MINNEAPOLIS, MN – After an incident last week involving gun shots outside of Lucy Craft Laney Community School, State Rep. Fue Lee (DFL-Minneapolis) is standing with local residents in his North Minneapolis community to stop the normalization of gun violence.
“Our community is really frustrated that these shootings continue to persist, and we’re angry some people think that it’s ok to shoot guns near a school where young children are attending every day. It’s unacceptable and we can’t tolerate it,” said Rep. Lee. “I’m also disappointed that our local media isn’t shining a light on this issue impacting our community. We need to be drawing attention to the fact that this isn’t normal. We don’t stand for gunshots at school in North Minneapolis or anywhere else in Minnesota and we need to work together to address it.”
In a Facebook post after the event last week, Lucy Craft Laney School Principal Mauri Friestleben wrote, “No principal training can prep you for “They’re shooting!”. She added, “We don’t live in Afghanistan.”
Rep. Lee is continuing his legislative efforts to reduce the culture of gun violence, reduce the number of guns on Minneapolis streets, and examine the public health risks posed by guns and the costs to communities caused by the trauma of surviving gun violence and living near it on a daily basis. Rep. Lee will continue to work with neighbors, local elected officials, and several community organizations that are addressing gun violence from a multi-faceted approach.
“It is essential that we reduce the number of guns in our neighborhoods,” said Rep. Lee, “but this isn’t just about people not getting guns, it’s also about addressing the fact that many people need to heal from the mental and physical trauma of being impacted by gun violence. We can’t let this trauma become normal, and we must stand together to stop it.”
Rep. Lee encourages constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Lee can be reached by phone at 651-296-4262 or by email at rep.fue.lee@house.mn .