Closing Argument: A Safer Ward 5 Minneapolis

By Victor Martinez

Editors Note: Democrat Victor Martinez is running for the Minneapolis Ward 5 City Council seat

My name is Victor Martinez, and I am running for the Minneapolis Ward 5 City Council seat. The following is why I am running to represent you.

"Creo que ya no puedemos vivir aquí, se está poniendo muy peligrosos", ( “I don't think we can live here anymore. It's getting too dangerous.”) These were the words of one of our mothers at SoyNGChurch who had raised all her children on the Northside. Her husband was beaten up when his cell phone was stolen. Her daughter’s face was grazed by a bullet while riding in a car. 

We spoke in 2021, in the middle of the debate to defund the police. She also said to me, "Esto de aquitar la policía está loco!" (“This defund the police thing is crazy!”) See, people who are victims of crime in Ward 5 in North Minneapolis understand how valuable and important the police are. It also may be that the poorest and those most discriminated against better understand that police are imperfect human beings, just like the rest of us.  

In the following months, I asked for counsel from pastors, Imams, local leaders and everyday people about how we could improve public safety. What came through clearly was that our residents in Minneapolis Ward 5 don't want to defund the police - they want to trust the police. And that they see the police as an important part of keeping them safe. The question is how do we create a sense of community and trust between police and residents? I know that we won’t rebuild trust by continuing to pit law enforcement against the very citizens they are supposed to protect. 

The challenge of building community and trust is not just between the police and residents. The murder of George Floyd and the pandemic eroded our sense of trust with each other too. We need to build connections among residents too. 

I am a Ward 5 City Council candidate as well as a minister at SoyNGChurch in North Minneapolis and I understand that community happens because we deliberately make it happen. For example, we can create strategic places in business, churches, and schools for officers to take a break, eat their lunch or simply use the restroom. We can actively bring residents to roll call and speak with police. We can create other ways for police and citizens to naturally build connections and relationships.   

For our broader community, we need to deliberately build reasons to bring people together. We know that small nonprofits can bring people together at a grass-roots level to effect change. We know programs for children like youth employment, tutoring programs, after-school programs, athletic leagues, open park buildings, and similar things bring children together and help them form healthy relationships. We know outreach workers can build supportive relationships with our most vulnerable, connecting them with resources and working to shift them towards non-violence. We know that behavioral therapy, coupled with short-term financial assistance, can shift persons in hardship away from crime and violence. 

How do we know these kinds of programs work to reduce crime? They have been tested and proven. You can read more about them at the John Jay’s College of Criminal Justice piece, “Reducing Violence Without Police: A Review of Research Evidence” at https://johnjayrec.nyc/2020/11/09/av2020/ or Patrick Sharkey’s book, “Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence”.  https://wwnorton.com/books/Uneasy-Peace/ 

I also want to challenge the suburbs. A lot of crime in North Minneapolis Ward 5 is because young people are coming in from the suburbs to Minneapolis and getting into trouble. What can the suburbs do to create a sense of place and belonging for their young people so they don’t have to come to Minneapolis to find it?

We can only truly flourish when we feel safe from violence from our government and our fellow citizens. We need to restore and build bonds, fellowship, and trust both with our police and within our community. Community doesn’t happen by itself - it happens because we choose it. I have been working to build community my whole life. I hope I can help heal the wounds over the last three years and rebuild the trust that we need to be a healthy and vibrant City. Please support my campaign, remember to vote Victor Martinez for City Council Ward 5 here in Minneapolis.