Through our Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute, we have cultivated the leadership of 168 alumni and counting who have gone on to create transformational change at every level. Alum Tim Brewington, from our 2019-20 cohort, is meeting the moment with bold leadership in Woodbury. Read his story below!
“I am a founding member of the Multicultural Advisory Committee for the Woodbury Public Safety Department, established in 2019. From the beginning, our work has required difficult and necessary conversations about pain, trust, accountability, and the possibility of building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community we all serve.
The first true test of this committee and its relationship with the police department came on May 25, 2020, when George Floyd was murdered after a police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In that moment, I demanded that Woodbury take a public stance. I insisted that our department clearly name what had happened and create space for real, public conversations with both the committee and the broader community.
There was resistance. Eventually, the Director of Public Safety agreed to sit down with me for an interview to discuss his reaction to George Floyd’s death and to address how Woodbury Public Safety can be held accountable in its responsibility to protect and serve all residents. That moment became a turning point in our work.
Unfortunately, the conversations did not end there. Continued loss of life at the hands of police across the Twin Cities forced us to return again and again to these hard discussions. While these tragedies did not occur in Woodbury, what happens in Minneapolis and Saint Paul affects trust, safety, and community well beyond city borders. It affects us here.
I firmly believe safety is built through relationships. When community members and police officers know one another as human beings, when transparency and accountability are present, trust can grow. Trust is what makes real public safety possible. Change does not happen through silence. It happens one conversation at a time.
I am grateful for the continued commitment of the Woodbury police, fire, and EMS departments and for the men and women who strive each day to serve all residents with compassion, professionalism, and courage.
The Multicultural Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, Jan. 26—amid a long, violent ICE occupation and in the wake of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti’s murders—was different from any other meeting.
In my eight years of service, I have never witnessed what I saw that night. Officers in full uniform broke down in tears over what is happening in our community. The energy in the room shifted in a way that was unmistakable. The weight of the moment was shared, unspoken, and heavy.
When those sworn to protect a community are overwhelmed by its suffering, something is profoundly wrong. This is not normal. This is not sustainable. And this is not okay. In that moment, I felt both heavy and hopeful. Heavy because of the pain we were witnessing, and hopeful because we were in community. Law enforcement and residents were together, supporting one another and choosing to face this moment side by side.
Real change begins when we refuse to look away from discomfort and instead choose accountability, connection, and action. Every honest conversation, every act of listening, and every decision to demand better brings us closer to the community we are striving to build. This work is ongoing, and it belongs to all of us. If we remain present, engaged, and willing to act, transformation is possible, one conversation at a time.”