Beginning a New World

Dear John,

Hi! It’s been a couple weeks since we connected. So much in our world has shifted since then.

Minneapolis City Council members declared their intention to end to the Minneapolis Police Department as we know it. Indigenous folks tore down the statue of Christopher Columbus at the Capitol. And we came together with love as a community to begin to set up food drives, build mutual aid networks, and shelter people that are unhoused.

These acts signal the beginning of a new world. A world that is rooted abundance, care, and healing. 

I’m filled with gratitude by the acts of solidarity and healing justice I’ve witnessed.

I’m glad so many of you found the last email I sent helpful.

It’s important for us to keep getting on the same page about what it means to abolish the police. We envision defunding police and investing that money into community solutions like mental health services, care supports, education, and housing as a path towards a healthier, happier, and safer society for everyone in our community, but particularly our Black friends and neighbors.

Let me offer a few suggestions for further resources and actions:

• We had a conversation with organizers from Black Visions Collective and Reclaim the Block, Hani Ali and Sophia Benrud, Minneapolis Councilmember Steve Fletcher, and Halla Henderson, the policy coordinator with the Minnesota Alliance for Youth last week, about organizing to divest from and invest in our community. Watch the recording on our website to learn what has moved locally.
• These resources from MPD150 are invaluable to being able to imagine a world where everyone can be safe in our communities. Also, sign up for a lunchtime political education session tomorrow (6/17) with scholar and activist Alex Vitale, who wrote The End of Policing.
• Our Duluth Organizer, Breanna, made a powerful video about what it means to her to divest from police and invest in our community’s health and safety. If you’re feeling inspired, make your own selfie video about what our path forward should look and feel like. (And make sure to tag @TakeActionMN!)

Finally, I want to leave you with the thought from scholar Ruth Wilson Gilmore: abolition is a presence of life-affirming institutions – and share this Instagram graphic by @dan_nott that reassures me about the world we’re building.

You won’t get an email from me the next couple weeks - our office is taking a meaningful break. But we’ll talk soon. 

Take care,

LyLy