. Our Nokomis community that we have loved for the past 7 years is nothing what it used to be. I used to walk around Lake Nokomis well into the evening. Now, I won’t walk around the lake past 9pm. I can tell from my past 7 years of living in the Nokomis area and my additional 15 years of living in Minneapolis that I am not alone on this. I haven’t seen the trails and parks so desolate after 7-8 PM. Our local businesses feel that putting up signs stating “no cash in the register,” or leaving their place of business boarded up with plywood will help protect them. Doesn’t that clearly show us that businesses are trying to plead with the criminals instead of relying on our local government to protect and serve? It’s not COVID that keeps me up at night worrying about our family's future, it’s the daily occurrence of armed robberies, muggings, assaults, and shots fired. I see these every day on the Citizen App, Ring, and our local news and that has me very concerned for my family and community’s future. Ben

From: Abbie Nuthals Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:15 PM To: [email protected] Subject: We don't feel safe here.

Jeremy,

I am writing to ask that you truly reflect on the safety of our beloved Minneapolis this week.

Car jackings up 537%? Shootings and homicides up 64%? This is not okay. This is becoming a city that people do not feel safe living in.

A dear colleague and neighbor recently had her car stolen from her near Minnehaha Falls. This incident was during the day and she had 3 kids in tow. This brazen violation of personal safety is unfortunately becoming commonplace here. Our city is defenseless.

I believe that Black Lives Matter. I believe there are racial equity issues rooted into the MPD. Those absolutely need to be resolved. Defunding is not the answer. Let's get a real plan to reform rather than take away $8 million annually from the only department that can bring safety back to the communities we love so much.

Please vote NO on the budget plan put forth by Lisa Bender, Phillipe Cunningham, and Steve Fletcher that would reduce the MPD budget by $8 million.

With deep concerns from this Ward 11 citizen. Abbie Nuthals

From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Recent City Violence Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 6:38:38 PM

Dear Councilmember Schroeder:

I have been alarmed at the recent rise in violent carjacking throughout our city. In several cases, groups of youth were involved. These assaults have been bold and brazened often involving both physical and mental harm to its victims. When youth do not have safe, meaningful opportunities to engage their time – often studies show they can resort to criminal behavior of opportunity. I understand the present Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in limited opportunities of meaningful engaged with youth, but I also know that our city has not fully funded youth after-school activities in years. City funding for youth after-school programs has remained stagnant for years falling from over a million dollars a year to barely $300,000.00 annually. While I do not favor defunding the police, I do encourage our City Council to expand funding for youth after-school activities. Dollars invested in safe, meaningful youth activities will directly reduce violent attacks across the city.

Given these times of increased violence, when considering where dollars are needed to be invested – please include more funds for after school youth activities.

Sincerely,

Dennis

Dennis J. Alexander

Shady Maple Hill 5356 30th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55417-2017 612-722-3001 [email protected] LinkedIn.com

From: Patsy Lillehei To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Representation Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 2:57:14 PM

As a resident of your ward, I want to express myself. I have lived in this ward since 1964 and in the same house for over 52 years. I am concerned that law abiding residents are not being represented. I did not participate in the marching of people in the streets. Yes, I would be curious as to the number of residents in your ward that marched in the streets in the year 2020. Do those marchers represent your ward? Who are you listening to as you represent Ward 11? Ward 11 has been a strong community. Currently citizens in Ward 11 are wary. I have never had a garage large enough to hold my cars, so our cars sit on the street. I am up more than once during the night checking north, south, east and west windows. Yes, my neighbor saw a limping man at my kitchen. On being discovered the limping man got into a car waiting in front of our neighbors house. Our neighbor followed him until he encountered the police. Police said they were looking for a limping man also. I was sleeping so our neighbor informed me the next morning. That neighbor of over 20:years sold his house, closed and moved away today. I have been fortunate to have good neighbors. Now I am afraid I will lose the responsible, caring neighbors in Ward 11. Making DEFUND THE POLICE headlines, current council leaders have been ENABLERS of criminals. People who have MESSED UP THEIR LIVES seem to be supported to continue making bad decisions rather than supported with guidance to improve their lives. The credit rating of our city appears to be declining substantially. Will our parks continue with their “first in the nation” award? Neighborhood Families were staying away this year. As decisions are made, consider immediate and long range outcomes.

Best wishes, Pat LIllehei

Sent from my iPad From: Suzanne Herrick To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; [email protected]; Ellison, Jeremiah; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Cc: Frey, Jacob Subject: Right to Safety - Pleading for a Fully Funded MPD in 2021 Budget Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 1:39:32 PM

Dear Minneapolis City Council Members,

This is a call, rather this is me BEGGING this Council to fully fund the Minneapolis Police Department in the city’s 2021 budget, hiring and properly training officers. Everywhere a human being sets foot in Minneapolis, they have a right to be safe. In order to be a vibrant community, we must provide for basic rights so that people can focus on what makes this community great. Businesses that decide to bring opportunities to our communities, providing goods and services, have a right not to be burned, looted or their customers and employees assaulted or robbed. Safety must not be a perception, it must be reality. Sadly, for the people of Minneapolis, safety is elusive and our rights are being denied through the actions of city leadership.

It’s time to stand up to the criminals who are punching 60-year-olds in the parking lot of Kowalskis on Hennepin, the older gentleman who owns the antique store on the corner who was beaten and robbed, my neighbor who in her garage was attacked by 6 kids stealing her purse and attempting to take her car, the man living in Groveland Terrace apartments who was beaten and kicked to the ground on the sidewalk, then robbed and his car stolen. This list of crimes is growing and the criminals are getting more brazen.

We need to fund MPD to set it up for success, hiring and properly training officers At present time, the Council has no clear solution to cease this criminal violence. We need police. In fact, we need police who have the heart of service and who feel supported to grow, change and serve our community – rather than alienated, bullied and unsupported by those in office. How can we expect Chief Arradondo to be successful in leading a department if we cripple the team and limit necessary resources? How can we set this city up for success of we remove basic services and do nothing to quell the violence? The answer is we cannot.

Violence has exploded in every corner of Minneapolis. The recent statistics prove it. No one is unaffected. Research shows that violence affects those most in underserved communities. An unfunded police department will only exacerbate this effect.

Violence impacts everyone’s daily lives as it shrinks our worlds even further, especially during this time of a pandemic. We live in fear. No longer do we feel safe even in our garages, at intersections, parking lots or walking. The streets of downtown are abandoned by workers at 6 pm. On my block alone, we’ve had 6 assaults over the past few months – four carjackings in a three week period. We know this from police reports, reports on NextDoor, Citizen and social media. We know this from talking with neighbors who have been assaulted. We know this from media reports. We’re becoming a an abandoned shell as people consciously decide to stay away from the city or leave.

At the end of the day, it’s not the current lack of police I hold accountable for the sharp increase in crime and violence, it’s the leadership and decision makers who are standing by and allowing our police force to dwindle and ignoring the real crimes that are taking place hourly. Yes, we need to solve the root of crime. And yes, we need to enforce the laws. Please, listen to reason and fully fund MPD before this city is a complete, lawless loss.

Respectfully,

Suzanne Herrick 612-247-3079 Minneapolis From: jim saliba To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Safety for All & the 2021 Police Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:31:23 AM

Dear Councilmember Schroeder,

I am also the father of a Black son. I have had to talk with him about things I should not have to since he was five: how to interact with police so that he can survive.

This year the charter commission blocked your amendment from the ballot partially because you already have budget authority over the police. This is your opportunity to use that authority.

I urge you to support the People's Budget to truly increase safety for all communities in Minneapolis.

Supporting the People's Budget would set our city on a new, more just path that would truly increase safety for all.

Supporting the Safety for All Budget Plan is the very least you can do to increase real safety in our city.

Thank you for your time and for your support, jim saliba From: Erin Graney To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Safety for All Amendment Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 9:03:19 AM

Hi Councilman Schroeder,

I am writing today to express my support for the People's Budget. Parts 1 and 2 of the Safety for All proposal is just the beginning of transforming public safety in our city.

We need radical transformation that addresses systemic issues like white supremacy, and I believe that comes along with reducing the size, scope and role of our city's police department. These changes may take time as new solutions are created, but I believe it should start now with Parts 1 and 2 of the Safety for All proposal.

Thank you,

Erin Graney Ward 11, Minneapolis From: Stephen Lindley To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Safety for All Budget Proposal Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 9:22:41 AM

Hello,

I hope you had a restful and safe holiday weekend. I hope you were able to get some quality time outside in the beautiful weather.

I have read up on the Safety for All Budget Proposal. It seems like a good step forward and I hope you will support it. It’s not perfect but it appears to be a good compromise and a step in the right direction.

I’m sure you get a lot of crappy emails but I wanted to send you one that you’re doing a great job and I am very happy to have you as my city council person.

Sincerely, Steve Lindley From: Teresa Fisher To: [email protected]; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Bender, Lisa; Ellison, Jeremiah; Reich, Kevin A.; Goodman, Lisa R.; [email protected]; Gordon, Cam A.; Cano, Alondra (External); Palmisano, Linea; Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Safety for All Budget Proposal Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:20:12 PM

Dear Council Members -

You have a hard job, but like the police if you are not cut out for it, you need to get out of the way.

T. Fisher From: Teresa Fisher To: [email protected]; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Bender, Lisa; Ellison, Jeremiah; Reich, Kevin A.; Goodman, Lisa R.; [email protected]; Gordon, Cam A.; Cano, Alondra (External); Palmisano, Linea; Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Safety for All Budget Proposal Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:20:12 PM

Dear Council Members -

You have a hard job, but like the police if you are not cut out for it, you need to get out of the way.

T. Fisher From: Anna Schmitz To: Reich, Kevin A.; Brock, Lisa A; Gordon, Cam A.; Garwood, Robin D.; Fletcher, Steve; Zaffrann, David; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ward 4; Ellison, Jeremiah; Hans, Dani; Osman, Jamal; SanCartier, Ryan J; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Kesti, Dylan; Bender, Lisa; Pennington, D"Ana M.; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Murphy, Suzanne; Palmisano, Linea; Freude, John; Vautrin, Josie B Cc: Frey, Jacob Subject: Safety for All Budget support? Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 12:19:09 PM

Hello Council Members and Policy Aides,

This is Anna from Fair State--I've previously emailed about the small business open letter in support of mobile mental health emergency response teams.

We were so excited to see the launch of the Safety for All Budget proposal last week--wow! It's wonderful to feel like our City Council Members are truly listening to the needs of the community. We'd like to give a sincere thank you to Council Members Bender, Cunningham, and Fletcher for your leadership in proposing full funding for the common sense solution of mental health response teams.

We're really hopeful about this proposal because, from our open letter responses, we know that Council Members Reich, Osman, Schroeder, Johnson, and Palmisano all support the creation of mobile mental health emergency response teams, which of course are a cornerstone of the Safety for All Budget proposal.

We did not receive responses to our prior questions from Council Members Ellison, Jenkins, Cano, and Goodman. However, we are hopeful that after pledging this summer to defund the police, Council Members Ellison, Jenkins, and Cano would be supportive of this small step of shifting police responsibilities to a group of professionals who are better equipped to handle mental health calls. We hope to hear from you!

We already know that Council Members Bender, Cunningham, Fletcher, and Gordon are in support of the Safety for All Budget, but we would love to let our 600+ small business and Minneapolis resident supporters know where each council member stands on the proposal prior to Wednesday's budget hearing.

Please respond directly to this email by 12pm Wednesday (12/2) to let me know the following:

Do you support the Safety for All Budget proposal? If not, will you be bringing forward a different proposal to fully fund mobile mental health emergency response teams?

These responses will be added to the same response tracker Google Doc linked above, so please note that the answers you provide will be shared with the general public unless you specify otherwise.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me directly or call/text at 651- 734-8569.

Thank you, -Anna -- Anna Schmitz she / her / hers Community Manager Fair State Brewing Cooperative fairstate.coop From: Deb Gotziaman To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Screenshot 2020-11-27 at 10.30.43 PM Date: Friday, November 27, 2020 10:37:07 PM Attachments: Screenshot 2020-11-27 at 10.30.43 PM.png

Good evening

This is 2 blocks from Washburn high school at 800 am. The headline this evening is there is a proposal to cut additional funds from the police department. I am asking that you not support any additional cuts.

Please update when you find additional information in this carjacking.

Deb Gotziaman

Sent from my iPhone From: Laurie Schlosser To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Sue Abderholden the Director of NAMI is against the Council"s mental health crisis pilot Date: Monday, November 30, 2020 7:29:50 AM

Council Member Shroeder,

I am psychologist and did mental health crisis work for 12 years. I talked with Sue and NAMI yesterday and Sue Abderholden the head of NAMI(National Alliance on Mental Illness) DOES NOT support the council's new plan to create a whole new mental health response program. She supports fully funding and expanding the existing Hennepin County Mobile crisis program COPE. She wrote letters to all council members with her recommendations, they were not listened to.

She doesn't believe we need a new pilot program when we already know what to do. We already have a 24/7 mental health crisis program through the county and it is underfunded and should be expanded.

The council HAS TO LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS, not a group of restaurant owners that came up with a plan for mental health crisis responses. Setting up system of mental health crisis response is incredibly complex and I in no way trust that the city of Minneapolis can do it better than the county right now. Minneapolis can't even get the streets plowed effectively, they are not ready to take on something like mental health crisis response. The Interrupters were sent out without training and then pulled back of the streets. I know Jamil and he a good guy and should have never been in that position.

I know Sue sent you and the rest of the council this letter of recommendations, can you help me understand why her expertise was not valued or followed? She is THE EXPERT on mental health and mental health system. I am asking as psychologist and your constituent, who knows crisis work to follow Sue Abderholden's recommendations and work with the county to expand the already existing 24/7 mental health crisis response program. Are there CARES Act funds left they could use?

I am looking forward to your response,

Laurie

Laurie Schlosser MA LP Licensed Psychologist NCE Wellness Northside Center for Emotional Wellness LLC 4151 Thomas Ave N, Mpls, MN 55412 612-310-8683 www.northsidecenter.net From: Kim Brown To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Frey, Jacob; Arradondo, Medaria; [email protected]; [email protected]; Neale, Jennifer M; john.m.harrington Subject: Support Mayor Frey"s public safety budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:13:30 AM

Dear Council Member Schroeder,

I’m sure sending this email is a mute point, but with a 193% increase in homicides, 56% increase in robberies and 23 % increase in aggravated assaults in the 3rd precinct alone, 2 to 3 squads per precinct is not enough. While I hear people in the public hearings say they feel totally safe in their neighborhoods, I and many of my neighbors do not. Violent crime is up 42% from last year.

After being car jacked by 4 men in my alley and witnessing a woman get robbed with her 5 year old child in the car, having a 2 car shoot out two houses away from my house with children in the front yard, having police with K-9’s and guns drawn in my yard looking for an armed suspect and watching two neighbors sell their house because it’s too dangerous to raise their children here, I want to stress this is not a “perceived problem.” Not to mention, our car was used in an armed robbery after it was stolen from us. Think about that…a person had a GUN pointed at them for their property. The police CAUGHT this armed suspect after a short chase. Thank you Minneapolis Police Department.

I’m asking you to fully support the Mayor’s public safety portion of the proposed budget. We need proper police staffing for 422,000 residents. We cannot expect Chief Arradondo to continue functioning at this level of crime while down 120 officers, with more to come after the first of the year. It’s imperative the council support the 2021 recruit classes and Community Service Officers knowing that 85-90% of the chief’s budget supports salaries and benefits.

It’s also imperative we support the Office of Violence Prevention, produce smarter ways to address public safety and create healthier policing. I think most residents asking you to support the Mayor’s budget agree. This isn’t an either/or solution.

The Minneapolis City Council is charged with keeping the largest economic driver in the state stable and healthy. The year-to-date crime statistics are horrendous. These statistics aren’t just numbers, they reflect real people and businesses affected by real crime, which deteriorates livability. It deteriorates people’s sense of safety, sending the message that Minneapolis is not a safe place to live, work, visit or run a business. And if people don’t live, work, visit or run businesses here, we have no money to support programs/services/infrustructure.

There is a lot of work to be done over the next year and we have two incredibly talented leaders in Chief Arradondo and Director Cotton. Support and let them work together to create a public safety model that is successful and envied by the nation.

Respectfully,

Kim Brown 4549 17th S.

Mpls, MN 55407 From: Tony Kocanda To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Support for Mayor"s Budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:46:35 PM

I am writing to support the mayor's budget. A false dichotomy is being created by the members of the council and supporters of the people's budget. Money can be pulled from other parts of the budget to fund the initiatives proposed, but reducing the police budget should not be the first priority during a significant rise in crime.

Thanks, Tony Kocanda 11th ward resident From: Sirdar, Deebaa To: Council Comment Cc: Jenkins, Andrea; Bourgerie, Zoe J Subject: support for Safety for All budget amendment Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 6:24:36 PM

From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 8:58 PM To: Sirdar, Deebaa Subject: Ward 8 Online Contact

Contact Ward 8 - Andrea Jenkins

Changes since 12/1/20 8:56 PM

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First Name Wendy

Last Name Farrar

Question/Comment Dear Council Vice President Jenkins, I'm writing to express my support for the proposal before the City Council to establish a response unit that includes an EMT and a mental health worker, sends city staff to take theft and property damage reports, and supports a violence prevention report, among other things. This would free up sworn officers to respond to situations they are specifically trained for and result in better outcomes for everyone. Thank you.

Email [email protected]

Phone 612 270-5990

Phone Type Cell Address 3241 Harriet Ave South

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55408

Changes made by [email protected]

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——‑——‒‒‑‒‑‑‐–——‑—‐‒‒ From: Elona Graff47 To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Support Mpls Police Budget Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:31:49 AM

Dear Minneapolis City Council Member,

My husband and I have lived in our southwest Minneapolis home for the past 43 years. We raised two children, who graduated from Washburn High School. We have three grandchildren who attend Minneapolis Public Schools at this time.

We have always felt safe living in the city, until recently. We were appalled when we heard Lisa Bender suggest that the Minneapolis Police Department should be Defunded, after the George Floyd killing!! We definitely feel that reform in the department regarding violence and racism is necessary, but do not believe that reducing the number of police officers is the answer. We need the police to keep our city safe!

The recent Tangletown carjacking happened blocks from our grandchildren’s home, which is very upsetting! It is shocking that three gun shots were fired into the car with the woman inside! Actually about a month ago, when visiting our son & family in Tangletown, we parked our Prius in front of their house. When leaving their home about 10:00 p.m. that evening, we discovered that someone had stolen our catalytic converter! It cost us about $1,600.00 to have it replaced! We now feel uncomfortable parking it on a Minneapolis streets at night.

Do the right thing, support out Chief of Police’s budget proposal! We need our police!

Sincerely,

Elona Graff From: kristi otterson To: Frey, Jacob; Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Fletcher, Steve; Cunningham, Phillipe M; Ellison, Jeremiah; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Bender, Lisa; Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: Support of Mayor Frey"s Budget & Reject the Alternative Public Safety Programs Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:51:44 PM

Mayor Frey and Minneapolis Council Members: I write to you with a plea to not take money allocated for the Minneapolis Police Department and redirect it into the Alternative Public Safety Programs as it has been proposed. I fully understand we need change and we need to fund, support and revamp our current policing practices, but now is not the time to pull funds from the Mpls Police Department.

As a resident of Near North, a rental property owner in Near North and a rental property owner in Uptown, what is happening in our streets and neighborhoods is insane! It's not 'ok' to for there to be so many homicides, shooting, stabbings, neighbors with bullet holes in their houses, cars shooting at other cars driving down our streets, carjacking, active known drug spots, and not to forget to mention basic moving violations from running 4-way stops, running red lights, speeding cars in bike lanes, etc. Not being able to have basic public safety in every part of Minneapolis is wrong. There needs to be a dual track of public safety and revamping our public services to better serve our communities.

I must also say that I can look out my window, talk to a neighbor or passer by on the street and see so much good! There is a plea for help, please hear us. I'm mad, frustrated, sad, scared and care deeply about our city; please hear us.

Thank you for respectfully hearing my concerns.

Sincerely, Kristi Otterson 1624 Emerson Avenue N From: Arlene Mathison To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: support the People"s Budget Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 8:32:15 AM

Dear Councilmember Schroeder,

No reply needed. Just want to express my support for defunding the MPD (still want to dismantle them and reimagine public safety in Mpls) and the Council's Budget.

Thanks for your excellent work and representation.

Arlene Mathison 4728 15th Ave S Mpls From: ora hokes To: [email protected]; Fletcher, Steve; Bender, Lisa Cc: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Ellison, Jeremiah; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Johnson, Andrew; Cano, Alondra (External); Warsame, Abdi; Schroeder, Jeremy; Palmisano, Linea; Osman, Jamal; Frey, Jacob; Arradondo, Medaria Subject: Testimony - response to proposed 2021 safety for all budget plan Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 2:08:21 AM Attachments: lisabender.docx

Hotep!

Council members Cunningham, Fletcher, and Bender; as a Community Elder, here is my testimony/response to your proposed safety for all budget plan that will be presented on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at the Minneapolis City County Meeting.

I am one of the Minneapolis residents who has not been contacted about your plans.and I do not support any reduction in the MPD budget that will deminish its capacity by reducing it Officers as well as overtime.

Asante.

Minister Dr. Ora Hokes From: Stuart Ackerberg To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: This Afternoon"s Vote Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 10:57:47 AM Attachments: image001.png

Dear Council Member Schroeder;

I am born and raised in Minneapolis and attended late and great Minneapolis West High School (28th and Hennepin) in Uptown.

I am an urban real estate developer and investor. Our firm, The Ackerberg Group, purchases, renovates, and develops commercial property (office, retail, industrial, and apartments).

We have been doing this work for 57 years, with our primary focus being “urban locations”.

We office in the Uptown area of Minneapolis.

I live in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. Most of my team members live in Minneapolis.

We have conducted transactions in almost all of the 13 Wards of Minneapolis.

I created a non-profit to do urban revitalization, called Catalyst Community Partners, which has completed more than a dozen projects in North Minneapolis and still has holdings in that area.

We LOVE the City of Minneapolis and pay millions of dollars in real estate taxes annually. We maintain our assets as first class properties with most having art and other neighborhood amenities associated with them to help create more vibrant communities.

I am in support of Mayor Frey’s Proposed Public Safety Budget for 2021. I recognize the need for significant changes in all public safely delivery and acknowledge that will require significant public engagement and time to implement the needed shifts. I believe the Mayor’s budget is a first start of this much needed transition and change.

I hope you will support this budget as well so that we may start stabilize our community thereby creating a baseline from which new and innovative changes can be made for betterment our great City.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

All the best.

Peace,

Stu Stuart I. Ackerberg | Chief Executive Officer D: 612.924.6400 C: 612.308.3888 [email protected] www.ackerberg.com

From: Melissa Heuchert-Berry To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Osman, Jamal; Goodman, Lisa R.; Jenkins, Andrea; Cano, Alondra (External); Schroeder, Jeremy; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea Subject: Vote No on Proposed Police Budget Cut Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:19:08 PM

Hello,

I am a Whittier resident of Ward 10. I have been following the conversation about policing all summer. Like nearly all residents of this city, I feel that there are many long, overdue changes needed in policing for public safety to work for all and everyone. I also feel that our society needs to work harder to address the needs of our community with mental health problems, as your budget proposes. That said, I do NOT support pulling money from MPD to do so. Even NAMI says they don't approve of this plan. Listen to how NAMI thinks mental health crises should be handled and find a way to put more money into what they propose. Listen to what experts in the fields of social work, mental health and law enforcement are telling you.

We are meeting with a social worker to finalize our adoption home study. In the 5 minutes we met in person to satisfy home study requirements during covid, she made sure to let us know that social workers do not want to be sent into unsafe conditions and that her and her colleagues are not happy about this proposal.

My husband works in the control center at Metro Transit. A part of their job is dispatching the Transit police. You can say that domestic violence calls, wellness checks and mental health issues are not dangerous and therefore, do not require a police officer, but you are wrong. Domestic calls are some of the most dangerous calls officers respond to because of heightened emotions. Wellness checks often result in an officer getting hit or swung at. Are we going to put social workers out there alone? Social workers and therapists should absolutely be a part of the situation, but AFTER the crisis is de-escalated. Last week a woman was attacked on the Lake Street platform by a partner with a hammer. Who should respond to that call? A social worker?

In addition to everything above, my household experienced living with a drug dealing encampment on city land behind our home. We tried your non-policing ways of solving this problem. We went to the Whittier Alliance, we went to Jessica Kawas at the 5th precinct as a civilian crime prevention specialist. These people have no power to do anything. Our only hope was that their names and titles could get emails to Bender's office looked at and answered faster. After Whittier Alliance people came to talk to the men, our situation got worse. We had poop thrown at our garage in retaliation. A man with a knife walked around and threatened everyone on the block. How much more should we have used non-policing and our own means to try to get rid of this situation? These particular men were long-time criminals, as a resident in a city where police are unable to respond because they have more calls than officers, our only option was to back down and allow constant lawlessness behind our property on a block with dozens of children of immigrant and minority status.

Please look at what is happening with crime and propose a realistic, not idealistic budget for the MPD. Please help the residents of this city, we are in a crisis. Vote no on Bender, Cunnigham and Fletcher's budget.

Thanks, Melissa Heuchert-Berry From: Tom Sullivan To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote to the spend money on police-adjacent deescalation team Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:28:40 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you budget funds to a new agency that will work with MPD to remove tasks from their plate. As far as reducing the MPD budget? I’m less concerned about that & more concerned that funds are allocated towards deescalation via mental health professionals. This will serve to reduce violence against innocent citizens.

Tom Sullivan [email protected] 4020 E 52nd St, # 106 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417

From: Tom Sullivan To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote to the spend money on police-adjacent deescalation team Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:28:40 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Tom Sullivan [email protected] 4020 E 52nd St, # 106 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417

From: Melanie Kelly To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on 5% cut to police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:56:39 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m am a 18 year resident of Standish-Ericsson writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Melanie Kelly [email protected] 3612 Longfellow Ave Minneapolis, 전라북도 55407

From: Michelle Van Engen To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on increasing mental health investments Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 4:11:55 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Please vote yes on the people’s budget. I want to see our city invest in evidence-based practices to increase our well-being, health, and safety. This means investing in mental health responses and violence prevention. It also means investing in bike paths, affordable housing and other things that improve our quality of life; and divesting from things that detract from our aspiration for justice and safety. Now is the time to start shifting budget away from reactive police and into proactive strategies.

Michelle Van Engen [email protected] 3635 E 43rd St #315 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55306

From: Laura Gallenberger To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:12:41 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Laura Gallenberger [email protected] 2440 Dupont Ave S Minneapolis, 전라북도 55405

From: Dana Bennis To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:09:45 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Dana Bennis [email protected] 3644 44th Ave s Minneapolis , 전라북도 55406

From: Heather Meix To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 4:09:11 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Hi there. My name is Heather and I live in Ericsson in Minneapolis. I support this cut and so many others do as well. We have to do things differently and I’m 100% convinced nothing changes till we reallocate funds. MPD promised to reform over 10 years ago following the death (murder) of a man who called the police for himself for a welfare check outside the downtown YMCA. Not only did they not reform they got worse. If your constituents are paying attention if you are paying attention amd you are not afraid to do your job then you know it’s time to move the money and not accept these false promises. Thank you.

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Heather Meix [email protected] 4719 30th Ave South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55406

From: Kelsey Waara To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:04:08 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Kelsey Waara [email protected] 4231 45th Ave S Minneapolis, 전라북도 55406

From: Rae Knutson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:11:06 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Rae Knutson [email protected] 3600 Longfellow ave Mpls, Minnesota 55407

From: Jake Mccormick To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 5:17:00 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Jake Mccormick [email protected] 3010 Benjamin St NE Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418

From: Sarah Lagerstedt To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:25:21 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Hello, I’m writing to you today to urge you to please vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

A police-only approach to public safety hasn't worked in making our communities safer. It’s time to invest in mental health responses, violence prevention, and removing report-only calls from MPD’s plate at a minimum.

Sarah Lagerstedt [email protected] 2600 Jefferson St NE Minneapolis , Mn

From: Heidi James To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:28:56 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Good afternoon council member, My name is Heidi James and I live in the seward neighborhood. I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

A police-only approach to public safety has not worked in making our communities safer. It’s time to invest in mental health responses, violence prevention, and removing report-only calls from MPD’s plate at a minimum. The sheer amount of money that has been allocated year after year for the MPD is unconscionable when considering the harm this department has caused, and the number of other areas of funding sorely needing support such as affordable housing and healthcare services.

Thank you, Heidi james

Heidi James [email protected] 2112 27th Ave S Minneapolis, 전라북도 55406 From: Bridget Sweetin-Lilla To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:37:52 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

George Floyd did not have to die in vain. Your city needs you to be brave.

Bridget Sweetin-Lilla [email protected] 3033 27th Ave S, #6171 Minneapolis, 전라북도 55406 From: Brea Atkinson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:39:02 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Brea Atkinson [email protected] 1622 Fillmore Street NE Minneapolis, Rheinland-Pfalz 55413 From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:40:57 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

[email protected] 3236 23rd Ave S Minneapolis, 전라북도 55407 From: Mary Dobish To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:44:01 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Dear Andrew,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

While I recognize that crime is "on the rise" in Minneapolis, I have yet to hear a good explanation for why adding more police officers to the force is going to make any dent whatsoever in that trend. Wouldn't diverting 5% of the budget to mental health, prevention and other community based approaches make more sense?

Do you really think that Frey and Arradondo's approach is going to prevent a car jacking or a shooting?? So many of these crimes are being committed by young, bored, unsupervised kids or by unemployed, adults who have no reason not to commit a crime. Making human service resources available on the street to intervene with these potential crimes seems like a much more sane approach. Just throwing more officers at the situation hasn't worked up until now and I can't see how it's going to remedy the situation moving forward. Clearly, a police-only approach to public safety has not worked in making our communities safer. It’s time to invest in mental health responses, violence prevention, and removing report-only calls from MPD’s plate at a minimum.

Again Andrew, please take the high ground on this issue and resist the urge to follow the rabble. Let's try something that has the potential of having an impact rather than doing the same thing again and expecting a different result.

With Gratitude,

Mary ______Mary Dobish 3522 37th Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55406 612-418-2107

Mary Dobish [email protected] 3522 37th Ave S Minneapolis, 전라북도 55406

From: Kathleen McGee To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:48:00 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Kathleen McGee [email protected] 217 W 34th St Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408-4321

From: Teresa Mock To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:49:21 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Teresa Mock [email protected] 2526 Polk St NE Minneapolis, 전라북도 55418

From: Teresa Mock To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:53:04 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Teresa Mock [email protected] 2526 Polk St NE Minneapolis, 전라북도 55418

From: Jason Koffman To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 1:54:39 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Jason Koffman [email protected] 2518 Fillmore Street NE Minneapolis, 전라북도 55418

From: [email protected] To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:02:01 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

[email protected] 3600 Longfellow Ave Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407

From: Drew Kelly To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:03:52 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Drew Kelly [email protected] 3612 Longfellow Ave Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407

From: Kevin Chavis To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:04:08 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Kevin Chavis [email protected] 15 e Franklin avenue #325 Minneapolis, 전라북도 55404

From: Joanna Olson To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:04:14 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

Hi, my name is Joanna Olson and I live in South Minneapolis at 4145 Standish Avenue. I’m writing to you to urge you to please, please, please vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget. This is the absolute bare minimum we can do at this time.

Until the murder of George Floyd, I never felt like I needed to advocate for public safety. But what happened to George has had a huge impact on my life and how I view our society and norms. We have to do so much better and a 5% cut is one small step in the right direction.

Joanna

P.S. Thank you for being a public servant. I truly value the time, energy, and commitment. Your job is so hard. Sending mental love and support for your health and wellbeing. <3

Joanna Olson [email protected] 4145 Standish Avenue Minneapolis, 전라북도 55407

From: Ben Fribley To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:05:07 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Ben Fribley [email protected] 4145 Standish Ave Minneapolis , 전라북도 55407

From: Adina Burke To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:07:29 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Adina Burke [email protected] 2700 Park Avenue South Minneapolis , 전라북도 55407

From: Henry Newhouse To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:09:27 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Henry Newhouse [email protected] 3943 Bryant Avenue South Minneapolis, 전라북도 55409

From: Jodi Lund To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:17:19 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Jodi Lund [email protected] 2935 Ulysses street ne Minneapolis, 전라북도 55418

From: Amy Kuretsky To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:19:50 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Amy Kuretsky [email protected] 3227 Ulysses St NE Minneapolis, 전라북도 55418

From: Anna Hayek To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:28:13 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Anna Hayek [email protected] 5252 33rd Ave S Minneapolis , Minnesota 55417

From: Ngozi Alston To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:42:30 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Ngozi Alston [email protected] 685 Prospect Ave Apt. 10A Fairview , Biskra 07022

From: Sachiko Graber To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:46:50 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Sachiko Graber [email protected] 3143 28th Ave S. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55406-2372

From: Ashley Bray To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:05:06 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Ashley Bray [email protected] 150 2nd St NE, Unit 112 Minneapolis, Rheinland-Pfalz 55413

From: Anna Bergdall To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:57:51 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Anna Bergdall [email protected] 4116 20th Ave S Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407

From: Nicola Kountoupes To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Vote YES on the 5% cut to the police budget Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:59:34 PM

Jeremy Schroeder,

I’m writing to you to urge you to vote YES on the 5% budget cut to MPD and to vote yes on the people’s budget.

Nicola Kountoupes [email protected] 1906 Quincy St. NE Mpls, 전라북도 55418

From: City e-mail form - Do not reply To: Weinmann, Karlee; Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Contact Form Date: Thursday, November 19, 2020 9:58:36 AM

City of Minneapolis

Name * Rachael Marret Email * [email protected] Phone (612) 354-2259 Phone Type Address 5616 10th Avenue South City Minneapolis State MN Zip 55417 Question/Comment * I support police reform and actually applaud some of the Council’s future public safety vision. But The city’s No. 1 job is to protect and keep us safe. We need both reform and more cops. NO further cuts!

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk. From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020 2:48:45 PM

Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Changes since 11/29/20 2:46 PM

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Created First Name Last Name Question/Comment Email Phone Phone Type Address City State Zip Code

11/29/20 2:46 PM Laura Murray I was horrified to learn of the recent "Safety for all Budget [email protected] 612-825-1209 Home 5021 15th Ave S Minneapolis MN 55417 Plan" to remove nearly 8 million more dollars from the police budget at a time when carjackings, assaults and thefts continue to escalate throughout the city. Even more concerning is the news that juveniles who commit carjackings are caught and quickly released, only to repeat the cycle...this must stop! The timing of this new proposal brought forth by Bender, Fletcher and Cunningham is suspicious and disrespectful to all those who have worked on these budgets in recent weeks, including the public. The content does not appear to have been coordinated with those who need to actually make these recommendations work. There is a real difference between conceptual ideas and actual implementation,. The plan is not well thought out with specific 10 roles/responsibilities/ timelines/measurements....which means no quick action. Why did it take 6 months after Floyd's death to come up this, and where is the buy-in from those who would implement? Did anyone with actual credentials in law enforcement have input to the plan....how about the Police Chief? We have a crisis and need immediate support to the Police department, who have the necessary skills and are already making steps toward reform. A judicial system that allows violent juvenile offenders to go free must also be changed for the protection of us all. The council seems completely unmoved those of us who want law enforcement and pragmatic, common sense leadership. Fund the Mayor's budget and put energy and resources into immediate solutions. If the city continues to decline, there will be no funds for transformational efforts,

Changes made by [email protected]

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to a workflow "Ward 11 Online Contact" (ID# 7934642272659332) on sheet Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Exclude your changes from all notifications | Unsubscribe Powered by Smartsheet Inc. | Privacy Policy | Report Abuse/Spam ‑‒‐–—‒‒‒‒‑‒–—–‒‒‑‒–— From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Weinmann, Karlee Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 8:35:09 AM

Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Changes since 12/2/20 8:33 AM

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Row 22

Created 12/02/20 8:33 AM

First Name Carolyn

Last Name Davidson

Question/Comment Comment on Budget. I request that the city council support the police budget that the Chief and Mayor want to support police. The city council needs to make steps to make the city safe again. I hold the city council responsible for crime we are experiencing due to the grab for 10 seconds of fame your leader made during George Floyd to 'Defund the Police'. I don't care about other pet projects I want to feel safe in my garage, my neighborhood, and Minneapolis. I would leave now if I could.

Email [email protected]

Phone 6128892669

Phone Type Cell

Address 4701 17TH AVE S

City MINNEAPOLIS

State MN

Zip Code 55407-3613

Changes made by [email protected] You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to a workflow "Ward 11 Online Contact" (ID# 7934642272659332) on sheet Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Exclude your changes from all notifications | Unsubscribe Powered by Smartsheet Inc. | Privacy Policy | Report Abuse/Spam ‑—‑‑–‑‑—‑‐‑‑‒‒‒‒‐‐‐‐ From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:50:39 PM

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Row 16

Created 12/01/20 1:48 PM

First Name Linda

Last Name Henning

Question/Comment Jeremy, Several months ago, I contacted you about my concern with the movement to defund the police and your support to revise the city charter. I voiced significant concern that the city would see an increase in crime if a decrease in the number of officers and/or budget. I also indicated strongly that the mayor and police chief should be supported in the work that has been underway for several years and which had resulted in improvements in services as well as improvements in community relations and hiring of officers of color. Unfortunately, all my concerns have come true, and the Tangletiwn neighborhood I have lived in for 45 years is besieged with crime. I no longer feel safe walking outside after the sun goes down - a big change in my sense of personal safety from previous years. Every day, there are reports of thefts, home break-ins, carjacking and brazen holdups of small businesses and their clientele, and Murders. Our beautiful and peaceful neighborhood is barely recognizable as far as my neighbors sense of safety and security. I understand that you are now supporting an $8 million decrease in the police budget, at a time when the city has already lost nearly 100 officers and crime is seeing major increases. This is extremely foolish and puts you constituents in harm’s way. Please vote “no” on the budget decrease and initiate instead a solid process of community engagement the reflects the needs and opinions of your constituents, especially those who are long-time residents who have invested so much in our beloved city.

Email [email protected] Phone (612)-720-3892

Phone Type Cell

Address 135 West 48th Street

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55419

Changes made by [email protected]

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to a workflow "Ward 11 Online Contact" (ID# 7934642272659332) on sheet Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Exclude your changes from all notifications | Unsubscribe Powered by Smartsheet Inc. | Privacy Policy | Report Abuse/Spam —‒‑‐——–‐–‒‒–––‒‐‑‒—‐ From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:01:26 PM

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Row 20

Created 12/01/20 9:59 PM

First Name David

Last Name Ingbar

Question/Comment Dear Council Member Schroeder I am writing to express my grave concern about and very strong opposition to the proposal to cut funding for the Minneapolis Police Department. The crime in Linden Hills, University are and elsewhere in Minneapolis has skyrocketed with regular armed robberies, carjackings and other violent crimes. My family and I are living with much more fear for safety than ever in my 30 years as a Linden Hills resident. The police department can be reformed and supplemented without reducing their ability to respond to threatening emergencies. Please resist this misguided, irrational and dangerous folly.

Email [email protected]

Phone 6127097987

Phone Type

Address 3800 YORK AVE. SOUTH

City MINNEAPOLIS

State MN

Zip Code 55410 Changes made by [email protected]

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to a workflow "Ward 11 Online Contact" (ID# 7934642272659332) on sheet Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Exclude your changes from all notifications | Unsubscribe Powered by Smartsheet Inc. | Privacy Policy | Report Abuse/Spam ‑‐–‐‐‐‑—‒—––——‐—––—– From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:36:32 AM

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Row 13

Created 12/01/20 11:33 AM

First Name Keith

Last Name Mishler

Email [email protected]

Phone 962-463-6760

Phone Type Cell

Address 5801 11th Ave S

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55417

Changes made by [email protected]

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to a workflow "Ward 11 Online Contact" (ID# 7934642272659332) on sheet Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Exclude your changes from all notifications | Unsubscribe Powered by Smartsheet Inc. | Privacy Policy | Report Abuse/Spam ‒‑—‑—‐‐–‐‐‐‑‐–—‒‑‒–‒ From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:57:36 AM

Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Changes since 12/2/20 11:55 AM

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Row 24

Created 12/02/20 11:55 AM

First Name Kevin

Last Name Yellick

Question/Comment I urge you NOT to defund the police. Spend time and effort making actual reforms and getting control on the union but cutting budgets now is a horrible idea.

Email [email protected]

Phone +1 006127999398

Phone Type Cell

Address 5049 12th Ave S.

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55417

Changes made by [email protected]

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From: Grant Johnson via Smartsheet To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Ward 11 Online Contact Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:20:03 PM

Contact Ward 11 - Jeremy Schroeder Changes since 12/3/20 12:17 PM

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Row 25

Created 12/03/20 12:17 PM

First Name Devon

Last Name Palmer

Question/Comment Good Afternoon, Please take all action within your power to make sure we have a functioning Police department. Please vote against the reckless additional $8 million cut to the police budget. Thank you! Devon

Email [email protected]

Phone 6517074494

Phone Type Cell

Address 1609 E 53rd Street

City Minneapolis

State MN

Zip Code 55417

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From: Anne Q. Ulseth To: Schroeder, Jeremy Cc: Council Comment; Frey, Jacob Subject: WARD 11: I support the Safety for All Budget Plan Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:46:22 AM

Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion. -aqu

103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice --- Anne Q. Ulseth 5251 12th Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55417 [email protected] From: Abbie Nuthals To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: We don"t feel safe here. Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:15:39 PM

Jeremy,

I am writing to ask that you truly reflect on the safety of our beloved Minneapolis this week.

Car jackings up 537%? Shootings and homicides up 64%? This is not okay. This is becoming a city that people do not feel safe living in.

Please vote NO on the budget plan put forth by Lisa Bender, Phillipe Cunningham, and Steve Fletcher that would reduce the MPD budget by $8 million.

With deep concerns from this Ward 11 citizen. Abbie Nuthals From: Todd and Lana Huberty To: Council Members Subject: We support funding for the Mpls Police- Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 5:03:17 PM

Thank you for your service to our city!

Please note that we SUPPORT funding the police in Minneapolis. We have lived in South Minneapolis for about 4 years and love the lakes, trails, shops, restaurants, and the community as whole. These were important details that influenced our decision to move here and without proper police support, these assets cease to exist.

Currently our park system is not safe, instead we are fearful of getting attacked and robbed. Restaurants and shops have been broken into, burned, and many are still boarded up to this day. We are sad to see this in our community. In our Windom neighborhood, we have daily car and home break-ins, car jackings, rapes, and other acts of violence. This is not acceptable; we need a greater police presence in our city!

We are asking you ALL to support our police through proper funding. Defunding the police is NOT an option. Instead, let us work together with our police department to provide a safe community.

Thank you for supporting our family and all the others who voted you in to represent us in a safe community, Todd Huberty

From: Courtney Sanders To: Council Members; Frey, Jacob Subject: You have the chance to do something transformative Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 2:50:17 PM

Good Afternoon Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Frey,

Clearly, our city is at a time of much needed reform and transition with regard to policing and public safety.

You have the chance to be leaders, to set the stage for the country, to do something transformative.

I am asking you to act like leaders. Call upon yourself to commit to striving to the highest ideals of this country and holding this city accountable to transform public safety and deliver a plan that is worthy of this moment.

That does not mean making rash or snap judgements or basing decisions on who is the loudest in our community.

I am asking you to lead like individuals who can think critically and integrate information to create an evidence based and clear plan for our city on public safety that includes basing the new plan off of:

1. Actual data on what is going on regarding crime in this city 2. Best practices in police reform and training to ensure that de-escalation tactics are used as much as possible. 3. Use research and experts in the field of violence, public safety, policing to inform your work and implement best practices in community safety, violence prevention and public safety. 4. Include and review citizen and community opinion in your plan as a part of the strategy development 5. Create new practices and laws to hold officers accountable for their actions 6. Recognizing that we need a complete and tiered plan for public safety - all the way from general neighborhood engagement to keep neighborhoods safe and violence reduction programs all the way up to when having the national gaurd in place is necessary and the plans for that. We cant just be myopic about this new plan.

Take information from all of these places and create a full plan based on all of the components. While yes, we have major interest from Citizens on the issues facing our city, we need and expect leaders to integrate information from research, evidence and best practices to create a safety plan that will move our city in the direction that we need to go.

We can ABSOLUTLEY NOT accept the status quo and the murder of George Floyd or of any residents that have died unjustly at the hands of police, that is for sure.

I am asking that as the city moves forward to create a new plan, that you acknowledge there is a NEED and an EXPECTATION THAT OUR LEADERS step up and think critically, create evidence based and best practice plan to effectively address public safety. Once you do this as city leaders, present it to the public for comment and move forward from there to finalize a new plan.

Thanks,

Courtney Sanders

-- Courtney L. Sanders 952-239-8345 From: Karl Ulfers To: Schroeder, Jeremy Subject: Your Pragmatic Leadership Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020 9:19:09 PM

Jeremy,

I wanted to follow-up from our meeting last evening with the rest of the Tangletown neighbors and express gratitude for the time you spent with us and for listening to our concerns and ideas.

As we discussed our neighborhood is strong supporters of advancing police reform and providing greater mental health resources while also ensuring we maintain adequate resourcing to the policing needs of today as outlined by Chief Arrodondo.

After last evening's City Council meeting it was clear that there is great passion and care for the future of the city and it was also clear that there are people who are deeply hurting and looking for retribution. Unfortunately, certain council members such as the Council's President are more focused on fanning the flames of divide for their own political gain than they are on bringing our city together. Their games to create a scripted vocal minority may play well on Twitter and national news headlines but it is not the leadership we need to bring our city together. Although I was disappointed to see this in the scripted groups they brought forward I was equally energized to learn of your leadership today. When I read in the Star Tribune of your proposal to use $5M from the general fund to support our policing needs I felt heard. This is the type of leadership we need and I can promise that if you continue with this approach you will find great support from our ward. I suspect that you will need more support in the upcoming days, weeks and months so please feel free to ask for our perspective and help, we are here for you.

Best regards,

-Karl