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My heart and condolences go out to the family and friends of Ricky Cobb II, who was shot and killed by Minnesota State Troopers early Monday morning. What was a routine traffic stop resulted in yet another senseless loss of life of a young Black man. The family is in pain, the community is in pain, and I am in pain. I pray the community remains strong and steadfast as we await the investigation of the tragic event. This family and this community deserve action and accountability and for this epidemic of systemic racism to be addressed and eradicated.
I enjoyed visiting with many Ward 8 neighbors on National Night Out this past Tuesday. I'm proud to represent a ward that shows up in full force for community centered nights and events like this. I wish I could have made it to each and every block party, but I hope you had as much fun as I did in getting to connect with each other.
This day also marked the first day of cannabis legalization in our state. I know many of you have questions about how this law will roll out in our city and across the state. Read below for more information.
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 Council President Jenkins poses with panelists: Tracey Williams-Dillard, Minnesota Spokesman Recorder; Adrian Ruddock, Metropolitan Economic Development Association; Elfric Porte, City of Minneapolis; Tawanna Black, Center for Economic Inclusion, Trent Bowman, Bremer Bank; Dr. Tara Watson, Watson Chiropractic
The City of Minneapolis celebrated Black Business Week (BBW), July 24 – 31, in an effort to uplift and amplify Black businesses as we work on inclusive economic recovery and development, connect business owners and entrepreneurs to programs and resources available through the City of Minneapolis, build partnerships with economic development organizations, and to launch us into the National Black Business Month (BBM) of August.
I was honored to co-host the BBW Kickoff event on July 24th, where we held a panel discussion about building generational wealth, plus a vendor and resource fair. If you missed this wonderful event, you can watch the full panel discussion here.
The week also included a job fair, East African business panel and resource fair, real estate project tour, developer happy hour, legal workshop on protecting your assets for future generations, several pop up markets, and more. There was something for everyone, and I look forward to the month ahead. To learn more about BBW and BBM, visit: www.minneapolismn.gov/black-business-week. Most importantly, shop with Black businesses!
 The City Council approved the purchase of the former gas station, now known as the Peoples Way, at George Perry Floyd Square in November 2022. City staff cleared title issues, completed pollution investigations and removed remaining fuel before acquiring it.
The City will own and manage the site in the short term, and we will engage the community to figure out who should own the property in the long term. The first step is to propose a Community Engagement Framework. The framework will explain how we’ll partner with the community and key stakeholders throughout the engagement process.
Long-term goals:
- Create public space for:
- Racial healing and justice.
- A national racial justice healing center.
- Improve public safety.
- Invest in the area’s people and businesses.
- Preserve the legacy of a deeply rooted African American community.
- Support the work of George Floyd’s family to build a permanent memorial.
Stay informed by signing up for project updates.
To learn more, visit the project webpage on the City website at: www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/38th-chicago/peoples-way
 Background:
The City of Minneapolis owns 10 acres of land formerly home to Kmart. Reopening Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street has been a top City and community priority for decades. Reopening the street will:
- Reconnect neighborhoods
- Reestablish the street grid
- Set the stage for new development
The City is planning to develop the former Kmart site with a mix of uses, such as housing, stores, and public spaces. The goal is to create a dense, walkable district that reflects nearby existing communities and cultures.
Take the survey on reopening Nicollet at Lake Street
We learned what’s important to the community about the redevelopment of this site while doing public engagement from August 2022 to January 2023, which led to the following updated City goals: reconnect people and places; build for who’s here; build safe, equitable, sustainable transportation networks; design safe and healthy communities. We want to learn about your priorities for the space and how you want to use it. Survey responses will inform design options that will be shared with the public for feedback in the fall of 2023. This survey closes Friday, August 4 at 4 p.m. and takes approximately 8 minutes to complete. Find the survey at: https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/new-nicollet/.
Beginning in the fall, about 350 families a year will be served by the Stable Homes Stable Schools Housing Stability Fund. The fund provides emergency assistance to families at risk of losing their home. It will be offered to all 43 elementary schools in the Minneapolis Public School district.
The program’s multi-year rental assistance will also add five schools for a total of 24 eligible school sites. The program helps get families experiencing homelessness into safe and stable affordable housing and will serve about 250 families at any given time as a result. The expansion will also increase the number of participating families at existing school sites and staff to support them.
First piloted in 2019, Stable Homes Stable Schools has helped house or prevent homelessness for more than 1,500 Minneapolis Public Schools families and more than 4,200 students. More than 70% of families served through the program are single-parent households and approximately 90% are Black families, Indigenous families and families of color.
Stable Homes Stable Schools offers two types of rental assistance:
- The multi-year rental assistance program helps place and keep families of elementary students experiencing homelessness in safe, stable, and permanent affordable housing. See the City website for a list of the 24 eligible schools.
- The Housing Stability Fund helps prevent homelessness by helping families at risk of losing their housing. All 43 elementary schools in the Minneapolis Public Schools district are now eligible.
For families who immediately need eviction prevention resources, find resources listed on the City website.
Learn more about Stable Homes Stable Schools program.
On August 1st, Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis. This means that Minneapolis residents, 21 years and up, can legally possess and grow their own cannabis for recreational use, travel with up to 2-ounces of cannabis flowers, 800mg of THC edible products, and have up to 2-pounds of cannabis flowers in private residence. The City has two legal mandates:
- The issuance of local registrations to state-licensed cannabis businesses, and
- The enforcement in compliance checks
When the State of Minnesota legislation passed in May, a multi-departmental work group was established, with City leaders and staff from the Office of Public Service – including Community Planning and Economic Development, Health, Intergovernmental Relations, Race Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Department – the City Attorney’s Office, and the Mayor’s Office. This staff workgroup has been meeting regularly to facilitate the City’s approach to cannabis legalization, looking to have regulations in place by January 2025 – a timeline the State has targeted for commercial sale and their new Office of Cannabis Management to be fully operational.
Written into the legislation, cities can additionally choose to pursue time, place and manner, zoning/spacing, and public consumption requirements including establishing a petty misdemeanor ordinance violation for outdoor public consumption in certain, defined areas. The workgroup is evaluating these different options and will bring forward recommendations next year.
Another important component of this new legislation is cannabis retail. The new State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) will regulate cannabis for the adult-use market, the Medical Cannabis Program, and for lower-potency hemp edibles. The OCM will also issue licenses and develop regulations outlining how and when businesses can participate in the industry. OCM will write rules and start application and licensing processes – these rules and processes must be put in place prior to the City’s role with the two legal mandates listed above.
Residents most harmed by the war on drugs must be prioritized in the legal marketplace. A big piece of the City’s implementation will center on equity and criminal justice, especially for our Black and Brown communities. Soon, minor cannabis convictions will be automatically expunged, benefiting more than 60,000 Minnesotans. A State Cannabis Expungement Board will be created to review felonies for expungement or resentencing.
Minnesota's "CanRenew" grant program will send money to communities harmed by marijuana prohibition
As part of a new state program, and believed the only of its kind, this grant program is considered a form of reparation and will invest tens of millions of dollars into communities that were harmed by marijuana prohibition. Starting in fiscal year 2026, grant funds generated from tax revenues of cannabis sales, will be distributed to community organizations such as schools, nonprofits, private businesses and local governments in hopes of spurring development and prosperity. Read more here.
Businesses selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products must register with the Minnesota Department of Health
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has opened registration for businesses currently selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products in Minnesota. The registration form is available online now and there is no fee to register. Once the registration is complete, a registration certificate will be sent to the business owner by email.
Businesses not currently selling products but intending to do so in the future and businesses that open after Oct. 1 must register before they sell any hemp-derived cannabinoid product.
A separate licensing process for all adult-use cannabis and lower-potency hemp businesses will be available in the future when regulation of these products moves to the new Office of Cannabis Management.
For more details about the registration process, visit the Edible Cannabinoid Products website.
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I’m pleased to introduce our new Policy Associate Emily Broeker.
Emily joins Sr. Policy Aide Deebaa Sirdar to complete the staff team in the Ward 8 office. Emily is a recent graduate of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a Masters in Public Policy. She is also a dance instructor with a passion for the Arts. She will begin her first day on August 7th. Welcome, Emily!
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Enroll now for a job training program that starts August 21st where participants can choose either a nine month electrical line worker certificate or six month gas utility construction/service worker accredited training. The Energy Careers Academy is delivered through a partnership with Xcel Energy, the Minnesota State Energy Center of Excellence and Minnesota State Community and Technical College. Its goal is to create a diverse pipeline for career gas and electric field positions that are stable, well-paying jobs.
The electrical line worker certificate program began in August 2022 and the first gas worker training will launch this month. The electrical line worker program is located in Northeast Minneapolis at the Riverside Training Center. Gas worker training will be in Hugo, Minnesota, in a specialized gas training facility and transportation will be available to students if needed. Financial aid is available to students through Pell grants and other scholarship opportunities. Funding is also provided for student books and tools needed for class. Students enrolled in the program receive college and career readiness training and personal and professional support as well as wrap around services throughout the length of the program.
During the training, students have regular interactions with recruiters and hiring leaders from Xcel Energy and other utilities. Prior to graduation, students will be made aware of various openings with Xcel Energy and other utilities and guided throughout the application process with various events and workshops to support and prepare them from application to interview and offer acceptance. For more information on the program or to apply, email eca@xcelenergy.com.
What: Education and support group for pregnant women
When: Saturdays, 10 a.m. - noon, Aug. 12 to Oct. 14
Where: UROC, 2001 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis
Limited to the first 15 pregnant women who sign up before Aug. 5th. To sign up, contact Shirlynn LaChapelle, MHPP, directly via phone at 763-220-0617, or at the African American Child Wellness Institute by calling 763-522-0100, or email muruamoms@gmail.com.
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