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The risk of severe storms in Minneapolis on Monday is unusually high – a level 4 of 5. Tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds, and frequent lightning are likely. The greatest threat will be in the late afternoon and early evening Monday, April 28.
Storm preparedness tips for residents:
- If alerts are issued, be ready to take immediate shelter in a basement or interior room on the lowest level.
- Secure outdoor furniture and décor in preparation for strong winds.
- Clear leaves and debris from in front of catch basins to ensure water can get to the drain.
- Prepare for potential power outages. Charge devices and have a flashlight on hand.
Sign up for Minneapolis emergency alerts. Text MPLSAlerts to 77295 or go to minneapolismn.gov/alerts. More info at minneapolismn.gov.
Severe weather information for Monday, April 28th, 2025.
Hear updates from Council Member Robin Wonsley, County Commissioner Angela Conley, 2nd Precinct Inspector Nick Torborg, and the East Bank Neighborhoods Partnership.
This meeting is open to all residents and community members in the East Bank area (Como, Dinkytown, Marcy-Holmes, University, Stadium Village, and East Bank)
May 20th, 2025 from 6-7:30pm
University Lutheran Church of Hope
601 13th Ave SE
Flyer for the East Bank Community Meeting.
Summary: After a powerful public hearing, the Public Health and Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend the passage of the Civil Rights Ordinance that Council Member Chavez and I are authoring.
Background: Council Member Chavez and I are authoring a comprehensive refresh of the City’s Civil Rights Ordinances. We have worked closely with the Civil Rights Department leadership and community members to author language that will add new protected classes, bolster enforcement, and streamline the administrative processes related to the Civil Rights Commission review panels and the appeals process. You can read more about the Civil Rights Ordinance here.
This week, the Public Health and Safety Committee held a public hearing for residents to share their thoughts. We heard from dozens of residents about how expanding civil rights protections to prevent discrimination on the basis of body size, housing status, and justice-impacted status would make a meaningful difference in the lives of Minneapolis residents. I am so grateful for the opportunity to stand in solidarity with marginalized communities and be proactive about expanding the City’s role in protecting residents from discrimination, especially as we face a federal government that is attacking more and more people on the basis of identity.
Key votes: The Public Health and Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend the Civil Rights Ordinance. The Council will take a final vote on May 1st and 9:30am.
Council Member Wonsley, Civil Rights Department leadership, and community advocates celebrating the unanimous committee vote in support of the Civil Rights Ordinance.
Summary: After extensive public input, the Heritage Preservation Commission voted 7-1 to recommend Glendale Townhomes for local historic designation.
Background: Glendale Townhomes is the oldest public housing in the City of Minneapolis and has a long and unique history. At the request of Glendale and Prospect Park residents, I nominated Glendale Townhomes for local historic designation last year. This resulted in a unanimous vote by the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) in June of 2024 to place Glendale under interim protection for one year.
Dozens of current and past Glendale residents, neighbors, and people across the city submitted public comment to the HPC underscoring the cultural and historic value of Glendale as the city’s oldest Section 9 public housing, as the city’s only townhome-style public housing, and as a community that has had a unique role in Minneapolis for over 70 years. This included testimony from preservation experts affirming that Glendale meets the criteria for designation.
The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority attempted to dissuade the HPC by voting for historic designation by fabricating a narrative that the application for historic designation was based in racism by Prospect Park residents. This harmful narrative was false, and more importantly, not relevant to the matter of historic designation, which is based on very specific criteria.
The claim that supporting the designation of Glendale Townhomes as historic is somehow motivated by racism is ironic considering that the reason I nominated it in the first place was due to the multi-year organizing efforts of Black and Brown residents who call Glendale home. A quick review of the map of historic landmarks and districts in the city immediately show that they are concentrated downtown and in Southwest Minneapolis. It’s no coincidence that historic status overlaps with the wealthiest and whitest areas. Uplifting the significance of landmarks and districts with histories that explicitly relate to the history of working class and low income residents, residents of color, and public housing residents is part of how we move towards historic designation being a more equitable tool that preserves all of our history. This is even more important in our national landscape where we have a federal administration that is openly removing and erasing the stories and physical representation of non-white communities.
Thankfully, the HPC engaged thoughtfully with these questions around historic designation, bias, and the unique significance of Glendale. The HPC voted 7-1 to adopt the following:
Notwithstanding the staff recommendation, the Heritage Preservation Commission recommends that the City Council approve the local designation of the Glendale Town Houses Historic District because it complies with local designation criteria number 1 and 5.
- It is the first affordable housing project in Minneapolis and thus its social and community planning qualified as landmarkable.
- It retains the landscape and volumetric integrity that was initially created when the buildings were built and sited.
- The buildings still convey their historic integrity although we recognize that they have been changed over time.
The Heritage Preservation Commission proposes setting the period of significance from 1952 to 1972 so that there is a clear demarcation from the first time the buildings were modified with the knowledge that it could be extended at a later date.
Next, the City Council will determine whether to adopt the HPC’s recommendation. There will be a vote in the Business, Housing and Zoning Committee on May 6, followed by a vote of the full Council on May 15th. The HPC held the official public hearing, so there isn’t another hearing scheduled. I will be recusing myself from the vote based on recommendations from the City Attorney’s Office, which you can read more about here.
Key votes: Heritage Preservation Commission voted 7-1 to recommend Glendale Townhomes for historic designation. The Business Housing and Zoning Committee will take up the item on May 6th, followed by the full Council on May 15th.
Summary: At the request of Council, the Office of Community Safety leadership presented their plan for summer safety in 2025.
Background: The City Council approved a legislative directive requesting that the Frey administration provide a detailed presentation on their operational plans to keep residents safe this summer. In 2024, I and Public Health and Safety Committee Chair Chavez requested a similar presentation from the Frey administration, which showed that there was not a full plan for the warmer months. To ensure that last year's issues were not repeated again, my office brought forward a legislative directive that asked the administration to present their comprehensive 2025 summer safety plan.
We learned at last week’s presentation that the Frey administration has not finalized partnerships with the groups that had been selected to administer Group Violence Intervention, and that MinneapolUS services are not being deployed by their originally stated deadline of May 1. Staff also could not confirm when these key safety services and programs will be ready for deployment.
These violence prevention programs could support the city in further reducing its homicide and overall crime rates, and keeping our residents safe. Earlier this year, after seeing these programs be mismanaged for the past two years, I proposed moving these programs to the county to give the Frey administration time to establish a management and stabilization plan. In response, staff from the Frey administration shared that my proposal would result in unnecessary delay of the services being administered, and urged Council Members to keep the services at the City.
Despite tabling the proposal, these services are now experiencing the very delays the administration claimed would occur if they were transferred to the county. This means several areas that have been designated areas of high violence will likely not have violence prevention services after this Thursday and it is unclear when they will return. I will continue to do everything I can to hold the administration accountable in implementing these crucial services as quickly and well as possible, since they are a crucial part of keeping residents safe this summer.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: I am authoring a legislative directive to request that MPD present how they plan to implement and enforce the city’s separation ordinance, which prevents law enforcement from doing the work of federal immigration enforcement.
Background: Minneapolis is a welcoming city, one that fosters inclusivity, respect and safety for all, regardless of immigration status. The City of Minneapolis has an ordinance that states it will not operate programs for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws. This “separation ordinance” affirms that the City’s law enforcement function is separate from the federal government’s immigration enforcement operations.
Since the start of the second Trump administration, I have received questions from residents who are concerned about how Mayor Frey and MPD leadership intend to enforce the separation ordinance. Residents have asked how MPD leadership will educate officers on this policy and establish clear disciplinary consequences for officers who violate the policy.
Due to local and national media coverage, residents are aware that President Trump has a close relationship with former Minneapolis Police Officer Federation president Bob Kroll and that the current president Sherral Schmidt endorsed Kroll for US Marshall. Understandably, residents are concerned to see that at least some rank-and-file leadership within MPD is aligned with Trump’s agenda and are worried about the implications of that locally as we are all witnessing daily disregard of the rule of law at the federal level.
In response to these questions from residents, I reached out to MPD leadership to advance these concerns. My goal was to gain information to share with the public to assure the public that the Frey administration has clear and specific plans for response to potential actions that the Trump administration is openly discussing, such as directing local law enforcement to facilitate mass deportation, or for mass action by armed or unarmed civilians advancing Trump administration priorities around deportation. I also hoped MPD would share their plan for policies to deal with officers who disobey direction from leadership in situations where there may be conflicting federal and local direction. Those informal questions did not provide a lot of clarity, so Council Member Chavez and I decided to move this legislative directive to ensure both Council and the public understand how the separation ordinance is being implemented by the administration.
At a time where the federal government is demonstrating disregard for the safety of many residents, I believe this is an opportunity to demonstrate our local government understands the fear in the community and provide as much information as possible to instill confidence in the city’s ability to provide public safety services for all residents.
Key votes: The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee voted unanimously to approve the legislative directive. The full Council will vote on May 1st.
Summary: The city is not on track to meet goals around reducing car usage and increasing walking, biking and public transportation.
Background: The Climate and Infrastructure Committee received a biannual update on the City’s implementation of the Transportation Action Plan (TAP). The TAP is a phenomenal in-depth 10-year plan for the city to move towards equitable, sustainable transportation. One of the TAP’s key goals is that by the year 2030, 3 out of 5 trips taken in Minneapolis are taken without a car. This means significantly increasing our walking, biking, and public transit usage.
This week’s update focused on this “mode-split” goal and the most recent data on our progress towards it. The City needs to take significant corrective action to even approach reaching these goals by 2030. In order to meet our goals, we need to triple rates of biking, increase rates of public transit use by five, and cut the rates of people driving alone in half. This underscores the urgent need to significantly invest in pedestrian lighting and sidewalk plowing to improve year-round pedestrian accessibility; and prioritize the implementation of protected bike lanes and 24/7 bus lanes in all future major road reconstructions. The decisions that are made now about street designs will impact the way they are used for the next 50-60 years, so it is critical that designs center multi-modal options. This also demonstrates the significant impact removing I-94 and replacing it with a multimodal boulevard that facilitates public transit, walking and biking would have in supporting the city’s goals.
Key votes: No votes taken.
A graph showing mode shift data.
The clinic is designed to expedite the process for individuals with adult felony convictions originating from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. This prosecutor-initiated expungement service demonstrates a commitment to facilitating a fresh start for those seeking to rebuild their lives.
Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Expungement Clinic
Wednesday, May 7 from 1:00 – 7:00pm
American Indian OIC – 1845 E. Franklin Ave
Flyer for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Spring 2025 Expungement Clinic.
Minneapolis is a welcoming city. We want to help ensure you know your rights when it comes to immigration. Read more at the city’s Know Your Rights and Resources website.
Community Clinics
There are a few community clinics run by our immigration legal service partners. More details below:
Twin Cities Immigration Forum
The Twin Cities Immigration Forum is a virtual space hosted every two weeks by the Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and the St. Paul Immigrant and Refugee Program where we offer up to the minute information to the community about immigration related developments in collaboration with our immigration legal service partners.
Know Your Rights at community hours at Careerforce
The City of Minneapolis is working to host monthly Know Your Rights Presentations at Careerforce South (777 E Lake Street) on Wednesdays between 2-4. The next date for a Know Your Rights presentation is Wednesday May 5, in partnership with Hennepin County Adult Representation Services.
The City of Minneapolis has launched an initiative aiming to move the Minneapolis community toward a future grounded in racial equity and justice by harnessing the power of conversations to heal racial divisions. "Minneapolis Your Story,” a partnership with independent nonprofit StoryCorps Studios, will create an archive of community-centered stories focused on racial healing.
Now through May, people can record their perspectives in their own words and archive them as part of this special partnership. The community archive will include stories about the history of racial discrimination and injustice in Minneapolis, George Floyd’s murder, the civil unrest that followed, and the ongoing efforts to reform the Minneapolis Police Department.
The City will then host a community listening session to hear selected recordings.
Read more about StoryCorps and share your story on the City website.
Ads on search engines pose as MPLS parking app, steal data and money
The Minneapolis Public Works Department is warning residents of a scam targeting people searching for the MPLS Parking app. This does not impact people already using the MPLS Parking app.When using a search engine to find the MPLS Parking app, sponsored advertisements have been discovered that mimic the logo and language used in the official app. If clicked, these ads lead to third-party websites unaffiliated with the City of Minneapolis. These fraudulent websites ask for a credit card to download and use the free app, exposing victims’ card numbers and personal information. The City has taken action and reported four of these fraudulent advertisements to the search engine they’re sponsored on.
The City of Minneapolis encourages our community to use caution when browsing the internet.
Tips
- Download the true Minneapolis Parking app directly from your phone’s app store
If you believe you’ve been the victim of this scam, immediately contact your bank or credit card company and file a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center online at: www.Ic3.gov.
For more information on parking and driving in Minneapolis, visit our website.
Work will begin the week of May 19 on Oak St SE between Washington Ave SE and University Ave SE.
This project includes a new protected bikeway, storm sewer relocations, water hydrant relocation, traffic signal system upgrades, ADA pedestrian ramps, and new traffic markings.
The western half of Oak St SE will be closed but a lane of northbound and southbound traffic will remain. Pedestrians will be detoured around the site. Parking meters will be hooded around the area to allow additional space for crews, buses, and traffic control. The project is expected to take 8 weeks to complete.
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: ward2@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2202
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center
250 South 4th St.
Get directions
For reasonable accommodations or alternative format please contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users call 612-263-6850. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311. |
