Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily 1 p.m.(ish) digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Strike a Pose There’s Nothing to It: Vogue Sends Jacob an Early Valentine
There are many ways to discuss what’s happened in Minneapolis over the past two years. A Vogue profile of Jacob Frey, complete with an Alec Soth photoshoot, that views events almost entirely through the lens of the mayor’s emotional journey, is certainly one of the worst ways. “This is a time that changed me forever,” our heroic mayoral survivor confesses to writer Michelle Ruiz (who went private on Twitter after Frey’s constituents offered some feedback). All the superficial Freyisms arise: How he introduces himself as “Jacob,” says “no shit” like a regular guy, and “has referred to an undeveloped downtown block as sexy.” He “has inspired the enthusiasm that commonly greets young white male politicians.” (You mean like a Vogue profile?) He has a standing desk because he paces, and his first term “gave him endless reasons to pace.” (Hm, weird way to put it.) “It was a lot,” he says “solemnly.” (Again, weird.) Every detail is subtly bent Frey-ward: for instance, he defeated “well-funded incumbent Betsy Hodges” (ital. mine) to win his first term. We’re reminded that “lambasting their mayor is a favorite pastime of American city-dwellers” and that “progressive purity tests” are foolish. Oh, and there’s a lot about running, because what’s a gushy profile without an overworked metaphor? Also, plenty of speculation about his political future, though let’s hope after a couple more years the Frey-Clarkes can go make themselves wealthy together out of the public eye and donate to causes that make them feel better about that. Anyway, read at your peril.
Belated Report: Not Every Job Requires a Cop, You Know
Timing is everything. Now that the election is over and the MPD is safe from the opinions of meddling civilians like you and me, the outside consultants at CNA have released their long-delayed report on police staffing and operations. And they’ve determined that… we need a bunch of more cops? Sorry, Mr. Cramer, not this time. Though the report doesn’t specifically address staffing levels, it finds that many of the duties currently carried out by armed, uniformed police could be handled by people without guns for less money and more quickly. The mayor's office said Jacob Frey is undeterred from his “both-and” approach—which, I believe, means you both say you support police reform and keep giving the MPD as much money as you can. You can read the full report here and, as former council president Lisa Bender points out, there’s no (good) reason you shouldn’t have been able to read it sooner.
It’s Not Cauc-You or Cauc-Me: It’s Caucus Night
Hey there, Minnesotans, it’s time again for everyone’s favorite inscrutable exercise of democracy: the caucus. The big procedural news this year is that the DFL is opening its caucus to people who aren’t eligible to vote, including non-citizens and felons, which makes sense to me, since they live here. Over on the GOP side of the fence, nominations for the major are up for grabs, with Rich Stanek being the latest addition to the governor’s race. You may remember Stanek (try as you might to forget) as former Hennepin County Sheriff. Now he’s interested in “building bridges not burning them” but not “bowing to the socialist left,” according to his campaign site. No bridges for you, comrades! MPR News has a nice caucus primer here.
Breaking News: Shooting in Richfield
Multiple news sources are saying that Richfield police, the FBI, and the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) are responding to a threat at South Education Center, located on 7450 Penn Avenue South. MN Crime is reporting that two people have been shot and are being treated; it is believed that the two suspects escaped via a tan SUV. Gov. Tim Walz is currently being briefed on the situation, and WCCO is currently at Donaldson Park, where parents are being told to pick up their children. UPDATE: Police are reporting that two students were shot. One has died, and the other was severely injured. More information is available here.
