In Minneapolis, public safety is...

In Minneapolis, public safety is...

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The Moment

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In Minneapolis, we want our city to be a place where feeling safe is for everyone — because safety is worth fighting for.

We saw this first hand when our city took action to demand justice after the murder of George Floyd.

Although each of us played a unique role in that effort, representing different communities with different paths to justice, we stood united in our belief that something was wrong with policing in our city.

We demanded change then, and we’re still fighting for safety now. Because one year later, something is still wrong with policing in Minneapolis. We still need to change policing in our city. The fact is, we can’t expect police to address every challenge and meet every need. It’s unrealistic, expensive, and doesn’t work.

One thing is certain: What we’re doing now isn’t working. It isn’t working for Black and Brown communities facing police violence. It isn’t working for families concerned about crime, or for the folks who don’t consider the place they call home safe.

Whether we’re white, Black or Brown, rich or poor, tenth generation or newcomer, we must demand safety in our wards and in our city.

Minneapolis, we’ve been through one hell of a year. Now, we’re coming together to demand justice by highlighting a comprehensive approach to public safety, away from the kind of policing that hurts our communities.

The Mission

We all deserve safety and peace of mind.

Everyone — no matter our race, age or income — deserves to feel safe in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. We all deserve the right to move freely through our city without fear.

Thanks to incompetent city leadership, safety hasn’t been the reality for all of us. For decades, Minneapolis has relied on MPD to respond to every crisis, everywhere. The result? The current “police only” safety model has led to mistrust, fears about crime, and demands for reform because it fails to acknowledge and appropriately respond to the challenges our communities face.

Action

Minneapolis needs solutions for public safety beyond policing that give all of us peace of mind.

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We deserve someone we can call when we need help.

Everyone should have someone they can trust to call for help when they need it. The fact is, at least 46% of 911 calls in Minneapolis are for quality-of-life and other incidents such as mental health services, health and EMT emergencies, and fire services. First responders are more than just police — and most emergencies aren’t solved by an MPD officer with a badge and a gun.

Action

To increase safety in our city, Minneapolis needs more options for public safety. We need more alternative first responders who can show up quickly when we call 911, resolve the situation appropriately, and take action to prevent the situation from happening again.

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When we need help, we deserve the right response at the right time.

Everyone deserves an appropriate response when they need help. The people who respond to crises and show up during emergencies should be the people who are best-equipped to deal with those situations. We need to ensure that people who need help are connected with public services that can actually help their unique situation rather than escalate it.

Options should include: Mental health responders, group violence interrupters, substance abuse and gun violence prevention specialists, and trained first responders who employ a proven public health approach to improve safety.

Action

To increase safety in our city, Minneapolis needs more options for public safety. We need more alternative first responders who we can rely on during emergencies, who will arrive in time to get us the appropriate help we need when we need it.

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We deserve a comprehensive approach to public safety.

Minneapolis is a diverse city with unique challenges and needs, and everyone in our city deserves to feel safe and free from fear. The current “one-size-fits-all” approach to public safety isn’t working — and an untrained, armed police officer showing up after the fact usually isn’t the solution for the problems we face.

We need community-based mental health professionals, violence interrupters, and other social services that are better equipped to keep us safe and prevent crime from happening in the first place.

Action

To increase safety in our city, Minneapolis needs more options for public safety. We need to fund proven public safety resources that will address the root causes of violence and make our city safer by preventing crimes before they happen.

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We deserve a solution that works.

Every Minneapolis resident should have a say in our city’s future — but we can’t create safety by throwing more money at MPD. Some have suggested a “both/and” approach, promoting the misconception that public safety reform will only succeed if the way MPD operates now is protected and MPD’s budget is expanded. Minneapolitans don’t agree.

The fact is, 9 in 10 Minneapolis voters believe MPD needs to be reformed, and a majority of people don’t have confidence in MPD to discipline or terminate officers who engage in brutality and deadly force.1

Giving more money to a police department that needs reform and lacks public trust won’t make Minneapolis safer.

Action

To increase safety in our city, Minneapolis needs more options for public safety: We need to create a new model of public safety based on proven models that already work in Minneapolis. Waiting for MPD to reform itself hasn’t worked. We need action.

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  1. Source: Global Strategy Group poll of 550 registered Minneapolis voters commissioned by Color of Change and conducted in June 2021.

Videos

Heroes of Minneapolis

Minneapolis community members share what “hero” means to them, and what keeps our communities & families safe.

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Difficult Conversations

Join the conversation: Watch as two strangers discuss the challenges Minneapolis faces and the steps we can take to redefine and expand public safety in our city.

Difficult Conversations

When it comes to safety, we all have different stories to tell and unique perspectives to share. The first step to building a safer Minneapolis is having difficult conversations about public safety, policing, and our lived realities.

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Block Party

On August 1st, community members in Minneapolis came together for a Block Party to share what safety is to them. Minneapolis stands united for #SafetyNotFear: 9 in 10 Minneapolis voters believe Minneapolis Police Department needs to be reformed.

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Updates

Safety Not Fear Pop-Up Space + Gallery Launch 10/22

Join Color Of Change in Minneapolis for our "Safety Not Fear" Pop-up Launch on Friday, Oct. 22 from 6:30PM – 10PM. Address available upon RSVP.

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Take Action Now

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Prioritizing policing over public safety is a choice we don’t need to keep making — and attempts to divide us won’t win.

We all agree: We need police and public safety reform, and we the people should lead this effort — not the corrupt Police Officers Federation or incompetent city leaders who have failed to implement meaningful reform. We demand a better way. We demand safety, not fear.

We need to come together and talk about what public safety can look like in Minneapolis. Then, we need to put in the work to make our shared vision real.

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