Frey sworn in for 3rd term as Minneapolis mayor

With his swearing in on Monday, Mayor Jacob Frey officially began his third term, though a protest derailed the start of his inaugural address.

The ceremony at the Pantages Theatre included plenty of fanfare, including an a cappella rendition of “God Bless America” a performance by the Somali Museum Dance Troupe and the reading of a work by Minneapolis’ poet laureate, Junauda Petrus.

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Once Frey and all members of the City Council, Park and Recreation Board, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation took the oath of office and it was time for the mayor to take the podium, hecklers in the crowd began chirping. The murmurs turned to yelling as a protester holding an “FTP” banner stood at the front of the room.

“We’re not doing this now,” Frey said during the disruption.

Security eventually escorted two protesters out of the theater, allowing Frey to return to his prepared remarks.

The mayor underscored Minneapolis’ resilience in the face of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and the arrival of federal immigration agents in the city’s neighborhoods.

“City officials may not sit in the front rows of Congress, but make no mistake: We are on the front lines,” Frey said. “The consequences of federal dysfunction do not stay in Washington. They land in our neighborhoods; they land in our schools; they land at our front doors.”

Frey, who follows RT Rybak’s footsteps as the second Minneapolis mayor elected to three consecutive terms, listed housing, public safety and economic development among his administration’s priorities for the four years ahead.

“If the motto of the last four years was resilience, then the motto of the next four must be opportunity,” Frey said. “Opportunity to build housing that welcomes everyone, to make every neighborhood safer, and to grow a city that works for all.”

In the afternoon, the Minneapolis City Council and its four new faces — Pearll Warren (Ward 5), Elizabeth Shaffer (Ward 7), Soren Stevenson (Ward 8), and Jamison Whiting (Ward 11) — voted on its leadership structure for the next two years.

Incumbent Council President Elliott Payne, part of the body’s progressive wing, was chosen to reprise his leadership role. Jamal Osman will replace Aisha Chughtai as city council vice president.

Protesters call for action on domestic violence cases

Hours after the inauguration had wrapped up, a group called Twin Cities Coalition for Justice claimed responsibility for the protest during Frey’s inaugural address and called for accountability from Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara for “allowing the murders of Allison Lussier and Mariah Samuels.”

Lussier and Samuels were both victims of domestic partner violence.

The group accused the Minneapolis Police Department of mishandling the investigation into Lussier’s February 2024 death and prematurely closing a potential homicide case.

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Victim in Minneapolis shooting granted protection order against suspect weeks before death

Samuels, meanwhile, had an order for protection out against her ex-boyfriend and alleged murderer, David Wright. Family members say police failed to intervene when Samuels presented evidence of Wright violating the protection order.
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