Boom Island Shooting Underscores Urgent Need for Action During Gun Violence Awareness Month
What happened Sunday night at Boom Island Park is heartbreaking and unacceptable. A woman’s life was taken. Families were terrified. Several others were injured. Our Chief of police said “It’s more akin to a war zone with the amount of shell casings that the officers are recovering here.” This level of violence shatters our sense of safety - and it cannot continue.
My thoughts are with all those impacted, and with the community that once again is left to grieve in the aftermath of gunfire. I’m grateful to our first responders, investigators, and hospital teams working tirelessly in the wake of this tragedy.
This marks the second mass shooting in Minneapolis in just over a month. Residents are exhausted. We cannot accept a reality where families fear gathering on a summer evening in one of our most iconic parks.
This shooting is especially painful as we begin Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time to remember lives lost and recommit ourselves to meaningful, community-rooted solutions. Gun violence is not just a national epidemic - it’s a local emergency. We feel it in our parks, on our streets, and in the daily trauma too many families carry.
We must be clear-eyed: this is not just about policing. It’s about investment in communities, prevention, trust, and accountability. As your next mayor, I will act with urgency to:
Expand violence prevention efforts in partnership with trusted community groups already doing life-saving work.
Build a fully staffed, transparent, and community-responsive police force - one that doesn’t just respond to violence but helps prevent it.
Invest in youth outreach, programming, mental health care, and safe public spaces, so residents have real alternatives to conflict and isolation.
Strengthen coordination with federal and local partners to identify and intercept illegal firearms before they reach our neighborhoods and parks.
Minneapolis deserves better. We deserve a city where children can play, neighbors can gather, and everyone feels safe - no matter their ZIP code.
I’m running for mayor to bring the urgency, focus, and partnerships this moment demands. Let’s honor the victims of gun violence not just with words, but with action.
Together, we can build a safer Minneapolis - for everyone.