
The Minneapolis City Council has voted to no longer use the Police Departments Third Precinct building ever again for police purposes. The building was heavily damaged during the George Floyd riots in May of 2020.
Minneapolis City Councilmember Andrew Johnson commented on the history of the site and why they can't rebuild the precinct.
"Just the thought of it, of returning officers to that building makes me queasy and I'm guessing that's a shared feeling by others as well," says Johnson. "It's not just a building. It's symbolic."
Councilmember Lisa Goodman says the former 3rd precinct building is an eyesore for the community.
"It is just simply embarrassing as a city to have a light rail line coming from our airport into downtown, and a boarded, vacant, chained-off building looking as it does in that location," Goodman said during Thursday's council meeting.
The council is also expected to take up a proposal to temporarily move third precinct officers in with first precinct officers in the Century Plaza building on the south edge of downtown.
Right now they're working out of temporary headquarters in the City of Lakes building downtown.
During the George Floyd riots, the building was overtaken by protestors and set on fire. The building was a target of those protestors for several days before they eventually breached a barrier set up by police.
Councilmembers have expressed concern for public safety in the area, but it became clear that the community didn't want the MPD to rebuild the precinct. Some said more time is needed to "heal" following the killing of George Floyd and the aftermath.
Minneapolis Public Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander says both need to happen simultaneously.
“We have to be able to help people in this community, and at the same time, we have to think, what do we want our public safety to look like going forward,” Alexander said.