St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter visited Hamline University on Thursday, Oct. 30, during lunch, encouraging students to get involved in local politics and take an active role in shaping the future of the city of St. Paul. His remarks touched on public safety, immigrant rights and efforts to support youth and working families in the community. Carter emphasized that his administration has shifted how the city responds to gun violence, saying the approach now focuses on treating every gunshot wound as seriously as a homicide.
“When we started investigating every gunshot wound the same way, we raised our solve rate from about 20% to over 70%. […] Since then, homicides have dropped by 70%. We’re showing that when communities trust their police, everyone is safer,” Carter said.
The mayor also addressed immigration enforcement and his long-standing refusal to involve city police in federal deportation actions. Carter said the federal government had accused him of discrimination for declining to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
“The White House literally sued for discriminating against ICE agents,” Carter said. “ We refuse to help them discriminate against our neighbors.”
The conversation resonated with Hamline students in the Anderson Center gathering for lunch. Students listened to Carter spread his message. The man who made this all happen was senior Mohamed Momed Abdirahman. The mayor’s presence on campus highlighted the impact young people have in shaping local elections.
“It says something when the incumbent mayor himself comes to campus, especially for Hamline having one of the highest student voter turnouts in the state,” Adbirahman said. “He also noted that students often pay more attention to national politics than local decisions, even though issues like transportation, housing and public safety are decided close to home. People forget that city politics hit closest to home. We live here. We work here. Local leaders affect us every single day,” Adbirahman said.
Carter also spoke about programs designed to reduce financial barriers for families, including the city’s decision to eliminate library late fees and erase medical debt for thousands of residents using federal pandemic relief funds.
“If we can remove a library fine that keeps someone out of the library, why wouldn't we remove medical debt that keeps someone out of the doctor's office?’ Carter said.
First-year Erwin Sanna (Staff member of The Oracle) exclaimed that hearing a local leader speak directly to students about inclusion and safety helped make political issues feel more personal.
“It doesn't feel like politics when it’s about your neighbors, your friends, the people you see on campus,” Sanna said.
Carter also encouraged students to vote and emphasized that their voices matter in local elections, especially in a city where young people make up a significant portion of the population.
“Vote where you sleep, because that’s the place that impacts you most,” Carter said.
As Carter made his last rounds and continued talking to students, Abdirahman talked and had some final remarks.
“Civic engagement isn’t just a right, it’s a responsibility […] We’re living in a time when a lot of people feel disconnected from politics, but it starts right here in St. Paul, at Hamline,” Abdirahamn said.
