AK Hassan grew up in the largest refugee camp in Kenya and came to Minneapolis in 2008. He is a current Minneapolis Park Board commissioner, representing District 3. For more information, visit akhassan.com, or reach him directly at 612-986-6819.
QUESTIONS
1. Do you believe that we could ever have a city without police? (YES or NO only, please)
Yes
2. What would you do, as an elected official, to bring us closer to police abolition?
I fully support the charter amendment process to remove MPD as a charter department, to be replaced with a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention, the first step to defunding MPD. The director of this new department should not be a former or current police officer, but instead should be rooted in restorative justice and public health approaches so we can achieve real community safety. In addition, I believe through investments in the City’s Office of Violence Prevention, in programs like Hennepin County’s Co-Responder Program (COPE), and eventual investments into a program that establishes non-lethal social service first responders, we can move towards re-imagining public safety as we know it. We must begin to identify 911 calls that do not require police response and create work plans to immediately re-route these calls to appropriate mental health, deescalation, and public health apparatus.
Residents of Ward 6 — make your voice heard!
The special election in Ward 6 ends on August 11.
Click here for more information on the other candidates!