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The day after National Night Out, Prospect Park kept the festivities going with a beautiful event co-hosted by TC Mobile Jazz, Parcel Arts, Hennepin County Libraries, Minneapolis Parks and Rec, and BF50 Indigenous Health. We enjoyed crafts, games, books, and ice cream while enjoying live jazz in the park.
Council Member Wonsley enjoying the craft table with neighbors of all ages at the Luxton Park National Night Out Mobile Jazz event.
Open Streets 2025 has begun! Enjoy these car-free, community-centered events for the rest of the summer:
Sunday. August 17– Cedar Avenue between 15th Ave. and 6th St., Riverside Ave. between Cedar Ave. and 19th Ave. Hosted by: West Bank Business Association, https://www.thewestbank.org
Saturday, September 6 - West Broadway Avenue between Lyndale Ave. and Logan Ave. Hosted by: West Broadway Business & Area Coalition, https://westbroadway.org
Saturday - September 20 - Hennepin Avenue between 26th St. and 36th St. Hosted by: Uptown Association, https://www.uptownminneapolis.com
Each event will temporarily close the designated corridor to motor vehicle traffic, creating safe, car-free environments for walking, biking, art, music, and community engagement. Open Streets Minneapolis is a unique opportunity to promote healthier lifestyles, support local business districts, and reimagine our city’s use of public space.
Summary: Council received the after-action review of the City’s involvement in the federal operation on East Lake Street on June 3rd. Council also hosted a public hearing where residents spoke clearly about the need to protect our immigrant communities from the Trump administration.
Background: On June 3rd, the federal government conducted an operation on East Lake Street and Bloomington Ave that was deeply traumatizing for many in our community.
The City has a separation ordinance that says City employees cannot ask for a resident’s immigration status or enforce federal immigration laws. Since both ICE and MPD were present on June 3rd, many residents expressed questions about what happened, and how it relates to the City’s plan to prevent MPD collaboration with ICE.
Given the many unanswered questions about June 3rd, Council unanimously requested an after-action review of the City and MPD’s actions at the June 3rd operation. I also led Council to set a public hearing following the presentation, so that residents could share their thoughts and perspectives on the record.
This week, Council received the after-action review and public testimony. You can watch the presentation, Council discussion, and public hearing here. Some of the key takeaways include:
- There were significant delays in communication within the Frey administration. MPD was informed of the operation at 10am. The Chief of Police informed the Mayor at 10:45am. The Council received no official communication from the Mayor’s administration until 1:50pm.
- The Mayor’s failure to communicate and be transparent with the public exacerbated public fear and compromised the public’s trust. This has been a noted weakness of the City for over a decade.
- The following day, under the direction of the Trump administration, ICE set a record for arrests made in a single year at 2,200 people.
- The City’s separation ordinance was passed over 20 years ago and urgently needs to be updated.
- Residents are looking to local government to help protect them from the out-of-control Trump administration.
I want to note that much of the information discussed during the meeting was not surprising. I and some of my colleagues knew that attacks on immigrant communities were coming and tried to work with the Frey administration proactively to improve City response.
After Trump took office in January, residents reached out asking how the City would protect our immigrant communities. Several residents highlighted their concern about the role of MPD in these efforts.
Council Member Chavez and I reached out to Chief O’Hara to learn what disciplinary consequences there would be for officers who violate the separation ordinance and how he was clearly communicating the consequences of violating the ordinance to all officers so they were fully aware of his expectations. His response was:
[It’s] Hard to respond to a hypothetical, but I can say that I will ensure that the MPD remains committed to upholding the rule of law, and the constitutional rights of all people. In January of 2021, we saw police officers in Washington DC honorably resist a violent mob, including some who would later die as a result, and I would expect our officers to do the same if called upon.
The Chief’s response made it immediately clear to me that MPD was not prepared for attacks on immigrant communities because they had no concrete protocols or policies in place to discipline officers who participate in immigration enforcement.
After learning that MPD leadership did not have standardized protocols in place, Council Member Chavez and I authored a legislative directive to learn more about how MPD was implementing and enforcing the separation ordinance. In late June, MPD presented that they still did not have standardized protocols around disciplinary consequences for officers who collaborate with ICE. The Mayor has sole authority to set MPD’s policies and disciplinary standards that could help keep immigrant residents safe.
What Council can do is use policy and the city’s budget to strengthen protections for our most vulnerable residents. Council Members Chavez, Chowdhury, and Vice President Chughtai have opened the separation ordinance and are working with staff, community members and other key stakeholders on changes that will help strengthen the City’s policy. Last December, Council Member Chavez and I led Council to add funding to the City’s Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs to expand free legal counsel for residents struggling to navigate our extremely arduous immigration judicial process.
Residents are looking to local government to lead on standing up against the Trump administration. We are having hard conversations about what it looks like to show up to support our most vulnerable residents. June 3rd was a test of the City’s readiness, and in many ways we failed. This is an opportunity to reflect seriously about how we’re going to get ourselves ready for the attacks on our communities that we know are coming. I stand committed to continue this work in partnership with my colleagues and the community.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: Council continues to lead on reining in the broken MPD off-duty system, and are considering a proposal that would recoup $1.4 million that taxpayers currently subsidize so that officers can work private side gigs. Share your support for this common-sense regulation at a public hearing on August 13th.
Background: Minneapolis Police Officers can work “off-duty” – essentially working private security jobs for personal gain while using City resources like cars and uniforms. This system has been identified as extremely problematic and inequitable from organizations ranging from the Department of Justice to local small business owners.
Despite years of stated intention to use their authority to regulate or reform off-duty, Mayor Frey and MPD leadership have not done so.
Council Member Wonsley and Council President Payne led Council to unanimously approve an ordinance that allows the City to charge fees on off-duty work. Off-duty fees can recoup the costs of City resources that officers use while working for private gain. Council directed MPD to calculate the appropriate rate for these off-duty fees. MPD determined that a rate of $27.58/hour for an off-duty officer with a squad car would recoup about $1.7 million in public resources that would otherwise be subsidized by taxpayers. Implementing fees would also ensure MPD is tracking off-duty hours and assignments, something that currently is not systematically collected or reported. The ordinance before Council on August 13th is the final code amendment needed to implement off-duty fees on January 1, 2026.
Despite the years-long mandate to regulate off-duty, unanimous support from Council and a fee rate calculated by MPD staff, MPD has stated that they are not planning to proactively implement the fee.
Residents can provide written or in-person testimony on MPD off-duty fees in the following ways:
Testify in person
- Wednesday August 13th at 1:30pm at the Public Health and Safety Committee
- City Council Chambers Temporary Location - Public Service Building (250 S 4th St, Room 350)
- Residents will have two minutes to share anything related to the topic of immigration and City policy
- Read more about rules for meetings and tips to participate.
Submit written testimony
- Testimony can be submitted in writing at any time using this form.
- For “Subject or File Number,” write 2024-00147 or Fees for Use of City-Owned Resources
Summary: Council is helping expand access to childcare for Minneapolis families.
Background: There is a severe shortage of high quality affordable childcare options for working class families in Minneapolis. This has significant impacts on child development outcomes, and prohibits many parents from joining the workforce. One of my priorities in office is to find ways for the City to increase access to childcare and early childhood education, and to ensure that childcare workers in our city are paid dignified and sustainable wages. The childcare workforce is majority women and workers of color, and is notorious for low wages and challenging work conditions.
Last year, I led Council to invest $500,000 into workforce development programs for early childhood education. The extreme shortage of childcare workers contributes to the lack of spots in childcare centers, so workforce development programs are crucial for increasing access. The workforce development funding was allocated to the YWCA and Lutheran Social Services for programs that recruit new childcare workers, and help current workers gain new skills and credentials that increase their wages and retention.
Staff presented on the outcomes of the program so far. Council’s investment will support about 86 more childcare workers serving Minneapolis families, while earning above-average wages. I’m excited to see the concrete impacts of these investments and look forward to further partnering with my colleagues, local educational institutions, and community members to continue improving childcare access and industry labor standards.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: My office is working to improve the syringe pickup program to better serve residents.
Background: Due to the ongoing opioid crisis, many residents have encountered syringes or needles on public property like parks, sidewalks and alleys that need to be safely disposed of. Council responded to this need by allocating funding for on-request needle disposal. The Health Department entered into a contract with a group called A Mother’s Love Initiative, which is supposed to complete safe needle disposal every time a resident requests the service via 311.
Ward 2 residents reached out to my office with concerns that needle pickups they were reporting were not being completed in a timely manner. My office looked into the situation and learned more about how requests are tracked and completed. We learned that 311 forwards the request to A Mother’s Love, and then marks the case “closed” without verification that the request has been filled. This leads to data that looks like all cases are closed in a timely manner, but residents aren’t necessarily receiving the service.
Because residents shared concerns about not receiving needle pickup, the Ward 2 office discovered a significant systemic issue with service delivery and worked with the administration to address it. This is a great reminder that reaching out to your Council office can help improve City services for everyone!
In response to this discovery, the Health Department and 311 will be implementing service tracking and quality control enhancements. Moving forward, 311 requests will be marked “closed” only after the corresponding task has been completed. This change should enhance clarity, accountability, and quality assurance by providing a verifiable record of completed requests.
The Health Department is also assessing whether the current contract scope and reporting requirements align with best practices for service verification. They are exploring administrative improvements—such as potential contract amendments—to strengthen reporting and monitoring, while avoiding service delays. Broader opportunities are being evaluated to improve systemwide coordination between 311 and contracted providers.
In other improvements, the Health Department is hiring a new Public Health Services staff member to support harm reduction programs including needle pickup.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Here are updates from the Public Works Department for street light repairs from the week of July 21 – July 28.
- Some wire theft at 50th St E and 2nd Ave S area east of 35W
- Work Completed
- Next Steps
- Lake of the Isles – in progress
Early Summer
- Bancroft – complete
- East River Road – complete
- St. Anthony Parkway and Columbus Parkway – complete
- Nokomis (start) – complete
- Lake Harriet – complete
Mid/Late Summer
- Lake of the Isles – in progress
- Bde Maka Ska – paused
Fall
- Cedar Lake
- Minnehaha Parkway – partially complete (Cedar to Hiawatha)
- Remaining areas, including Greenway and Franklin/Hiawatha trail.
Every Wednesday through September, you can adopt a pet for free at Minneapolis Animal Care & Control. As part of its nationwide campaign, The Rescue Effect, the ASPCA awarded Minneapolis a $13,300 grant to cover fees for adoptions and Minneapolis pet licensing.
We’re on a mission to help more animals find homes. Like many shelters and rescues across the nation, our shelter is consistently full. You can change lives by adopting a pet and freeing up shelter resources for other homeless animals who need them. When you help one, you help many. That’s the rescue effect.
Free pet adoptions 1-5:30 p.m. every Wednesday in August and September Minneapolis Animal Care & Control, 212 17th Ave. N.
All cats and dogs up for adoption are healthy, spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.
Learn more about pet adoption from the City of Minneapolis.
Flyer for free pet adoption in August and September.
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: ward2@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2202
City Hall
350 S. Fifth St., Room 370
Minneapolis, MN 55415
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. |
