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Kristine Lizdas, J.D. 3013 Townview Avenue NE St. Anthony Village MN 55418 kclizdas@gmail.com September 7, 2016 Mayor Jerry Faust City Council Members: Bonnie Brever, Hal Gray, Jan Jenson and Randy Stille 3301 Silver Lake Road NE St. Anthony Village, MN 55418 Cc: Mayor Peter Lindstrom City of Falcon Heights 2077 Larpenteur Ave W Falcon Heights, MN 55113 Dear Mayor Faust and City Council Members of St. Anthony Village: I am writing on behalf of the undersigned individuals. We are an organized group of St. Anthony residents, business owners and interested colleagues, who are deeply invested in our city’s response to the shooting death of Philando Castile by St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez. We are writing today to express concern over a proposed Tri-City Task Force that the Falcon Heights City Council will be considering this week – it is on the agenda for their September 7th City Council Workshop. We understand that because the St. Anthony Police Department provides policing to all three communities of St. Anthony, Falcon Heights and Lauderdale, that policing concerns are shared in these three communities. We, the undersigned, find the Tri-City Task Force proposal presently before Falcon Heights City Council to be enormously wanting in vision and detail, and consequently do not support the proposal as is. The effectiveness of any proposed task force hangs entirely on who comprises it, the activities it assumes, and the authority it is given. All of these must be addressed with meaningful specificity before it will have our support. We would support the creation of a collaborative Work Group tasked with conducting a formal racial bias assessment of policing by the St. Anthony Police Department and the City of St. Anthony. The Work Group would consist of representatives from the St. Anthony Police Department, including the Chief; the City Administrators and/or Managers of St. Anthony, Lauderdale and Falcon Heights; as well as residents, business owners and other substantially invested individuals from the three cities. The Work Group would heavily represent communities of color, and other communities most deeply affected by St. Anthony’s policing practices. The Work Group would consult with non-governmental organizations experienced in conducting racial bias assessments of public institutions, and avail itself of existing tools and processes for identifying and mitigating racial bias in said institutions. 77