Jacob Frey Is Re-Elected as Minneapolis's Mayor

Elections|Jacob Frey, who oversaw Minneapolis erstwhile George Floyd was murdered, wins a 2nd word arsenic mayor.

• Nov. 3, 2021, 2:30 p.m. ET

MINNEAPOLIS — Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat who led Minneapolis erstwhile a constabulary serviceman murdered George Floyd and the metropolis was overwhelmed by rioting past year, was elected to a 2nd term, The Associated Press projected connected Wednesday. Mr. Frey besides had opposed efforts to abolish oregon regenerate the section constabulary force.

The predetermination successful Minneapolis, an overwhelmingly Democratic city, was shaped by Mr. Floyd’s decease successful May 2020, by a crisp emergence successful homicides afterward and by disparate views connected however to code nationalist safety. Voters connected Tuesday besides rejected an amendment to regenerate the city’s Police Department with a caller information bureau focused connected nationalist health.

In the days aft Mr. Floyd’s death, Minneapolis became the halfway of a nationalist statement connected whether to defund policing and put successful caller options for exigency response. A veto-proof bulk of the City Council quickly pledged to abolish the Police Department, though some members aboriginal backtracked.

From the start, Mr. Frey, a erstwhile nonrecreational runner and City Council member, called for a much incremental attack to improving instrumentality enforcement. He supported efforts to prosecute intelligence wellness workers to respond to emergencies and to curtail immoderate low-level constabulary stops, portion defending a request to support a Police Department.

“We’ve got to halt this pendulum from swinging violently backmost and distant betwixt defund and abolish the constabulary connected 1 side, and bash nothing, presumption quo connected the other,” Mr. Frey said successful an interrogation earlier the election. “Those are not the 2 options.”

But Minneapolis had been shaken by constabulary shootings and protests before, and galore residents said that small seemed to change. When Mr. Frey won his archetypal word 4 years ago, helium pledged to amended police-community relations that had been frayed by the killings of Jamar Clark, a Black antheral fatally changeable successful 2015 during a combat with officers, and Justine Ruszczyk, a achromatic pistillate whose decease successful 2017 led to an serviceman being convicted of manslaughter.

Sheila Nezhad, 1 of Mr. Frey’s challengers, worked arsenic a thoroughfare medic during the unrest past twelvemonth and supported the amendment to regenerate the constabulary force. Ms. Nezhad said Mr. Frey had failed to emergence to the infinitesimal and perceive to the demands of protesters.

“People took to the streets due to the fact that their voices were not being heard done the quote-unquote ‘appropriate’ channels, done metropolis government,” Ms. Nezhad said. “Whatever we bash adjacent has to marque definite that we person arsenic galore voices included arsenic possible.”

Though much than a twelve candidates ran against him, Mr. Frey retained important enactment among Minneapolis residents wary of reinventing oregon downsizing the constabulary force. On the city’s North Side, wherever shootings person been a information of life, the Rev. Jerry McAfee criticized however the politician had engaged with assemblage groups, but said helium inactive preferred him to the wide tract of challengers.