Newly seated BET president issues land acknowledgement, decries federal 'invasion' and praises police; commissioners urge board independence
January 12, 2026 | Minneapolis City, Hennepin County, Minnesota
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After the board returned from a brief recess to reseat newly elected officers, the presiding officer delivered a traditional land acknowledgement and an extended set of remarks addressing recent federal activity in Minneapolis.
The presiding speaker opened: "We meet on Dakota and Anishinaabe lands," and expanded the acknowledgement to name groups he said are affected by "the militarized invasion of an overreaching federal government." He described displaced people living under bridges and named multiple communities he said are impacted, including Somali, Hmong and Vietnamese residents and recent migrants from across the Americas. He thanked Mayor Frey, Attorney General Ellison and Governor Walz "for principled stands" and said he also appreciates Minneapolis Police "for taking on the difficult job of serving as a buffer between the feds and us, protecting our merchants and our public facilities as well as private property." The presiding speaker urged residents and officials to stay disciplined and avoid returning the city to the destruction experienced in 2020.
The remarks included an assertion that "including at least 2 on this very board who have been stopped by federal agents," a statement offered without further detail or challenge in the meeting record.
Following the remarks, Commissioner Payne addressed the board and welcomed new members, stressing that the Board of Estimate and Taxation is an independent governing body from the city council and mayor and urging the board to exercise its specific powers. "If it's going to exist, we should do it well and we should do it independently or it shouldn't exist," Payne said, framing the board's authority in terms of the city's tax base and its ability to fund public safety, infrastructure and other services.
Commissioner Harris Bernstein also commented on the limited role of the board and linked its work to the city's capacity to marshal resources for safety and services.
No formal votes or directives followed from the political remarks; the board proceeded to adopt procedural items later in the meeting.
The meeting record contains these statements verbatim as delivered in the session; the assertions about federal activity and board members cited as stopped by federal agents were not further documented or answered during the meeting.
Next steps: The board continued with its agenda, adopting bylaws and the annual calendar after the remarks.
The presiding speaker opened: "We meet on Dakota and Anishinaabe lands," and expanded the acknowledgement to name groups he said are affected by "the militarized invasion of an overreaching federal government." He described displaced people living under bridges and named multiple communities he said are impacted, including Somali, Hmong and Vietnamese residents and recent migrants from across the Americas. He thanked Mayor Frey, Attorney General Ellison and Governor Walz "for principled stands" and said he also appreciates Minneapolis Police "for taking on the difficult job of serving as a buffer between the feds and us, protecting our merchants and our public facilities as well as private property." The presiding speaker urged residents and officials to stay disciplined and avoid returning the city to the destruction experienced in 2020.
The remarks included an assertion that "including at least 2 on this very board who have been stopped by federal agents," a statement offered without further detail or challenge in the meeting record.
Following the remarks, Commissioner Payne addressed the board and welcomed new members, stressing that the Board of Estimate and Taxation is an independent governing body from the city council and mayor and urging the board to exercise its specific powers. "If it's going to exist, we should do it well and we should do it independently or it shouldn't exist," Payne said, framing the board's authority in terms of the city's tax base and its ability to fund public safety, infrastructure and other services.
Commissioner Harris Bernstein also commented on the limited role of the board and linked its work to the city's capacity to marshal resources for safety and services.
No formal votes or directives followed from the political remarks; the board proceeded to adopt procedural items later in the meeting.
The meeting record contains these statements verbatim as delivered in the session; the assertions about federal activity and board members cited as stopped by federal agents were not further documented or answered during the meeting.
Next steps: The board continued with its agenda, adopting bylaws and the annual calendar after the remarks.
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