|
Save the Date for the 5th
annual Community Connections Conference – Your Voice, Your City: CommUnity - being held on
Saturday, April 1, 2017 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The conference is
FREE to all
participants.
The Neighborhood and Community
Relations Department hosts the conference annually in partnership with City
departments, neighborhood organizations, and community partners. It is designed
to showcase and build successful community collaborations between
neighborhoods, cultural communities, residents, and the City.
Please visit the website for future updates and details
regarding the conference: www.minneapolismn.gov/ncr/conf.
The City of Minneapolis Recently
completed its 2016 resident survey, which was aimed at measuring residents’ perceptions
about their quality of life, understanding residents’ overall satisfaction with
the City’s services and amenities, and determining residents’ need for new City
programs and services. Wilder Research worked in partnership with the City of
Minneapolis Neighborhood and Community Relations Department (NCR) to redesign and
conduct the survey. The survey time was
reduced from 40 minutes to about 20 minutes; survey questions were more
intentional for departments’ business plans and budgeting; and, the survey was
provided in hard copy form to close the digital gap so as to engage residents
who are typically under-resourced and underrepresented.
The survey was mailed to 11,000 randomly
selected households including representative samples of adults from each of the
11 planning districts across the City. Residents could complete the survey
online, via phone, or by filling out a
paper copy. Phone numbers for Wilder’s multicultural staff of Hmong, Somali,
and Spanish speakers were also provided with all survey mailings, and additional
door to door outreach was done to encourage, support and increase participation
from communities that had completed the survey at a lower rate. Multicultural staff
also contacted sampled addresses at which there was a Somali, Hmong, or
Latino-sounding surname to see if anyone in the household would be interested
in completing the survey and to provide language assistance as needed.
The Survey results show that
overall 92% of respondents rate the quality of the City of Minneapolis as a
place to live “very good” or “good”, while 88% stated they are “very satisfied”
or Satisfied” with City services, departments, and amenities overall. However, results do show notable differences
between responses overall and those of specific groups based on location and
demographic characteristics. These differences will help identify focus areas
while the City of Minneapolis works towards its goal of ensuring all residents
are safe, healthy, and have equitable opportunities for success and happiness.
The full report can be viewed here: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@ncr/documents/webcontent/wcmsp-191277.pdf
 On January 3, 2017, City staff, NCEC Commissioners and neighborhood representatives from over twenty neighborhoods from every sector of the City, met and discussed upcoming Neighborhoods 2020 community engagement. Using the “Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter,” City NCR Staff, NCEC Commissioners, neighborhood volunteers and staff, will host five to six community meetings in March and April of 2017. Gatherings will be located in a central location in each sector of Minneapolis: North, Southwest, South, East and Downtown.
|
 Neighborhoods 2020 is an initiative that will assist and advise City leaders on the future of neighborhoods beyond 2020 when the existing neighborhood funding expires. Staff and volunteers will learn how to meet people where they are and ask challenging questions regarding the current neighborhood system. The dialogues will be multi-neighborhood, cross-cultural and will include food, child care and translations services.
As soon as dates and locations are confirmed, NCR will send out a notification. Interested parties can attend one or all meetings in any sector that works for their schedule.
For more information regarding the Neighborhoods 2020 initiative, please contact NCR at 612-673-3737 or email at ncr@minneapolismn.gov
|
 2016 Southeast Asian SoccerConnection
The
2016 Southeast Asian SoccerConnection Engagement Program Winter Session ended
last Saturday, December 31, 2016. The program was funded by the
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board in partnership with Hmong American
Mutual Assistance Association. Within the first two Saturdays of the
program, 109 Southeast Asian participants checked into the program at Fairview
Park. After six Saturdays of the program, the OG team of the Vietnamese
community won first place.
The Minneapolis Fire
Department attended the program and shared recruitment information, and started
building working relationships within the five Southeast Asian communities of
Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese and Karen. It was also an opportunity
for the five different communities to come together and share information,
resources, and ideas on how to work with the City of Minneapolis and the
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. The participants were informed
about the usage of 311, $15 minimum wage, the City’s Comprehensive Plan, Snow
emergency, Organics recycling and other City programs and services. Work
is underway to secure funding to continue this successful program in 2017.
 City Council Appointee
Term: 1st
Ward: 4
Neighborhood: Shingle Creek
Sub-committees: Neighborhoods 2020 Committee, Community Innovation Fund Committee, Community Forums Task Force, Community Connections Conference, Bylaws Committee
How long have you been active in your community and what made you get involved in community work?
I became active in neighborhoods and community work shortly after moving to Shingle Creek with my now-husband Kim Jeppesen in 1989. I was one of the founders of Shingle Creek N.A. in 1992 as the former NRP program was getting organized in several of the North Minneapolis Camden Community neighborhoods. There were identified needs including gaps in trail connections between city and county systems, negative impacts of the abutting industrial areas, aging of the housing stock, etc.
What do you like most about your neighborhood or community?
Shingle Creek and the Camden Community is a richly diverse area. I especially like the beautiful diversity among community residents. Two other aspects that I appreciate greatly are the proximity to the Mississippi River and Shingle Creek, with the natural environment that exists in parks and open space lands in the midst of the city and that the area is less congested that some other parts of Minneapolis. There also is a pretty long tradition among North Minneapolis neighborhoods and community organizations for working together (e.g. Camden Planning Council, Penn-Lowry Lyndale Implementation Council, Camden Alliance of Neighborhoods, Northside Neighborhoods Alliance.)
Are there other boards and committees you are or have been on?
I have been an elected director of SCNA since it was formed in 1992, and served as chair from 1997-2006. I currently serve on the NCEC having been reappointed by the City Council. I was one of the founding members of the NCEC as a Council appointee, but also served as the elected District 1 neighborhoods representative. I have served on the Minneapolis Capital Long-Range Improvements Committee from the 4th Ward, and most recently served as that advisory committee’s chair. I was a neighborhood representative on the former NRP Policy Board for about 10 years c. 2001-2010, and served as the first non-elected official chair of the reconstituted NRP Policy Board. I also serve as community board chair for Shingle Creek Commons and Kingsley Commons as well as the chair for DFL Senate District 59.
Do you have any tips for residents interested in running for neighborhood boards and/or City boards and commissions?
I recommend that residents check out volunteer service with your neighborhoods and any of the approximate 52 Minneapolis’ advisory boards and commissions. Don’t hesitate to get involved—we all benefit from better decision-making when more diverse perspectives and all community voices are at the table! Reach out to current boards and commission members for an informational coffee chat if necessary. Ask someone in your neighborhood to help as a mentor or sponsor if you feel hesitant, or reach out to Minneapolis NCR Department staff, but do take that first step to become more involved, you won’t regret it. Serving on neighborhoods and/or city boards can be personally rewarding both to give back to the community, but also to develop “social capital” and friendships and professional networks while doing so. There are examples such as Council President Barbara Johnson, who was a leader in Victory Neighborhood prior to becoming involved in advisory commissions before becoming an elected official; others like Council Member Cam Gordon who served on the NRP Policy Board.
Anything else you’d like to share about yourself? (include a short Bio if you’d like)
Jeffrey Strand is a 25-year North Minneapolis resident, having relocated to North from South Minneapolis (Corcoran) in 1989. Jeff is married to his partner of 30 years Kim Wm. Jeppesen, a Hennepin History Museum board member. Jeff works as an administrative manager for Hennepin County in the area of delinquent property tax enforcement and collections, and tax-forfeited real estate administration.
|
Minneapolis has begun efforts to become more
resilient to the shocks and stresses that are increasingly part of 21st century
life. Shocks include catastrophic events such as disease outbreaks, terrorist
attacks and floods, and stresses include slow-moving disasters such as food and
water shortages, homelessness and high unemployment.
In this work, Minneapolis joins the project 100
Resilient Cities-Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC). Minneapolis
was selected from more than 1,000 applicants from around the world in May 2016 along
with cities including London, New York, Bangkok and Rio de Janeiro.
A recent workshop was Minneapolis’ first engagement
in its partnership with 100RC. The workshop brought a diverse set of
stakeholders from across city government and the private sector, nonprofits, nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), academia and civic groups into the planning process. It sought
to uncover all the threats the city is facing while unveiling resilience-building
tools and plans to address those threats. The workshop began the process of
identifying priorities, actions and metrics for Minneapolis’ resilience
strategy, which will be drafted over the next six to 12 months.
Each city in the 100RC network receives concrete
types of support:
-
Funding and logistical guidance for establishing an
innovative new position in City government, a chief resilience officer, who
will lead the City’s resilience efforts. Minneapolis is in the process of hiring a chief resilience officer.
- Support developing and implementing a robust
resilience strategy.
- Membership in a global network of member cities that
can learn from and help one another.
Minneapolis’ resilience strategy will pay particular
attention to meeting the needs of poor and vulnerable populations.
For more information about 100 Resilient Cities-Pioneered
by The Rockefeller Foundation, visit: www.100ResilientCities.org.
The Minneapolis Police Department has made a
statement on its role in immigration with videos in Spanish and Somali:
There has been much discussion on a national level about local law
enforcement and immigration. The Minneapolis Police Department uses the
following ordinance to govern its actions.
The Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 2,
Chapter 19 states:
“Public safety officials shall not undertake any law enforcement action
for the purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented persons, or to verify
immigration status, including but not limited to questioning any person or
persons about their immigration status.”
MPD has a policy known as “Police Authority in Immigration Matters,”
which states:
“The United States Code empowers the U.S. Citizen and Immigration
Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of
Homeland Security, as the sole authority in immigration matters. This means
that state and local law enforcement agencies have no authority with respect to
immigration violations.
“Officers shall not independently undertake to approach, interview,
interrogate, detain or arrest any suspected illegal alien or refugee when
potential violation of the federal immigration law is the principal issue.
Neither shall any officer independently seek to ascertain a suspected illegal
alien’s status.”
English and Spanish videos
http://insidempd.com/2016/11/23/mpd-policies-regarding-immigration
English and Somali videos
http://insidempd.com/2016/11/30/mpd-policies-regarding-immigration-somali
For the fifth year in a row,
Minneapolis was ranked No. 1 among all U.S. cities for our outstanding
participation on National Night Out. This year's National Night Out
involved 38.5 million neighbors across 16,142 communities in all 50 states plus
U.S. territories and military bases worldwide. Thank you to everyone who hosted
or attended a party this year. You help make our neighborhoods safer, more
caring places to live.
Flyers available in English,
Hmong,
Spanish,
and Somali
The City of Minneapolis is
addressing discrimination in businesses through education, extensive
investigation and enforcement. All people have the right to receive service,
free from discrimination, from any business that obtains or solicits customers
from the general public. Minneapolis bans discrimination in public
accommodations based on race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status,
and status regarding public assistance.
Public accommodations are
establishments that provide goods and services to the general public; these
include taxicab and on-demand ride services; restaurants, bars and food
vendors; theaters; hotels; health and fitness clubs; hospitals; libraries; gas
stations and retail stores.
The City has held one listening
session and plans to hold more for Minneapolis community members and business
owners and employees in January to educate the community at large about
protections against discrimination. Members of the community can also learn
about their legal right to file a complaint of discrimination.
The investigations include using
“testers” with diverse racial, gender, sexual orientation and economic
backgrounds who also represent people with disabilities to act as patrons and
document the treatment they receive.
Businesses that do not cease
discriminatory practices are subject to fines, damages and penalties; prolonged
monitoring and ultimately license revocation.
Discrimination in public
accommodations adversely affects the health, welfare, peace and safety of the
community. Discriminatory practices degrade individuals and foster intolerance
and hate, thereby injuring the public welfare.
Find out what Minneapolis is doing
to investigate and stop discrimination here.
The City of Minneapolis passed a resolution today opposing the creation of a
national registry or surveillance based on ethnicity, national origin or
religious affiliation.
The resolution affirms the City’s
commitment to honoring all people. It reads: “We intend that our city be a
welcoming and safe place for people of all ethnicities, national origins,
immigration status, gender and sexual identities, religious or non-religious
affiliations, ages, economic status and abilities.”
The affirmation follows other recent
City resolutions taking a stand against hate and bigotry. The Standing with all Members of our One
Minneapolis resolution
expresses solidarity with all people in Minneapolis regardless of race, gender
identity, religion, birthplace or any other identity. The Solidarity with the Muslim Community
resolution condemns
all hateful speech and violent action targeted toward Muslims and political
tactics that use fear to gain power.
If
you witness hate-motivated speech or actions, the City has several options for
filing complaints. You can call 911 to report a threat in progress, contact Minneapolis
Police to file a
police report online or in person, call 311 to report any non-urgent actions or
contact the Civil Rights Department.
The
Civil Rights Department enforces the City’s anti-discrimination and
anti-harassment laws. If you or someone you know is the victim of harassment or
discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex, LGBT status or
other protected classes, please contact 612-673-3012 or visit www.minneapolismn.gov/civilrights/.
The
City recently adopted resolutions standing with the people of Minneapolis and
condemning bigotry. The Standing with all Members of Our One
Minneapolis resolution
commits the City to fighting for the rights, freedoms and interests of all of
the members of the Minneapolis community, no matter skin color, gender, the way
of worship, birthplace, sexual orientation, or any other identity. The Solidarity with the Muslim Community
resolution
recognizes that the United States was founded by immigrants, many fleeing
religious persecution, who enshrined freedom of religion as one of the nation’s
fundamental legal and ethical principles.
Click
here for downloadable fliers in English, Spanish, Somali and
Hmong.
 The Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) is seeking a Program and Communication Manager. This position will position will lead the organization’s programming initiatives in housing, Commercial, Green Initiatives and Neighborhood Development and will develop and implement a coordinated communications plan.
The ideal applicant will be a self-starter, organized, have strong relational skills and demonstrate creativity and innovation in program management, communications and community outreach. This is a full-time position. Applications are due by 5pm on Thursday, January 19.
|
The Seward Neighborhood Group seeks a part-time administrative assistant. This position requires good written and verbal communication skills, solid organizational skills, experience with computers, the ability to work independently, and a sense of humor. To apply, submit letter and resume to kerry@sng.org by January 19, 2017. |
|
 |
 The Lyndale Neighborhood Association (LNA) has partnered with AccessAbility to provide re-entry support, adult basic education and GED preparation to program participants transitioning from a correctional facility back into the community.
LNA seeks a creative, self-starting program coordinator to provide learning opportunities and instruction to adults in transition from a correctional facility as part of their career pathway. Instruction will be at AccessAbility’s site in Northeast Minneapolis.
This position is approximately 28 hours a week. To apply, read the complete announcement and email a cover letter, resume and contact information for three professional references to Erin Cary at erin@lyndale.org or by standard mail: c/o LNA - 3537 Nicollet Ave. S.
|
The
Whittier Alliance is
seeking an intern to work with the Somali Employment & Training program.
The intern will be involved in aspects of the program ranging from planning
training sessions, hosting community meetings, canvassing, and office
tasks. The intern must be bilingual (Somali and English), proficient in
Google Docs, Word and Excel, and able to lift 30 pounds.
This is a 15 hour/week position that includes some evening
and weekend work. To apply, submit a letter of interest and resume
to Camilla Fartun Jamal at camilla.fartun@whittieralliance.org.
Residents,
workers and visitors have a number of ways to learn when Snow Emergencies are
declared and what to do when they are. We’re advising drivers to put many of
these tools to use, not just one or two. The more ways people use to learn
about a Snow Emergency, the more prepared they will be to do their part, and
the less likely they will be to be towed because they didn’t know one was
declared.
• Hotline
– By calling the automated 612-348-SNOW hotline, folks can find out if a Snow
Emergency has been declared. If a Snow Emergency is in effect, the hotline will
have information on that day’s parking restrictions that drivers need to follow
to avoid tickets and tows. The hotline includes information in English,
Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
• The
City’s website – Go to www.minneapolismn.gov/snow during snow season to find out whether
a Snow Emergency has been declared and for a wealth of information on Snow
Emergencies in many languages. Also, check out the street lookup, which lets
you put in an address or a neighborhood to see where you can park during a Snow
Emergency.
• Phone
alerts – Minneapolis uses a phone alert system to notify residents when Snow
Emergencies are declared. It is an automated notification system that can place
thousands of calls per hour. You can add your cellphone or unlisted landline
number to the alert system by signing up at www.minneapolismn.gov/snow.
• Email
and text alerts – You can sign up to get Snow Emergency alerts automatically
emailed or texted to you. Go to www.minneapolismn.gov/snow/snow_esubscribe for more details.
• App
for Android devices and iPhones – With an Android device or iPhone, you can
download the Snow Emergency app. During a Snow Emergency, the app will tell you
the parking rules for that day. It also has a street lookup, which lets you see
where you can park on that day by street address or by having the device’s GPS
pinpoint your location.
• The
news media – News releases are sent to the media so TV, radio stations and
other news outlets can inform their viewers and listeners that a Snow Emergency
is in effect.
• Cable
TV – Tune in to Minneapolis 14 (Comcast channels 14 and 799, CenturyLink
channel 14). These channels will have information
in several languages when a Snow Emergency is declared.
• Facebook
– Like Minneapolis Snow Emergency on Facebook. Go to www.facebook.com/MinneapolisSnowEmergency.
• Twitter
– twitter.com/minneapolissnow. If
you have a Twitter account, just follow us. Both the Twitter and Facebook pages
will tell fans and followers when a Snow Emergency is declared.
• Videos
– Informative videos in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong are available online
to help explain where you can park when a Snow Emergency is declared:
-
Minneapolis
Snow Emergency Parking Rules (English)
Find out where to park your car when a Snow Emergency is declared to avoid
a ticket and a tow. Learn more in this edition of the Minneapolis
"Did you know..." series.
-
Reglas de
Estacionamiento de las Emergencias por Nevada (Spanish)
Averigüe dónde estacionar su carro cuando se ha declarado una Emergencia
por Nevada para evitar una multa y remolque. Más información en esta edición
de las series de Minneapolis Sabía usted.
-
Xanibaada
Goobaha Baabuurta La Dhigto Xilliga Gurmadka Barafka (Somali)
Hel meel aad baabuurka dhigato marka lagu dhawaaqo gurmad barafka looga
xaaqayo wadooyinka si aan gaariga lagaaga jiidin laguuna ganaaxin.
Faahfaahin dheeraad ah waxaad ka heli kartaa nuqulkaan magaalada
Minneapolis ee taxanaha "Ma ogtahay...."
-
Kev Cai Li
Choj Txog Kev Kub Ceev thaum Daus Tau Lo (Hmong)
Thaum muaj daus tau lo, lub nroog yuav tsum tau kaus kev. Pej xeem yuav
tsum tau tshem lawv lub tsheb, lub nroog thiaj li kaus tau kev du lug. Yog
xav paub ntxiv, sais nroog Minneapolis cov tshooj xov xwm hu, "Koj
pos paub."
The City of Minneapolis invites and encourages participation by every resident to each program, service and event within our city. Should you require an accommodation in order for you to fully participate, or should you require this document in an alternative format, please let us know by contacting 612-673-3737.
|
