Sam Pree-Stinson is a Green-endorsed City Council candidate for Minneapolis Ward 3. The following is her response to the attempted appointment of Police Lt. John Delmonico to a senior command position at the Minneapolis 4th Precinct, the site of the police murder of Jamar Clark in November 2015 and subsequent 4th-Precinct occupation by Black Lives Matter Minneapolis and allied groups.

"Choices. Delmonico is a bad one. Once again, we refuse to choose reflective leadership. Specifically and at the most foundational level, values. My choice is to speak up.

Did no one at city hall read the DOJ report? We do not need rank and file leadership. We need collaborative ground up leadership. We need leaders across the entire city. Leadership that is capable and most importantly willing to cultivate our communities and invest in them. These are real people. Not just votes. Lives that are not as prosperous as they could and should be. Why? Process. Inequitable process. A process that works for the few in power and not the many that have been left out, muted, marginalized, and taken advantage of.

If we really want change, our decisions need to reflect it. Our behaviors need to change. Our perspective needs to grow and our minds need to remain both open and receptive. This is not about pushing our own agendas. There should be one agenda and people should be number 1 on it. The people you hope to represent.

We have to be the change and lead by example. From what I have seen, witnessed, and read there is little to no effort being put into partnering with communities so that like any other neighborhood people feel safe and valued.

I live in NE and have so for quite sometime. But I also have lived over North, Loring Park, and SE. The resources that we put into our city greatly differ from schools, parks, housing programs...You name it. It affects the overall quality of life and that issue is for all of us to reflect upon and own.

The time has come to use our collective voice. Minneapolis is no longer willing to entertain empty promises, grandiose catch phrases, and one issue platforms that do more to divide us than build bridges to connect us.

Share this message if you believe it too and are ready to use your vote to work for you! No better time than the now. November is a few short months away. Show up. Show out. Be heard. Be valued."

You can find Sam on Facebook here, and Twitter here.

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