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'I'm Not Going To Lie, It's Going To Be Tough': Minneapolis Holds Roundtable On Violence Prevention

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A conversation about the work being done to stop crime before it happens was held in Minneapolis Thursday.

The director of the city's Office of Violence Prevention hosted a roundtable discussion with the leaders of community groups. Mayor Jacob Frey was there, along with Aqeela Sherrills, a senior advisor to the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative.

"We used to think that public safety was a domain that was owned by law enforcement. You say public safety and people say police, but the reality is that law enforcement is just one aspect of an ecosystem around public safety," Sherrills said.

"Are we gonna continue to see difficulties with crime? I'm not going to lie, it's going to be tough, but when you've got the right partners at the table you can start making strives toward success," Frey said.

Minneapolis is one of 16 places around the country that are part of this White House effort, helping fund efforts to stop violence.

"The people that you see here are focused on prevention and interruption," Sasha Cotton, director of the Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention, said. "We are trying to get at those root causes that push people in a direction to think that violence is an acceptable way to solve their problems."

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