Between October and December 2020, I interviewed eight individuals who played a role in shaping conversations about public safety budgets in Minnesota as part of research conducted for my master’s thesis. I introduce each interview with a conceptual framework I’ve developed to clarify and differentiate perspectives on questions of public safety funding. I also lift up themes and concepts from our conversation that seem particularly relevant. To ensure that the people I interviewed felt well-represented by their statements to me, I shared edited transcripts with each person in December 2020 to provide them opportunities to offer edits. All edits I received were minor and have been incorporated. I have made the subjective decisions to place each of the individuals I interviewed along the conceptual frameworks I introduce; any errors in categorizing perspectives are mine alone.
The individuals I interviewed were:
- Aisha Gomez –Minnesota State Representative
- Alondra Cano – Minneapolis City Council Member
- Chanda Smith Baker – Vice President of Impact at the Minneapolis Foundation
- Don Samuels – Former Minneapolis City Council Member and resident of Minneapolis’ North Side
- Justin Terrell – Executive Director of the Minnesota Justice Research Center
- Kieran – Activist with the Worker’s Defense Alliance
- Ricardo Levins Morales – Activist with MPD150
- Steve Fletcher – Minneapolis City Council Member
These perspectives stand on their own, and are worth reading in full. Cumulatively, they reflect a small selection of the many profoundly inspiring and courageous individuals seeking to bring about a fairer and more just Minnesota.
