Abu Nayeem

Political platform statement

Why I am running for this office: I'm a Frogtown community organizer. My platform is about giving voice to the disenfranchised and empowering citizens. Did you know that two of out three registered voters did not vote in the last mayoral election? Disenfranchised voters are fed-up with the system that ignores their safety needs, and feel powerless. First, I believe all citizens, workers, including law enforcement, deserve dignity and mutual respect. Currently, mayor Carter’s support for community-based alternatives comes at the expense of defunding SPPD, which burdens individual officers and harms victims of crime. Mayor Carter is going to spend one-time $40 million federal dollars for the Office of Neighborhood Safety, which aims to replace officers for low-priority calls and offers no solid proposal on how to achieve this. Instead, I take a “Yes And” approach which supports community-based alternatives, funding the police, and improving relations between citizens and SPPD. I offer a solid proposal to reduce patrol officer workload by sending non-police staff, and officers can use that extra time to directly engage the community they serve (paid time) bridging the empathy gap. My public safety approach is collaborative, not antagonistic. Second, I want to empower citizens by implementing a participatory budget where individual citizens can allocate a portion of their taxes toward public proposals. Citizens will be investing, leading their own initiatives, and holding themselves accountable. Furthermore, The $166 million from the American Rescue Plan can jumpstart the citizen economy, distributed to each neighborhood. Decisions will be transparent and based on relationships rather than authority.