Thread by @WedgeLIVE

Several council members noting the mayor's absence at this morning's council meeting, happening in the wake of his state of emergency declaration earlier this week. Mayor Frey has also stopped attending the regular bi-weekly coronavirus state of emergency updates.

Council Member Steve Fletcher: "I think it's very strange to declare a state of emergency and not come communicate to council directly" about how it was used.

Fletcher: "When we declare a state of emergency we are suspending elements of our democracy for the expediency of responding to a crisis." should be taken seriously.

Council Member Phillipe Cunningham: "It's very unfortunate that the mayor is not here in an open forum to engage in a discussion, rather than us just being referred to tightly controlled press conferences"

Cunningham disputing "strong mayor" proponent and Charter Commission Chair Barry Clegg's comments "that the mayor has all the accountability and no responsibility. In practice what we see in this very moment is all the responsibility and no accountability."

Cunningham: I appreciate that folks are acknowledging harm to Black communities, yet the Black council members representing a majority of the Black population, "have not been engaged whatsoever in all that has been taking place this week."

Cunningham: The lesson we learned from last summer is that "we didn't have enough law enforcement, didn't clamp down hard enough."

Cunningham: Soldiers with machine guns on the street at the same time someone was shot in N Mpls. Living in a police state but not actually being protected. Instead of bringing justice, bringing occupation.

Cunningham: Didn't know they had entered into phase 3 of Operation Safety Net until calling 4th precinct inspector.

Cunningham: "If we're going to be declaring states of emergencies frequently" the least that we can expect when the mayor "bypasses the democratic process" is communication and accountability.

CM Andrew Johnson: "Is curfew meant to be a tool to go after those 20 people that are out there burglarizing businesses going all around the city?" Not appropriate to lock down a city of nearly half a million people to go after 20 people. Disappointed MPD isn't here to answer.

Johnson: what are conditions in the future where curfew will be used? Seems like it was used quickly, overbroad, not based on conditions on the ground.

Johnson: 20 people burglarizing 90 businesses were using police scanners and the citizen app to evade law enforcement. Wants to talk about encrypting police scanners. There's a debate to be had about public access to information, maybe putting it out on a delay.

Bender asks clerk to outline state of emergency powers.

Council can't end Mayor's declared state of emergency in the first 72 hours. Council only has the power to extend beyond 72 hours. Ordinance would need change to give Council the ability to cut short a state of emergency.

Bender: "I think it's really important, as any elected official is making decisions, that they be accountable." Disappointed the mayor isn't here. "It's troubling for our community."

Bender: "What people want to know is who is in charge? Who should they call if they don't agree with what's happening? How can they help shape the current response and future decisions for our city?"

Bender: "We have to be clear about who is making decisions and how."

"It has been frustrating to watch so much emphasis be placed on law enforcement and force as an anticipated response to our community's first amendment right to protest... understandable anger and pain."

Bender: "We are in a cycle of violence where the response to protest is more police violence and it has to stop. The only way that we can stop the cycle from continuing is putting the same amount of emphasis and resources into planning" for peace, support, investing in community.

Council Member Schroeder: Many of us have been asking who is in charge? The answer is that this is a regional approach, a unified command. That's not an answer for constituents. They want to know who is making decisions.

Schroeder: Who will actually get sued? If we don't have an answer for who is in charge, who will be held responsible if people continue to get hurt during the protests?

City attorney: "It certainly raises a lot of complex issues." It would do a disservice to the complexity to give a simple answer. "This is new territory... We are prepared to aggressively defend our interests."

Ellison calls it "Operation Fishing Net" referring to the state's unified command structure.

Ellison: "It matters who the responsibility falls on." This follows a broader trend of criminalizing protesters writ large. People who are not breaking the law are getting tear gassed, maced, hit with rubber bullets.

Ellison: I'm concerned when the Mayor of Brooklyn Center says he doesn't approve, but the mayor of Minneapolis does play a role in Operation Safety Net.

Ellison: I'm increasingly worried strategy is based on fear and not intelligence. The Governor said he believed that if barricades and gas weren't used on protesters that the Brooklyn Center precinct would have burned down. No intel, he just believes it. "I was down there."

Ellison: Concerning to hear the Governor say that when he hasn't been down there. That claim and that belief is baseless. I worry when I hear a baseless claim from the governor, maybe the entire Operation Safety Net is equally baseless.

Bender: "worth pointing out that as our city goes through these cycles of violence, one thing that's becoming more apparent to the public" is the dynamic between civilian elected officials and law enforcement.

Bender: Communication between Mayor of Brooklyn Center and Hennepin Sheriff, that they will only provide aid if allowed to follow their own rules, not the rules that elected officials in Brooklyn Center have set. We don't usually see that tension play out in public.

Bender characterizing the typical police response to elected officials: "if you try to set rules, we're going to walk away... if elected officials are critical we're going to walk away and leave communities with nothing if we don't have anything else in place..."

Bender: I've come to believe that it's urgent to invest in alternatives so that we have more power as a community to determine the right response, the right way to keep our community safe.