In a heated discussion over the old Third Police Precinct building, the Minneapolis City Council supported turning the site into a voting and cultural center.

The Third Precinct building renamed Minnehaha 3000, was burned down during the protests in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. The site has sat empty for years as the city has gone back and forth on the building’s future.

Minnehaha 3000 made national headlines after Ohio Sen. and Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance visited the former Third Precinct building Monday and used it as a backdrop when he portrayed Minneapolis as a city in decline.

Under the plan supported by city staff, Minnehaha 3000 would become an election and voter services (EVS) as well as a cultural center. The election voter services would include a warehouse for election equipment and a logistics center. 

The City Council passed a resolution supporting rebuilding Minnehaha 3000 as a community center with the voting service center but not adding on the warehouse on Lake Street. 

City Council Member Jason Chavez (Ward 9), whose ward contains the Third Precinct, said that the addition of the warehouse would be an insult to Ward 9. 

“When we’re talking about bringing back vitality to Lake Street, which is an area that is predominantly people of color and immigrants, we’re talking about building a warehouse?” Chavez said in the meeting.  “I’m frustrated actually. I’ll take an EVS, but a warehouse? That is not acceptable to me.” 

Minneapolis City Clerk Casey Carl said Minnehaha 3000 is the best place to add an elections service because of its position in the neighborhood. 

“We have 137 precincts spread across the entire city,” Carl said. “So on election day, there are 137 precincts that we have to support. Having access to a really secure transit grid is important for us to get out on election day and to bring stuff back from election day.” 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the plan would acknowledge the past while moving forward. 

“Moving forward doesn’t mean negating our history, it means taking a step into the future,” Frey said at the meeting. 

While Frey and his office thought the design should move forward, the Minneapolis City Council was marred with disagreements. 

Chavez and Council Member Aurin Chowdhury (Ward 12) expressed frustration over the lack of beautification efforts on the outside of the building, specifically the razor wire on the building. 

“It’s an image of disrepair that hurts our community and it makes people feel exhausted, it makes people feel uncared for,” Chowdhury said at the meeting. 

Council Member Robin Wonsley (Ward 2) and Council Member Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10) asked why the city department did not consider other locations for the voting center.

Other council members like Linea Palmisano (Ward 13) and LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4) encouraged other members to support the mayor’s recommendations.

Palmisano said council members were dragging out and stalling the process. 

“Enough is enough, we have found a shared democracy center with shared community space and that is still not enough for some people,” Palmisano said. 

Minnehaha 3000 is still a source of contention for many on the council and the surrounding community. 

Sam Gould, a local resident who has lived near Minnehaha 3000 for 14 years, said the city did a poor job reaching out for community input. Gould said he wants the city to do more community outreach and he hopes Minehaha 3000 will be turned into a center for the community. 

“We have an opportunity here,” Gould said. “And what I’m seeing is an aggressive push to tamp that opportunity down, to be able to continue unjust systems as they are, because it benefits a certain few over the many. And that’s definitely what’s going on in my neighborhood.”