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I attended the annual Jackson Family Day at Pratt Elementary in Prospect Park. The Jacksons were the first Black family to move into Prospect Park in 1908. At the time, only 2,500 Black residents lived in all of Minneapolis.
Neighbors protested the Jacksons and warned that none of the white children in Prospect Park would befriend the Jackson children. In response, Mr. Jackson built a playground in their backyard. Children from across the neighborhood came to the Jacksons to play. The Jacksons' three daughters were the first Black students to attend and graduate from Pratt Elementary. The Jackson family lived in Prospect Park for two decades, taking active roles and remaining respected members of the community.
Now, Pratt and the Prospect Park Association celebrate the Jacksons each year and uplift their resilience and creativity in confronting racism from their neighbors. Pratt Elementary Playground is named the Jackson Family Playground.
I attended this year’s Jackson Family Day at Pratt and was honored to meet three generations of the Jackson family. Thank you to the Jacksons for honoring Ward 2 with your visit and thank you to all the Prospect Park community members who have invested in uplifting the Jackson Family history.
Council Member Wonsley with three generations of the Jackson Family and members of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators and the Minneapolis School Board.
I attended the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Annual Conference, which was hosted right here in Minneapolis. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with experts from across the country about our shared goals of safe, sustainable, and accessible transportation for all.
Council Member Wonsley with former Park Board Commissioner Becky Alper and organizers from Our Streets Minneapolis at the NACTO Conference.
Last week, the City Council declared May 9, 2026 Kirk Washington Jr. Day and I attended the Kirk Washington Jr. Block Party. It was a beautiful community-rooted celebration of the life, artistry, and organizing legacy of Kirk Washington Jr. Thank you to community members who organized the event to bring people together to uplift Kirk Washington Jr’s legacy.
Council Member Wonsley at Kirk Washington Jr. Block Party.
Tools and training provided – just bring yourselves to Tower Hill Park!
The Prospect Park Garden Club and PPA’s Tower Hill and Environment Committees seek volunteers to continue the multi-year process of eradicating invasive buckthorn from Tower Hill Park. With the guidance of the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Volunteer Coordinator, volunteers come together to clip and haul the invasive species using a pesticide-free method called “Critical Cutting,” which slowly kills the plant without damaging the landscape or poisoning waterways.
Bring pruning shears, loppers, mini-hand saws, etc if you have them. Some tools will be provided. Volunteer on one or more of the following days:
- Saturday, May 16 th 10am-noon
- Thursday, May 28 th 5:30pm-7:30pm
- Sunday, June 21 10am-noon: Kids and Their Families Day
- Thursday, June 25 th 5:30pm-7:30pm
More dates will be announced later.
Email environment@prospectparkmpls.org with questions.
The Dinkytown Marcy Holmes area is a food desert. Many residents do not have access to affordable, fresh groceries, and nearly one in four University of Minnesota students is food insecure.
One of my top priorities in office has been addressing food insecurity in Dinkytown through a municipal grocery store. The private market has failed to meet people’s basic needs and the status quo cannot be normalized. Local government must step in to fill the gap and utilize every tool we have.
Last year, I proposed that the University District Alliance devote funding to a partner organization that could make it available for the development of a municipal grocery store in Dinkytown Marcy Holmes. I’m thrilled to share that this funding is now open for a Request for Proposals. I invite people to apply, particularly if you have a background in business, food systems, or community development. I would also love to see students, graduate workers, or other members of the campus community apply for this opportunity to address a serious problem in our backyard.
Read more and apply here.
Summary: Davis Moturi spoke to the Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee about his experience being the victim of a racist hate crime after MPD failed to protect him.
Background: Davis Moturi is a Black resident of South Minneapolis who faced racist harassment and threats from his white neighbor. Mr. Moturi called MPD more than 30 times asking for help, but did not receive it. In October 2024, Mr. Moturi was shot in the neck by his neighbor. MPD did not arrest his neighbor for five days.
Council requested an independent after-action review of MPD’s actions in this case, which was presented in April. Last week, after extensive delay, MPPD released their internal review of the case.
This week, Mr. Moturi came to the Public Health, Safety and Equity (PHSE) Committee and spoke directly about his experiences that led to him being shot, and the trauma he continues to face today nearly two years later. You can watch Mr. Moturi’s comments and the subsequent committee discussion here.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Summary: For a second time, Mayor Frey is asking the City Council to spend $6 million to begin building a “Community Safety Training and Wellness Center”/Cop City that is estimated to cost at least $40 million.
Background: For several months, the City Council has repeatedly pushed back against Mayor Frey’s proposal to allocate $38 million to build a “Community Safety Training and Wellness Center” in Minneapolis. The numerous discussions that took place in committees confirmed the proposal is fiscally irresponsible and will not make residents safer. It reflects MPD’s wish list, not community needs, and is being proposed at a time when the city is in significant financial hardship.
In March, the Frey administration asked Council to defund nearly $6 million from neighborhood traffic calming and repairs to the animal shelter in order to purchase land to build this new Cop City. The City Council rejected this proposal.
Mayor Frey is now bringing back the proposal to acquire the land for Cop City. The updated proposal does not draw funding from traffic calming, but in every other way it is the same.
The Frey administration is no longer pointing to bonding dollars from the state as a guaranteed or even likely part of the funding for the project. The 2026 state legislative session is wrapping up and unsurprisingly no funding was allocated to this proposal.
At the same time, the Public Health, Safety and Equity (PHSE) Committee approved a three-year contract to rent a gun range for MPD training, which underscores why a $40 million building is not necessary. The contract demonstrates that we can rent a gun range for $100,000/year – a tiny fraction of the astronomical amounts we’re talking about for the Mayor’s proposed Cop City. The City Council is already funding nearly $100 million in precinct renovations, which of all will include training and wellness facilities. This affirms what residents and some Council Members have been saying, which is a $40 million building is unnecessary and wasteful, especially when the police department is already depleting the bulk of city resources.
Key votes: Council will vote at the May 19th Committee of the Whole to authorize $6 million in capital dollars to acquire a building for the Mayor’s proposed Cop City.
Summary: The Public Health, Safety and Equity (PHSE) Committee unanimously approved a legislative directive about MPD’s role in the Homeland Security Task Force.
Background: In January of 2026, while the federal government was terrorizing our communities with Operation Metro Surge, MPD entered into a Homeland Security Task Force with the Trump administration. This is incredibly concerning given the Trump administration’s explicit goals of using local task forces to advance their racist agenda.
Council Members Chavez, Stevenson, and President Payne brought forward a legislative directive to get more information on exactly what occurred in this task force and its impacts on our city. I supported this directive and am grateful to my colleagues for bringing it forward.
Since President Trump’s second term began, residents made it clear that it was a top priority to prohibit MPD from coordinating with federal immigration agents.
On June 3rd of 2025, federal agents arrived on the corner of Lake and Bloomington and began raiding an immigrant-owned business. Many of us saw this as the Trump administration testing our city to see how compliant we would be to immigration raids. The community rose to that occasion and showed up making it clear that we would not move one inch towards allowing federal agents to harass and kidnap our neighbors. On the other hand, MPD was seen escorting HSI and doing crowd control for them. This raised serious concerns about how MPD would relate to ICE if and when it became a larger threat.
Council Members took this seriously and immediately began an overhaul of our separation ordinance to ensure strong restrictions and protections against local and federal collaboration.
When Operation Metro Surge began, residents continued to be concerned about the role that MPD was playing. Some of these concerns related to MPD sharing data or surveillance footage with federal agencies and seeing ICE or HSI cars parked outside City Hall. It continues to be unclear how Mayor Frey navigated data practices between local and federal agencies. Mayor Frey has also refused to answer questions about data sharing and using City data to hold the federal government accountable for months, delaying response to a legislative directive for over two months.
Key votes: The Public Health, Safety and Equity (PHSE) Committee unanimously approved a legislative directive about MPD’s role in a Homeland Security Task Force, with a presentation requested on June 3rd.
Summary: Staff presented on their current uses of drones in first response and policing, and potential future uses.
Background: The City Council approved a legislative directive requesting updates on the City’s current and potential future uses of drones as first responders. This week, staff from MPD and the Office of Community Safety presented on the current use of drones and a pilot program they’re interested in exploring.
MPD has been using drones since 2022 in a limited capacity. Now, they would like to do a free 75-day pilot program through a company called Skydio.
I and the other committee members had many questions and concerns about this potential pilot program, and more generally how it relates to public safety response quality, surveillance, civil liberties, and more. I encourage anyone who is interested in this topic to watch the presentation and discussion, and reach out to the City Council with your thoughts.
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. |
