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The Minnesota Fringe Festival is coming up! Head to the Rarig Theater in Ward 2 for A Woman’s Place Is In The House, an interactive activist comedy following Minnesota's first four female legislators as they journey to today, joining the ongoing fight for equal rights - with various special guest speakers at each performance. Learn more and get tickets here.
Flyer for A Woman’s Place is in the House performance.
Black Business Week continues this week with the Black Business Summit + Market at The Northside Epicenter on Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The community celebration will feature more than 20 Black-owned businesses, food trucks, activities and community resources. Attendees can also take part in free herbal education classes and get a free haircut at the on-site barber shop.
From noon to 2 p.m., the Black Business Summit Pitch Competition will spotlight entrepreneurs as they pitch their businesses and ideas for a chance to win one year of free office space at the Northside Epicenter.
Whether you're looking to shop local, connect with resources or celebrate Black entrepreneurship in Minneapolis, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
Find out more on the City website.
A woman stands behind a table at a market stall and talks with a customer during Black Business Week.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) has identified safety concerns at the Hwy 280 and Broadway St. NE intersection. To improve safety for motorists, MNDOT is proposing a full closure of the left turn at the Hwy 280/Broadway St. NE intersection. Right-turns to and from southbound Hwy 280 will remain open.
Before the closure, MNDOT and local partners will make improvements to the Hennepin/Industrial Ave area. These improvements are intended to reduce the risk of serious crashes and enhance safety and mobility throughout the area. MNDOT has been closely coordinating improvements with the cities, counties and other key agencies in the area to determine how best to serve the communities in this neighborhood while improving safety for people driving on Hwy 280.
Please join MnDOT for a public meeting on Thursday, August 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Van Cleve Park Recreation Center Gym at 90115 th Ave. SE to learn more about the project. There will be a brief presentation at 5pm, but people are welcome to come and go as they are able.
For more information about the project, visit the project webpage.
Flyer for the MNDOT public meeting on Highway 280.
Each year Solid Waste & Recycling enacts an accelerated cleanup program surrounding the U of M when many off-campus housing leases turn over. The purpose of the accelerated cleanup program is to remove large piles of debris at properties with City-garbage collection as quickly as possible to maintain livability for all residents. The following neighborhoods are included in the accelerated cleanup program:
- Marcy Holmes
- SE Como
- Prospect Park
- University
During this time, August 24 – September 18, 2026, any debris outside of normal garbage set-out limits will be immediately cleaned and fees for the service are added to the Utility Bill for the property. Cleanup services are billed at $181/hour, with a $100 minimum charge. You will not receive any additional warnings. All properties in the accelerated cleanup program have received a mailed notice informing them of the program.
This accelerated cleanup program applies to all properties, even if you are not moving in or out. If you have excess garbage during this time, we encourage you to manage it properly to avoid a fee. Please see the guide below for Move Out best practices!
The City Assessor began the residential quintile field work for the Seward neighborhood on July 28. The Assessor’s team moves as a group, they wear fluorescent vests, carry city identification, and carry data collection devices (tablet, phone, measuring devices).
Seward neighborhood boundaries are (generally speaking):
- North: Interstate 94
- South: E 28th St
- East: Mississippi River
- West: Hiawatha Ave
Postcards have mailed to notify property owners, and a sample postcard is below.
Minneapolis residents pride themselves on being devoted water stewards; please keep up the good work using water wisely this dry summer. While the Mississippi River remains a reliable source of tap water for the city, the headwaters of the Mississippi are in a drought. Practicing wise water use helps conserve water, alleviating demand on the water supply and helping us avoid watering restrictions.
In coordination with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the City closely monitors river flows and watershed conditions affecting our water supply. The DNR updates a statewide drought conditions map every week; today the map shows our water source to be in moderate to severe drought. If the drought gets worse and flows in the river reach the drought warning stage, the City will implement measures to reduce water consumption, including watering restrictions.
Tips to help conserve water
- Water during the coolest part of the day to avoid evaporation.
- Water grass only when it needs it. Most lawns only need an inch of water a week.
- Check hoses and sprinklers for leaks.
- Turn off sprinkler systems and water plants and lawn by hand.
Everyday household tips to use water efficiently
While formal watering restrictions are not in place, we encourage residents and businesses to always use water wisely.
- Install low flow showerheads and faucet aerators.
- Take shorter showers instead of baths.
- Turn the faucet off while you shave or brush your teeth.
- Load dishes into the dishwasher without rinsing them.
- Run the dishwasher only when it's fully loaded.
- Fill the sink to wash dishes by hand instead of letting the water run.
- Use a large pan to clean vegetables rather than letting the water run.
- Only wash full loads of laundry.
- Fix leaking toilets.
Summary: The City Council received updates from the City Attorney on implementation of the reforms from the proposed consent decree that was dismissed by federal courts in 2025.
Background: After Minneapolis Police officers murdered George Floyd, the US Department of Justice under President Biden investigated and determined that the City of Minneapolis and MPD have a pattern or practice of conduct that violates Constitutional and federal law. The City negotiated a consent decree with the federal government, which is a legal agreement to implement reforms that would bring the City into compliance with federal and Constitutional law.
Unfortunately, in early 2025 the Trump administration asked the courts to dismiss the consent decree that the Biden administration had negotiated with the City of Minneapolis. In response, several council members including myself advocated for the consent decree provisions to be incorporated into the existing settlement agreement between the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. We wanted to legally formalize the City’s commitments to police reform and break the cycle of decades of broken promises of change. Despite having a provision that would allow for the settlement agreement to be modified to include the consent decree reforms, the City Attorney refused. She argued that regardless of the will of elected leaders who represent Minneapolis, she would not negotiate to ensure the federal provisions became a legal requirement.
This was disappointing, and my colleagues and I have continued to hold the City Attorney and the Frey administration accountable to their promises of delivering the consent decree reforms despite not being legally required to. Last October, I led the City Council to pass a legislative directive asking the Frey administration to publicly show its work on what federal consent decree provisions would be moving forward. This week, the City Attorney presented on that legislative directive and provided no clear indication that the Frey administration is taking the consent decree reforms seriously. Despite repeated requests to the City Attorney to be transparent about which of the over 400 consent decree reforms the City would be taking up, minimal details were provided at the presentation.
Additionally, there was no acknowledgement that the City is performing poorly on police reform even through the settlement agreement, which is legally required. The most recent report on the settlement agreement highlights deeply concerning examples of dysfunction, lack of leadership, and lack of urgency in advancing the transformational change that city leaders promised residents. This week’s presentation was a missed opportunity to showcase that mechanisms and safeguards are being built and maintained outside of MPD to ensure the settlement agreement and consent decree provisions will actually be implemented. It’s unclear how the City Attorney believes federal provisions will be incorporated successfully into MPD, when there are already severe issues in implementing the legally required provisions.
MPD’s poor progress on reform is inexcusable and I will continue to be holding our City Attorney and Mayor Frey accountable until this work is complete.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: Despite significant concerns, the City Council voted to apply for a grant from the Trump administration for $300,000 that includes “funding to enhance capacity to locate and apprehend aliens who have committed crime(s) under Federal, State, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States, investigate crimes committed by illegal aliens.”
Background: The National Integrated Ballistic Information (NIBIN) is a database hosted by the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) that captures, stores, and correlates digital images of discharged cartridge casings (DCCs) recovered from a crime scene. This functions as a database of firearms, which allows law enforcement to analyze evidence from shootings.
The Frey administration asked the City Council to approve an application for a grant from the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) for $300,000 for NIBIN modernization. However, the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the grant states that one of the purposes of the grant is “funding to enhance capacity to locate and apprehend aliens who have committed crime(s) under Federal, State, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States, investigate crimes committed by illegal aliens.” This raised serious concerns about what the Trump administration would expect of the City of Minneapolis if we receive this funding.
Council Member Chowdhury correctly stated that the term “illegal alien” is a slur that creates a permission structure for violence against our neighbors. Council Member Chughtai highlighted the quote by Paul Wellstone “if we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them.” If we stand for protecting our immigrant neighbors, then we must actually take a stand even– especially– when it’s hard. Tens of thousands of residents fought hard to resist the Trump administration’s fascist attacks on our neighbors, many times risking their personal safety. It’s incredibly disappointing and disturbing to see the Frey administration propose entering into a contract with the federal government that could put our neighbors in jeopardy– all for only $300,000.
Council Member Chughtai also noted that $300,000 is a tiny fraction of MPD’s budget– the equivalent of only 3 days of MPD overtime. Council Member Chavez also noted that MPD could have recouped over $1.4 million towards their budget if they implemented off-duty fees that the City Council passed. Council Member Stevenson suggested MPD could sell the motorcycles that they bought without City Council approval to generate funds. The bottom line is that MPD could easily cover these costs without engaging with the Trump administration. Unfortunately, there was not majority support to block this application– but accepting a grant requires a 2/3 majority of the City Council.
Key votes: The City Council voted 7-5 to approve the grant application. Council Members Stevenson, Chavez, Chughtai, Chowdhury, and President Payne voted in opposition and Council Member Wonsley was absent. If the City is selected for the grant, a 2/3 majority of the City Council is required to accept it.
Summary: The City Council confirmed Enrique Velazquez as Director of Regulatory Services and Dr. Reginald Freeman as Fire Chief.
Background: Mayor Frey is nominating department heads for City Council approval, as required by the City Charter. This week, the City Council voted on the Mayor’s nomination of Enrique Velazquez for Regulatory Services and the nomination of Dr. Reginald Freeman as Police Chief. \
Director Velazquez has served as the Director of Regulatory Services for several years. He has overseen poor enforcement of the City’s housing code, including allowing thousands of Ward 2 residents to live in unlicensed rentals for nearly five years, and incredibly disturbing conditions for renters at Heritage Park that are now requiring a $2.5 million bailout by taxpayers. He has also implemented the Frey administration’s homeless response strategy of repeatedly evicting encampments, which is expensive, inhumane, and has not reduced homelessness.
Dr. Freeman currently works as Fire Chief for the Executive Director of Fire and Emergency Medical Services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Residents have raised questions and concerns about any potential relationship to NEOM, the Saudi Arabian urban development project with significant alleged human rights and environmental abuses. Dr. Freeman has stated that he cannot respond to these concerns due to having signed an NDA. Minneapolis Firefighters Local 82, which represents MFD workers, strongly supported Dr. Freeman’s nomination.
Key Votes: Enrique Velazquez was reappointed as the Director of Regulatory Services in a 9-3 vote. Council Members Stevenson, Chavez, and Chowdhury voted in opposition and Council Member Wonsley was absent. Dr. Reginald Freeman was appointed as Fire Chief in a 10-2 vote. Council Members Chavez and Chughtai voted in opposition and Council Member Wonsley was absent.
Many residents have identified that public bathrooms around downtown could make our city more accessible and enjoyable for residents and visitors. The City Council invested $700,000 into public bathrooms for the 2026 budget. This week, the Public Works department provided the following update on their implementation of the funding:
The 2026 budget added $700,000 per year ongoing for public bathrooms downtown. City staff have spent the past several months evaluating options, including those used in other cities. There is a limited market for providers capable of meeting the City's operational goals in the council budget amendment:
- Prefabricated and moveable
- Not rely on utilities except for electrical
- Operational year round
- Built-in monitoring and security to alleviate the need for staffing
- ADA compliant
- Provide data on usage and security
We identified one vendor who meets the City's operational and programmatic goals for an initial pilot year, with options for annual renewal. There are similar restrooms in Ann Arbor, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., and a pilot is expected in New York City soon. The vendor requires a min. commitment of about 10 restroom units and/or a $1M per year contract to enter a new market. This exceeds current funding, so we’ve been coordinating with Metro Transit, MPRB, and other partners to try and bring the units to Minneapolis. Vendor capacity/fabrication challenges also prevent deployment in 2026.
We will continue working with other agencies and the vendor to try and start deployment in 2027. We expect to more detailed project schedule, including milestones and community engagement plans, later this fall. We can also provide more information, if needed, during the late August budget report to Council.
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. |
