MINNEAPOLIS — A plan to temporarily move south Minneapolis' Third Precinct officers to a shared building downtown is heading to the mayor and staff for review.
At Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting, Council President Andrea Jenkins explained her legislative directive to "co-locate" the Third and First Precincts in the Century Plaza building, which is located across from the Convention Center and an Interstate 35W onramp.
Feedback is expected by Sept. 5.
If the full council approves, the First Precinct would move next summer, followed by the Third Precinct at the end of next year.
In the meantime, the Office of Public Service, Finance & Property Services, DeYoung Consulting and "support from Neighborhood & Community Relations and Office of Community Safety," are sharing the results of a community engagement survey over a possible permanent place for the Third Precinct.
According to page 23 of the report, "Out of the respondents who selected a location, 66% (1,591) of respondents selected the current site (3000 Minnehaha Avenue). The newly proposed site (2600 Minnehaha Avenue) was selected by 34% (821) of the respondents."
However, consultants emphasized in Tuesday's presentation that many people reported they don't want a precinct in the neighborhood at all. They say many neighbors want a more nuanced set of options rather than the two options they were given.
"Some believe that they should not even be close to the current neighborhood where so many people have been traumatized," said senior consultant Dr. Ayodeji Oyebola, of DeYoung Consulting Services.
Oyebola says top community requests include police reform and a "truth and reconciliation process" before site decisions are made.
"They feel that a building is the last thing that needs to happen," he said.
Jenkins said she introduced a truth and reconciliation process in 2020 and said funds were reallocated to the "I am My Ancestors Wildest Dreams" project.
Funding for truth and reconciliation could cost $550,000 and would come from unspent police funds from 2022. Further discussion is expected at next Tuesday's budget meeting.
The committee of the whole also passed a resolution supporting the issuance of a Request for Proposals for non-law enforcement development of the city-owned land at 2600 Minnehaha Ave. S.
All of this comes three years after the Third Precinct was burned and damaged during the unrest following George Floyd's murder in 2020. Officers have operated out of various locations since then.
Over the last few months, conversations around public safety have gained steam with the Minnesota Department of Human Resources settlement agreement in April, the Department of Justice report in June and the Harvard University-backed Safe & Thriving Communities report in July.
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