By LaKeshia N. Myers

Message to readers: This article is a reprint of my editorial originally published in the Milwaukee Courier on May 11, 2024. I present it today, in honor of my mother, Girtha Myers, who passed away on January 3, 2026. She was the embodiment of grace and tenacity, and for me, she was perfection in human form. Rest in peace, Mama. I love you.

Dear Mama, As I approach my fortieth birthday, it occurred to me that quite a bit has transpired in the time we have known each other. While I often joke with you and dad that my arrival was, “the best thing that ever happened to you,” only lately have I considered that my birth propelled you both into a stratosphere of the unknown. In an instant, you transitioned from young people who lived footloose and fancy free and were transfixed into a new world with a new title, parents. Two people with whom new names were given, “Mama” and “Daddy.” You both have excelled at those roles, exceedingly and above what could ever be asked.

Only now that I am older do I fully appreciate the identity shift that was probably required of you when you became my mother. The weight of responsibility that was heaped upon you and the fear of the unknown. But as time went on, I’d like to think we learned to complement each other. You desired obedience and taught me to have respect for myself and others; to treat people as I would like to be treated; and that my name was one of the greatest assets I had in this life and to protect it at all costs.

I get my work ethic from you and daddy equally, but my ambitious nature is all you. My commitment to community and tendency to over-commit to too many organizations and projects is something I picked up from you along the way too. You always said, “If you want something done right, do it yourself”—I think I may have taken that one a little too far sometimes (smile). But you provided me the opportunity to thrive, experience the world, travel, question authority, have a voice, and love myself.

Like most parent/child relationships, ours has endured many seasons. As I approach forty, I am reminded of its significance in our faith. Forty represents transition, signifies new life, new growth, transformation, a change from one great task to another. As I watch you now, aging gracefully—with now more locks of grey, we have entered yet another period of transition, where sometimes I feel more like your parent than your daughter, and you behave like a rebellious teenager (go figure). I am thankful for the opportunities of laughter, solace, and discipline.

Thank you, for being my mother. Now that I am older, thank you for being my friend. You are a wonderful mother. You are the perfect mother for me. I love you. Love Always, LaKeshia

For many Americans, the first introduction to Jacob Frey may have come this week in the form of press conference footage in which the Minneapolis mayor, visibly upset by Wednesday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent, had the following words for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: “Get the f—- out of Minneapolis.”

But the third-term mayor with the boyish smile is no stranger to high-profile situations, adept at navigating crises with resolve and authenticity while fiercely aligning himself with the Minnesota community he represents. Now at odds with the Trump administration as leader of the latest Democratic-led city to be targeted by the president’s stepped-up deportation efforts, he’s shown he’s unafraid to challenge the federal government.

Frey’s emotional statement was in sharp contrast to the state’s “Minnesota Nice” stereotype.

“He just basically tells people the truth, whether they want to hear it or not,” said former longtime Minneapolis councilmember Lisa Goodman, who now serves in Frey’s administration as the city’s director of strategic initiatives. “He’s not passive-aggressive, which is alarming to some people, especially in Minnesota. He speaks his truth, and he doesn’t back down from that.”

The mayor’s statement “was very forceful in tone, sure, and in turn, probably represents the feelings of most Minneapolis residents,” said Andy Aoki, a professor of political science at the city’s Augsburg University.

“Otherwise, he doesn’t come across as the loud, abrasive, over-the-top politician ready with a soundbite. He comes across as more thoughtful, measured, and now more direct.”

This week’s incident was the spark many feared amid a growing powder keg of heightened activity by immigration authorities in Minneapolis and nationwide. But it was just the latest adversity Frey, 44, has faced in his eight years as the city’s mayor.

In May 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer less than a mile from the site of this week’s ICE incident; in August, two children were killed and 14 injured in a mass shooting at the city’s Annunciation Church; and more recently, President Donald Trump broadly attacked the state’s Somali community after reports of fraud involving Somali immigrants.

Then, on Jan. 7, a U.S. immigration agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in her vehicle, an encounter captured on video and subsequently dissected and hotly debated while initially appearing to contradict the administration’s characterization of what happened.

On Friday, Frey doubled down on his outrage over the Trump administration’s portrayal of Good’s shooting as an act of self-defense, penning a guest editorial in the New York Times headlined “I’m the Mayor of Minneapolis. Trump Is Lying to You.”

“The chaos that ICE and the Trump administration have brought to Minneapolis made this tragedy sadly predictable,” he wrote.

Aoki said the resilience and resolve Frey has exhibited since Good’s death stems from “a political savvy, an everyman approach” that he has polished over the years. He thinks the mayor’s heated declaration to federal officials reflected the frustration that has built up over several weeks of ICE presence in the area.

“This is going to be a test of his patience, resilience, and all of his political savvy,” Aoki said. “He’s in the crosshairs of the federal government, and you just can’t just fight them tit-for-tat. He has to figure out the best path to succeed while getting pressure from all sides. This is going to test his political skillset in many ways.” 

Jim Scheibel, who served as Saint Paul mayor from 1990 to 1994 and now assists the associate provost at the city’s Hamline University, said he has received positive reviews from around the country about Frey’s handling of the situation.

“He’s very visible, and speaking for myself, his controlled anger in this situation is important,” Scheibel said. “People are looking for someone to articulate what people in the Twin Cities are feeling.”

Scheibel said Frey’s emotions strike him as genuine, not theatrics.

“It’s really from his heart and his head that he’s speaking,” he said. “Hubert Humphrey would be very proud of the kind of leadership that Mayor Frey is showing right now.”

Frey’s path to mayor

Frey, a native of Northern Virginia and the son of professional modern ballet dancers, attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg on a track scholarship, earning a government degree and a shoe company contract that allowed him to run professionally. He ran as many as 120 miles a week while attending Villanova Law School in Philadelphia, where he graduated cum laude.

• After more than two decades in law enforcement, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey will move into one of the city’s top civilian roles.
• In a sit-down interview, Bailey discussed how public safety is the start of good governance, Statehouse politics and his future political aspirations.
• Bailey also discussed what he wants to see in the next Indianapolis police chief.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey says he didn’t see his new job coming.

He expected to remain police chief through the rest of Mayor Joe Hogsett’s third term, digging into IMPD’s core issues as part of a new five-year strategic plan that he oversaw. But after two years leading the police department, Bailey will become Hogsett’s chief of staff Feb. 2, moving from one of the city’s top law enforcement jobs to one of its most influential civilian roles.

The job, also known as chief deputy mayor, has been the source of controversy and repeated turnover. Bailey will be Hogsett’s fourth chief of staff in a decade as mayor.

Former Department of Public Works Director Dan Parker stepped down from the role Dec. 31, halfway through Hogsett’s third term, after more than three years as the mayor’s right-hand man.

The mayor’s first chief of staff, Thomas Cook, quietly resigned in late 2020 after Hogsett discovered Cook’s prohibited sexual relationship with a subordinate. In a 2024 IndyStar article, Lauren Roberts, Caroline Ellert and a third anonymous woman accused Cook of sexual misconduct; Ellert also accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2019. A Marion County grand jury is now investigating city development deals involving Cook, as well as allegations of “unlawful touching.”

In a sit-down interview with IndyStar Jan. 9, Bailey said none of that fraught history gave him pause as he considered the new job. “I’m focused on service and governing,” he said.

To that end, Bailey’s more than two decades of law enforcement experience — starting as an IMPD patrol officer in 1999 and rising through the ranks to become chief in February 2024 — taught him something that he plans to keep top of mind: Good governance starts with public safety.

Bailey also discussed how he will navigate tensions over violent crime between the Democrat-led capital city and the Republican-dominated state legislature, what the city needs in its next police chief and whether he plans to run for political office someday.

Read the full Q&A with Bailey below:

IndyStar’s full Q&A with incoming Chief of Staff Chris Bailey

This conversation has been edited for length, brevity and clarity.