Minneapolis council member accuses pastor of making threats after disruption
Minneapolis pastor calls out city council
Rev. Jerry McAfee disrupted a budget committee meeting as the City of Minneapolis discussed its anti-violence efforts. The meeting was thrown into recess until he walked out of the meeting. [Note: A chunk of the disruption is not available due to a lack of audio after the podium microphone was cut.]
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Council Member Robin Wonsley accused a city pastor of making threatening statements after he disrupted a committee meeting earlier this week.
Committee meeting disrupted
The backstory:
Reverend Jerry McAfee interrupted a budget committee hearing on Monday afternoon that was focused on violence prevention funding. The council discussed moving some of its policing alternatives to temporarily under the umbrella of Hennepin County, citing concerns of fraud and waste under the Neighborhood Safety Department.
Rev. McAfee is the founder of a community violence prevention group called "21 Days of Peace" which looks to intervene in community disputes before they escalate into violence.
The council disruption quickly turned confrontational as the pastor, a longtime community activist, accused council members of failing to return phone calls to him.
As McAfee shouted at council members, calling out recent violent incidents in the city, Council Member Wonsley leaned down and pulled out an apple. She cleaned it off and started chewing.
"Yeah, eat your apple, my sister," Rev. McAfee told Wonsley. "You ought to eat it. Your a-- been eating all this other time and ain't been taking care of our business."
He also challenged council members to "come from behind that podium" – which the council took as a threat. "I don't make threats, I make promises," the reverend shot back.
Rev. McAfee then accused Council Member Jason Chavez of "acting like a little girl" – which council members called homophobic. Rev. McAfee responded by calling the council "heterophobic."
After some more back and forth, the pastor walked out of the meeting.
Former Mpls safety official speaks out on funding
The former director of the Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Department is speaking out to defend the work of her office to provide violence prevention programs throughout the city as council members determine the most effective use of future funding.
Wonsley accuses McAfee of making threats
What they're saying:
In a community letter, Wonsley addressed the situation with Rev. McAfee, accusing the pastor of making "death threats' against the council.
"You may have heard that the budget committee meeting last Monday was interrupted due to a local pastor who was upset about an agenda item," the letter reads. "This individual has a current violence prevention contract with the city’s Neighborhood Safety Department, and went on a hate-filled rant including making homophobic comments against Council Member Chavez, accusing me of corruption, and threatening violence to several council members, including myself."
Wonsley continues: "Unfortunately, the situation has escalated. This individual has now publicly made death threats against council members, and of his willingness to carry them out at tomorrow’s full council meeting. That said, council leadership is working with the city’s security team to ensure that everyone, including members of the public who join tomorrow’s meeting, will be safe."
Wonsley also accused members of the mayor's office of spreading disinformation, which fueled the incident at the last council meeting.
In a later letter, Council Member Chavez added: "At the city council budget committee meeting on Monday, I faced alarming threats and homophobic and sexist remarks from a member of the public, who also directed degrading comments towards my colleague, Council member Wonsley, and other colleagues. This individual promised to return."
"Disagreements must NEVER escalate to violence," Chavez added. "This behavior should not and will not be tolerated. Every resident deserves to feel safe and secure when visiting City Hall.
Barnette responds to Mpls council rhetoric debate
Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnett spokes with FOX 9 about the debate over community safety funding in the city that erupted into a heated committee meeting on Monday.
Minneapolis PD says McAfee did not commit a crime
What we know:
In a statement to FOX 9, Minneapolis police said they are working with council leadership and Rev. McAfee to address the situation and ensure there is no trouble at Thursday's meeting. However, they tell FOX 9 "no crime has occurred" regarding Council Member Wonsley's allegations.
Rev. McAfee responds after meeting
The other side:
Shortly after walking out of the meeting, Rev. McAfee went live on Facebook. During that stream, he again told his followers he wasn't making a threat.
"You don't want me to threaten you, I don't do threats," said the pastor. "She come across that damn desk on me, I don't do threats."
He later repeated, "I don't make threats, I do make promises."
During the live stream, McAfee claimed to have made calls to Council Member Jamal Osman and Council Member Chavez, but never heard back.
"You're going to ignore me," said McAfee. "The one that's been out here fighting for 30-some years to keep everybody safe? You're going to ignore me. Well, they got a real good reminder of the extent I'm willing to go to."
Tuesday evening, Rev. McAfee went live again. This time, he laid out plans to attend the next council meeting on Thursday, but vowed to keep things peaceful.
But, at the same time, he invoked a shooting. It was the latter statement that some online have deemed threatening.
"Rev. McAfee ain't hit nobody, I ain't shot nobody," he said. "However, I will if I have to. I don't want to. I'm not going to bother anybody, but I'm going to fight for my people."
Response from Community Safety Commissioner
What they're saying:
Speaking with FOX 9's Paul Blume on Wednesday, Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette said he doesn't feel like the situation has gotten out of control, but deferred to the council to decide if they feel safe.
"I mean, they have to really talk about their own safety. I don't see that it's gotten unsafe," Barnette explained. "I think that what happened with Reverend McAfee is the anger of what's going on. I think that, since I've been here, the end of October of 2023, they've definitely packed the council with supporters and supporters have gone after other council members."
Barnette also laid out his frustration with the council for failing to consult with the administration before taking action.
When asked if "political gamesmanship" was behind some of the council actions, Barnette said: "Definitely. If you want to make a significant change, then you should talk to the people that do the work and ask, ‘How does this work? How will it work? How do we get there? How fast do we get? How slow?’ And when you don't talk to those experts, you don't talk to the staff about how do we do this? 'I want to – How can I do this?' And know and have all the information to make an informed decision. Then let's argue about the issue. When you don't do that, then for me, I think you're playing politics."
In a follow-up statement through a spokesperson, Barnette added:
"I do not condone violence or threats of violence in any form, and fully support efforts the City is putting in place to ensure that council members, staff, and guests are safe during council meetings. In the past few days, I have addressed Council’s proposal to temporarily move the GVI/YGVI programs from the City to the County. I urge anyone to read my op-ed published in the Star Tribune and listen to my media briefings on the issue. At no time did I mention CM Wonsley by name, and I strongly dispute the false allegation that I implied her actions are motivated by corruption. Ever since Council announced this proposal, I have not wavered on my assertion that the programs need to remain in the city where we have the staff, resources, and infrastructure to move this important work forward.
"I stand by every word I’ve said publicly and in the press. What Council Member Wonsley and other Council Members are trying to do avoids a fair process and is bad governance. There is not a single fact they can point to in order to substantiate their claims as it applies to me and the administration."
What's next:
The Minneapolis City Council is set to hold a meeting on Thursday morning. Council Member Wonsley says the council is working with security to ensure the meeting goes on without issue.