Operation Safety What?

A year after George Floyd's murder by four Minneapolis police officers, rising rates of violent crime (locally and across the country) have created a backlash to the backlash. Demands for a new system of public safety have been met with calls for more police from a reinvigorated law-and-order political coalition. John and co-host Jason Garcia speak with Logan Carroll about his story in the Minnesota Reformer, uncovering coordination between Mayor Frey, Chief Arradondo, and a newly formed pro-police political organization run by "PR pros" called Operation Safety Now (as distinct from the multi-jurisdictional law enforcement and military operation Operation Safety Net which put National Guard soldiers on street corners during the Derek Chauvin trial). Unlike the typical activist-politician relationship, Logan has obtained a giant stack of emails that show some of Operation Safety Now's talking points are flowing out of City Hall. John sees OSN as one piece of a constellation of new and existing conservative business and community groups working to affect the outcome of the 2021 election. But, as Council Member Lisa Goodman asks, is this really so different from activism happening on the other side? John is particularly troubled by the degree to which the police chief, an appointed city department head, has become a political actor in an election year. Logan's story shows Chief Arradondo collaborating on talking points and social media video content (a scripted fake interview) with an organization that is campaigning against progressive members of the city council in favor of a law-and-order slate of candidates. While council members complain about being ignored by the department, layers of MPD staff, including the chief, are turning around requests for information in rapid fashion for OSN. Jason asks about financial incentives for the chief's allies, and what explains Council Member Alondra Cano's rapidly evolving positions on policing. Logan has also uncovered that OSN founder Bill Rodriguez isn't actually a Minneapolis resident and has told two different versions of a home invasion story, neither of which appear to be true. We also talk about one detail left out of Logan's story: an idea to influence Ward 12 Council Member Andrew Johnson by holding a pro-police puppy parade. Read Logan's story: https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/05/24/with-budget-on-the-line-minneapolis-police-chief-coordinated-with-political-operatives-to-lobby-the-city-council-emails-show/ Listen to Logan's podcast, Unbalanced.MN, which examines "America's burgeoning right wing." Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee