Issues: My Vision for SD59

Preserving and enhancing our quality of urban life – and building safer communities

Our urban quality of life is built on safe neighborhoods, strong, reliable transportation options, and affordable public services. For Minnesota, a high quality of urban life is a strategic advantage to attract and retain the next generation of businesses and employees to the state. Here are my priorities as you State Senator:

Public Safety

Every Minnesotan wants and deserves to make it home at the end of the day. Jamar Clark, George Floyd, Amir Locke, and far too many others should still be alive, but were killed by those who are supposed to protect and serve. We can ensure safety and well-being for everyone–no exceptions. Our legal and prison systems do not treat all Minnesotans equally, especially people of color, refugees and new immigrants. We will all be safer when we put justice, fairness, and redemption first—for everyone.

That’s why I support a more comprehensive approach to public safety. I am working for a “both and” approach–more social workers, more police, and more imaginative community safety programming. We need police who will follow their training and keep our community safe; we need counselors and social workers who can be tapped to support people in crisis; and we need creative oversight, retention tools, restorative justice tables, and programs to support crime victims, community, and people who commit crimes. I have also been working to expand community violence interrupters programming. I am a leader in reforming and expanding juvenile justice; investing in programs and tools for young people that include prevention, intervention, and resources to get kids back on track. In addition to these reforms and investments we need to pass common sense gun violence prevention policies, that we know can save lives, such as: requiring background checks for all sales of guns–including private sales, cracking down on “straw buyers” who purchase guns with the intent to provide it to another person–including consequential penalties for violators, and banning assault-style weapons like the AR-15.

In the face of everything our community has had to weather, Senate Republicans have shown their cowardice and lack of imagination by only supporting more money for police in any public safety discussion. Their position is backwards and does nothing to address the drivers of crime, the victims of crime, the racism in policing, nor establish further accountability. It’s unacceptable, and I will continue to stand for a comprehensive reimagining of what it means to be safe in our city. 

During this past legislative session I have chief authored bills to advance the “both-and” strategy to public safety. These bills sought to:

•   Establish and expand community-specific violence prevention programs for adults and children (SF4454, SF4327, SF4190)
•   Overhaul the approach to juvenile justice by expanding prevention, intervention and barrier reduction services (SF4190)
•   Expand emergency supports and housing options in Minneapolis (SF4213, SF3599, SF118)
•   Improve the safety, wellbeing, and opportunities for people who are incarcerated (SF4141)
•   Create a state-level restorative justice program to expand its use and efficacy (SF4140, SF1274)
•   Secure legal representation rights for youth in detention (SF3960)
•   Develop an officer misconduct database to improve accountability and prevent the cycle of “bad apples”–This bill is now law (SF2152)
•   Recognize disinvestment in minority communities that make us less safe and deprive us of opportunities (SF1619)
•   Prohibit discrimination based on hair type or style–Minnesota’s Crown Act (SF1273)
•   Train justice system workers at all levels to recognize and address needs, bias, and racism (SF1007)
•   Expunge records of people found innocent of criminal and civil charges and prevent hiring discrimination where records have been expunged (SF401, SF119)
•   Provide drivers licenses for all, regardless of immigration status (SF400)
•   Curb cash-bail use and improve pre-trial release for low-threat people (SF172)

Housing

Nothing goes well in your life if you do not have a safe place to go home to. Without a stable home, how can a student do their homework, how can a worker relax after a day on the job, and how can a sick person recover from illness? Too many Minnesotans pay too much for their housing and due to legacies of racist housing and economic policies, the Twin Cities has the worst home ownership gap between white and Black households. And our policies too often favor landlords in disputes with their tenants, causing unnecessary evictions and displaced families. 

I support drastically increasing state support for the construction and preservation of affordable housing as well as rent subsidies to ensure that no Minnesotan is ever forced to pay more than 30% of their income towards housing. I defeated the Republican effort last session to preempt and gut city authority to establish a rent stabilization policy, something Minneapolis and Saint Paul residents voted for in 2021. And I champion the cause of getting more black families to home ownership to build wealth and create more stable neighborhoods. That’s why I chief-authored legislation (SF3427) to increase state support for Build Wealth Minnesota and their 9,000 Equities Fund to provide affordable first mortgages to households of color. Families without access to generational wealth need state support to come up with the funds they need for down payments and closing costs in this hyper-competitive housing market. 

We’ve made some progress. Governor Walz, with the support of DFLers in the legislature used federal COVID-relief funds to provide unprecedented rental and mortgage assistance and halted evictions during the worst of the pandemic. Hennepin County has acquired four motels and converted them to single room occupancy housing, reducing the homeless rate and saving people’s lives by getting them stably housed. We need to expand programs that find permanent housing options for the unhoused, including transitional and supportive housing options. And we are seeing innovative programs throughout the state, such as one to replace lost homes on vacant lots with new high quality and affordable homes on the Northside through partnerships with organizations like the City of Lakes Community Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity, Build Wealth Minnesota and developers of color. 

Yet Republicans in the State Senate too often block efforts to support tenants rights, build more affordable housing, preserve our supply of public and affordable housing, and get more Minnesotans the help they need to purchase their first home. They refuse to acknowledge the public good that comes from affordable and stable housing and their landlord and corporate allies profit from high rents, unchecked evictions, and predatory housing policies. They even cutoff rental assistance and allowed the eviction moratorium to expire instead of using some of state’s record budget surplus to help those still in need. 

Healthcare 

I believe every person should have high-quality, affordable health care, no matter their gender, age, where they live, or what they look like. COVID-19 has shown us that all of our health and well-being are connected. Minnesotans have the right to make their own medical decisions without interference from lawmakers, courts, or their boss. By pulling together as we’ve done in the past, we can make sure that every one of us gets the care we need to make it through the pandemic and rebuild a healthier future for all Minnesotans, no exceptions. 

I have been working to protect and un-restrict reproductive healthcare in Minnesota. Everyone deserves the right to choose if or when to start a family. My work on health outcomes has included requiring the study and improvement for maternal outcomes for Black women, securing funding for colon cancer research of Black and Brown people, restricting the sales and marketing tactics of menthol cigarette companies, and preventing price gouging of life-saving and sustaining drugs like insulin. I support expanding the current, affordable MinnesotaCare plan to allow anyone to buy into it as a pathway to universal health care.

Corporate health care greed has forced too many Minnesotans to choose between feeding their families and paying their medical bills or seeking care. For the same reason, high-quality elder care and home care are out of reach for too many vulnerable, disabled, and elderly residents. Lowering the cost of prescription drugs, increasing and incentivizing access to generics are key to ensuring everyone has the care they need. I’ll never stop fighting companies that put profits over health outcomes and care. 

Corporate greed is not the only insidious element in our healthcare system, racism is embedded in the very algorithms of care. Black legislators are united in our push to end race and ethnicity as factors for lifesaving organ transplant. Too many in our community are alone and isolated in their struggle with addition. I support clamping down on opioid access except for those with great need, expanding treatment and community support and safety programs, and ending the stigma associated with asking for help with drugs or alcohol addiction.

Jobs and Economic Growth

There is dignity in every job. And while our economy is growing, we continue to grow unequally with those who already have the most continuing to see the greatest benefit. Our economy will be stronger when more Minnesotans have what they need to rise into the middle-class. This is especially true for households of color; the average Black family earns less than half of what the average white family does. The pandemic and resulting economic conditions worsened this as Black, Hispanic, and Native unemployment rates rose higher than white unemployment and the recovery has once again been slower in communities of color. 

As the lead Democrat on the Senate’s Jobs and Economic Growth Committee, I work every day to ensure that the resources are there for Minnesotans to get trained for the jobs of the future, to get help to start or expand their own business, and that we pursue economic policies that erase our state’s racial inequities. I led the effort in the Senate to pass the state’s first Equity Bill, which established new funding for organizations serving BIPOC, women, and veteran entrepreneurs and providing culturally specific job training in high wage industries. We are putting new resources into loan funds for entrepreneurs shut out from traditional banks and supporting those businesses with technical assistance to support their growth. We must build a stronger middle-class and wealth creation among Minnesotans of color. 

I support the right of workers to organize, join a union, and bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions. And I stood up to Senate Republicans when they tried to weaken Minnesota’s Wage Theft law, which ensures every worker receives the wages they were promised. 

Following the civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd, I led the Senate effort to rebuild our small businesses along the urban corridors. Much of this work was stalled by Senate Republicans who refused to support funding for Minneapolis and St. Paul, but state, federal, and local government investments are paying off. We are seeing new life along Broadway Avenue, Lowry Avenue, 44th Avenue, Lake Street, University Avenue, and more. I am committed to ensuring this development is done with and for the community; creating new affordable housing where it is needed most and supporting emerging developers of color with my bill (SF3374). 

Education

Studies show real learning can’t happen when kids don’t have safe and stable housing, or arrive hungry or stressed; so, let’s make sure those who need it have healthy meals, support, and trusted counselors. The educator workforce and school leadership need to reflect the diversity and experiences of their students. Teachers can’t give individual attention in packed classrooms. I support fully funding public schools so small class sizes can foster stronger relationships. Schools can’t do any of this unless we make them a top priority, so they have the resources they need to deliver the education all of our children deserve. As we emerge from the throws of the pandemic, more than ever we can see, our students need mental health support and access to counselors. Our kids can’t wait. Access to services begins with ensuring all students have affordable high speed internet in their home or building. It’s unconscionable that during the pandemic so many students had their education withheld simply because they didn’t have access to the internet. A world class education for all learners must include access to safe and affordable childcare as well as robust two-year and four-year post-high school learning opportunities whether that’s a training program, apprenticeship, technical training, or a college or university. That’s why I was a champion for all day kindergarten and support universal pre-K. Education equity and access are key to ensuring our BIPOC students are given the tools to thrive. 

In Minneapolis our Special Education programming needs far exceed the state and federal funding for them. It’s unfair and unnecessary to leave some of the most vulnerable students behind. It is unconscionable to deny our students the funding, and therefore programming, they need to thrive. That’s why I have been a cradle to career education advocate. In our community, all too frequently Black children are lost in the “cradle to the grave and prison pipeline. I will continue to fight for Minneapolis’s share of the education funding and funding for successful, proven initiatives like the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) and Girls in Action.

Republicans are deliberately denying public schools the funding they need to thrive in order to drain students, resources, educators, and capacity. Their ultimate goal is to privatize education. This is a regime that will harm Black, Brown, Indigenous, low-income, special needs, and disabled students the most. Again, I will continue to fight to fully fund public education!

Climate Change & Environmental Justice

We need to take bold action to secure a clean energy future and healthy communities, a healthy climate.  Climate-denying corporations have risked our future for profits and scarred communities with reckless pollution that has had devastating health outcomes for low income people and Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. A bright future is possible with a just transition to clean and renewable energy, investing in environmental justice, and providing good-paying jobs that are healthy for the climate and our neighbors. And we must ensure that lower-income residents have as much access to clean energy technologies as their higher income peers including electric vehicle rebates, charging station infrastructure in every neighborhood, and access to utilize solar energy on their homes or through community solar gardens. I am proud of the work I’ve done to secure funding to bring more reliable, faster, and lower pollution transit to this district along with major investments in safe and quality bike and pedestrian infrastructure improvements. And I was successful in securing state support for Northgate which is training BIPOC Minnesotans for the clean energy jobs of the future. 

I have been outspoken and effective at addressing the environmental racism that has harmed and held back communities home to big polluters. I am fighting to ensure clean energy jobs and training prioritizes people hurt the most by industrial expansion and abandonment. Northern Metals is located in a Black neighborhood for a reason. The community now has some of the highest asthma rates in the state and continues to endure fires at the site and air and noise pollution from this site. It’s time for Northern Metals to close down or shape up–and address the harm it’s caused. My bill (SF186) would ensure that environmental permitting takes into account cumulative pollution from a variety of sources to stop the concentration of heavy polluting industries in low-income and communities of color. 

Climate-deniers in the Republican-controlled Senate have stood in the way of even the most common-sense climate change reforms. Remediation, restoration, and climate-safe development of the industrial sites in our community are my top climate priorities. The people who have endured the costs of pollution and industrial negligence must be those who see the economic benefits of clean energy expansion.