In 2017, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized then-Mayor Betsy Hodges for what he called a “massive uptick in violent crime, specifically shootings” and poor police-community relations. He wanted voters to know that
To be fair to Hodges, Minneapolis’s homicide rate has nearly tripled since Frey took over. Shootings and carjackings have also exploded. In 2021, 650 residents were shot and residents reported 640 carjackings. And at least 54 have been shot so far this year, compared with 31 in the same span in 2021.
Police-community relations under Frey are seemingly worse than ever. After two years of Frey leading the MPD, Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, businesses burned, and Frey allowed protesters to sack the Third Precinct. Since then, around 300 police officers have left, including the widely respected Chief Medaria Arradondo. Our remaining officers are stretched too thin. The MPD lacks the manpower needed to solve crimes and serve justice.
These facts warrant Frey’s removal. Still, it was not surprising he was reelected. He claimed he learned a lot from his first term and was backed by endorsements, press, big money, and a barrage of campaign material.
While the voters have spoken, we need to establish a baseline of accountability because we cannot stand another four years like Frey’s first term and the direction we are headed is not good. Our city’s future hinges on a need for bold, transparent leadership.
Last week, an MPD officer killed 22-year-old Amir Locke in a no-knock warrant early morning raid. Bodycam video shows police using a key to enter an apartment and rushing in with flashlights and guns pointed, yelling commands over one another. Seconds later, an officer kicks the back of a couch and a young man under a blanket starts to rise. He is holding a gun and he is shot three times before getting fully upright. Mr. Locke was not a target of the warrant. He had a license to carry a gun.
Locke’s death is an enormous tragedy for his family, this city, and the good men and women of the MPD.
This is just the latest incident calling into question Frey’s effectiveness as the MPD’s top boss. If you were surprised by the fact that the MPD conducted a no-knock warrant, you are not alone. Frey proclaimed to voters that he banned the use of no-knock warrants. His reelection campaign website even touted the supposed ban as one of his “top achievements.” It has come to light since Locke’s death, however, that the . Frey clearly has some explaining to do. Subsequently, the statement about banning no-knock warrants has been removed from Frey’s website.
Last week, news broke that Frey’s hand-picked interim chief (and promoted other officers with checkered pasts to other positions). It seems unbelievably ironic that the same mayor who in 2020 declared that Minnesota law should be changed to prohibit fired cops from being reinstated to any position in the force would allow the promotion of a once-fired cop to lead all police training with no explanation.
Meantime, Frey’s star is on the rise. Vogue magazine is the latest publication to feature him. A resident’s quote seemingly sums up the article’s crux. “It’s just a really impossible situation.”
I strongly disagree with that general sentiment. But mounting evidence indicates it might be true under this mayor.
Clint Conner is a Minneapolis resident, husband, father to three girls, caretaker for a dog and two cats, lawyer, and former mayoral candidate.
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