Midwest
Minnesota Dems allegedly let tax dollars fund terrorists as police left without money to protect public: cops
As violent crime endangers communities across Minnesota, police say they were left stretched thin and underfunded while state leaders directed millions elsewhere, a gap now drawing sharp scrutiny from public-safety experts and police union leaders.
That gap is under the microscope as the state deals with a massive fraud scandal involving hundreds of millions of dollars, including allegations of taxpayer money finding its way to terrorist group Al-Shabaab in Somalia, all under the nose of Democratic leaders.
Randy Sutton, a police veteran and founder of The Wounded Blue, told Fox News Digital the crisis extends far beyond one agency or city.
“The public safety is at risk… we are in a criminal justice crisis in America,” Sutton said. “Political leadership is destroying public safety through their ideology.”
BALTIMORE SEES STAGGERING CRIME DROP AS DEMOCRATIC PROSECUTOR HOLDS REPEAT OFFENDERS ACCOUNTABLE
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara addresses more than one hundred uniformed law enforcement officers while waiting for the release of an officer who was shot in the line of duty in north Minneapolis, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, outside North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minn. (Aaron Lavinksy/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Mark Ross, president of the St. Paul Police Federation, says Minnesota is living that crisis in real time.
“We’ve been down anywhere from 50 to over 100 officers since 2020, and we just haven’t recovered from that,” Ross told Fox News Digital. “Right now we’re about a thousand police officers short in the state of Minnesota, and we’re on pace to lose another 2,000 to 2,500 over the next few years.”
The staffing shortages come as Minnesota recorded 170 murders in 2024, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), only slightly below the year before, with firearms involved in nearly 75% of those killings. Statewide, carjackings rose 5.5% and rapes increased 5.2% from 2023 to 2024. Assaults on peace officers also jumped up 1.5%.
Ross said recruitment and retention have reached a breaking point, not only in St. Paul but statewide.
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Police in Minnesota are struggling with staffing shortages, experts said. (Minneapolis Police Department/Facebook)
“The overall landscape for policing in Minnesota has gotten really, really competitive. We’re losing officers to other departments paying more and offering greater incentives.”
He said the state’s massive fraud losses, now the subject of multiple federal investigations, have worsened long-term pressures on public-safety agencies.
“These billions of dollars could have been spent on public safety, but it’s gone… and we’ll never see that money again.”
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Sutton, who tracks crime trends nationally, said the shortages could not come at a worse time.
“Last year, more than 85,000 American officers were assaulted… every single day an officer is being shot,” Sutton said. “We’ve never seen volume like this.”
WATCH: Police veteran warns public safety is ‘at risk’
Both experts warn that Minnesotans may not fully grasp the extent of the public-safety crisis, especially in the metro areas where crime is concentrated. While violent crime dipped slightly in greater Minnesota, the BCA reports a 1% rise in violent crime across the seven-county Twin Cities region, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, where police staffing has been hit hardest.
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“People are afraid to even report crime… and some police agencies aren’t reporting to the FBI,” Sutton said. “The figures are skewed. We don’t even have an accurate picture of violent crime.”
Ross said St. Paul officers are doing “more with less” even as community expectations increase.
A spokesperson for Gov. Tim Walz defended the administration’s record, pointing to what they described as unprecedented public-safety investments across Minnesota.
MINNESOTA’S ANTI-FRAUD SPENDING HAS QUIETLY BALLOONED, LEAVING TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR FAILURE TWICE
Tim Walz speaks onstage during the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival at the Austin Convention Center on March 8, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
“The Governor signed the largest public safety budget in state history, investing money in every single police department in the state,” the spokesperson said. Walz’s office also noted Walz’s efforts to fund a new State Patrol headquarters and the recent groundbreaking of a new state crime lab, adding that “Minnesota was recently ranked as one of the safest states.”
The governor’s office also pushed back on claims that the state’s high-profile fraud cases affected law-enforcement resources. Critics argue those losses drained taxpayer dollars that could have supported public safety, but the administration rejected that characterization.
“The fraudsters stole money from programs like Medicaid that are funded primarily with federal funding, so police funding is not affected,” the spokesperson said.
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Walz’s office added that, “The Governor has made public safety a top priority for the state, providing hundreds of millions in funding for cops.”
Ross said the governor’s claims do not reflect what officers experience on the ground.
“Those are all projects that need to be done, but what we’re looking for is continued funding all the time. Not one-time funding.”
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He strongly rejected the claim that fraud had no impact on public-safety dollars.
“You can’t frame things that way. It all comes from the same pool of money. Those are tax dollars,” he said. “I think taxpayers would not be amused by that response.”
Ross said many officers fear political repercussions more than they fear criminals.
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“There is a legitimate fear they might be prosecuted or terminated for doing their jobs, even when they’ve done everything correctly.”
“The first thing cops think during a use-of-force incident is: ‘Am I going to jail for this?’”
Sutton echoed that sentiment on a national scale.
MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT WORKERS BLAME WALZ FOR ‘MASSIVE FRAUD’ AMID ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SOMALI COMMUNITY
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, left, talks with Michael Wilson, right, three years after George Floyd’s death at George Floyd Square, Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
“Officers are more afraid of their own leadership than of the criminal element and that is the saddest part of this whole story.”
Ross said fewer highly qualified candidates are applying, and some who might make exceptional officers simply refuse to enter the profession due to the political climate and scrutiny.
“You’re not going to get the big number of super-qualified candidates when the hiring pool is this shallow,” he said. “People would love the work and be great at it, but they don’t feel supported.”
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Ross said meaningful change must start with leadership at all levels — city, state and departmental.
“It all starts with leadership, political leadership, department leadership, union leadership. We need people to get up and lead.”
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Despite recent improvements in recruitment, he warned, “we have a long way to go.”
Sutton agreed, adding that until elected leaders prioritize public safety above politics, “communities will continue to be in danger.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of the Minneapolis mayor and police chief for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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Milwaukee police are searching for a suspect after a deadly shooting on Monday morning.
According to a news release from the Milwaukee Police Department, the shooting happened around 7:00 a.m. near 105th Street and W Villa Ave.
Police say the 51-year-old victim was shot and killed. They say they are still investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
If you have any information, call the Milwaukee Police Department at (414) 935-7360, or you can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-tips or using the P3 Tips App.
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Minneapolis and St. Paul Are Ahead of Schedule on Equity-Centered Parks Investment
Minneapolis is ahead of schedule on its 20-Year Neighborhood Parks Plan, which uses an equity ranking to direct funding toward communities with the greatest need, while St. Paul is pursuing similar goals through its own equity-focused parks strategy.
In 2016, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approved a 20-year plan to address racial inequality in parks and transform the neighborhood parks system. Ten years into the process, officials say they are ahead of schedule.
The 20-Year Neighborhood Parks Plan (NPP20) uses a first-of-its-kind “equity ranking” to target funding toward communities with the greatest need. Advancing racial equity in the parks system is a high priority for the board, which states on its website that “racial equity is when race is no longer a predictor of access to parks and recreation, health, well-being, and quality of life.”
“[Equity is a priority in parks development] because for so long it wasn’t very important and this resulted in disparate service across the system,” MPRB Commissioner Tom Olsen said in an email. “Parks provide many wonderful societal benefits that lift up whole communities. So not only is it just that we invest equitably, but it is the smart thing to do as it improves outcomes for the entire city.”
The equity ranking uses seven quantitative measures focused on racial and economic equity. In the community, it considers concentrated poverty, population density, youth population and crime rates. It also evaluates the condition and lifespan of existing parks, as well as previous capital investments. In 2016, the parks with the highest rankings included Bassett’s Creek Park, 28th Street Tot Lot and Central Gym Park.
All but two of the 34 parks ranked highest in need of support were in North or South Minneapolis.
As of December 2025, 46 parks have completed capital investment projects and 28 recreation centers have received major repairs. Minneapolis has 180 parks total, and NPP20 aims to improve all of them by 2036. A goal the city is on track to meet ahead of schedule.
“Every neighborhood park in the city is on track to receive renovations and improvements,” Olsen said.
One of the largest projects is a $45 million redevelopment of North Commons Park in North Minneapolis. The project is about 35% complete and will rebuild the water park, renovate the community center, construct a 22,000-square-foot indoor fieldhouse and expand public amenities.
When construction began in July 2025, state Rep. Fue Lee, who represents the district, told the Minnesota Star Tribune, “For far too long, north Minneapolis has been forgotten by the state of Minnesota. But not no more.”
The park’s pool was last renovated in 1997.
Across the river, Saint Paul’s Parks and Recreation system plan also emphasizes equity. The plan highlights major demographic shifts, noting that more than 20% of the city’s residents were born outside the United States.
It also describes parks as uniquely democratic spaces and calls for consideration of unhoused residents’ use of park facilities.
“Serving more residents, and more perspectives about the role that parks spaces and programs can play in our lives, presents the City of Saint Paul with a powerful opportunity to serve the community’s evolving social, recreational, and ecological needs into the future,” the plan states.
Although St. Paul did not develop an equity ranking like Minneapolis, its prioritization system favors parks in areas of concentrated poverty, high under-18 populations and historically low investment.
The city’s 40-year comprehensive plan, adopted in 2020 under former Mayor Melvin Carter, states in its Parks, Recreation and Open Space section: “White people are significantly more likely to explore those parts of our park system than are African Americans, African immigrants, Asian Americans, Asian immigrants and Hispanic/Latino/Latina people. As a city, we are obligated to ensure that everyone has access to and feels welcome within our public lands.”
One strategy both cities are using to improve equity is “Greening the Green Line.” Areas along the METRO Green Line have about 10% less green space than the urban core.
Little Mekong Plaza, located on University Avenue in St. Paul, aims to establish an Asian cultural corridor. Owned by the Hmong American Partnership, the city described it in a press release as “reflecting Hmong, Vietnamese, and other ethnic and immigrant communities that live and operate businesses in the area.”
In 2024, a $2.4 million grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership helped fund St. Paul’s North End Community Center and a six-acre park. The surrounding area is about three-quarters people of color, but prior to the development, the green space was run-down and considered unsafe.
Both cities have received positive feedback on their efforts. For Olsen, NPP20 is a clear success.
“I think the biggest indicator that this is working is that constituents really don’t reach out to complain about the quality of their parks,” he said. “I have only ever heard that people are satisfied with how their parks have been developed. And if someone reaches out because the lifespan of their park is starting to get old, we are able to point very clearly to when their park will be invested in.”
Anya Armentrout is a freelance journalist, a student at Macalester College and a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
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College Access • Culture • Community Impact • Championship Energy
The 5th Annual HBCU All-Star Game Experience will bring a high-impact lineup of events to Indianapolis, connecting students, families, and the community to HBCU opportunities, while celebrating Black excellence during college basketball’s biggest weekend. Scheduled events are as follows:
TOP MEDIA MOMENT (FRIDAY):
WHAT: Kickoff Press Conference & Official Game Ball Presentation
WHO: Travis L. Williams, Founder & CEO, HBCU All-Stars, Mayor Joe Hogsett, Indianapolis City-County Councilor Keith Graves and members of the Indianapolis community.
WHEN: Friday, April 3 | 2:00 PM
WHERE: Corteva Coliseum, Indiana State Fairgrounds
KEY EVENTS FOR COVERAGE:
HBCU Awards Ceremony & Reception
📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center
🗓 Thursday, April 2 | 7:30–9:00 PM
➡ Honors local community leaders and top HBCU student-athletes, coaches & leaders
College Admissions & Scholarship Fair (VISUAL + COMMUNITY IMPACT)
📍 Corteva Coliseum
🗓 Friday, April 3 (9 AM–1 PM, FREE)
🗓 Sunday, April 5 (12–4 PM, ticket required)
➡ Students meet HBCUs, explore scholarships and attend panels
➡ Friday includes Pro Day Viewing + Meet & Greet
Friday Fun Day (Community Outreach) (STRONG VISUALS)
📍 Sankofa School of Success + Windsor Village Park
🗓 Friday, April 3 | 4:00–6:30 PM
➡ Student-athletes mentoring youth + food distribution
Social Justice & Civil Rights Panel
📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center
🗓 Saturday, April 4 | 11:30 AM–2:00 PM
➡ Panelists include Sean Johnson & Dr. Heather Savage
Black Business Vendor Showcase (VISUAL + ECONOMIC IMPACT)
📍 Corteva Coliseum
🗓 Sunday, April 5 | 12:00–5:00 PM
➡ Black-owned businesses + community marketplace
🏀 HBCU ALL-STAR GAME (MAIN EVENT)
📍 Corteva Coliseum, Indiana State Fairgrounds
🗓 Sunday, April 5, 2026
Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
Doors Open: 12:00 PM EST
Location: 1202 E. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN 46205
Parking: $10 per vehicle at the Indiana State Fairgrounds
➡ Featuring top HBCU senior student-athletes from across the country
➡ High-energy, nationally recognized showcase of men’s basketball’s biggest weekend.
➡ Includes fan experiences, vendor activations, and community engagement
WHY THIS MATTERS:
Expands college access for local students
Showcases HBCU excellence nationwide
Drives economic impact + Black entrepreneurship
Combines sports, education, culture, and community
SOUND BITE:
“This is a can’t-miss moment for Indianapolis and for our future leaders. We’re bringing together the full power of HBCU excellence—education, opportunity, culture, and community—under one roof.”
— Travis L. Williams, Founder & CEO, HBCU All-Stars
🎤 MEDIA CREDENTIALS & ACCESS
MEDIA CREDENTIALS REQUIRED for access to:
HBCU All-Star Game
Courtside coverage of events at Corteva Coliseum
Press conference and select VIP programming
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting the 2026 HBCU Experience. For more information about the HBCU All-Star Game and Experience, visit www.hbcuallstargame.com or follow @HBCUAllStars on Facebook and Instagram.
For more HBCU All-Star coverage, visit Indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multi-media reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
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