Londel French

The Parks
The Parks are the backyards of our neighborhoods, a place where youth and families can gather for birthdays and barbeques on weekends. Programming that is dynamic and moves beyond basketball and soccer leagues develops young leaders and empowers communities.

The Parks are more than green space, they are our unique shared public good. As a progressive advocate of social and economic justice, I bring a high standard for public-private partnerships. While I appreciate the additional resources private partners can bring, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board must reflect the values of our city in entering into agreements.

As an advocate for all communities, I will ensure our parks are equitably spending our resources and providing programming for communities in all parts of our city. I will listen to communities about what they want in their parks. It is the obligation of every Commissioner to ensure our parks serve all of our communities, not just the most well-connected.

As we move into the unknown of climate change, we know we must take action to make our city more resilient. I am calling for a Climate Action Plan to take action so our parks can help our city become carbon neutral and provide educational opportunities for residents who want to learn about climate action in our neighborhoods.

The People
Our parks must constantly be finding ways to open our doors and bring more people into our parks. The people who live around and use our parks make our communities who we are. Young people who have their first sports experience at the parks. Elderly residents on a walk or playing with their grandchildren. People taking advantage of community education classes to learn a new skill. These and many more are the people who make our parks a community. When it comes to the future of our parks, these are the people I promise to turn to for guidance.

Recreation workers are on the frontline for what happens in our communities. They prevent crisis and tragedy and are impacted directly when things go wrong in a neighborhood. I will support these workers and encourage them to advocate for living wages and more opportunities for advancement. I have seen the impact of the Minneapolis Public Schools Grow Your Own program and believe we can provide professional pathways to park workers of color.

The Power
Minneapolis is home to one of the most unique national urban park systems of our country. It is an awesome responsibility to govern this system, and I will do so from a perspective that is focused on racial, economic, gender and social justice and being a good steward of this important resource. I promise to stand up to corporate power that seeks to profit from public goods with no public benefit. I will stand up and demand that environmental justice goes beyond which types of fertilizer we use in the parks, but also focuses on the racial and gender impact to our communities.

As a black man running for office, I have been the victim of police brutality. I have fought for years to reform our Justice System with allies in the community. The Parks are home to an independent police force. This force is an opportunity to use new ideas for how policing can engage our communities. Specifically, I will work to ensure that the Minneapolis Park Police to use methods of restorative justice, mandate extensive trauma informed policing training, and seek to partner with other governmental agencies to provide services to those in need who are identified by the MPRB PD.^[5]