Minneapolis city leaders still at odds over future of abandoned police station
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Minneapolis city leaders remain at odds over the future of the former 3rd Precinct building that was burned more than four years ago in the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd by a police officer.
The building has remained vacant since then. In a heated meeting Tuesday, council members discussed the city's plans for a centralized elections and voter services facility and 8,000 square feet of community space.
City officials at the meeting presented the results of community surveys showing strong support for the election services facility. One survey found that 70 percent of 3rd Precinct residents approve of the election services proposal. That was a three-fold margin over those who opposed the plan.
However, some council members raised concerns residents were not adequately engaged throughout the process.
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“You’re talking about a ward that has a lot of undocumented immigrants and refugees who can't even vote, some who will never be able to vote… who is a democracy center for and who is it leaving out?” said council member Jason Chavez.
Chavez opposed the plan, which includes space for a warehouse. He co-authored a resolution, which the council committee passed 8-5, expressing opposition to the addition of a warehouse at the site.
“Let's just think of the sound of that,” Chavez said. “Because of the pain and trauma of experiencing your beautiful community burned to the ground, because you got left abandoned by the city that did not care about you to begin with, you're getting a warehouse.”
Minneapolis City Clerk Casey Carl said the warehouse space is a necessary part of the voter services facility. It will be used as storage for ballots, for voting machines and as space for election staff training. He said a centralized, permanent election and voter services site has been long overdue — and the proposed spot would hit multiple marks, serving an area with low voter turnout and with easy access to public transportation.
“The elections and voter services division is operating out of multiple unconnected spaces, we’re confronting significant operational challenges, and we're doing so in an increasingly polarized political environment where trust in election processes is at stake,” Carl said.
But beyond the future use of that space, council member Aurin Chowdhury questioned why it has taken so long to address the exterior of the building, which is surrounded by concrete barriers and razor wire.
“It just is the perfect metaphor about how we care about this community to leave up metal that we wouldn't even let our own workers touch,” she said. “This current status quo of blight for four years is exhausting, and that image and that picture of what our neighborhoods look like, that matters, and that has been under prioritized.”
Chowdhury added that the building has been a campaign stop for GOP politicians who “manipulate the trauma of our city for political gain.” On Monday, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance appeared outside the building and held it up as an example of “failed” leadership by Gov. Tim Walz.
City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher said interior work is underway, including fixing up elevator shafts and windows, but smoke abatement issues have delayed progress to the outside.
Responding to questions on the razor wire, Kelliher said the city does not use the material and she would seek more information into how and why it was placed there.
The city’s next steps for the future of the 3rd Precinct include finding an architect for the design, she said, and requesting and choosing a proposal on the provider for the community space, which will likely include social services. Those steps will have space for additional input, she added.
Mayor Jacob Frey spoke toward the end of the meeting, expressing a strong desire for the city to move forward in its plans.
“From a good governance standpoint, this makes sense. From a good city policy stance, this makes sense, and I do think there’s quite a bit of room to do both the work of the city, the service that we need to provide, and also the work of directly engaging community members around what they want to see with that very significant portion of space,” Frey said. “Let’s lock arms and move forward.”
The council’s resolution opposing the warehouse has no binding power to prevent the city from proceeding. However, as funds are sought for the building’s construction, it will ultimately be up to the council to give its approval.