Dear Mr. Kooistra, Ms. Vadis and Chair Zelle,

In the aftermath of the tragic murder of George Floyd, we thank you for your leadership, your call for “a new path” and your commitment to “bold, decisive action.” We’re thankful the Metropolitan Council is conducting a review of Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) policies and practices. We appreciate the spectrum of ideas being discussed in our workplaces to dismantle white supremacy and affirm that Black Lives Matter.

We write to you to demonstrate our shared accountability and ask you to support actions we think are needed to empower our community for years to come. We are humbled and emboldened by the leadership demonstrated by our riders. We’ve learned from them that we can’t expect different outcomes from the same actions, regardless of our intentions.

We urge you to be grounded in these essential facts as you consider the Council’s next steps:

Our riders and operators are disproportionately impacted by the trauma of George Floyd’s death. One out of four of our riders are Black; nearly half of our bus operators are Black. Black residents are 9.4% of the total Twin Cities population.

The uprising occurred along Route 21 and the murder occurred in front of a bus stop along Route 5.  Routes 5 and 21 generate more ridership per resident within walking distance of stops than any other local route. 

Our riders are leading the uprising and demand change. 

While the pain of George Floyd’s murder is still fresh, we must build accountability that extends beyond this moment and beyond the tenure of any staff member or Council leader. We ask you and the Metropolitan Council to publicly support these actions toward healing and rebuilding our region. 

Give Riders and Disenfranchised Communities Power

• Center our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) riders in budgeting, agency priorities and decision-making, particularly around the role of police. Require agency staff to follow up engagement activities with a clear and transparent response and commitment to action.

 

• Work with riders to determine how and where MTPD officers are assigned. Clearly state how the size of the MTPD workforce and the department’s budget relates to the published safety goals and related metrics.

 

Deploy the Appropriate Resources for Public Safety

• Create a civilian workforce, outside of MTPD, to respond to incidents that should not require force. For example, we strongly support the proposed legislation to allow Transit Ambassadors to conduct fare inspection, an activity that doesn’t require force. Equip our civilian workforce, including operators and facilities staff, with de-escalation tactics and techniques to reduce the potential for harm and violence.

 

• Identify funding to reallocate from the MTPD budget to community-based programs that provide emergency medical or social work services to people experiencing homelessness or mental health crises. A similar proposal is being implemented in Portland.

 

Prepare for Future Demonstrations

• Create a continuity of operations plan (COOP) to maintain service to our riders during civil unrest and protests while protecting our operators from harm. Publicly state the Council’s commitment to maintain service during future moments of civil unrest and acknowledge the harm we caused communities by suspending service for five days.

 

• Do not allow the use of any Council-owned vehicles to transport law enforcement officers, military personnel or arrested protestors. Revise existing agreements with law enforcement agencies to end this practice. This follows the lead of peer agencies like King County Metro in Seattle and MBTA in Boston, along with organized groups in Philadelphia/SEPTA, Columbus/COTA, Pittsburgh/PAT and Buffalo, NY/NFTA.  

 

Embrace Transparency

• Share rider and operator safety goals, Council-defined safety metrics and the results of public safety programs on metrotransit.org.

 

• Establish a public reporting platform to communicate police activities such as use of force, response time to operators requesting service, citations and arrests. The reporting platform should maintain public data related to police officer complaints, the number of complaints elevated to internal affairs investigations and the results of those investigations. External review and accountability structures should be established.

 

• Hire an outside party to conduct a full review and investigation of employee complaints submitted to Human Resources and Office of Equal Opportunity over the past ten years. Pair with a public dashboard of hiring, retention and advancement demographics so the community can keep us accountable to our stated equitable employment goals. The data must be disaggregated to illustrate the overrepresentation of white people and men in leadership and management, even among departments that are diverse as a whole.

 

• Publish the capital improvement and department operating budgets. This should include the criteria used for selecting Metro Transit projects to be included in the annual capital budget, the geographic location of selected projects, the score of each project and the line item budgets for each of the proposed capital projects. 

 

As we process the pain, grief and uncertainty of the past few weeks, we are finding hope in the public comments you and other public officials have made. However, we have concerns about the existing feedback process in which staff and community members undertake the intellectual and emotional labor to provide ideas to agency leaders, who then have exclusive authority to decide which ideas they are comfortable pursuing. Similarly, we ask you to think critically about the value of internal reviews and introspection; we’ve engaged in those activities before with no meaningful or longstanding results. Our more significant changes came from uncomfortable and critical public comment (e.g. Better Bus Stops).

We wholly support systemic change that persists longer than the tenure of bold leaders. We strongly believe the actions outlined above, paired with a commitment to create more external accountability, create a framework on which we can build the just, equitable system our riders demand and deserve.

Sincerely,

Ibrahim Abdi, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Nicollet, Minneapolis Resident (District 11)

Abdul Abdullahi, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Michaela Ahern, Metro Transit Service Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Salah Ahmed, Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD), Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

C Terrence Anderson, Former Employee - Metro Transit Community Outreach & Engagement/Metropolitan Council Equity Manager, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Akua Asare, Regional Administration, Bloomington Resident (District 5)

Ashley Asmus, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Rachel Auerbach, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities/ Community Outreach,

Cameran J. Bailey, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Nathan Bakken, Metro Transit Transit Information, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Joe Barbeau, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Brynna Bargfield, Regional Administration, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Emily Bollensen, Metro Transit Bus Maintenance - MJR, Saint Anthony Resident (District 8)

Catrina Boucher, Metro Transit Light Rail Transportation, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Shoeb Behlim, Metro Transit LRT - St. Paul OMF, Bloomington Resident (District 1)

Allison Bell, Former Employee- Metro Transit/Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Jerome Benner II, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Scott Bergevin, Metro Transit Transit Information, Coon Rapids Resident (District 9)

Patrick Boylan, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Cain Brewer, Metro Transit Bus Operations, Transit Control Center, 

Matt Broughton, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Amanda Buchanan, Metro Transit Finance, Hopkins Resident (District 3)

Adam Burch, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Heywood, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Yolanda Burckhardt, Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

David Burns, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Mendota Heights Resident (District 13)

Sonja Burseth, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Judith Bushey, Metro Transit Bus Operator, Bloomington Resident (District 3)

Guthrie Byard, Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

CJ Camp, Metro Transit, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Pierce Canser, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities

Casandra Champion, Environmental Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Lynda Chao, Former Employee - Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Andrea Childress, Regional Administration Information Services, Bloomington Resident (District 5)

Imee Clark, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Barrett Clausen, Metro Transit Transit Information, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Nia Colebrooke, Regional Administration Information Services, Columbia Heights Resident (District 2)

John Coleman Jr., Metro Transit Bus Operator - Heywood, Minneapolis Resident (District 5)

Shawn Combs Walding, Former Employee - Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

John Cook, Metro Transit Bus Operations, Minnetonka Resident (District 5)

Jessica Cross, Metro Transit Marketing, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Abdirahman Dalel, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Nicollet, Minneapolis Resident

Victoria Dan, Metro Transit Service Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Jasmine Davidson, Metro Transit Bus Transportation Administration, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Pamela Davis, Metro Transit Street Operations, Coon Rapids Resident (District 9)

Ari Del Rosario, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Sanjay Dhir, Metro Transit Bus Operations, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

David Dieken, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Nicollet, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Jane Ditmer, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Danielle Dockter, Metro Transit Bus Operator - MJR, Crystal Resident (District 5)

Missy Dodge, Metro Transit Creative Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Rachel Dungca, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Saint Anthony Resident (District 8)

Jonathan Ehrlich, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Mendota Heights Resident (District 13)

Ali Elhassan, Environmental Services, Woodbury Resident (District 12)

Molly Ellis, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Steven Elmer, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Shannon Engstrom, Former Employer - Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Abigael Ensor, Metro Transit Bus Operator, Minneapolis Resident (District 5)

Elissa Erickson, Metro Transit Creative Services, Richfield Resident (District 5)

Raya Esmaeili, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Lee Estis, Metro Transit Bus Operator - East Metro, Saint Paul Resident

Rebecca Fabunmi, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities/Environmental Services, Minneapolis Resident

Dennis Farmer, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Mounds View Resident (District 10)

Hannah Gary, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Ayantu Gemeda, Metro Transit Street Operations, Blaine Resident (District 10)

Mercedes Gohl, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 5)

Cedric D. Goodloe, Former Employee - Metro Transit Human Resources, Saint Paul Resident

Lasondra Gosa, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Nicollet, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Bre Grand, Metro Transit Transit Information, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Baris Gumus-Dawes, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Aimee Hall, Environmental Services, Eden Prairie Resident (District 3)

Paul Hanson, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Mae Hanzlik, Former Employee - Regional Administration Human Resources - Benefits,

Markabo Hassan, Community Development, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Ryan Heath, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Erik Hedberg, Environmental Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Jacqueline Heie, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Heywood, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Phyllis Carol HejlStone, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Jesse Hejlstone, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Riccorri Henry, Metro Transit Bus Operator, Inver Grove Heights Resident

Kris Hess, Environmental Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Amanda Hiatt, Former Employee - Regional Administration Learning & Organizational Development, Woodbury Resident (District 12)

Matthew Hiatt, Environmental Services, Maplewood Resident (District 11)

Lucy Higgins, Metro Transit Bus Operator, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Ethel (Mae) Hill, Metro Transit Bus Operator - South Garage, Bloomington Resident (District 5)

Cole Hiniker, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Lashone Hodges, Metro Transit Ridership & Revenue, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Kathryn Hong, Metro Transit - Transit Grants, Bloomington Resident (District 5)

Jeremy Hop, Customer Relations Specialist, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Joanna Hubbard-Rivera, Metro Transit Community Outreach & Engagement, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Abdiaziz Ibrahim, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 10)

Ayan Ibrahim, Community Development, Columbia Heights Resident (District 2)

Andrea Imhoff, Metro Transit Service Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Spolinksy Jacox, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 5)

Kendra Jaeger, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Ayize James, Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Leah Janz, Metro Transit Creative Services, Burnsville Resident (District 15)

Philip Jarosz, Metro Transit Bus Operator - East Metro, Arden Hills Resident (District 6)

Michelle Jarvis, Metro Transit Finance, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Alec Johnson, Metro Transit Operator - Nicollet Garage, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Kania Johnson, Regional Administration, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Missy Johnson, Environmental Services,

Katie Jolly, Former Employee - Community Development

Doni Jones, Metro Transit Bus Operator - East Metro, Maplewood Resident (District 4)

Michael Jones, Metro Transit Overhaul Base, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Sierra Judy, Former Employee - Community Development LPA/Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Guptan Kaplingat, Regional Administration, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Mary Karlsson, Former Employee - Metro Transit/Metropolitan Transportation Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Barbara Keener, Former Employee - Metro Transit Bus Operator - South Garage, Savage Resident (District 16)

Shahin Khazrajafari, Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Andrea Kiepe, Metro Transit Sales Operations - Transit Assistance Program, Minneapolis Resident

Kimberly King, Metro Transit Finance & Accounting, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Wanda Kirkpatrick, Former Employee - Metropolitan Council Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity 

"After seeing this letter I totally agree with the contents. As the Council's former Director of Equal Opportunity these would be things I would have suggested myself. This is an opportunity for the Council to lead the way and make the region truly a place where everyone can live, play and feel safe everyday. It is great to see your own Council employees standing up to be counted. I stand with them." 

Joseph Klein, Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Meredith Klekotka, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Stephen Klimek, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Jennifer Kochaver, Metro Transit Rail Analysis, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Jennifer Kostrzewski, Environmental Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Jessica Kvanbeck, Metro Transit Bus Operator - MJR, Columbia Heights Resident (District 2)

Kim Eng Ky, Former Employee - Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Woodbury Resident (District 12)

Ronald L'Allier, Metro Transit Bus Operator - South, Saint Paul Resident

Melissa Leong, Former Employee - Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives

John Levin, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Eric Lind, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Tina Lovaas de Sosa, Metro Transit Service Development, Brooklyn Center Resident (District 2)

Hilary Lovelace, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Marcus Martin, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Laura Matson, Metro Transit Transit Information, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Christina McHenry, Creative Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Raven McKnight, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Adam Mehl, Metro Transit Marketing & Transit Information, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Scott Meyer, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Nicollet, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Luis Morales, Former Employee - Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Kelly Morrell, Metro Transit Commuter Programs, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Shaun Morrell, Metro Transit Service Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Christina Morrison, Metro Transit BRT Projects, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Cole Mullins, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Kevin Murphy, Former Employee - Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Yumi Nagaoka, Metro Transit Community Outreach, Fridley Resident (District 2)

Colleen Nelson, Metro Transit Transit Transit Information, New Brighton Resident (District 10)

Leah Norman, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Jacqueline Nowak, Former Employee - Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Samuel Ntor-ue, Information Services, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Kyle O'Donnell Burrows, Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Linet Ogola, Metro Transit Finance, Eden Prairie Resident (District 3)

Anj Olsen, Metro Transit Marketing, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Cody Olson, Metro Transit Community Outreach, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Abdiasis Osman, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Russ Owen, Metropolitan Transportation Services - Planning, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Olaoluwa Oyewusi, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Kristen Peterson, Metropolitan Council Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Ann Postera, Environmental Services, Fridley Resident (District 2)

Arman Rajaeian, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Ben Rajkowski, Metro Transit Transit Information, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Juan Rangel, Metro Transit Community Outreach, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Ella Rasp, Former Employee - Metro Transit LRT Extension Project, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Joseph Reid, Metro Transit Strategic Initiatives, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Jake Reilly, Community Development - LPA, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Lynn Reliford, Metro Transit Bus Operator - East Metro, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Emily Resseger, Environmental Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Robert Rimstad, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Richfield Resident (District 5)

Gabriel Rios, Environmental Services - Interceptor Service Worker, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Elizabeth Roten, Community Development, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Katie Roth, Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Christopher Royston, Metro Transit LRV Maintenance - Hiawatha, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Galen Ryan, Former Employee - Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Krysten Ryba-Tures, Community Development Research Team, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Raintry Salk, Former Employee - Community Development Research, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Carri Sampson, Metro Transit Rail Control Center, Bloomington Resident (District 5)

Jill (Hentges) Schafer, Former Employee - Metro Transit Community Outreach & Engagement, Columbia Heights Resident (District 2)

Heidi Schallberg, Metropolitan Transportation Services - Planning, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Toby Schmitt, Former Employee - Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Edina Resident (District 5)

Matt Schroeder, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Caitlin Schwartz, Former Employee - Metro Transit Community Outreach & Engagement, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Thomas Scott, Metropolitan Council Humans Resources - Workforce Development, Champlin Resident (District 2)

Erika Shepard, Former Employee - Metro Transit Blue Line Extension, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Adam Smith, Metro Transit BRT Projects, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

David Stiggers, Metro Transit Bus Operator, Saint Paul Resident

Sher Stoneman, Metro Transit Transit Information, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Kelci Stones, Metro Transit Marketing, Eagan Resident (District 15)

Sam Storck-Post, Regional Administration, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Andy Streasick, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Peter Stumme, Metro Transit Bus Operator - Nicollet, Lakeville Resident (District 16)

Ben Surma, Metro Transit Service Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Jon Tao, Regional Administration Office of Equal Opportunity, Blaine Resident (District 10)

Cathryn Taylor, Metro Transit Transit Information, Brooklyn Park Resident (District 2)

Freya Thamman, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 6)

Jonathan Thomas, Metro Transit Bus Operator - South, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Ellen Thomson, Metro Transit Creative Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Mai Thor, Former Employee - Outreach Coordinator, Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

David Vessel, Metropolitan Transportation Services - Planning, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Josiah Waderich, Community Development/Metropolitan Transportation Services Finance & Administration, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Claire Warren, Metro Transit Engineering & Facilities, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Jeffrey Weinhagen, Former Employee - Office of Equal Opportunity, West Saint Paul Resident (District 13)

Natalie Westberg, Former Employee - Metro Transit BRT Projects

Katie White, Former Employee - Metropolitan Transportation Services Planning, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Rachel Wiken, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Saint Paul Resident (District 14)

Newton Williams, Metro Transit Bus Operator - MJR, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Sheila Williams, Metropolitan Transportation Services, Minneapolis Resident (District 7)

Traci Williamson, Metro Transit Revenue Operations, Robbinsdale Resident (District 7)

Eric Wojchik, Community Development, Minneapolis Resident (District 8)

Amina Wolf, Metro Transit Bus Operations - MJR, Bloomington Resident (District 5)