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Augsburg University hosted their annual Umoja Banquet uplifting and celebrating Black students, both those graduating and those celebrating the year’s accomplishments on their academic journey. I was honored to be invited to give the keynote address on the theme of Radical Love and Resistance. Thank you to Augsburg Multicultural Life for organizing this incredibly beautiful and powerful event, and for inviting me to be part of it. Congratulations to all our Augsburg students!
Council Member Wonsley speaking at the Augsburg Umoja Banquet.
Ward 11 neighbors invited me to speak alongside Council Member Whiting at an information session and discussion about Mayor Frey’s proposed Community Training and Wellness Center, also known as Cop City. It was an incredibly productive discussion. Neighbors discussed the inaccurate information from the Mayor’s administration claiming this project was required by the settlement agreement, raised questions on whether the proposed sale price of the building was overinflated, the potential true cost of the full project, and other crucial factors in the proposal. Thank you to Ward 11 neighbors for inviting me to join you for this meaningful conversation. I look forward to staying in conversation.
Council Members Wonsley and Whiting stand in front of a community room located within the Washburn Library, sharing their respective views and insights on the Frey administration’s proposed “cop city” project.
Minnesotans have shown the world how to stand up against attacks on our neighbors over the last four months. On May 1st, International Workers’ Day, we’re going to come together throughout the day to stand up to ICE and the billionaires running our country and demand justice for immigrants, workers and ALL Minnesotans. You can learn more about the whole day of action here.
MORNING: WORKERS OVER BILLIONAIRES! SKIP WORK, TAKE ACTION!
AFTERNOON: DEMAND TRUTH AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ICE ACTIONS
- Unidos MN, in partnership with The Advocates for Human Rights and ISAIAH, is launching the Days of Truth and Freedom. In coordination with the Minnesota Truth Council, we will train community story collectors to document the lived experiences of Minnesotans impacted by recent federal operations, ensuring these stories are preserved, heard, and used to shape what comes next.
- 1 p.m | Location shared when you register
4:30 PM: MARCH FOR ICE OUT OF MN & LEGALIZATION FOR ALL
EVENING: COMMUNITY PARTY SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES ON LAKE ST
Party and support local immigrant businesses
May 2nd is Neighborhood Day! Join Seward Neighborhood Group for a family-friendly neighborhood celebration in Matthews Park!
1-3 PM
Always thought about joining a committee, but didn’t know how to participate? Come meet our Community Engagement, Community Development, Environment, and History Committees! Leave with an SNG shirt or tote bag for the price of a sliding scale donation to SNG. We will also be selling copies of the “People’s History of Seward” for $25, via cash, check, or Venmo inside the Rec Center.
On the four-square court we will be hosting a Garden Tool Swap. Plants, trimmings, seeds, leftover soil are all welcome! All remaining items will be donated to local groups with gardening programs.
Over by the wading pool, we will have live performances by local music groups, and a dance workshop from the Somali Museum. Bring a lawn chair and hangout with an ice cream sandwich!
We have prepared a scavenger hunt for Matthews Park, with prizes being temporary tattoos! The Rec Center will provide sports equipment for neighbors to organize their own pick-up activities.
Inside the Rec Center we will have a silent auction, featuring prizes from local artists and businesses, with bidding closing at 3pm. Use this link to view our silent auction.
Starting at 3 PM
We will move inside for SNG’s Annual Meeting. Committees will briefly share the successes of Seward Neighborhood Group over the past year and announce winners of Seward’s Small Grants Program. The annual meeting will conclude with electing new members to the Board of Directors. Winners of the Silent Auction will be announced and prizes will be available when the Annual Meeting concludes.
Please send any questions to admin@sng.org. See our home page for details about how to apply to our Board of Directors, there’s still time to apply!
Flyer for Seward Neighborhood Day
Join us for an evening of good food, traditional dancing, and more as we celebrate women’s health and wellness!
May 2 from 5:00-7:00 pm
Brian Coyle Center
Flyer for Women’s Night Out.
Join Freewheel Bike, Minneapolis Cider Co, and the East Bank Neighborhood Partnership for an East Bank Bike Tour with giveaways galore! Register here to receive a free meal ticket!
Nearly one in four students at the University of Minnesota lacks access to fresh, affordable groceries. The Undergraduate Student Government is organizing a Sunday grocery shuttle from Dinkytown to The Quarry, where students can shop at Cub Foods. Thank you to our Student Life & Wellbeing committee for their hard work and commitment to making this grocery shuttle a reality!
🚍 Jones Hall & Pleasant St bus stop ➡️ The Quarry
🗓️ April 26, May 3, May 10
⏰ 12pm-6pm, running approximately every 30 minutes
Minneapolis residents are now able to apply for rental assistance funded by the City of Minneapolis. On February 5 and March 26, the City approved funding to support renter households after Operation Metro Surge. We entered into a Joint Powers Agreement with Hennepin County for $2 million to allow their existing contracted community-based providers to support this rent assistance effort. Currently three of their providers—CLUES, Isuroon, and Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center—are helping eligible applicants navigate the program. The County expects to add additional organizations from their provider network over the next couple weeks.
Flyer for City Emergency Rental Assistance.
Summary: Council approved an ordinance to protect renters from discrimination or retaliation based on their immigration status.
Background: Council Members Chavez, Chowdhury, Chughtai, and Osman authored an ordinance to protect renters who may face unfair treatment due to their immigration status. It prohibits landlords from inquiring into immigration status, requiring prospective tenants to disclose their immigration status, or denying a rental application based solely on an applicant providing an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) instead of a social security number.
The ordinance creates new protection against retaliation for all renters, including prohibiting a landlord from increasing rent, decreasing services, altering an existing rental agreement, filing a legal action against a tenant or applicant, contacting federal or state law enforcement related to a tenant's or applicant’s immigration status, or seeking to recover possession of the unit as retaliation for a tenant reporting a code violation, joining a tenant union, or speaking publicly about their experiences.
Key votes: Council voted unanimously in support of the immigration status of renters.
Summary: Council approved an ordinance to temporarily extend the eviction pre-filing timeline from 30 to 45 days to protect families impacted by Operation Metro Surge from eviction.
Background: Thousands of families lost income during Operation Metro Surge, and are now facing eviction. Last month, I led Council to pass an ordinance called Pause Evictions Save Lives, which would temporarily extend the notice that a landlord is required to give a tenant prior to filing an eviction from 30 days to 60 days. Mayor Frey vetoed the ordinance because of pressure from landlords. Despite strong community advocacy urging the Council to protect renters and prevent a massive wave of evictions, several Council Members voted to uphold the Mayor’s veto.
We are now living the reality of the consequences of Mayor Frey vetoing the original ordinance and the Council not overriding that veto. March evictions were up 60% from the same time in 2025– and 2025 was already a record year for evictions. This is exactly what housing experts warned the City would happen if we did not pass a policy to give renters more time to access rent relief in the aftermath of Operation Metro Surge.
We are now facing a massive eviction crisis. We as a city are not prepared to deal with evictions and homelessness rising significantly in the next few months. Our constituents have been telling us for years that we have been failing to effectively respond to our increasing unhoused population. Council Members and landlords who opposed this policy have not shared any proposed solutions for the coming eviction crisis and massive increase in unsheltered homelessness.
In light of this, Council Member Chowdhury brought back the Pause Evictions, Save Lives Ordinance with a 45-day timeline. It gives the Council and Mayor another opportunity to keep residents in their homes, especially in light of the newly available data pointing to an alarming increase in evictions.
It’s also worth noting that since the Council’s last vote, the City of Saint Paul provided both additional access to rental assistance and a 60-day eviction pre-filing timeline until the end of 2026.
This week, Council voted 8-5 to support the 45-day pre-filing timeline. We are urging Mayor Frey to not veto this policy and exacerbate the eviction and homelessness crisis for a second time. Residents are looking to elected officials to lead and respond to public crises effectively. Pause Evictions, Save Lives gives residents a much needed protection that could prevent hundreds of our residents from becoming homeless in the coming months.
Key votes: Council voted 8-5 to approve the Pause Evictions, Save Lives Ordinance. Council Members Rainville, Vetaw, Warren, Shaffer, and Palmisano voted in opposition. Mayor Frey has 5 business days to either approve or veto the ordinance.
Summary: Council voted to adopt the Care Over Criminalization ordinance that decriminalizes the possession of drug paraphernalia, a data-backed policy to lower transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and other infections and improve equity in criminal justice and harm reduction.
Background: Council Members Chavez, Chowdhury, Stevenson, President Payne, and I authored an ordinance that would decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia. Currently, it is a misdemeanor to have a syringe, pipe, or other items related to drug use. This policy harms criminal justice reform efforts by creating a pretext for additional criminalization of people suffering from substance use disorder. It also significantly inhibits public health practices like harm reduction.
There was some confusion and misinformation about this ordinance. The authors presented clear information and an FAQ sheet to address some of these concerns. Most importantly, this ordinance does not decriminalize drug use. There was unanimous support for this change from every public health professional who testified at the public hearing or sent council comments. The City of Minneapolis should be aligned to best practices around all issues, but especially evidence based strategies that involve public health.
Key votes: Council voted to adopt the Care over Criminalization Ordinance to protect public health.
Summary: The Council approved a construction contract for the rehabilitation of the Witch’s Hat Tower!
Background: The Prospect Park Water Tower, also known as the Witch’s Hat, is a beloved neighborhood gem in Prospect Park.
The Witch’s Hat has been closed since 2020. When I entered office in 2022, residents made it clear that a priority for the neighborhood was getting the tower repaired and open to the public. Residents were incredibly patient and persistent as my office worked to figure out what needed to be done and who was responsible for repairing and maintaining the tower. Their community organizing led my office to pass a successful amendment to the City budget in 2023 allocating $350,000 for repairs.
It took the Frey administration over two years to translate that funding into a construction contract, but this week the contract finally did come before Council and was approved unanimously! I am eager for these repairs to be completed so this can be enjoyed not just by Ward 2 neighbors, but the city as a whole and visitors from all over the world. The contract brings us one step closer to a reopening day, and none of it would be happening without neighbors who care and are holding the City accountable to maintaining public goods. I look forward to further conversations on long-term investment into this site and location in partnership with the Park Board and the community.
Key votes: Council unanimously approves the contract for repairs to the Witch’s Hat.
CM Wonsley stands alongside Prospect Park Neighborhood Association leaders in front of the Witches Hat Water Tower while wearing a Halloween witch’s hat.
Background: Council approved an easement agreement in place of park dedication fees. This measure will help close the 3-mile Grand Rounds gap, a massive regional project that’s underway that will expand parkway, bike, and pedestrian access into Ward 2.
Council approved an easement agreement in place of park dedication fees, allowing the City to partner with the Park Board to secure land needed for public use. This approach ensures that new development still contributes to park infrastructure while advancing a more immediate and tangible community benefit.
The easement will help close the 3-mile gap in the Grand Rounds, a long-awaited project that strengthens connections across the city’s parkway, bike, and pedestrian network. Once complete, it will expand access to the Grand Rounds system into parts of Ward 2 and move us closer to a fully connected 50-mile loop for residents and visitors alike.
Key votes: Council unanimously approves the easement agreement for the Grand Rounds Missing Link project.
Summary: The University send a letter to the City in response to the resolution that Council approved in support of graduate workers.
Background: Several weeks ago, I led Council to pass a resolution of support for Graduate Workers at the University of Minnesota. The University is currently attempting to remove a significant portion of graduate workers from the Graduate Labor Union bargaining unit. The City’s resolution expresses support for the labor rights of Graduate Fellows and Trainees at the University of Minnesota and urges the University of Minnesota to immediately settle the ongoing dispute with GLU-UE 1005 by recognizing Graduate Fellows and Trainees as public employees in the bargaining unit.
Last week, the University HR Department sent the City a letter responding to the resolution. This demonstrates that the University has taken note of the City’s position. I’m so glad to stand in solidarity and partnership with the graduate workers in Ward 2 and across the city.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: robin.wonsley@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. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311. |
