Minneapolis mayor argues schools must stay open to combat violent crime, carjacking surge

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey argued Wednesday that schools must remain open in order to combat surging violent crime and increased carjacking incidents often carried out by juvenile offenders.

At a press conference at City Hall, Frey, who was reelected in November, pushed back against school closures seen in other major cities, including Chicago, as COVID-19 cases rose after winter break.

“We’ve gotta keep the schools open. This is very clear to me,” Frey said. “Yes, we need to make sure we’re abiding by the necessary safety precautions. Yes, we need to make sure anyone from parents to teachers to students are protected in full from the dangers associated with a global pandemic, and we need to make sure the students are in the schools and that they’re able to learn.”

“When we don’t have that, boredom sets in. And boredom is no excuse for carjacking,” the mayor added. “But it’s on all of us to make sure that these recreational, educational activities continue.”

His remarks on school closures come at a time when schools in major U.S. cities across the country are battling a surge in cases of COVID-19 following winter break ushered in by the highly contagious omicron variant. In Chicago for example, their teachers’ union voted to cancel classes amid the surge, but critics pointed to the impacts on mental health to keep kids out of the classroom for extended periods. – READ MORE