Before getting into what has been happening at City Hall I want to address what happened in South Minneapolis on Tuesday, June 3rd. On Tuesday, dozens of heavily militarized agents converged on Lake Street. There were agents from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), and more. It was carried out in the heart of Minneapolis' Latino community with the intent to sow fear, confusion, and intimidation. These are tactics of terror intended to divide us. Fighting back against this oppressive administration must be a top priority for leaders in our city.
We are living in a time when any and every justification is being used to further ICEs reach. Across the country people are being disappeared from their communities, taken in unmarked vans by militarized police who are allowed to act indiscriminately. Families torn apart, daughters and brothers and mothers left to question if their loved ones are missing and not knowing if they will ever see them again. “Incidental arrests” are being championed by the administration as are quotas pushing agents to detain 3,000 people per day. That is ICEs bottom line. This type of objective is not about safety; it’s about attacking our neighbors.
That is why the City of Minneapolis has committed to our residents that we would not aid ICE. I know in follow-up statements from the Mayor and Chief O’Hara they stated explicitly that this was not an ICE raid but execution of a Federal Warrant. But, with a President who has no commitment to honesty, and ICE being directed to round up thousands of people without due process, this type of presence in Minneapolis can and should be questioned by our residents. You all deserve more clarity and answers to many of the questions you have reached out to me with in the last week. I'm committed to getting you answers about what ICE’s role was in the operation, what actions MPD took, and how our Separation Ordinance is being interpreted by local law enforcement.
It is irrefutable that ICE agents were present on scene. A spokesperson of ICE explicitly stated that their operation was done with the assistance of local law enforcement.
That is why I, along with Council Members Chavez, Chowdhury, Osman, and Wonsley brought forward and passed a motion at this Thursday’s Council meeting asking the City Auditor’s office to conduct an independent action review of what happened. This includes reviewing MPD’s actions before, during, and after events that took place and detailing if the Separation Ordinance was complied with. Additionally, I am working with my colleagues to open and review our Separation Ordinance to ensure we are as clear as possible – aiding rogue agencies coming to take our residents away without due process is not the responsibility of our local law enforcement.
As we receive more information on what happened and what implication this has on our city moving forward, I will continue to keep you all updated.
Council Budget Priorities
In my time as the Chair of the Budget Committee I’ve been working alongside Budget Vice Chair Koski to increase transparency in the budget process. That has included surveying the Council about their priorities, identifying areas where Council Members feel there is too much or too little spending, and having public discussions about the Tax Levy and it’s implications for residents. You can take a look at the 2026 City Council Budget Priorities Presentation to learn more about the themes that emerged from the survey to get a preview of what to expect as we begin marking up the budget.
Community Safety Ambassadors Launch on East Lake and East Franklin
I'm excited to announce that on May 28th Community Safety Ambassadors started along East Lake Street and East Franklin Avenue! This was a specific budget allocation and resource for our community I have been leading on over the years, and it’s amazing to see it come to fruition. I am grateful to our City staff, including newly appointed Director Harrington from the Neighborhood Safety Department and members of our Performance Management and Innovation team who were able to get this pilot up and running in our community. Ambassadors have begun having a presence on the street, checking in with our local businesses, and speaking with community members. I hope you get to see and connect with the Ambassadors adding to our community safety along East Lake and East Franklin this summer!
Expanding the Office of the Auditor
As some of you may have seen in the recent Star Tribune Article the new City Auditor has expressed concern over the City’s current procurement processes. Under the leadership of City Auditor Zimmerman, the Audit department has been diligent in executing its oversight functions and ensuring the City is operating within best practices across all departments and minimizing risk. To allow our City Auditor to keep doing this important work, I was proud to lead the effort in moving four full-time positions that have been vacant for at least a year to the Audit Department. If you’d like to learn more about how these positions will better allow Audit to conduct its important work, I recommend reviewing the presentation from City Auditor Timmerman.
Fees Reduced for Street Cart Vendors, Increasing Compliance and Access
At Thursday’s Council meeting I was thrilled to pass a fee reduction for Sidewalk cart food vendors from $719 to $63. This amendment will better increase pathways for food vendors to be licensed, allowing our local entrepreneurs to not face fee barriers in launching their business, and better ensure compliance with City policies around public health.
Zoning Adjustment to Support MIA
I authored an amendment to the City’s zoning changes that will allow Minneapolis Institute of Art, an incredible community asset, to pursue exciting updates to their space. These updates will include an additional building to help with museum flow and building circulation and most importantly pave the way for MIA to build geothermal wells to heat and cool their building in an environmentally sustainable way. I’m so proud to have MIA in Ward 10 and have gotten to partner with them, and our incredible City staff to ensure they have an opportunity to continue to grow in our community. Speaking of MIA, if you haven’t visited Giants, MIA’s new exhibition that we talked about in our last newsletter, check it out before it closes on July 13th.
Pride Month Begins
In 1975, Minneapolis was the first city in the State of Minnesota to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, a position subsequently adopted by numerous Minnesota cities and the State. At the June 5th City Council meeting, we continued our long history of supporting our local LGBTQIA+ community and kicked off Pride month at City Hall with a breakfast in the rotunda and by passing an Honorary Resolution. This was an opportunity to reflect on the history of LGBTQIA+ people here in Minneapolis, uplift the community and all the current ways they contribute to making us a vibrant city, and commit ourselves to continuing to be a welcoming city that expands protections for our residents.
Uptown Revitalization Roundtable
Last week, Council Member Katie Cashman and I hosted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Community Planning and Economic Development Director Erik Hansen, and local small business owners for a round table at The Tasting Room. It was an opportunity to bring together owners for a conversation focused on collaboration and solutions.
The meeting started with a presentation from Director Hansen about the important work the City is doing to support our small businesses with programs like Business Technical Assistance Program, targeted small business loans, MN Promise Act grants, and Growing awareness and participation in the City’s Green Cost Sharing Program to offset costs to replace aging infrastructure in residential and commercial buildings with sustainable options. After that presentation, Council Member Cashman and I talked about the overall work we are moving to support the uptown community, with Great Streets Grants for Uptown non-profits, allocating money for violence prevention services like Behavior Crisis Response, traffic calming measures in the neighborhoods, funded a Safety Ambassador Pilot Program to provide a regular presence and provide support to those in need, as well as keeping the corridor clean and welcoming. After our presentation, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar talked about the impacts on small businesses that the partisan chaos in Washington DC is having on our business corridors across the nation, and talked about the important work her and her colleagues are doing to support small businesses and workers.
The meeting ended with an opportunity for Director Hanson, Congresswoman Omar, Council Member Cashman and myself to hear directly from business owners about the impact of multi-jurisdictional infrastructure projects like the Hennepin Ave Redesign and the new layout of Lyndale is having on businesses and residents nearby. We also got to hear about the high cost of Uptown commercial rent compared to other areas in the City, long-term changes such as less dining in and more online shopping, and how we can continue to make safety in Uptown a priority. We got to hear so many brilliant ideas and solutions continue the revitalization of Uptown, and build a community that works for business owners, workers, residents and customers.
This was the first in a series of meetings we will be having with Uptown stakeholders and I look forward to continuing this vital conversation.
It was amazing to welcome Hennepin Fest to Ward 10! Put on by the Hennepin History Museum, Hennepin Fest was a Women led festival celebrating local music and culture that featured many local performers and a vendor village. Hennepin History Museum does a number of interesting events related to the history and culture of our city, it was great to have them in our community.
It’s June, that means Pride month celebrations and summer weather with outdoor events! I can’t rave enough about our vibrant and active community! Our neighborhood associations are bustling with activities, our parks buzzing with events, and its Farmers Market season.
Our awesome neighborhood associations, East Bde Maka Ska and South Uptown, are partnering to host the Uptown Farmers Market, every Thursday, starting June 12th from 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Lake St. and Hennepin Ave. Stop by and support local farmers and vendors!
Don’t miss music in Bryant Square Park this summer! Join the South Uptown Neighborhood Association this Thursday, June 12th from 7:00pm – 8:30pm at the park to listen to the Brilliant Colors Jazz Trios in Concert!
Every month Whittier Alliance hosts a community dinner that features food from a local restaurant in the neighborhood. Join them June 12th from 6:30pm – 8:00pm in the multipurpose room at the Whittier Rec Center. Enjoy some free food and get connected with resources. If you can’t make it, no worries, check out their event calendar for other events they will be hosting this month.
I’m looking forward to celebrating our incredible local LGBTQIA+ community this Pride month with all of you throughout June and celebrating here in Minneapolis! Don’t forget to check out the Twin Cities Pride Calendar to see all the events going on throughout the Twin Cities this month with opportunities to learn, reflect, and celebrate.
|
