Frey warns mayors their city could be next 'if we do not speak up'
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said his city is "experiencing an invasion" and warned that other cities could be next "if we do not speak up" during remarks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
"We are on the front lines of a very important battle, and it's important that we aren't silenced, that we aren't put down," Frey said. "This is not a time to bend our heads in despair or out of fear that we may be next, because if we do not speak up, if we do not step out, it will be your city that is next."
Frey said Minneapolis has worked with federal partners to bring crime down and that Minneapolis is a safe city. But, he said, it is "less safe when chaos reigns supreme."
"It is less safe when families do not feel comfortable going to school or buying food at the grocery store because they're worried that their very family might get ripped apart," he said. "It is less safe when we have roving bands of agents marching down the street just looking for somebody who might be concerned."
Frey also addressed the federal investigation into him and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, saying the Department of Justice is "being used as a weapon."
"They're investigating me and several other local elected officials, not because we've done something wrong, but because we have exhibited one of the core responsibilities that both I and you have as mayors, and that is the core and foundational responsibility to speak on behalf of your constituents," he said.
In closing, he called on his fellow mayors to "stand together."
"We got to hold rock solid. We cannot back down," he said. "Our cities, our mayors are what will hold this democracy together."
