 The memorial service for Officer Jamal Mitchell.
Hello neighbors,
Earlier this week I attended the memorial service for fallen hero, Officer Jamal Mitchell. It was an emotional service that included his young children, his longtime partner, and family members from all over the country. The outpouring of support from law enforcement agencies from across the state and country was impressive, to say the least, and community members showed up in droves as well.
Officer Mitchell was exactly the type of officer this city needs - mature, community minded, and brave beyond belief. The City must do all we can to attract that caliber of officers to our depleted force. Rest in Peace, Officer Jamal Mitchell, your service and commitment to community will never be forgotten.
Yesterday the Council passed a resolution in support of a bill in Congress initiated by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, to bring awareness and services on behalf of "missing and murdered Black women and girls.” I was proud to bring an amendment to ensure that Transgender women are included in the bill.
June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. I am deeply honored to be recognized as a "Trailblazer" by the Fire Island community outside of New York City. There is a park on the island called Trailblazers Park which honors and recognizes important figures in the LGBTQIA+ community. So, there is now a flag with my image flying in the harbor.
This Sunday I want to wish all fathers and father figures a very Happy Father's Day!
Lastly, Juneteenth is next week. For those who are unaware, Juneteenth commemorates the date that enslaved Africans in the State of Texas were finally emancipated two years after the Emancipation Proclamation that formally ended chattel slavery in America. Happy Freedom Day!
Love,
Andrea
 The Andrea Jenkins flag flying over Trailblazers Park on Fire Island, NY.
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.
 Learn about becoming a U.S. citizen and the immigration process Saturday, June 15. A citizenship and immigration fair will include:
- An overview on the citizenship application process.
- Answers to your questions about citizenship and immigration.
- English language learning resources.
- Information about securing an interest-free loan through the New American Loan Program.
- Information on state driver’s licenses or state ID in Minnesota.
- Orientation on worker rights.
Interpreters will be present at this event.
Learn how the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and collaborative partners support residents in preparing for and obtaining U.S. citizenship.
U.S. citizenship and immigration resource fair 1-3 p.m. Saturday, June 15 Open Door Learning Center, 627 W. Broadway Ave.
This event is co-sponsored by the City of Minneapolis Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs and the City of Saint Paul Immigrant and Refugee Program. It’s part of a citizenship campaign by the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul to help residents learn about and apply for United States citizenship, with bimonthly events alternating between Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Learn more about applying for U.S. citizenship on the City website, contact the Minneapolis Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs directly by email, or call 612-394-6018 for more information.
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 Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis has voted 301-63 to support the terms of a tentative agreement for a 2023-2025 collective bargaining agreement with the City of Minneapolis. Following the vote from its members, the federation has advanced a contract agreement that would deliver a historic boost in pay for Minneapolis police officers and significant reforms.
The 21.7% pay increase over the three years of the contract would make the Minneapolis Police Department among the highest paying in Minnesota by 2025. If approved by the City Council, the terms would be retroactively applied to January 1, 2023. The contract would expire on December 31, 2025.
Taken together, the proposed changes would enhance transparency, strengthen managerial oversight, and equip MPD management with essential tools to better deploy limited resources and run the department.
The full contract is on the City website. It includes a salary schedule.
The City Council’s Administration & Enterprise Oversight Committee is expected to consider the agreement June 18, with the contract expected to go before the full City Council June 27.
Read about key reforms and contract changes on the City website.
 Minneapolis is proposing to redevelop the site of the former 3rd Police Precinct to house a new democracy center to expand access to the ballot box and provide a large space for community use. We’re asking residents to give us your input through a survey on the City website.
City experts reviewed the physical space, operational fit and feedback gathered throughout the last several years. As a result, the City is proposing to relocate its Elections & Voter Services, which is currently leasing industrial space in northeast Minneapolis, into the building at 3000 Minnehaha Ave.
More than 8,000 square feet of the space would be used for community use, which is roughly two thirds of the ground floor of the existing building. The City’s proposed timeline would have the site open as early as 2026.
Take the survey.
Read more on the City website.
Minneapolis Animal Care & Control is now open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every Saturday.
This expanded service is part of an ongoing effort to meet community members where they are and be available for those wanting to adopt pets in need. Please arrive by 2:15 p.m. on Saturdays to allow enough time to process an adoption before the shelter closes at 3 p.m.
The shelter is also open 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. On Thursday evenings, it stays open until 7:30 p.m. with the last adoptions of the day beginning at 7 p.m.
Find more information on adopting animals, volunteering and supporting Animal Care & Control on the City website.
Neighborhood Development Center, the State of Minnesota’s administrator of the MN PROMISE Act grant program, has announced that applications for the first round of MN PROMISE Act grants will open on June 3. Applicants will have until June 30 to submit.
This state-funded program is focused on distributing grants to support the growth and repositioning of Minnesota small businesses located or operating in neighborhoods or communities that have been adversely affected by:
- Structural racial discrimination
- Civil unrest
- Lack of access to capital
- Loss of population
- Aging population
- Lack of regional economic diversification
Get ready to apply by checking your eligibility and reading more on the MN PROMISE Act website.
|
 Celebration, the annual gathering of Prince fans (or “fams,”
as he called them), is returning to Paisley Park and venues throughout
Minneapolis on June 20-24, 2024. Celebration 2024 coincides with the 40th
anniversary of Purple Rain, and will feature Purple Rain-themed programming throughout the weekend. In partnership with First Avenue, Paisley Park presents The Revolution – Wendy, Lisa, Bobby Z, Brownmark, and Dr. Fink – performing in honor of the 40th anniversary of Purple Rain. The historic concerts will take place at the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis on Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22 during Celebration. Morris Day (Prince’s on-screen Purple Rain nemesis), New Power Generation, and many more are set to perform during the festivities.
The weekend will be jam-packed with exciting activities, such as an all-day block party in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, June 22nd. There will also be conversations and themed panels, DJ dance parties, screenings of HD films from
the Purple Rain era, and additional surprises to come. The celebration will maintain its tradition of spotlighting emerging talent through the New Artist Showcases, in line with Prince's vision of nurturing new and young artists.
Get the latest information on ticketing and programming here.
Launching us into the nationally recognized Black Business Month of August, the City of Minneapolis is amplifying, celebrating, strengthening, and supporting Black business development with our 4th annual Minneapolis Black Business Week (BBW), held Monday, July 22nd through Sunday, July 28th, 2024. This is a weeklong series of events covering various topics relevant to Black business owners and entrepreneurs.
CM Jenkins is pleased to co-host the citywide BBW Kickoff event on July 22nd, 5 – 8 p.m., along with Mayor Jacob Frey and Council President Elliott Payne. The theme of this year’s event is access to capital. This is one of the biggest barriers for Black entrepreneurs and business owners we hear about. We will have a discussion with subject matter panelists, plus there will be a vendor and resource fair and delicious food. Shop, dine and enjoy special performances with Black businesses, artists and entrepreneurs!
City seeking provider for Black Business Week Marketing. Apply by June 20!
Submit an Informal Request for Proposals (RFP).
Informal RFP’s are solicitation events resulting in contracts under $175,000. These are posted by City of Minneapolis - Procurement. For further information, please review the RFP package.
Event 3152 - CPED_Black Business Week Marketing Services
These RFP's can be found here.
View future contracting opportunities
Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more info!
New public art in Minneapolis has been dedicated to the late Hussein Samatar, the first Somali American to be elected to public office in Minnesota. The two sections of the sculpture, titled “Common Currents,” are installed at the ends of Samatar Crossing. This pedestrian bridge connecting Cedar-Riverside to downtown Minneapolis is named in his honor.
Local artists Ifrah Mansour, Aaron Marx and Randy Walker created “Common Currents.” The wavelike sculpture is made of colorful metal panels inscribed with poetry by local writers Sun Yung Shin, Sharon M. Day, ShaVunda Brown, Aegor, Ahmed Said Salah, Sixco and Mohamed Shariff. The verses evoke themes central to Samatar’s legacy: immigrating to the city, bridging cultures and bridging spaces.
Samatar immigrated to the United States in 1991. In 2004, he founded the African Development Center, which continues to help immigrants throughout Minnesota build credit, buy homes and start businesses. He was appointed to the Minneapolis Library Board of Trustees in 2006, and later was elected to the board of Minneapolis Public Schools. He died in 2013.
|
City Office of Community Safety staff have completed the first round of engagement with the south Minneapolis community about the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center and the Lake Street Safety Center. The information will help decide what services could be found in the community safety centers. Thank you to everyone who took the time to take part, whether it was at one of more than 30 in-person events, on the street or with the online survey.
Most of the reports from the individual engagement events can be found on the City of Minneapolis website. The page will be updated as more reports become available.
City staff are reviewing the data and will share a report on the overall findings on this information in the coming weeks.
On June 5 at the Public Health and Safety Committee meeting, staff provided an update with a timeline on the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center. You can read more about the update and see the presentation on the City website.
For updates and more information, check out the City website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Join the City of Minneapolis and development team led by United Properties for a June 26 community meeting. Come and learn more from United Properties and its partner InnerCity Tennis about the proposed health and wellness hub at the Upper Harbor site.
The 53-acre Upper Harbor site is in north Minneapolis between Washington Avenue and the Mississippi River. It’s being transformed to accommodate new places to live and work, a new riverfront regional park, and a community performing arts center.
Upper Harbor Redevelopment health hub meeting 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26 NorthPoint Conference Center, 1256 Penn Ave. N., Suite 5200
Please RSVP. Food and refreshments will be provided.
This meeting follows up on the May 2 meeting hosted by the City on the Upper Harbor redevelopment and the health hub proposal. See the presentation from that meeting on the City’s Upper Harbor project webpage.
Visit the City's website to read more about the Upper Harbor redevelopment.
The City of Minneapolis is committed to reducing climate pollution by 2030. To help accomplish this goal, the Minneapolis Health Department is announcing funding of more than $315,000 for 16 community-led projects related to urban agriculture and preventing wasted food.
As part of the City’s Climate Legacy Initiative, the funding will support efforts to create a fair and climate-resilient food system in Minneapolis.
Each organization’s project is addressing one or more of the following areas:
- Growing food using sustainable production methods.
- Using energy-efficient controlled environments to extend the growing season into the colder months.
- Reducing wasted food through distribution to food shelves, composting and other programs.
Read about the 16 community award recipients and their projects on the City website.
Before adjourning, State lawmakers passed a bill that will resolve a legal challenge under the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan that gave rise to a lawsuit. The legislation will allow the City of Minneapolis to move forward with permitting long-stalled multi-unit housing projects.
The Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan was passed in 2019 and was the guiding vision for shaping how the city will grow and change for the next 20 years. This includes historic zoning reforms to allow for a diversity of use in all neighborhoods across the city.
In part due to the 2040 Plan, Minneapolis has seen record-breaking levels of affordable rental housing units produced in the past several years, while also keeping rents at some of the lowest rates in the country.
Read about the plan on the City website.
 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.
Hennepin County and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board have announced their 2024 summer event schedules.
Hennepin County’s free, family-friendly events include live music, Pianos on Parade, movie nights at Target Field Station, fitness classes and more. See the entire “Go Outside with Hennepin County” lineup.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board movies in the parks run June 1-Aug. 31 with 73 free outdoor movie screenings. Music in the parks offers 206 free outdoor concerts in nine park venues this summer. Read more about this year’s movies and music in the parks on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board website.
Check out the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board pools and beaches update on its website.
With the warmer weather now here, shared electric bikes and scooters are back throughout Minneapolis. These, along with the City’s mobility hubs and the As You Go MPLS campaign, are all getting started for the season to help provide healthy, accessible, environmentally conscious ways for everyone to get around town, especially by bike.
Shared bikes and scooters from Lime and Veo – the City’s two licensed service providers – are now all over town and ready to be rented. As with last season, riders can choose between two e-bikes: pedal assisted ones that add some speed whenever riders pedal, and e-bikes that power the ride even when there’s no pedaling.
To help make access more equitable, Lime and Veo must have least 30% of their shared bikes scooters in lower income areas of Minneapolis, and no more than 40% of them can be Downtown. Both companies also have low-income pricing programs for qualified residents.
Shared bike and scooter riders can end their trip anywhere in the city and just lock their bike to a bike rack or to any signpost except a stop sign or bus stop sign. Last year Public Works installed over 240 of the familiar bright City Blue bike and scooter racks around the city that anyone can use for shared and personal vehicles.
Read more on the City website.
To help get out the word about local speed limits and the importance of slower speeds for safety, the City again has free yard signs for community members.
Slower speeds on local streets make travel safer for everyone no matter how you get around. Speeding is the No. 1 factor in severe and fatal crashes in Minneapolis; please slow down to save lives.
You can pick up a free “20 is plenty” yard sign from any of the free sidewalk sand pickup locations:
- North: 2710 Pacific St., outside the main Public Works gate.
- Northeast: 1809 Washington St. NE, outside the fence at Jefferson Street and 18th Avenue.
- South: 27th Street just east of Longfellow Avenue near the Public Works gate.
- Southwest: 6036 Harriet Ave. S., at the southwest corner of 60th Street and Harriet Avenue.
The signs come with metal stands. They’re available to pick up 24 hours a day while supplies last.
|
For the past 18 years, 7 days a week, Driftwood has put on great live music and grilled up delicious food, and they are grateful for the support from the local community and local musicians. This hole-in-the-wall bar hasn’t just given the spotlight to musicians, they’ve given them the chance to share a part of their souls. But you can’t just sample the music without sampling some of their grub. Larry Sahagian recommend the ½ lb. grilled burger. Or maybe you’d like to try the Driftwood sandwich or the Brownstone burger. What makes them special? You’ll have to find out for yourself by visiting the Driftwood Char Bar, located at 4415 Nicollet Avenue.
Council Member Jenkins holds community office hours every Monday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at Sabathani Community Center. Reach out to the Ward 8 office to schedule your appointment. |
