Hennepin County attorney candidate Martha Holton Dimick: I'll put safety first, safety for all

I've dedicated my life to public safety, to getting justice for victims of crime. I am not a politician. I am a prosecutor who started my career as a nurse and most recently was a judge. My most fulfilling job was prosecuting criminal sexual assault cases in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

Even though I'm not a politician, I believe in politics that are guided by hope, not fear. And as a resident of one of the highest-crime neighborhoods in the county, I recognize that our hopes and dreams are built on a foundation of safety.

That foundation has been cracked in the past two years. In 2009, we had seven homicides in north Minneapolis. Last year, we had 46. Shootings are up by about 300% from 2017 levels. These statistics are not just numbers; they represent a change from feeling safe to feeling unsafe. For many families, they make the difference between staying here and moving somewhere else. For many more, they influence whether they will venture downtown for dinner out or for a Twins game.

I got into the Hennepin County attorney's race because I have the experience to address the problems we are facing right now: record violent crime in concentrated areas, an increase in nuisance and property crime everywhere, and a lack of trust in the system.

While my opponent cites promoting alternatives to policing as her top priority, mine is reducing violent crime and increasing public safety. I repeat our mantra — "safety first, safety for all" — wherever I go on the campaign trail.

It is our job as Hennepin County prosecutors to prosecute violent criminals, and we should not lose sight of that.

I have been a vocal critic of the "defund the police" movement. I support a balanced approach to prosecution and reject some proposals like the complete elimination of cash bail. My response is not to uphold the status quo. My tenure leading the criminal division in the city attorney's office was characterized by major changes that improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the office. I will bring the same attitude as Hennepin County attorney.

We should not be incarcerating people for struggling with chemical dependency or for mental health issues. We cannot turn a blind eye to the disparities between the rich and the poor in the justice system. And once someone has served their time appropriately, we should be proactive in helping them re-enter society.

My opponent called out the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in our last candidate forum, repeatedly saying prosecution harms "Black and brown people." She is not completely wrong. I have experienced these harms firsthand as a Black person living in the city for 60 years. But injustice within the system is not the only injustice facing our community right now.

We also have injustice in the streets, where Black people are over 120 times more likely to be the victim of a shooting than our white counterparts.

At this moment, we Black residents are at the highest risk of being victimized by community crime and a lack of accountability for violent criminals. Police are understaffed and are losing investigators. Recruitment is at record lows. Prosecutors have record caseloads.

We cannot succumb to paralysis by analysis. For the past 20 years the Hennepin County Attorney's Office has, at times, been too lenient toward both police and civilians who commit crimes. That attitude ends the day I take office.

I am proud to have built a broad coalition in my campaign for this nonpartisan job. The time I've spent in communities across Hennepin County communicating my values and priorities has won me the support of 31 mayors representing over 80% of Hennepin County residents, of Third District U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips and of all 32 senior Hennepin County attorneys who have shared their opinion on this race. The people who are doing the work support me for this position because they know I will put the office in the best position to move forward on both reform and public safety.

We can do both, and we will. Safety first.

I ask for your support on or before Nov. 8.