Minneapolis city officials say razor wire, concrete barriers and fencing will be removed from around the former Third Precinct police station – which was set ablaze by protesters after George Floyd’s police killing – in the next three weeks. The burned-out vestibule will be removed within three months, with construction fencing to be erected closer to the building at 3000 Minnehaha Av.
After four years, Minneapolis to remove razor wire around Third Precinct building
Council members say they don’t want the site to continue being a backdrop for the city’s critics.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 18, 2024 at 1:51AM
This week, Minneapolis City Council members have expressed frustration that four years after the protests culminated in a fire at the police station, the charred building still stands and has become a “prop” some conservatives use to rail against city leadership. Most recently, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a stop outside the building and criticized Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the 2020 riots.
On Thursday, the council voted 8-3 to approve a resolution calling for “immediate cleanup, remediation, and beautification of the 3000 Minnehaha site including but not limited to the removal of fencing, jersey barriers, barbed wire, and all other exterior blight.”
Council Member Robin Wonsley said the city needs to acknowledge that many police officers stationed in the Third Precinct “waged racist and violent actions” against residents for decades.
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said the council wants the building cleaned up and beautified “immediately.”
“We cannot allow for this corner to be a backdrop for those who wish to manipulate the trauma of our city for political gain,” Chowdhury said.
Council Member Katie Cashman said the council shouldn’t be divided by “right-wing figures posing in front of the Third Precinct and pandering to conservative interests.”
“It’s really important for us to stay united in our goal, to achieve rehabilitation of this site in a way that advances racial healing and acknowledgment of the past trauma in this community, and to not let those figures divide us here,” she said.
City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher said this work was always planned, although there have been delays.
Mayor Jacob Frey wants to convert the building into community space and a “democracy center” to relocate Elections and Voter Services from northeast Minneapolis.
The council approved a resolution Thursday saying while it supports the community space, it opposes a proposed addition to store things such as voting machines and ballots. Instead, the council wants additional space to be used for “community development” and “for the purpose of racial healing and reckoning with past acts of racism, misogyny, and violence by Third Precinct officers.”
While the council’s position statements aren’t legally binding, council approval would be needed for city contracts and funding before renovations could begin.
Frey released a statement saying it’s time to move forward with a plan for the former police station.
“In the future, I hope council will put the politics aside and join us in supporting the development our residents want without delay,” he said.
Frey cited “serious concerns over fiscal responsibility.” It’s unclear when the last time a Minneapolis mayor has vetoed a city budget — if ever.
