Minneapolis Mayor says King’s legacy demands structural justice

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy requires more than commemorations or calls for togetherness. It requires dismantling inequities that were built into systems and replacing them with structures that deliver ownership, stability, accountability and opportunity, particularly for Black residents long excluded from wealth-building pathways.

Speaking as part of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s Echoes of Unity series, Frey said unity, as King envisioned it, cannot be symbolic. It must be visible in outcomes: more Black families building assets, remaining rooted in their neighborhoods, and experiencing city institutions that operate with dignity and fairness in practice, not just promise. The true measure, he said, is whether Minneapolis can finally close gaps that have persisted for generations.

“Economic inclusion is one of our core priorities,” Frey said, describing an approach centered on “access to capital, ownership and opportunity.” He pointed to the city’s Ownership & Opportunity Fund as a key tool. One designed not simply to help Black entrepreneurs open businesses, but to secure ownership of property and assets that make generational wealth possible.

Progress, Frey said, must be measurable. His administration is tracking indicators such as growth in Black-owned businesses, increases in Black homeownership, and whether families are able to remain and thrive in the neighborhoods they call home.

Housing, Frey said, is where justice becomes tangible, and where inequity was intentionally engineered. He described the Minneapolis 2040 Plan as an effort to reverse decades of exclusionary zoning by allowing more housing options in every neighborhood. Alongside that, he said the city is expanding deeply affordable housing, arguing that stable housing is foundational to educational success, public health and economic mobility.

On public safety, Frey rejected the idea that racial equity and safety are competing priorities. “Public safety and racial equity don’t compete, they rely on each other,” he said. He pointed to reforms that include building the most diverse police force in city history, strengthening accountability systems, clarifying use-of-force standards and improving supervision.

Those reforms, Frey said, are advancing under a settlement agreement and consent decree. Success, he added, should be felt at the most basic level: whether residents trust that when they call 911, help will arrive with care, professionalism and respect.

Frey also tied unity to the quality of work available to residents, describing Minneapolis as a “proud union city” where jobs should come with living wages, benefits and dignity. He said the city is partnering with labor unions, employers and training providers to connect residents to careers in construction, public works, health care and clean energy. Programs such as the Business Technical Assistance Program (BTAP), he said, are helping small and BIPOC-owned businesses build capacity and compete for contracts.

Small business stability, Frey emphasized, is inseparable from neighborhood stability. Beyond access to capital, he highlighted ownership of commercial property as a bulwark against displacement. Through the Ownership & Opportunity Fund, he said, the city is helping Black entrepreneurs own “the property beneath their businesses,” not just rent it. He also pointed to initiatives like Vibrant Storefronts and the creation of cultural districts as ways to reactivate vacant spaces while anchoring neighborhood identity.

Addressing health and economic disparities, Frey said the city is taking a “meet people where they are” approach. Minneapolis has launched its first Mobile Medical Unit to bring care directly into historically underserved neighborhoods. In response to the overdose crisis, the city has deployed Narcan vending machines that have distributed thousands of doses and launched a targeted opioid treatment pilot with community partners. Frey said city dollars have also been invested in food shelves to help families bridge gaps when federal benefits fall short, paired with housing stability programs designed to prevent displacement and homelessness. The goal, he said, is straightforward: save lives and reduce harm.

For youth opportunity and violence prevention, Frey said the city is prioritizing prevention over reaction. He highlighted Stable Homes Stable Schools, which has connected thousands of families to housing stability, noting that most students served are Black, Indigenous or students of color. The city, he said, is also investing in youth employment, mentoring and community-rooted violence interruption strategies.

Frey stressed that those most affected by inequality must hold real power in shaping solutions. He cited George Floyd Square, where community members are leading the vision for redevelopment, and the Upper Harbor project, where North Minneapolis residents have helped shape plans for housing, jobs, arts and public space. He said the city is expanding culturally specific engagement and compensating residents for their time, expertise and leadership.

Education-to-career pipelines are another pillar of that approach. Frey pointed to Step Up and Urban Scholars, programs that connect thousands of Minneapolis students, many of them BIPOC, to paid internships with city departments, local businesses and nonprofits.

Asked how King’s legacy should be understood in Minneapolis today, Frey was direct: “Justice has to be structural, and unity has to be measured by outcomes, not rhetoric.”

He said King’s work is carried forward when equity is embedded in housing policy, ownership, public safety and economic opportunity, concluding that when unity is measured not by rhetoric, but by whether growth produces dignity, fairness and real results for everyone.

Scott Selmer welcomes reader responses at sselmer@spokesman-recorder.com