Community leaders in Twin Cities work to prevent repeat of unrest during Chauvin trial
Community organizations are partnering with the YMCA to mobilize and offer support during the Derek Chauvin trial. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - With public safety concerns on the rise, as the trial of Derek Chauvin is set to start in Minneapolis, community leaders are working to prevent any repeat of the civil unrest the Twin Cities faced last year.
Jury selection in the trial for Chauvin, one of the former police officers charged in George Floyd's death, is set to start next week. Ahead of that start, a group of community organizers is mobilizing.
"We will be out in the community, we will be talking to people throughout this trial," said "A Mother's Love" founder Lisa Clemons.
The collective of community leaders, known as Minnesota Safe Streets, is partnering with the YMCA of the North for the first time.
"A lot of interesting dynamics in our community with the trial, with the anniversary of George Floyd’s death," said YMCA North CEO Glen Gunderson. "We want to be very engaged in ensuring that our young people are going to be well cared for and our families can feel safe in our beloved community."
This follows a year that saw civil unrest and a surge in violent crimes in the Twin Cities.
"We're all on the same page and we’re going to make sure," said 8218 Truce Center founder Miki Lewis-Frost, "and we’re going to do our best to make sure that we don’t have a repeat of what happened months back."
With the Y pouring in resources as a fiscal agent, the goal is for organizers to be a visible presence in the community and to provide a support system that lasts beyond the trial.
"It’s time to do some different things," said Lewis-Frost. "As we can see the same things are not working in these communities."
"We're not just down there trying to curve the violence, we’re down there trying to connect," said Trahern Pollard with "We Push for Peace."