Activists work behind the scenes at City Hall to influence the future of public safety in Minneapolis
Activists work behind the scenes at City Hall to influence the future of public safety in Minneapolis More than 2,000 pages of e-mails provide a window into the extent to which outside groups are seeking to influence policing proposals. June 26, 2021 3:53pm Text size Copy shortlink:
The first Minneapolis election campaign since the death of George Floyd is dominated by questions over the future of public safety in the city. Activists on both sides of the debate are working behind the scenes to influence the message and the policy coming out of City Hall.
Minnesota Reformer
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo coordinated closely with a group called Operation Safety Now, which was created by a PR consultant, to sway public opinion and the City Council against budget cuts to the Minneapolis police department. The office of Mayor Jacob Frey, seen here in the background, also worked with Operation Safety Now. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.
Bill Rodriguez was the first speaker at the first public hearing on cutting funding to the Minneapolis Police Department. “We need both: the police and reform,” Rodriguez said at a City Council meeting in November.
Variations on that phrase “we need both” were repeated throughout the hearing. It is the signature talking point of Operation Safety Now, the pro-police group Rodriguez founded.
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