Artists can help us see new ways of transforming public safety. Creators like Ricardo Levins Morales have been inspiring social justice through vibrant poster art. He collaborates with social movements like MPD 150, a people’s project evaluating policing, to offer a powerful method of visualizing, communicating, and inspiring people. Performance artist and filmmaker Sha Cage can touch hearts from the stage using poetry, community open mic nights, and dialogues to bring people directly into her performances and respond to current events. There are filmmakers like Daniel Bergin who document neighborhood history in ways that build community pride and neighborhood safety. Bergin, who projects his films outdoors, creates safe community gatherings in which audiences can experience stories of their own community. Because people of all ages don’t always know the histories of the places they live in, his films help to create those connections and preserve history. If people have a better sense of context, they treat communities differently. These artists and others open our imaginations, creating pathways for us to reimagine public safety.

Systemic racism is at the core of many of our problems as a society, and until we address this, it will hold back our efforts to improve the safety of our communities. As a city councilor, I called on my colleagues to declare racism a public health crisis as we passed an important resolution in the city of Minneapolis. Until we name the problem and begin the difficult work of becoming an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-transphobic society, we will continue to have disparities in every aspect of American life for Black and brown communities. Through efforts like the City’s truth and reconciliation workgroup, we can begin the process of developing ongoing analysis, advice, and policy implementation to create initiatives that recalibrate the unbalanced wealth equation that currently holds down marginalized communities. Artists can help us imagine and implement this transformative vision.