September 10th, 2020

To: Mayor Jacob Frey

Kevin Reich, City Council member - Ward 1 , City Council member - Ward 2 Steve Fletcher, City Council member - Ward 3 , City Council member - Ward 4 , City Council member - Ward 5 Lisa Goodman, City Council member - Ward 7 , City Council member - Ward 8 Alondra Cano, City Council member - Ward 9 , City Council member - Ward 10 Jeremy Schroeder, City Council member - Ward 11 Andrew Johnson, City Council member - Ward 12 , City Council member - Ward 13

From: Mr. Gevonee Ford, Executive Director Network for the Development of Children of African Descent (NdCAD)

Ms. Leslie Redmond, President Minneapolis NAACP

Ms. Makeda Zulu-Gillespie, Executive Director Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC)

Re: Community Support of Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner appointment as the Fire Chief of the City of Minneapolis

1 Dear Mayor and City Council Members,

We, representative leaders in the community, are in support of Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner being appointed as the next Fire Chief of the City of Minneapolis. The City of Minneapolis is in a paramount time of change. The high-ranking leadership of the City must rise to the occasion to address this pivotal moment of demands for social justice, safety & security, and equity & diversity.

The City has committed to long-term, sustainable actions that address these issues. This feels slow and has been cumbersome, but lasting change is just that. The Fire Chief position holds critical standing in the City to assist in its overall strategy of addressing these issues. We believe you need a person that is keenly involved in the community, respectful and knowledgeable of its diverse citizens and clear on the issues that impact the most disenfranchised in the City. We also need a person qualified to lead the Fire Department’s administration, fire prevention efforts, firefighting and emergency medical responses. As the community’s trust and confidence increases in the City’s leadership and staff, so does our public safety. We believe Assistant Chief Tyner is the person. He has proven leadership, connection to community, education, skills and experiences. In other words, AC Tyner has our confidence.

Bryan Tyner, is a Minnesota native and was born in St. Paul. He moved to north Minneapolis at the age of one where he was raised. Tyner as a community member has not only lived in Minneapolis for 37 years, he served the community in many ways. One way he has served the community has been through the Minneapolis African American Professional Firefighters Association (MAAPFA). They have met in our various institutions to conduct business, managed food giveaways during Indigenous Peoples Day, given books to children in various neighborhoods inspiring literacy development and hosted many recruitment gatherings to encourage residents from Minneapolis to join the Fire Department.

In Tyner’s past and current roles, he has been visible in our community. He has been seen not only in City Hall, but around the community and on television serving as an example for all, but especially serving as a great role model for young Black boys and young men. We have noticed more diversity in the ranks of the Fire Department in recent years, this hasn’t always been the case. Tyner has put vision into action with the MFD EMS Pathways Academy helping create ways to help the Fire Department become more diverse within its ranks. We also have seen the Fire Department’s hiring practices change for the better by removing unnecessary barriers that prevented qualified diverse candidates from being hired. We know that this work and impact didn’t happen until the promotion of then Battalion Chief Tyner to the Assistant Fire Chief position. We are proud and approve of Tyner’s work in the Department and in the community.

2 AC Tyner understands the critical embedded institutional issues such as the social construct of race and its impact on institutional racism. As Fire Chief, Tyner will continue the City’s goal addressing the Fire Department’s internal organizational culture and climate to ensure a respectful and productive work environment. He is committed and has a proven record in dismantling bad practices and implementing new just practices in the Department. Tyner has the technical and conceptual skills to champion internal and external changes in a paramilitary organization that is increasingly becoming more diverse. AC Tyner is a bridge builder, team player and effective leader when it comes to solving problems or seizing a productive opportunity like eliminating unnecessary barriers. Tyner has been and will continue to be an asset for the City and our community.

As a community, we have a high regard for the Fire Department. The City has an obvious appointee in AC Bryan Tyner. Not to utilize Tyner’s leadership skills and insights for the Department would be a serious loss and a failed opportunity to make leaps and bounds forward at this critical juncture for all of us. Again, we request you to seriously consider hiring Bryan Tyner as the City’s next Fire Chief. The gains you have made with him so far should not be put in jeopardy. We have momentum. Thank you for your consideration of this most important hiring decision.

Cordially,

Mr. Gevonee Ford, Executive Director Network for the Development of Children of African Descent

Ms. Leslie Redmond, President Minneapolis NAACP

Ms. Makeda Zulu-Gillespie, Executive Director Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC)

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