I am devastated by the senseless acts of violence that happened last weekend. I'm continuing to mourn the loss of Speaker Emerita Hortman and her husband John. To know Melissa Hortman was a privilege, she was a relentless advocate and a devoted public servant. My thoughts and prayers are with the Hortman family, their friends and community. They are also with Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who I’m so grateful are still with us – I hope that they are able to continue healing and know that we are all wishing them and their families well. 

My heart breaks for the people across Minneapolis and Minnesota who are grieving, who were terrified this weekend, and are now grappling with the reality that there was a political assassination in our state. It is unconscionable, and unacceptable, that this happened. I’m calling on all of us to do our part in moving away from the kind of political environment that encourages this violence. No one in our communities should be afraid that being a public servant, or having a political opinion, will put them in danger.  

It’s going to take all of us to build a different kind of politics. One that not only condemns the kind of violence we saw this weekend but calls each of us to set a higher standard for ourselves and for each other. One that focuses on our neighbors, on service, on what it means to care for one another — a type of politics that Melissa would be proud of.  

I’m going to keep the rest of this Newsletter short, with a few key updates from what I’ve been up to and what’s been happening at City Hall.  

Police Oversight Actions 

This week, the City Council took multiple actions to increase transparency and retain mandated oversight of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) after the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump Administration walked back the Consent Decree. One of these actions was a Staff Directive that asked for, among other things, a landscape analysis of municipal oversight, communication, and transparency efforts related to consent decrees and similar agreements focused on public safety.  

On June 19, 1865, the last of the enslaved people of African Descent were still being held in human bondage in the state of Texas finally heard the news of the Emancipation Proclamation. Two and a half years after the proclamation, they were made aware of their freedom. Today, Juneteenth is recognized as a holiday grown out of the experiences of Black Americans and their enslaved ancestors and is a celebration of the ending of chattel slavery in America with the first “official” Juneteenth celebration taking place in Texas in 1866.  

As our city continues to grapple with how anti-Blackness specifically and institutional and systemic racism generally has affected how policy and practices and how to rectify those harms and build a truly inclusive and equitable city, Juneteenth celebrations are especially important. That’s why I was proud that at the City Council meeting this Wednesday my colleagues and I passed an Resolution honoring the holiday.  

Meeting with the Bridge for Youth  

My staff and I had the opportunity to tour the Bridge for Youth facility just across the street from Ward 10 in the East Isles Neighborhood. I nominated the Bridge for Youth as one of our city’s local health hero awards due to their longstanding commitment to the creating a safe environment for youth in crisis. The Bridge for Youth was started by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet in 1970 to address the growing numbers of homeless youth in the city and became the first in the nation shelter focused on youth homelessness. They started as an emergency shelter with only a few beds and have now grown into a full continuum of care and family reunification focused organization. They not only have emergency shelter for those under 18 but also a safe haven and transitional housing for youth 18-21 who are parents of young children or pregnant, an array of online tools to connect youth with transitional programing, emergency shelter availability and numerous supports. The Bridge for Youth has a special focus on LGBTQ youth and oppressed nationality youth, having targeted peer led support groups.  

They have been an incredible organization in our city, helping countless families reunite when safe and possible and providing services, support, and community to those who need it most. I was grateful for the opportunity to tour their facility, hear more about their work, and the future of their organization. 

I look forward to building an even more collaborative relationship with the Bridge for Youth and the city, as they look to expand their service capacity.  

ICOM Vigil at the Henry Whipple Federal Building 

The day after the militarized raid on Lake and Bloomington meant to intimidate our immigrant neighbors and bring the chaos of Donald Trump into our community, I had the opportunity to join Council Member Jason Chavez at the Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM) Vigil at the Henry Whipple Federal Building. ICOM has held these vigils the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30am. It was important for me to stand with our immigrant community the day after the horrific Lake Street actions by ICE and other federal forces. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to be in community, and will continue to be in the coming weeks and months as we grapple with how to keep our community safe from the threats of a Trump Administration. 

South Uptown Garden Tour 

South Uptown will hold their 28th annual Garden Tour. This free walking tour is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, gather inspiration for your own garden, or swap best practices or hot tips on gardening. The tour has two different times, Saturday June 21 from 10am-Noon starting from Gigi’s Cafe or Monday June 23 from 6:30-8:30pm starting from 5 Watt Coffee. 

Keeping our Neighborhoods Clean 

It’s important to be mindful and caring of the spaces we share with one another. Many of our neighbors have gone above and beyond to help clean up trash in and around residential streets, business corridors, and our beloved parks. Below are some ideas to get involved with trash clean up: 

• Picking up trash alone can be daunting. Many of our neighborhood associations lead trash cleaning efforts. Lowry Hill East, has monthly trash clean up that you can join and get to know your neighbors while helping to keep our homes trash free. This month’s clean up is this Saturday June 21st 10:00am at Mueller park. You can sign up here. 

• If you want to host your own trash clean up with friends or your organization can request supplies from the city at no extra cost. You just have to submit your request 2 weeks before your planned trash pick up date. You can submit a request for supplies here. 

• Disposing of large trash, such as a beat-up couch, can be difficult and sometimes costly. That’s why the City, offers free large item trash pick-up twice a week. All you have to do is mark your item as solid waste. You can learn more about here on the City’s webpage. 

With care,  

Aisha Chughtai