jacob frey

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Is Publicly Shamed After He Refuses to Commit to Defunding Police

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Recommended Videos

It’s easy to forget that the people we elected to public office do, in fact, work for us. Especially when some of them behave like entitled, pre-ordained monarchs. But they’re not: we pay their salaries, we support their campaigns, and we in turn demand that they make good on those promises. And if they fail to do what we elected them to do, a functioning democracy allows us to call them out on their failures and eventually vote them out of office.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has found himself in just such a position ever since the police murdered George Floyd, kicking off an international wave of protests against police brutality. Frey was quick to condemn the murder and declare that Black Lives Matter, in an unequivocal response to police brutality. The 38 year old civil rights lawyer was elected in 2018 in part on a platform of police reform.

But we’ve heard politicians call for police reform before. And Black people keep getting murdered by the police. This has led to call to defund police forces, which take up an obscenely over-sized amount of city budgets across the country.

Yesterday, Minneapolis advocacy group Black Visions led a protest march that ended at Frey’s house. When Frey came out to address the protesters, he was asked on the spot whether or not he would commit to defunding the Minneapolis police force. Frey said, “I have been coming to grips with my own responsibility, my own failure in this,” but when pressured to give a yes or response he said, “I do not support the full abolition of the Police Department.”

Immediately, the crowd began booing the mayor and chanting “shame!” and “Go home Jacob, go home!” as he walked away from the protest. It’s an unbelievably powerful video to watch:

Later, Frey stated that he supported “massive structural reform” to the city’s police force. He added, “If you’re asking whether I’m willing to do everything I possibly can throughout the rest of my term to make sure that the police union, the police contract, the arbitration system, and some of these policies that have resulted in problems for specifically Black and brown people and murder over series of generations, I’m all for that … I’m not for abolishing the entire police department, I will be honest about that.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar also spoke at the protest where she said, “The Minneapolis Police Department is rotten to the root and so when we dismantle it, we get rid of that cancer and we allow for something beautiful to rise.”

The video is a stark and powerful reminder that we can and should demand more from our leaders. And if they fail to rise to the challenge, then they will be held accountable. The time for lip service is over. The people demand action, not platitudes.

Meanwhile, City Council member Steve Fletcher tweeted the following:

(via Star Tribune, image: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.