The East Side Freedom Library and the St. Paul Recovery Act Reading Group invite you to our monthly reparations conversation, Racism and Policing: Which Way Forward? featuring Brooke Blakey, Director of St. Paul’s new Office of Neighborhood Safety.

Register here to join this event on Zoom.

In February the City Council and Mayor Carter announced the formation of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and the appointment of Brooke Blakey as its first Director.

The launch of the Office of Neighborhood Safety reflects the continued expansion of Mayor Carter’s Community-First Public Safety Framework which incorporates an array of strategies focused on addressing the root causes of crime in pursuit of a comprehensive, coordinated and data-driven approach to public safety. The Office of Neighborhood Safety will coordinate Community-First investments, including violence prevention strategies and alternative response, in close collaboration with our Department of Safety and Inspections, Saint Paul Police Department, Saint Paul Fire Department, and other Community-First Public Safety partners.

Brooke Blakey, who grew up in the Rondo community, served as Chief of Staff to Metro Transit Chief of Police Eddie Frizell. In this role, she has overseen operations, investigations, administration and community outreach and engagement, along with ushering forward the development of the Metro Transit Police Department’s Homeless Action Team (HAT).

ESFL and the Recovery Act Reading Group offer these readings to fuel our conversation:

• https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/solving-racial-disparities-in-policing/
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61253151
• https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/civil-rights-reimagining-policing/how-you-start-is-how-you-finish/
• https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/what-100-years-of-history-tells-us-about-racism-in-policing

Free and open to all