BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — With less than three weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 election, candidates seeking local and state offices faced questions Thursday night about immigration enforcement, tenant protections and police surveillance during a community forum organized by five nonprofit organizations serving immigrant and renter communities.
The Oct. 15 gathering at Brookdale Library brought together candidates for Brooklyn Center City Council and mayor, along with candidates for Minnesota Senate District 38 and House District 38B. Organizers provided interpretation in Somali, Hmong and Spanish, seeking to make the discussion accessible to residents who might otherwise be left out of local political conversations.
The forum was organized by Fey Justicia, African Career, Education and Resources (ACER), Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment Through Research (HACER), CAPI and Minnesota Immigrant Movement.
Unlike a traditional candidate debate, the gathering focused on questions developed with community members. Organizers said the event was nonpartisan and intended to give residents an opportunity to meet candidates and discuss issues affecting their neighborhoods.
Those questions exposed differences over immigration enforcement and the city’s use of surveillance technology, while producing broad support among local candidates for a proposal to give immigrant and refugee residents a more formal voice in city government.
Immigration enforcement and community trust
The first question asked candidates what they would do to protect immigrant families, improve access to services and rebuild trust between immigrant communities and government following recent immigration enforcement operations.
State Sen. Susan Pha, a DFLer seeking reelection, said the effects of Operation Metro Surge continue to shape how immigrant families view government and law enforcement.
Pha, who came to the United States as a refugee, said she had urged police chiefs in her district to publicly reassure immigrant residents that their departments would protect them from discrimination and harassment.
“I don’t think our community will ever feel safe again,” Pha said, describing the lasting trauma of the enforcement operation. “But what we can do is we can start feeling like we are at least safe enough to live our normal lives.”
Her Republican opponent, Brad Olson, offered a sharply different perspective, emphasizing the distinction between people legally residing in the country and those who have overstayed their authorized visits.
Olson argued that local leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz, bore some responsibility for problems associated with Metro Surge because of their approaches to federal immigration enforcement.
Brooklyn Center mayoral candidate Teneshia Kragness, a current City Council member and mayor pro tem, emphasized building relationships with residents beyond election season.
She said officials need to visit neighborhoods, understand different cultures and make residents comfortable approaching government.
City Council candidate Nahid Khan called for improved city communications, including more translated materials and information delivered through video and audio rather than relying primarily on written English.
Her fellow council candidate, Mark Viste, connected the question of trust to the city’s use of Flock automated license plate reader cameras, criticizing what he described as insufficient public involvement in their deployment.
Tenant protections become a dividing line
Brooklyn Center’s tenant protections also figured prominently in the discussion.
The city has adopted a just-cause ordinance intended to protect renters from having their leases terminated or not renewed without a qualifying reason.
Pha said she has been working to extend similar protections statewide through legislation now called Right to Renew.
She argued that families should not have to uproot their lives simply because a landlord decides against renewing a lease without providing a legitimate reason.
“Every time they move, their children have to move schools,” Pha said. “Sometimes school districts. It costs thousands of dollars to move.”
Kragness said she supports maintaining the city’s existing tenant protections.
“I don’t believe you give people protections and then you take them back,” she said.
Viste also defended the ordinance and warned against efforts to repeal it. He suggested the city consider additional measures to address landlords who fail to maintain their properties.
Khan described stable housing as a basic human right and said keeping residents housed should be a priority for city government.
Republican House candidate Robert Marvin, however, emphasized balancing tenant protections with the rights of property owners. He said landlords need reasonable opportunities to address nonpayment, property damage and criminal activity associated with rental properties.
Olson similarly stressed the responsibilities of both landlords and tenants, arguing that maintaining rental properties requires mutual respect.
Surveillance cameras draw scrutiny
The forum’s discussion of Flock cameras revealed another difference among candidates.
The automated license plate readers, which can record vehicle information and make it available to law enforcement agencies, have raised questions in Brooklyn Center about privacy, oversight and how collected information is shared.
Viste reiterated his opposition to the cameras, calling for their removal.
“I don’t want to live in a surveillance society,” he said.
At a Sept. 8 League of Women Voters forum covered by Mshale, Viste said he had initially been open to the technology but changed his position after speaking with residents and learning more about how it works.
At Thursday’s forum, he said that if the city continued using the cameras, officials should at least consider restrictions on data sharing and how long information is retained.
Khan called for a public discussion of the cameras, suggesting a town hall meeting where residents could question their use and hear from police.
Kragness also maintained the position she outlined at the September forum, saying police should have access to tools necessary for their work but that those tools should not infringe on residents’ privacy.
She said she had accompanied police officers on ride-alongs to learn how the cameras are used and had called for more public education about the technology.
Pha criticized the deployment of surveillance cameras without public engagement or City Council involvement. She also called for clear limits on data retention, access and permissible uses.
The candidates also discussed the potential environmental and financial effects of data centers, including water consumption, energy use and possible tax incentives.
A proposal for immigrant representation
Despite their disagreements on other issues, the candidates generally welcomed a proposal that could give Brooklyn Center’s immigrant and refugee communities a more direct role in city decision-making.
In one of the evening’s final questions, candidates were asked whether they would support creating an immigrant and refugee advisory group to work with the mayor, City Council and police chief.
Viste endorsed the idea immediately.
“Yes, it’s a fantastic idea. Let’s do it,” he said.
Khan suggested the city consider neighborhood- or precinct-level advisory groups rather than relying entirely on a single citywide body. She said such an approach could help officials hear concerns from residents who do not ordinarily participate in city meetings.
Kragness said advisory commissions help elected officials make informed decisions by bringing together people with different experiences and perspectives.
“I welcome any advisory council,” she said.
Pha also supported the proposal, pointing to state boards and commissions that provide lawmakers with community perspectives on emerging issues.
Marvin said community organizations could play an important role in communicating residents’ concerns to elected officials, whether through a formal advisory commission or other arrangements.
The proposal was presented as an idea for future consideration, not an existing city initiative.
Development and investment remain concerns
Candidates also addressed Brooklyn Center’s economic development challenges, including vacant commercial properties, the loss of major retailers and efforts to attract new investment.
Pha pointed to state funding she said had been secured for the city, including $5 million for the community center and $3.1 million for infrastructure associated with the Opportunity Site redevelopment.
Kragness said she had worked with Pha and state Rep. Samantha Vang to advocate for those investments.
Viste suggested that redevelopment near the former Target property could become an opportunity to showcase immigrant-owned businesses and the city’s cultural diversity.
Marvin argued that the decline of Brooklyn Center’s commercial tax base had contributed to the financial pressures facing homeowners. He called for more aggressive efforts to attract businesses and redevelop vacant properties.
Olson said the state should reduce regulations that he believes discourage small-business growth.
Not all candidates attend
Six candidates participated in the forum: Kragness, Khan, Viste, Pha, Olson and Marvin.
Mayoral candidate Alexander Koenig, City Council candidates Dan Jerzak and Gretchen Enger, and state Rep. Samantha Vang were not among the participants.
Organizers said all candidates had been invited and referred generally to scheduling conflicts, without specifying which candidates were affected.
The forum concluded with a voter education session covering registration, early voting, ballot access and voters’ rights.
Minnesota’s general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Eligible voters can cast ballots early in person or vote at their assigned polling places on Election Day.
For the organizations behind Thursday’s forum, the gathering offered a way to bring communities that often face language and other barriers into local political discussions.
Whether the proposed immigrant and refugee advisory group becomes a reality will depend on what city leaders do after the election.
About Mshale Staff
The byline “By Mshale Staff” is used for stories that involve limited or no original reporting by our newsroom. These stories are often based on press releases or information provided by official sources, including corporations, government agencies and public institutions. The byline also may be used for reports compiled from multiple contributors, wire services, previously published material or aggregated sources when listing individual authors is impractical. Outside sources are generally identified within the story.
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