3rd Police Precinct FINALLY Gets Slated for Rebuilding

In 2020, Minneapolis 3rd precinct was burned to the ground by angry protestors. In a normal state where a government building got torched, it would be rebuilt quickly, especially an emergency service like a police precinct. But not for Minneapolis’ 3rd police precinct, the new site has only just been approved for purchase.

What was the Minneapolis City Council doing? No idea, but it certainly wasn’t making sure that the people who live in Minneapolis were able to access critical emergency services. It’s not like violent carjackings haven’t been this year’s hottest crime trend.

The new precinct will be built a few blocks away from the old building, so now the police have an actual facility to work out of, and not just rented space.

It’s not as if people weren’t asking why Mayor Frey wasn’t working on setting up a new building. Last year, community and neighborhood organizations had to take things into their own hands to get the ball rolling, because the government that is supposed to be in charge of this sort of thing clearly wasn’t going to. Over 150 people attended events to discuss what to do about the precinct, and yet it still took another year for anything to get done.

While we can’t say for sure why the City Council and Mayor Frey were dragging their feet on making a decision, all we can say is that at every step of the way they did. Our police officers are government workers who deserve the same respect as county clerks and elected officials, and actively sabotaging them is not the sign of good leadership or even good teamwork.