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Summary: Public Health and Safety (PHS) Committee heard presentations by the city’s violence prevention contractors about what they can do to invest in at-risk youth and adults to improve public safety this summer. PHS leadership is working to ensure the Mayor’s administration fully funds this crucial work to help create a safer summer.
Background: Summer and warm weather unfortunately increase violence in our communities and require additional resources and intentionality to successfully prevent and reduce crime. That’s why Public Health and Safety Chair Chavez and I requested that the Office of Community Safety present a Summer Safety Plan for 2024 earlier this spring. That presentation included Commissioner Barnette sharing a calendar filled with various events sponsored by our violence prevention partners.
Following that presentation, vendors who provide Group Violence Intervention and violence prevention services invited Council Member Chavez and I to a listening session about their concerns. These vendors were surprised and confused to learn that events they were hosting were shared with the Council as part of the OCS summer safety plan, since these events were not affiliated with nor funded by the city at all. More concerningly, these vendors were not engaged or asked to be a part of a larger conversation on how they could contribute to helping the city have a safer summer.
These vendors are working every single day with some of the most at-risk individuals in our communities. They have incredibly valuable insights into where we need to be focusing resources to prevent crime, and they have the proven ability to divert young people into healthy, supportive programming. If we are not asking these vendors to be part of our safety plan for this summer, we are not using all the information available and we are missing the opportunity to keep the most residents possible safe.
Despite not being engaged by OCS on how to strategically partner with the city in order to effectively implement violence prevention strategies, many of these groups had a host of ideas. Council Member Chavez and I worked to bring these groups to the PHS Committee to give us a better understanding of the current gaps in the city’s safe summer plan, so that we can work together to close them.
I encourage everyone to watch the presentation, starting at 2:25:30. It includes powerful testimony by our frontline violence prevention professionals and youth who have been impacted by their services.
Council Member Chavez and I are now working with the Office of Community Safety and Mayor Frey to allocate approximately $500,000 to existing contracts to ensure that public safety and crime prevention work is fully funded this summer.
Key votes: No votes taken.
The city has reached a tentative agreement with the Minneapolis Police Officer Federation.
The contract was published earlier today and my colleagues and I are now beginning to review it. For years, Council rubber stamped contracts that included structural barriers to delivering high quality public safety outcomes for residents, such as a cap on the number of police investigators.
For the first time, this Council has used our authority to uphold a higher and new standard. I and some of my colleagues worked to bring a presentation on the contract into committee last year. Community members took action to ensure that there were public input sessions on the contract. Council Members and community members have continued to have a public conversation about how the contract is a key tool for advancing the public safety reforms that residents have been calling for for decades, some of which are now mandated under the MN Department of Human Rights consent decree.
I look forward to reading the contract to see if this advocacy may have impacted the negotiation outcomes and if the Frey administration has delivered a contract that meets the non-negotiables that Council and the community have advanced.
Disturbingly, Mayor Frey has proposed defunding comprehensive public safety, including hate crime response, public transit safety, and more to fund the raises for police officers in the tentative agreement. This is a nonstarter, as we need to be investing in a comprehensive public safety system. If this contract is approved, I look forward to working with my colleagues to identify funding streams that do not compromise our public safety system, and do not fund officer positions with unsustainable one-time money.
Key votes: Council will have a closed session briefing on the contract on Tuesday, June 11th. The Administration and Enterprise Oversight (AEO) Committee will receive a public presentation on the contract from the Frey administration at 10am, followed by a presentation by Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract at 5:30, an open public comment period, and a vote. The Council will vote on the contract on June 27th.
Summary: Glendale Townhomes is one step closer to historic designation status after the Heritage Preservation Commission voted unanimously to approve the nomination.
Background: At the request of Glendale residents and the Prospect Park community, I nominated Glendale Townhomes for historic designation.
Glendale residents and their supporters have advocated for historic status for years. In 2019, former Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon nominated Glendale for historic designation. In 2020, City staff recommended that the designation be denied, but the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) voted 5-3 in support of recommending the designation to the City Council. However, the Council never moved forward with taking a vote on whether to approve or deny the designation. In this way, the entire process was never completed and Glendale never got the fair chance to have historic designation voted on by the Council. Since then, residents of Glendale and the neighborhood have asked for that fair chance.
In January, I submitted an application that builds upon the work of former Council Member Gordon, and goes in depth on the history of Glendale and the reasons that the nomination should be approved.
Glendale is a treasured gem within the Prospect Park neighborhood and greater Minneapolis community. Residents and neighbors hold deep pride in the fact that Ward 2 is home to the oldest public housing development in the city. The architecture and layout of Glendale are unique in the city and hold so much history, from the planning process that the brand new Housing and Redevelopment Authority went through in the late 1940s, to the opening of Glendale in 1952, to the present. The creation of Glendale was made possible by Minnesota’s own Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who was a strident supporter of public housing at a time when the idea was new and faced a lot of opposition. This is just one of so many important people and historic moments that have intersected with Glendale. Glendale holds over 70 years of our city’s history, and residents see and appreciate this fact.
This deep appreciation has yielded several partnerships and efforts that have served to preserve and enhance Glendale’s existence. Just last year, Glendale residents and University of Minnesota partners hosted a widely attended Glendale Townhomes 70th anniversary event and exhibit that provided a rich qualitative overview of the housing project’s historical significance, and which won an award from the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums.
Glendale residents have tirelessly advocated for historic designation as part of a larger need to protect, preserve, and expand public housing. That advocacy was very impactful to the HPC. After reading the application and hearing testimony by current and former Glendale residents and neighbors, several HPC Commissioners expressed unanimously that they understood the social and historic significance of Glendale differently. This led to a unanimous vote to recommend Glendale for historic designation.
Key votes: Heritage Preservation Commission votes 8-0 to recommend Glendale for historic designation. Council will vote on final approval on the designation.
Summary: The Public Health and Safety (PHS) Committee received a presentation on a report about the inequitable state of childcare in Minneapolis and opportunities to increase the availability of high quality, affordable childcare and living wage childcare jobs.
Earlier this year, I authored a legislative motion asking the city’s Policy and Research Division to provide Council with a report on the current state of childcare in Minneapolis, including an equity analysis of the availability of high quality, affordable childcare to working families and the work conditions for early childhood education professionals. The extensive report provides huge insights into the childcare crisis. It highlights that most families are forced to pay more than the recommended 7% of their total income for childcare, that there are far fewer childcare and early childhood education spots than children who need care, and that workforce recruitment and retention is hugely inhibited by suppressed wages and benefit for early childhood care professionals.
The report also included impressive examples of ways the city can assist on this issue. St. Peter, Minneosta offered their city-owned building as a low-cost lease to local residents who were interested in being non-profit early childhood education providers, and also established loan money for providers who wanted to establish home-based licensed providers. I am looking forward to working with partners to explore the options that may be available for us to replicate something like that here in Minneapolis, and find other ways to invest in our youngest residents and those who care for them.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: There is still no clear or specific plan for the proposed “Community Safety Center” at 2633 Minnehaha, and Mayor Frey is proposing eliminating all funding for non-police pilot programs at the building.
The Public Health and Safety (PHS) Committee received an update on the Office of Community Safety’s community engagement about 2633 Minnehaha Ave, the new 3rd Precinct and Community Safety Center.
I was very eager to hear this presentation, because Ward 2 residents frequently ask me for more information about this project. Disappointingly, OCS still cannot provide basic information such as what percent of the building will offer non-police safety options, and what those programs and services are. We still have no idea if this building will be 25% police, 50% police, or 80% police. We have no idea what the “other services” will be- with ideas that have been discussed ranging as widely as youth programs, a food shelf, violence interrupters, conflict mediators, a DMV, a gym, phone charging stations, and substance use recovery programs.
Council Members who represent the 3rd Precinct collectively met with the Mayor’s office last month and requested not only information about the plan for this safety center, but also to be involved in creating the plan. We requested being incorporated into the Project Team, to receive monthly updates from Work Groups so we could engage with them, to be included in any conversation that is happening with neighborhood groups, to be included in planning Open Meetings, and to help shape the public online survey. Largely this has not happened.
I am also deeply disturbed at the disconnect between how the Mayor talks about the Community Safety Center versus his funding proposals. Publicly, the administration states that 2633 Minnehaha will not just be a police precinct, but a place that will embody the future of the city’s public safety system that goes beyond police. Yet at the same time, the Mayor is proposing to take all of the funding that Council appropriated towards pilot programs for unarmed public safety at the Community Safety Center as well as all the funding for other comprehensive safety solutions such as hate crime response, public transit safety, and cultural corridor ambassadors, and redirect those dollars towards the sole needs of Minneapolis police officers.
My office led the council in approving $4 million dollars to support the inclusion of alternative safety pilots at the Community Safety Center during last year’s budget process. This money was meant to pilot programs that would be responsive to the needs of residents in South Minneapolis and to ensure that it wouldn’t be a standard police precinct with a rebranded name. Now Mayor Frey is proposing to redirect those dollars and remaining $8 + million public safety aid to the tentative police contract. Meanwhile, the staff presentation on the Community Safety Center continues to claim it will use the very dollars that Mayor Frey is trying to redirect.
We also have not received an update from Dr. Oftelie and New York University, the city’s consultant on the Safe and Thriving Communities Report, about the implementation of a comprehensive public safety system that is not only police. The city paid $1 million for this contract, yet the administration is pushing to advance major investments without the guidance of these experts.
The Frey administration’s recent actions make me extremely concerned that his administration absolutely has no intentions to fulfill the comprehensive side of this “Community Safety Center,” and instead just make a status quo police precinct.
The city has made and broken many promises to the public when it comes to public safety. We hear every day from residents that they are still waiting on us to deliver a public safety system that actually provides both high quality, accountable policing and comprehensive non-police services. This building is a test of how serious we are about really investing in a comprehensive public safety system that works, versus simply rebranding the old, failed model. I am committed to ensuring that all future investments actually align with Safe and Thriving Communities and are not simply continuing the mistakes of the past.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: The Business Housing and Zoning (BHZ) Committee received a presentation on the city’s enforcement of labor standards through the permitting and licensing process for new construction, particularly for multi-unit residential buildings, and opportunities to expand this enforcement.
I authored a legislative directive about labor standards enforcement in residential construction. This was prompted by the events at Identity Dinkytown, a development near the U that signed pre-leases with hundreds of students. During construction there were numerous workers’ rights concerns and the building did not open in time for the leases to begin. This was a huge burden on student renters, and I worked with students and University area stakeholders to pass pre-leasing renter protections that will ensure that future renters don’t ever have to go through that.
The Identity fiasco also raised many questions about labor exploitation and workers’ rights in the construction industry, especially as it relates to the development of apartments and multi-unit housing. This legislative directive was intended to help Council identify how the construction permitting and rental licensure process operates, and how to strengthen and improve workers’ rights and protections.
Construction is an industry that is notorious for workers’ rights violations. The city needs to ensure that as our city grows and we build more housing, construction is not happening through exploitation.I look forward to working with city departments, local unions, and community groups to advance workers’ rights protections.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Join in a discussion June 17: What does it mean to be a resident with a disability or someone who supports people with disabilities in Minneapolis?
What is and isn’t the City doing well with the accessibility of its programs, services and buildings? How can the City be a better partner with residents to improve City accessibility?
Americans with Disabilities Act community conversation 5-6:30 p.m. Monday, June 17 Join the meeting on Microsoft Teams.
Contact Guthrie Byard, 612-554-3666, with any questions, accommodations or alternative format requests.
The Mayor is proposing to redevelop the site of the former 3rd Police Precinct to house a Elections and Voter Services Center, with some portion for community space. You can provide your input on this idea through an online survey on the City website starting June 10. There will also be an open house to express your feedback.
Community open house 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, June 10 Minneapolis American Indian Center, 1530 E. Franklin Ave. Information will be presented in Spanish, and interpreters will be available.
Read more on the City website.
There will be a bikeway installed on Oak St SE. Expect construction starting June 10th on Oak St SE between 5th St SE and 4th St SE. This project includes concrete bike curb and new traffic pavement markings along Oak St SE and in the intersection of Oak St SE and 5th St SE.
Oak St will be narrowed to two lanes (one northbound and one southbound) to allow for adequate space for construction on the west side of Oak St SE. The construction of the bike curb and restriping of the road and intersection should take approximately 2 weeks.
I had a wonderful time hosting Office Hours at the Pillars of Prospect Park. Some of the most engaged and aware constituents in all of Ward 2!
Happy end of the school year to all students, educators, and school staff! I had a great time celebrating with the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Educators at their end of the year celebration.
Women Winning hosted their annual luncheon. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with my fellow women elected officials, celebrate incredible women in office, and build for a future where more and more women are inspired and supported to lead.
I spoke at a rally of Delta airlines workers who are organizing for a union. Despite intimidation and union busting by Delta, these workers continue to fight to make thousands of good jobs to support working families in Minnesota and around the country. Solidarity with Delta workers!
Meet Minneapolis has compiled a list of community events celebrating Juneteenth and honoring Black culture all around Minneapolis.
Observed June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when the last of enslaved people in the U.S. received news of their freedom and entitlement to natural born human rights under the law, two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
See the Meet Minneapolis website for details about the events.
Hennepin County is hosting community collection events for County residents to safely and properly dispose of unwanted garden and household hazardous wastes.
Minneapolis events
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22 Sullivan STEAM School, 3100 E. 28th St.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10 Jenny Lind Elementary School (enter off Dupont Ave), 5025 Bryant Ave. N.
Visit Hennepin County’s website to learn what items will be accepted at the event, review safety guidelines, and view all 2024 events.
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.
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