Our Rescue, a global nonprofit with a sordid past, is no longer being considered for a zero-cost contract with the City of Minneapolis. After a Star Tribune article confirmed the organization’s potential relation with the City on Feb. 5, the City announced it was reopening the contract process. Our Rescue told Southwest Voices on Monday that it withdrew its initial bid for consideration.

Local organizations that also applied for the contract confirmed to the Star Tribune that Our Rescue, a human and sex trafficking prevention organization founded in Utah, was chosen by the City to lead anti-sex trafficking law enforcement training in the City’s new South Minneapolis Community Safety Center. The City denied signing a contract with Our Rescue and announced it was reopening the contract process to provide funding to a chosen organization on Feb. 7.

Our Rescue, formally known as Operation Underground Railroad, was originally run by Tim Ballard, who is currently facing federal and state charges for human trafficking and sexual abuse. The organization is now run by Tammy Lee, who lives in the Twin Cities area.

Our Rescue applied for the Community Safety Center’s Human Traffic Advocacy, Training, and Survivor Support request for proposal, which was due Oct. 28, 2024. Our Rescue publicly announced that it was relocating to Minneapolis on the same day.

Our Rescue told the Star Tribune it had an agreement with the City through Ward 13 Councilmember Linea Palmisano’s invitation.

Palmisano’s connection with Our Rescue stems from her long-time relationship with Lee.

“I know Tammy Lee because she and Laura Bishop used to run Women Winning back when I was first running for election,” Palmisano said during a Feb. 7 interview with Southwest Voices. “I've admired her and her career over the course of time.” Palmisano was elected to City Council in 2013.

Palmisano said she first learned of the organization through a constituent, not through Lee herself. Palmisano has been involved in sex trafficking prevention work as a councilmember through business licensing and regulation work.

Palmisano and Lee do not deny the organization’s past.

“They're always very upfront,” Palmisano said. “There's a situation with this guy, Tim Ballard, and it's awful. But now Tammy is there.”

In an interview with Twin Cities Business, Lee said Our Rescue had a “troubled past” and she was actively trying to rebuild the brand.

To that objective, Palmisano said Lee had “dismantled the organization,” restructured the board, and moved the organization out of St. Lake City to Minneapolis. Our Rescue recently elected five new boardmembers but Jeff Fraizer, a longtime associate of Ballard’s, is still on the board.

"We’ve moved our headquarters to Minneapolis to join other leaders in the fight to end sex trafficking and child exploitation," Lee said in a statement to Southwest Voices. "No single organization can put an end to these heinous crimes against humanity, but through the strong network of advocates here, we’re already identifying partners in law enforcement and survivor care to bring more resources to this fight." 

Our Rescue doled out $600,00 in grants to Minnesota organizations in January, including the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center to serve and support survivors of sex trafficking.

Despite the work Lee is doing to reshape the organization, Ward 11 Councilmember Emily Koski argued an organization with such a problematic background should not have a contract with the City.

“How did we get this far with the group with this reputation? This is simply unacceptable,” Koski said during an early Feb. 7 press conference.

Koski called on the City’s public safety audit team to review the process that led to Our Rescue being selected for a potential City contract.

“This controversial group went through a full review process by the mayor's team and could have been awarded this contract if not for the Star Tribune's reporting and subsequent response from residents,” Koski said in a statement later.

Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette said it was “incredibly frustrating” that community safety work “continues to be politicized,” at a separate press conference Feb. 7 later in the day.

“Councilmembers continue to chip away at this work, and it's almost like it's death by 1000 cuts,” Barnette said. “They're constantly demoralizing the work that we're doing and the decisions we're making.”

Barnette said the contract with Our Rescue was on its way to the City Council.

“All of the councilmembers know that final contracts like these have to go through their approval process,” Barnette said at his press conference. Zero-cost contracts do not need the approval of City Council but may appear on agendas as gift acceptances.

The new call for proposals from organizations to assist with human and sex trafficking support at the Community Safety Center will not go out for a few months, according to Barnette.

The South Minneapolis Community Safety Center will be located at 2633 Minnehaha Ave. and house the 3rd Police Precinct. It is expected to open in 2026.

This article was updated on Feb. 11 to include a statement from Our Rescue.