Minneapolis city leaders approve plan to retain violence interrupters in Cedar Riverside

The Minneapolis City Council voted to reallocate about $640,000 of public safety funds to violence interruption services in the Cedar Riverside and Elliot Park neighborhoods, after coverage in those areas was not included in the latest round of contracts brought forth by the Neighborhood Safety Department.

Funding from previous allocations for community safety center pilots will be used to pay for the contract, which could cover the areas that stretch from the edge of downtown to the West Bank of the University of Minnesota campus.

The council approved five contracts that had already been negotiated. A sixth contract — with a nonprofit led by a controversial pastor who directed threats at council members — was withdrawn earlier this month. The council also passed a resolution asking the administration to look for another organization to take the place of the contract that was withdrawn and that would cover parts of the city’s north side.

“I'll be coming soon with a way to figure out for 35th and Penn to get funded. It was not in those zones, but it needs to be covered,” said council member Latrisha Vetaw, who represents part of the city’s north side. “So thank you for giving me the blueprint on how to get that done. It’s coming to a dais near you, really soon.”

Ward 6 council member Jamal Osman, who represents Cedar Riverside and Elliot Park, had been critical of the administration's decision not to include these neighborhoods in the latest round of contracts.

“This program has consistently demonstrated its value, playing a crucial role in reducing violence, de-escalating conflicts and fostering trust within our community,” wrote Osman in a newsletter to constituents. “By choosing to eliminate these services, the administration is not only disregarding the evidence of their success but also abandoning the very community that has benefited from their presence.” 

At a council committee meeting last week, Neighborhood Safety Deputy Director Lea Lakes told Osman and other members of the council that the city selected eight areas to receive violence interrupter services based on five years of crime data.

“And does that mean this specific region we’re talking about — the West Bank, Cedar Riverside area — is it showing there’s less violence and that we don’t need the program,” asked Osman.

“It indicates that it is not in the top eight areas of violence,” replied Lakes. 

Violence interrupters first came to the area in 2021 and according to officials with the Elliot Park Neighborhood, served until the contract ended in October of 2024. Osman added that the reduction in crime in his ward is a testament to the effectiveness of the program and said it doesn’t make sense to eliminate something that’s already working.

Some Ward 6 residents agree with Osman’s assessment.

Zeynab Abukar has lived in the Cedar Riverside area for the past two decades.

“When I heard about the cut, I was so stressed,” she said. “I was like, do I have to go back to, like, 20 years ago. Do we have to go back to violence?”

The proposal drew spirited debate among council members and was forwarded to Thursday’s meeting without recommendation. A few council members pointed to the lack of some violence prevention services in their wards and called for a more equitable way to cover communities in need. 

“Some of us represent wards that aren’t as privileged or don’t have as much wealth compared to other places in our city, and should be having more equitable resources into our neighborhoods to address the disparities institutional racism, the impact that violence has in some of our neighborhoods,” said council member Jason Chavez, who represents neighborhoods in the south central and south east areas of the city.

“And that needs to be considered in this process."

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