Former President of Minneapolis NAACP to Run for Mayor

Nekima Levy-Pounds announces plans to run for mayor

Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy-Pounds says she plans to run for mayor of Minneapolis.

Levy-Pounds stepped down last month as president of the Minneapolis NAACP. She’s said she’ll make her formal announcement Tuesday in front of a north Minneapolis police station on the anniversary of the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark. The black man’s death in a confrontation with officers, prompted protest and an 18-day encampment outside the station where Levy-Pounds was a frequent speaker.

Democratic Mayor Betsy Hodges, who was elected to a first term in 2012, is seeking re-election. Other candidates are also expected to enter the race for the election in November 2017.

Levy-Pounds says she’ll run as a Democrat, but hasn’t decided whether to seek party endorsement.