Councilmember Says North Minneapolis Gun Violence Must Be Addressed

In an open letter on social media, Minneapolis councilmember Phillipe Cunningham says his efforts to address gun violence have been blocked by Mayor Frey and the police department. 
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Georgia Fort reports: 
Ward 4 City Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham is calling on Mayor Jacob Frey to come up with a plan to address the gun violence in North Minneapolis. Cunningham addressed the mayor in an open letter on social media.
“I’ve reached a place as a councilmember where I can’t quietly try to bring this mayor along in prioritizing North Siders and our lives here,” said Cunningham. “Instead I had to bring it out to the public, so folks can see what I have been dealing with.”
Cunningham says he has a responsibility to his constituents and they deserve to know his efforts are continually road blocked by the Mayor and the Minneapolis Police Department.
“This is about life or death. I live in one of the hottest hotspots in North Minneapolis. 78 shots fired just a couple of days ago, 2 children killed blocks from my house,” said Cunningham. “We need this to be urgently addressed. Children are dying. We need a plan Mayor, what is the plan?”
The Mayor did respond to Cunningham. According to Fox 9 News a part of his response said “I would encourage you to support Chief Arradondo’s request for increased staffing levels moving forward.”  
Cunningham says that’s not the solution: 
“In no way is this asking for simply more police. When we talk about comprehensive public safety we’re not just talking about reducing police violence we are talking about reducing community violence.”
Cunningham says he wants to take intel from the MPD and the Office of Violence Prevention to identify key groups committing violent behavior and provide resources to their families. Providing a way out is a strategy Cunningham says has been proven to work nationally. 

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