Dear Neighbors:
These have been tremendously challenging times for our community, our city and our nation. Respect for the rule of law is seemingly at an all-time low. We have witnessed high levels of violent crime, including carjackings, armed robberies, burglaries and murders. This is unacceptable and the City must use all of its resources to address this issue. We know and understand that there are a variety of factors contributing to this current crisis – from the lack of affordable housing, opioid addiction, the over saturation of automatic guns in our communities to the very real staffing shortages in the law enforcement ranks. However, this is not the time for excuses but time to take action. I have been working with public safety officials to come up with strategies and solutions to address the many concerns we are hearing. To that end, I will be hosting a community safety meeting for the 38th and Chicago area next week, Thursday August 25th at 6:00 p.m. in the Phelps Recreational Center Gym, 701 E. 39th St. I have invited and confirmed the attendance of Interim Police Chief Huffman, Public Safety Commissioner Dr. Cedric Alexander, 3rd Precinct Inspector Gomez.
In the meantime, 3rd Precinct Inspector Gomez has committed to extra patrols in the area of 38th and Chicago. Governor Walz has committed to extending State Patrol resources for Minneapolis, and the FBI has been involved in addressing the proliferation of guns in our community. I know these are challenging times. I extend my apologies to the victims of violent and property crimes in our communities and vow to stay on top of this issue until we see some visible, effective and positive change.
Andrea Jenkins