Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Public Health, Safety, and Equity Committee of the Minneapolis City Council met on October 21, 2026, at the recorded start time of 2026-10-21 18:32:56+00:00. Chair Jason Chavez presided; members present were Councilmember Payne, Councilmember Wandsley, Councilmember Vita, Vice Chair Stevenson, and Chair Chavez. Councilmembers Greenville and Whiting were absent, and the committee confirmed a quorum. The committee recognized Health Literacy Awareness Month, approved an ethics education alignment ordinance, heard public testimony demanding accountability in the killing of Mariah Samuels, approved several contracts and grants, and received reports on public safety organizational structure and police chief hiring recommendations.
Health department staff presented a resolution declaring October 2026 as Health Literacy Awareness Month in Minneapolis, emphasizing plain-language health information, accessibility for non-English speakers, and science-based information. Chair Chavez shared that his wife is a 10-year breast cancer survivor and spoke about the difficulty of navigating complex medical terminology as a caregiver. Health department staff said health literacy is tied to a resident's right to understand and make informed health decisions. The resolution was approved by voice vote with no announced opposition.
The public hearing concerned a proposed ordinance amending Title 9, Chapter 172 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances to align ethics education training requirements for Community Commission on Police Oversight (CCPO) members with the citywide ethics ordinance adopted in May 2026 for non-employee local officials. No members of the public signed up to testify. Councilmember Payne said police reform is a continuous journey. The ordinance was approved by voice vote with no announced opposition; Councilmember Wandsley later asked to be recorded as an aye, and the request was accepted without objection.
During the public comment period on the city's response to domestic violence-related calls for service, community members and family members described the Sept. 14, 2025 killing of Mariah Samuels and called for an independent after-action review, discipline for responding MPD Officer Ryan Weber, accountability from Mayor Jacob Frey and then-Chief Brian O'Hara, and community control of public safety. Jay Yates of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice said Samuels had obtained an order of protection, called 911 at 5:14 a.m., and was fatally shot at 7:50 a.m.; he said body-worn camera footage contradicted Officer Weber's report that Samuels said she felt safe. Loretta cited Violence-Free Minnesota statistics of 31 domestic-violence homicide victims in Minnesota in 2025, 24 in 2024, and a historic high of 40 in 2023, and said Black women are murdered at 2.7 times the rate of white women and Native American women at 7 times the rate. Umberto cited a Global Rights for Women study finding that only 20% of more than 43,000 domestic violence calls to MPD resulted in an official police report or arrest. Melissa Washington, also with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, criticized unaccountable policing and a $23 million MPD overtime request. Simone Ray, Mariah's sister, said Mayor Frey did not meet with her family and that officers should be reprimanded. Jana Williams, aunt of Allison Lucer and Ariana Buchanaga, demanded justice and said two murderers had been charged in Ariana's case only after community pressure, while a county attorney deal and destroyed evidence threatened the case. Anusha Ramaswamy, a Ward 4 resident, supported the after-action review and opposed a $13 million MPD overtime increase. Another commenter, Phil, cited an audit finding that only three to five investigators handled felony domestic violence investigations at that time. Momo Rose, a domestic violence survivor, said victims must be believed by government when they report. Committee members thanked the speakers; Councilmember Wandsley shared that her aunt was also murdered by a partner and had never received justice; Chair Chavez acknowledged Mariah Samuels was failed and committed to pursuing an after-action review through another route if the independent audit department did not act.
The committee set a public hearing for Nov. 4, 2026, to consider Mayor Frey's nomination of Heidi Ritchie as health commissioner for a term ending January 30, and a Nov. 4, 2026 hearing to consider his nomination of Bill Peterson as police chief for a term ending January 2030. Chair Chavez clarified these actions set hearings and were not confirmation votes. The motion carried.
The following items were approved by voice vote with no announced opposition:
Nick Barkley, managing advisor in Legislative Research and Oversight, presented a comparative brief based on publicly available data as of Oct. 19, 2026. It profiled Minneapolis, St. Paul, Oakland, Baltimore, Seattle, and New Orleans. Key findings: form of government shapes command chains; deputy/assistant mayor roles are operationally similar and usually do not require council confirmation, while Minneapolis and Oakland require council confirmation for public safety oversight appointments; consent-decree cities have had higher police chief turnover, with 5 in New Orleans to 11 in Oakland over 15 years, compared with 3-4 in non-consent-decree cities; and structure is not clearly linked to outcomes, with an Oakland study suggesting funding and leadership continuity matter more than organizational design. The report was received and filed. Councilmember Wandsley asked for follow-up materials on Baltimore's codification language.
The committee received and filed recommendations from the CCPO, adopted in August, on community involvement in the next police chief hiring process, and a letter from the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights. The Civil Rights Commission requested meeting the finalists or, if that was not possible, building civil-rights qualifications into candidate evaluation, including experience with MDHR settlement reforms, reducing use of force, working with civilian oversight, building trust with immigrant communities, and stating a clear position on MPD's relationship with federal immigration enforcement. Chair Chavez asked the administration to report which CCPO recommendations were used, and the committee directed that both documents be added to the Nov. 4 public hearing file for the police chief nomination.
Good afternoon. My name is Jason Chavez. I'm the chair of the public health safety and equity committee. Before we convene our meeting, we have a presentation of an honor resolution related to health literacy awareness month. I'll invite our staff to come up here at the front so we can read the resolution. Thank you, everyone. Um we're here today to recognize October as the month of health literacy awareness month. And here we wrote a resolution that we'll read for you all today. So recognizing the month of October as Health Literacy Awareness Month, whereas October is nationally recognized as health literacy month. It is a time to acknowledge the importance of making health information easy to understand and a health care system more accessible by encouraging the use of plain language that can be easily understood and used, while also acknowledging and welcoming cultural differences. These efforts will empower both city employees and community members to find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions that support their health and well-being and those that they care for. And whereas most adults in the United States have trouble understanding health information. This can lead to poor health outcomes, higher medical costs, and a lower quality of life. This is why it is so important for the city to share health information in a way that are clear, respectful, and easy to understand. And whereas the city of Minneapolis is working to remove the barriers that make it difficult for community members to get, understand, and use health information and services. We are committed to making sure everyone has what they need to make informed choices about their health and those that they care for. And whereas promoting health literacy is not only an individual's responsibility, but a responsibility we all share. The city and its partner are committed to working together to ensure health information is clear and useful for everyone in Minneapolis. And whereas when people understand health information, it builds trust, brings communities together, reduce health problems caused by unfair conditions, and creates a Minneapolis where everyone has a chance to achieve better health and whereas in Minneapolis, many community members' first language is not English. This can make it harder to understand health information, which is often only in English and written using difficult word choices and technical vocabulary. And whereas health and from misinformation has made it increasingly difficult for community members to access clear, accurate and science-based information. This highlights the vital role the city of Minneapolis plays in advancing health literacy and supporting residents in making informed health decisions. And whereas health and well-being are human rights, and health literacy is required to uphold these human rights and achieve them for all. And whereas health literacy impacts and benefits all. Regardless of someone's education level or language ability, health information and health services can be confusing. By practicing health literacy using simple and clear language, it helps make health care and health services more equitable and empowers us all to achieve better health outcomes. Now, therefore, be it resolved, the city of Minneapolis declares that October 2026 is Health Literacy Awareness Month and will raise awareness to support actions that improve health literacy and stay committed to making health information and services clear, accessible, and easy to understand for everyone in Minneapolis. I'll see if any of my colleagues want to say anything, and then we'll pass it back to our health department staff to say some words. Um my wife is a breast cancer survivor. We've just recognized 10 years of being cancer free, and um as a caregiver in that scenario, you end up with a whirlwind of health information from things like ductal carcinoma in situ to you know ERPR positive, her two negative. There's just like uh just like alphabet soup of really confusing terminology, especially as you're like facing some of the scariest times in your life. And I think that um it is hard enough to navigate the complexity of these types of health incidents without truly understanding it. I had the benefit of you know, downloading an e-book that was all about breast cancer, and I just did a lot of studying while I was doing that and was able to help be a kind of note taker as my wife went through all of her um appointments and uh following up with all the doctors, but not everybody has that kind of um support as they go through their journey. And I think that um making our health care system more understandable and approachable by everyone is just gonna go a long way. And I think whatever we can do as a city to help that along will be very transformational. Anyone want to say any words? Cool. Um, I think just uh for us as a health department, really we're proud to recognize October as health literacy month, and that really at the heart of what health literacy is is recognizing that it is your health, and you are entitled and it's your right to understand what your health means to make informed decisions, and that you know that you have the information and resources to be able to make decisions that are impacting your health, so you can achieve your best health outcome for you. Um, so thank you. Well, get it on this side for a photo, and just want to thank our incredible health department staff for all the work that you do. At this time, I'm going to call this regular meeting of the public health safety and equity committee for October 21st to order. I'll ask the clerk to call the roll so we can verify a quorum for this meeting. Councilmember Payne. Present. Wandsley, present. Greenville is absent, Vita present. Whiting is absent.