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Along with everyone else, I was surprised by former Chief Brian O'Hara's sudden resignation on Tuesday. An independent inquiry found he had interfered with a formal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a city employee. The report detailed that O’Hara had deleted a contact number from his city-issued cellphone to shield evidence of his connection to this employee and told another employee that his phone had been taken.
There is no question that under Brian O'Hara's leadership, in conjunction with the hard work of all our MPD staff, the department has made real progress. Many forms of violent crime are down. Recruiting ranks are being rebuilt. Policies and practices have been refined to pair maximally effective law enforcement with the minimal necessary force, working steadily to implement the consent decree and settlement agreement. We also faced the twin traumas of Operation Metro Surge and Annunciation on O’Hara’s watch and, lastly, he was visible and accessible to the community.
Yet at Tuesday's press conference Mayor Frey stated clearly: "trust is the job." Trust is elemental or “ground zero” for any leadership, and trust in MPD is still growing and sometimes fragile. We don't expect perfection from our public servants, but we do expect them to admit their mistakes and accept the consequences. Most importantly, they can't interfere with the processes we have in place to ensure accountability.
I know questions remain, and over time we’ll likely learn more. But through everything, demanding accountability for how we do our work – with a common goal of building trust – is much bigger than any one person or job title. It requires thoughtfulness from everyone in leadership, taking a hard look at ourselves and not just others. We might not be deleting a contact to impede an investigation, but we may be hiding our real intentions from colleagues in order to manipulate outcomes, or be comfortable using personal attacks on those with alternative viewpoints, all of which erodes trust to varying degrees.
Accountability and integrity are the bedrock of trust. Let’s examine and repair our foundations and do the hard work of moving forward.
Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell has been appointed Acting Chief and the search for a new Police Chief will be underway soon.
 Credit: James Perovich/Meet Minneapolis
In last week’s newsletter, we highlighted MNUFC's 2026 Soccer Celebration, bringing World Cup energy to Nicollet Mall between Peavey Plaza and Brit's Pub. But that's just one event in what is shaping up to be the busiest, most vibrant summer Downtown Minneapolis has seen in years. It's a great excuse to come enjoy the best of what the heart of our city has to offer.
June 1–6: The Beyond Walls project by French-Swiss artist Saype comes to Boom Island Park, making Minneapolis the first U.S. city to host this celebrated land art project — a massive depiction of intertwined hands painted on the riverfront lawn with biodegradable pigments. The project has traveled to 21 cities on four continents since launching at the Eiffel Tower in 2019. Public unveiling celebration is June 6.
June 6: The Prince Celebration Block Party & Sing-Along brings 10,000 to 15,000 people to the 110-foot Prince mural on North 9th Street for a free, all-ages community sing-along led by a 100-person choir — part of a five-day celebration of Prince’s life on the tenth anniversary of his passing.
June 17, July 15, August 19: The Minneapolis Downtown Council is piloting Bus-Free Nicollet Mall on the block between 9th and 10th Streets on the third Wednesday of each month — a small-scale demonstration of what a fully pedestrianized Nicollet Mall could look like. The June 17 kickoff features DJ Omri and the Minneapolis Vintage Market.
June 18: The Big Honkin' Truck Parade returns for its second year — a free, family-friendly procession of city vehicles starting at E. Grant Street and Nicollet Mall at 5:30 p.m.
June 20–26: The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games are a monumental celebration of ability and inclusion taking place across the University of Minnesota, the National Sports Center in Blaine, and venues throughout the Twin Cities metro. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend.
June 27–28: The Twin Cities Pride Festival returns to Loring Park — Minnesota's second largest festival and the largest free Pride festival in the country, right in the heart of Ward 7.
July 18: Red Hot Art Fest, a day of art, music, and community in Stevens Square Park. Shop local small artists, make art with neighbors, enjoy food trucks, and connect with local resources and businesses.
July 19–26: The Aquatennial returns for its 86th year, headlined by the Torchlight Parade on July 22 at 7:30 p.m. More events to be announced June 2.
August 1–2: WWE SummerSlam comes to U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time as a stadium event, drawing tens of thousands of fans from across the country — great news for downtown bars, restaurants, and retailers.
All Summer: Two downtown parks anchor the city's free outdoor programming — what the Park Board believes is the largest free Music and Movies program in the country. At The Commons, Wednesday lunchtimes bring live music and trivia, while Wednesday evenings are movies at dusk (Grease, Hamilton, Mission Impossible, Wayne's World, and more). At Water Works at Mill Ruins Park, free Saturday evening concerts run late May through early September. Full citywide schedule at mplsmusicandmovies.com.
 As previewed in an April newsletter, much-needed roadway resurfacing is coming to the Loring Park area this summer, and the initial work will be starting very soon. This first phase involves replacing some damaged curbs in the project work area. If you have plantings, landscape blocks, or other items in the boulevard next to locations where curb is being replaced, please be prepared to move these items before the work begins. Later in the summer, once this initial work is completed, the top surface of the street will be milled and replaced with new asphalt.
Also, per public works staff: “Pre-planning should be made for access and parking. There may be times when access to your residence may be delayed for short term periods of time during asphalt milling and paving operations while the road is closed. Please be patient and understanding as the work progresses and plan for these circumstances.”
For more information and to receive email updates, please visit the project homepage.
 And, as previewed earlier this month, it’s exciting to see that landscaping work on the Hennepin/Lyndale medians is getting going. This is a very exciting beautification project that will take an almost totally neglected public space and turn it into something lovely that functions as a welcoming gateway to downtown. Thanks again not only to MnDOT, but to so many of you in the community who have worked to make this a reality.
While we’re on the same general subject, I’ve received steady communication about livability issues related to the I-94 underpass for Hennepin/Dunwoody, including camping, panhandling, and trash. While we don’t have a specific solution identified yet, please know I will be raising this subject with city staff in the near-term future. While this area is primarily under the jurisdiction of MnDOT, I will be working to advocate for changes. I’m aware this is a chronic problem area, and I’ve seen some of the community-generated ideas for improvement. Can’t make any promises yet, but please know it’s on my radar.
 The 2026 Uptown Farmers Market opener is coming up quick, on June 11. It promises to be a great success, and for those of you who want to work actively to make it so, there are a couple of opportunities. For paid work, a Market Day Staff job just opened, and you can view the job description here. Or, if you simply want to volunteer, please complete the 2026 Market Volunteer Form. The return of the farmers market is a true sign of summer!
While the news surrounding former Chief O’Hara has dominated the news related to appointed positions with the City of Minneapolis, there are other nominations pending as well. Tim Sexton has been nominated for another term as Director of Public Works, Erik Hansen has been re-nominated as Director of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED), and Rachel Sayre has been tapped for a second term as Director of the Emergency Management Department.
All three of these departments provide vital city functions. Director Sayre stood up responses to both the Annunciation tragedy and Operation Metro Surge and coordinates prevention training for all kinds of potential emergencies. The role of CPED director is also critical. We absolutely need to build back our commercial valuations for increased property tax revenue and encourage new businesses to invest in Minneapolis. We also need to support strong relationships with businesses that already make Minneapolis home to make sure that they stay and grow here. Of course, Public Works is another crucial department for residents in delivering efficient core city services like street resurfacing, lighting and water/sewer.
I’m meeting with each of these nominees, to hear about what they see as the priorities and challenges for their departments in the coming term and ask questions, and I’ll be working to ensure Minneapolis continues to have strong departmental leadership in the years ahead.
Monday, June 1: Kenwood Neighborhood Organization monthly meeting, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the Kenwood Rec Center, 2101 W. Franklin Ave.
Tuesday, June 2: Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association monthly board meeting, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., at the Kenwood Rec Center. Click here for more information.
Tuesday, June 2: Stevens Square Community Organization monthly board meeting, 6:00-8:00pm, Plymouth Congregational Church, hybrid meeting with Zoom option.
Tuesday, June 9: West Maka Ska Neighborhood Council monthly meeting, 6 – 8 p.m., Bakken Museum Great Hall, 3527 Zenith Ave. S.
Tuesday, June 9: East Isles Neighborhood Association monthly meeting, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Grace Trinity Church, 1430 W. 28th Street. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, June 10: Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association monthly meeting, 6:30-7:30pm at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 420 Cedar Lake Road. Click here for more details.
Wednesday, June 10: Cedar-Isles-Dean Neighborhood Association monthly meeting, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., Jones Harrison Senior Living, 3700 Cedar Lake Avenue. Click here for full details.
Monday, June 29: Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association monthly meeting, 5:30pm, via Zoom. Click here for meeting link.
Following Operation Metro Surge, the City has committed funds to emergency rental assistance. Minneapolis residents having difficulty paying rent may be eligible for this assistance if:
- Their household earns no more than 30% of area median income
- They have received a 30-day pre-eviction filing notice from their landlord
We’re partnering with Hennepin County to distribute the money through Rent Help Hennepin and their network of community-based partners. Two new partners, Agate Housing and Services and Community Mediation & Restorative Services, are now helping.
Minneapolis households seeking this emergency rental assistance can reach out to these organizations to start an application.
We’ve created a flyer with detailed instructions about how to access this funding. It’s available in English, Arabic, Dari, French, Hmong, Pashto, Somali and Spanish. Download the flyers.
Read more about emergency rental assistance on the City website.
The City’s online tool will connect you to the right program and get money to:
- Green your home, business or neighborhood
- Find grants for home energy efficiency upgrades — up to $20,000
- Find grants for business efficiency improvements — up to $175,000
- Try out electric carshare services to reduce pollution
- Support environmental programs
This community-informed tool will help connect you to City-funded sustainability programs. If you live, work or play in Minneapolis, this tool is for you.
Use this online tool to find sustainability programs and funding. |
