Q1 & Q2 2020 Downtown Market Numbers from Cynthia Froid Group

Downtown real estate market update from Cynthia Froid Group:

August 7 Updates from Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman

COVID-19 Situation Update as of August 5, 2020

• There are 7,356 cases in Minneapolis and 204 deaths.

• Thirty-one percent of all Minneapolis cases were diagnosed in July. Overall, 52% of cases were diagnosed in June and July.

• The City shares Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.

• Congregate living facilities in Minneapolis continue to see new cases among residents, but the numbers have decreased significantly, from an average of 49 cases a week in April and May to six cases a week in June and July. Residents of these facilities account for only 7% of confirmed cases, however they account for 71% of COVID-19 deaths.

• Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 12 regarding masks is still in effect. The regulation requires people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places.

• Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17 regarding bars and restaurants is in effect. The regulation closed bar areas in restaurants, nightclubs, and indoor spaces of entertainment in Minneapolis as of August 1. Bar areas that can be converted for seated service will be allowed if food and beverage are served tableside while patrons are seated. The goal is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among young adults, food service workers, and bartenders.

Situational updates: Minnesota

• There are 57,779 cases in Minnesota out of over 1 million tests completed. There have been 1,629 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 18,393 cases and 825 deaths in Hennepin County.

• The Health Department is using a color-coded map with multiple layers to show a seven-day rolling average of new cases in Minnesota. The State is at 11 cases per 100,000 and Minneapolis is at 18 cases per 100,000. These numbers put both Minnesota and Minneapolis in the orange category, which represents accelerated spread of COVID-19.

• Minnesota is currently in Phase III of the Stay Safe MN plan for reopening.

• Governor Walz’s statewide mask mandate remains in effect. People are required to wear masks in all indoor public places where people gather and some outdoor venues where physical distancing is difficult.

Health Incident Command Updates

As the Health Department (MHD) continues to respond to COVID-19, we are applying an equity lens to all our work in conjunction with partners across the City enterprise.

Businesses:

o Multiple City departments assisted with distributing over 450,000 masks to businesses, prioritizing BIPOC-owned businesses and businesses in BIPOC communities. CPED led this effort in partnership with the Mayor’s office, the Health Department and Regulatory Services. Remaining masks (48,000+) will be given to City regulatory staff for further distribution to impacted communities.

o Health inspectors continue to conduct follow up at businesses with COVID-19 positive employees.

Case investigations: MHD is conducting over 50 case investigations and contact follow-ups per day for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Currently, we have 26 investigators, including six non-MHD enterprise staff. Of the 7,356 cases in Minneapolis, 85% have been interviewed, 2% have refused, 8% have been lost to follow-up, and 5% are new cases that still need to be interviewed. Forty-two percent of interviews of Minneapolis residents are in a language other than English.

Community testing: The Health Department, in partnership with Hennepin Healthcare and the Minnesota Department of Health, provided community testing on Saturday, August 1, at Incarnation- Sagrado Corazon Church in south Minneapolis (3817 Pleasant Avenue South). Community-based organizations and volunteers staffed the event. Approximately 400 community members were tested, the majority of whom were from the Latinx community. MHD will return to the same location on Saturday, August 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to offer additional testing. Staff are proactively exploring options for providing additional testing to priority groups including BIPOC communities and other populations most likely to be impacted by COVID-19.

Food security: MHD and hunger relief partners continue to see strong demand for free food at food shelves and community-led food distribution events. Despite the reopening of some grocery stores, ongoing unemployment and financial challenges are limiting the ability of many individuals and families to purchase food, especially nutritious staples such as fresh fruits and vegetables. MHD continues to co-host a weekly free food distribution event at Powderhorn Park (Fridays, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.) which primarily serves the Latinx community. In addition, MHD staff are regularly connecting with other community-led food distribution sites and food shelves to assess needs and connect them to resources.

Health at encampments:

o The Health Department continues to work closely with the Park Board, Hennepin County, and community-based organizations to respond to the needs of those living at encampments in parks and other locations across the city. MHD staff continue to distribute harm reduction supplies, masks, and hygiene kits.

o The Park Board has issued move notices to those remaining at the Powderhorn West encampment. Unlike in the past, there is not a hard deadline for moving. Park employees, along with outreach partners and MAD Dads, are encouraging campers to move to one of three other parks (BF Nelson , Marshall Terrace, and Beltrami). Law enforcement is not involved in moving these campers.

o The encampment located on City-owned land at 24th Street East and 13th Avenue South is causing pedestrian traffic issues. Staff from MPD and CPED will be visiting the site to see what can be done to mitigate the problem and ensure site safety.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): MHD has continued with community resource distribution efforts. To respond to community requests, we distributed 5,950 reusable cloth masks, 630 N95 masks, and 2,950 one-time use masks in the past week. Staff were able to work with Representative Mohamud Noor to provide masks for many who gathered in parks to pray during Eid.

Schools: Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) will start the year with distance learning. The MPS school year begins on September 8. Health Department staff are sharing local COVID-19 data with MPS to help with data-driven decision-making and are helping develop metrics to guide reopening. MHD staff are also assisting MPS in planning for testing, responding to outbreaks, and general safety operations as the pandemic continues. Staff are approaching partners at Hennepin County, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield and St. Paul health departments and districts to coordinate school pandemic planning.

Vaccinations: MHD staff are leaning in to prepare for future COVID-19 vaccination events with a focus on early engagement with BIPOC communities and other groups most impacted by COVID-19. Minnesota was chosen as one of four states to be part of a vaccination planning pilot. As part of the Health Department’s ongoing work, staff are exploring ways to promote seasonal flu vaccinations.

• The City specific COVID email address is: COVID19@minneapolismn.gov.

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Polling Places Changing Due to Pandemic

To help keep voters and Minneapolis residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, 50 of 125 polling places in Minneapolis are moving for the 2020 primary and general election. The changes will help protect people living in residential facilities and provide more space to keep voters a safe distance from elections staff and each other.

Of the 50 polling places being relocated, 16 were in senior homes, high-rises and other residential sites. Another 32 were in areas with limited space that would make it difficult for people to keep at least 6 feet from others inside. Two were moved due to on-site construction.

Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services partnered with Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation board to find new locations for voting during the pandemic. In total, 94 buildings will be open for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections, with 35 in schools and 22 in park buildings. Some buildings will have more than one voting precinct.

Registered voters will receive a postcard in the mail indicating their new polling locations. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s polling place finder can also provide voters their new polling places. These locations will be the same for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections. All voters choosing to vote in person on Election Day should check the online polling place finder or call 311 to verify their polling place.

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Ward 7 Polling Places

Bryn Mawr North (7-1C): Bryn Mawr Community School (252 Upton Ave South)

Kenwood (7-2D): Kenwood School (2013 Penn Ave South)

Lowry Hill (7-3): Temple Israel (2324 Emerson Ave South – Fremont Ave Entrance)

Cedar/Isles/Dean (7-4D): Kenwood School (2013 Penn Ave South)

Lowry Hill (7-5): St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral (519 Oak Grove Street)

Downtown West (7-6): Westminster Presbyterian Church (1200 Marquette Avenue)

Bryn Mawr South (7-7): Bryn Mawr Community School (252 Upton Ave South)

Loring Park (7-8): Emerson Spanish Immersion School (1421 Spruce Place)

East Isles (7-9): Temple Israel (2324 Emerson Ave South – Fremont Ave Entrance)

Steven Square West (7-10): Plymouth Congregational Church (1900 Nicollet Avenue)

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Voters: Get Your Ballot in Early Without Leaving Your Vehicle with Drive-Through Ballot Drop-Off

Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services will have a drive-through – and walk-through and bike-through – option at 980 E. Hennepin Ave. for voters returning their completed mail ballots. Staying in your vehicle or on your bike not only makes returning ballots faster and more convenient, it also helps you maintain a good physical distance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With less than a week before the Aug. 11 primary, the City recommends ballots not be mailed back because they may not be delivered in time to be counted. Instead, mail ballots may be dropped off at Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., from now until the primary. Minneapolis voters may also drop off mail ballots at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. Sixth St., in the skyway level of the building.

Deadlines

For the State primary, a voter’s ballot will count as long as it is postmarked on or before the day of the primary (Aug. 11) and is received in the mail no later than two days after the primary (Aug. 13). This is a change from previous election law requiring mail ballots to be received by the day of the primary.

Office hours

Hours for Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10. Voters delivering their ballots the day of the State primary, Aug. 11, must bring it to the office no later than 3 p.m. Ballots may not be dropped off at polling places Aug. 11.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging voting early by mail, and Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services supports voting early by mail along with other CDC and Minneapolis Health Department recommendations to make sure every voter in Minneapolis can safely cast their ballots this election year. 

What’s on the ballot?

Minneapolis voters will cast ballots for the following primary races:

• U.S. senator.
• U.S. representative (District 5).
• State senator and State representative (some districts).
• School Board member at large.
• School Board member (some districts).

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City Council Approves Funding Package to Expand Capacity for Three New Homeless Shelters

The City Council has approved a roughly $8 million funding package to expand shelter capacity for three new shelters for people experiencing homelessness in Minneapolis.

The City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County’s response to homelessness during COVID-19 prioritizes moving people from unsheltered homelessness to safer shelter and housing situations. There has been a significant increase in unsheltered homelessness since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City has received a one-time influx of funding from the federal government, through the CARES Act, to provide help with responding to homelessness during the pandemic. This historically large, one-time Emergency Solutions Grant funding provides an opportunity to strategically respond to COVID-19 across a range of strategies and to reshape the City/County homelessness response system to better serve people experiencing homelessness in the coming months and years.

Learn more about the new shelters.

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City Council Approves Changes to Minneapolis Homes Programs in Effort to Close Racial Gaps in Home Ownership

The City Council approved changes to the City’s Minneapolis Homes programs that reflect a citywide strategy to create sustainable homeownership opportunities and make a meaningful impact to close the homeownership gap between white households and Black, Indigenous, people of color and immigrant (BIPOCI) households in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Homes focuses on reducing property vacancies, creating new housing units and sustaining homeownership in the city by providing educational, financing and property opportunities to homebuyers, homeowners and developers.

Minneapolis Homes programs are changing significantly in response to market data and community feedback through a long-term affordability housing study led by the City and Grounded Solutions Network. Highlights of changes include:

• Focusing on lower income households: All homebuyer programs are changing to focus on households that make less than $80,000 a year with concentration on households making less than $60,000 or $40,000 a year. All City-owned land suitable for residential development will be reserved for creating affordable housing moving forward.
• Diversifying the types of units funded: One- to 20-unit ownership projects throughout the city are eligible. Projects can be on City-owned land or privately owned land. Acquisition, rehabilitation, down payment assistance and new construction are all eligible activities.
• More options for perpetual affordability: The City is launching its own model for perpetually affordable housing, which will sell homes at an affordable price and provide homeowners with a 2% rate of return annually in most market conditions. City of Lakes Community Land Trust partnerships and new perpetually affordable housing models will also be encouraged through City programs.

Learn more about Minneapolis Homes on the City’s website.

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Important Census Updates: Complete Your Census by Sept. 30, Census Takers Begin Door Knocking

Have you completed the census yet? Completing the census will ensure that our communities receive resources for programs and services that we need. Many programs that our communities rely on, including SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and Head Start are funded through data that is obtained by the census. The 2020 Census is our chance to shape the future of Minneapolis for the next 10 years.

Census takers have begun following up in Minneapolis with households that haven’t yet completed the 2020 Census. Census staff have been hired locally and are here to help households complete their census forms. The goal of census door knockers is to help get an accurate count. Census staffers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge that includes their photograph and a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark.

Census field staff follow both CDC and local public health guidelines, are trained in physical distancing protocols and will provide census takers with masks during their visit. Census staff have sworn a lifetime oath of confidentiality. Any information that you provide to them will not be shared with any entity other than the Census Bureau for statistical purposes only and never to identify an individual.

Find more information here on verifying a census taker’s identity, COVID-19 protocols or the strategy to visit households that haven’t responded yet.

Fill out your census

If you haven’t yet completed the 2020 Census application and would like to avoid a census taker coming to your home, you can submit your form online, by phone or through the mail (using the U.S. Census Bureau form that you received in the mail at home). Language assistance is offered in multiple languages online or over the phone and can also be requested at your visit if they come to your home.

Take your census by Sept. 30

The U.S. Census Bureau officially announced that the 2020 Census self-response period will end Sept. 30, 2020. This means that there are less than two months remaining to ensure that our communities are counted and that we get the resources that we need for the next 10 years.

In 2010, Minneapolis had a census completion rate of 72.8%. Currently, Minneapolis has a completion rate of 69.9%. It is important – now more than ever – that our communities are counted.

Let’s get counted, Minneapolis.

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City Council Passes Ordinance Protecting Freelance Workers

The City Council has approved a freelance worker protections ordinance to help prevent the exploitation of freelance workers, including many self-employed entrepreneurs who work as independent contractors. The new ordinance takes effect Jan. 1, 2021.

The City is dedicated to ensuring that everyone gets paid for the work they do regardless of their employment arrangement. Freelance work is a growing segment of the economy, and Minneapolis is home to one of the largest communities of freelance workers in the country.

Many freelance workers face difficulty getting paid on time and have limited recourse. In a response to a City survey of independent contractors, more than 33% reported lost income in the past 12 months due to a hiring party’s failure to pay, underpayment or late payment for work performed.

Highlights of the freelance worker protections ordinance

• Businesses that hire certain freelancers for their work in Minneapolis must confirm their agreement in writing.
• The hiring party may not refuse to pay the freelancer as stated in the contract or demand a freelancer accept less compensation after work has started.

The Labor Standards Enforcement Division of the City’s Civil Rights Department will enforce the ordinance by investigating claims and imposing remedies up to and including damages and penalties as appropriate for the violation. The division also oversees compliance of the City’s sick and safe time, minimum wage and wage theft ordinances.

For more information, email wagetheft@minneapolismn.gov.

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City Seeking Diversity of Applicants for Fall Openings on Boards and Commissions Appointments

Twenty-four City boards and commissions have openings for appointments this fall. The City seeks applicants with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences representing the demographics of Minneapolis to strengthen the work of the City. Translation and interpreting services are available so all residents can participate. The positions are open until filled; application review begins Sept. 30 unless marked otherwise.

City boards and commissions have brought forward recommendations that resulted in renter protections, wage protections and a ban on a hazardous chemical in dry cleaning. Board and commission members in the City of Minneapolis help shape key policy decisions, give community-based input into the City’s administration of services and supply valuable insights.

People can apply through the open position pages linked below and stay up to date on vacancies, position descriptions and timelines by visiting minneapolismn.gov/boards/openings. Applications are open now.

These 24 City boards and commissions have 97 open positions:

• Animal Care and Control Advisory Board.
• Arts Commission, Minneapolis.
• Bicycle Advisory Committee.
• Capital Long-Range Improvements Committee.
• Commission on Civil Rights, Minneapolis.
• Community Environmental Advisory Committee.
• Futuro Latino Empowerment Commission.
• Heritage Preservation Commission.
• Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Aging.
• Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Housing.
• Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities.
• Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.
• Northside Green Zone Council.
• Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
• Police Conduct Oversight Commission.
• Police Conduct Review Panel.
• Public Health Advisory Committee.
• Racial Equity Community Advisory Committee.
• Transgender Equity Council.
• Southside Green Zone Council. (Application review will begin Aug. 9.)
• Workforce Development Board, Minneapolis. (Application review will begin Aug. 15.)
• Workplace Advisory Committee.
• Violence Prevention Steering Committee.
• Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Boards, commissions and advisory committees

The City of Minneapolis has more than 50 volunteer-based boards, commissions and advisory committees that advise the City on issues and help develop policy and administer services. Boards and commissions fall into a handful of categories: appeal boards, development boards, general advisory boards and special service districts (defined areas within the city with special services).

Appointments to boards and commissions are made twice a year: in the spring and fall.

Potential applicants can find more information at 612-673-2216 or OpenAppointments@minneapolismn.gov.

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National Night Out Recommended Date Changes to Sept. 15 for 2020

The Minneapolis recommended National Night Out date for 2020 is Tuesday, Sept. 15. Residents can find out if their block is already signed up by emailing crime.prevention@minneapolismn.gov. Registered block leaders received notices directly about closing their streets to hold their event, but a block without a block leader could still hold a COVID-19 safe event by spreading out across three or four yards to make enough space for physical distancing.

Event safety in a pandemic

A safe event during a pandemic follows guidelines from the Minneapolis Health Department, Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Events are outdoors.
• People keep their masks on when they’re not eating or drinking.
• People keep at least 6 feet from others not in their household.
• Households bring their own food, beverages, utensils, tables and chairs.

National Night Out is an annual nationwide event that encourages residents to get out in the community, holding block parties and getting to know their neighbors to prevent crime. It’s a great way to promote community-police partnerships and enjoy a Minnesota summer evening surrounded by friends and family.

Find out more about National Night Out at www.minneapolismn.gov/nno.

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Save the Date for the 7th Annual Trans Equity Summit: Sept. 13-15

The 2020 Trans Equity Summit will be Sept. 13-15, virtual and outdoor in person, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. daily. Programming will include breakout sessions, performances, a job and resource fair, and healing justice offerings.

This year's theme is "Claiming Our Power for Change: Caring for Community." It reflects a critical need for trans/GNC folks to embody themselves through community care, bear witness to one another without sacrifice and with joy, condition their collective emotional-spiritual excellence, and prepare to assert their power in the dramatic reshaping of Minneapolis.

The summit is free and open to the public. Watch for updates on the City website.

Friends of the Hennepin County Library Announces 24th Season of Pen Pals

Via an August 6 e-announcement from Friends of the Hennepin County Library:

The highly acclaimed and longest-running literary series in the Twin Cities returns for its 24th season this October...and you're invited!

We are thrilled to announce our 2020-21 Pen Pals season, a rich array of virtual and in-person events, offering fresh voices, expert perspectives, and classic storytelling, featuring: Colum McCann, Nikki Giovanni, Yaa Gyasi, Susan Choi, and Erik Larson.

Don't miss your chance to experience today's most acclaimed literary voices in thought-provoking, candid conversation! Last year’s events nearly sold out before individual tickets went on sale – subscribe today!

Attend all five lectures as a subscriber and triple last year's discount - SAVE $75!

Season subscription now only $150 - $200 after discount.

Download, print and mail in the season order form, or call our box office at 612-543-8112, starting Friday, August 7, at 9 a.m.

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2020-21 Pen Pals Season Author Guest - Colum McCann

Colum McCann is the author of the recent bestselling novel Apeirogon, as well as Let the Great World Spin and five others. He has received the National Book Award, a Guggenheim fellowship, and the Pushcart Prize.

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. + on-demand replay through Oct. 25

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2020-21 Pen Pals Season Author Guest - Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, activist, and author of several children’s books, essays, and poetry collections, including the upcoming Make Me Rain. Her numerous honors include the Langston Hughes Medal, Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and seven NAACP Image Awards.

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. + on-demand replay through Nov. 8

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2020-21 Pen Pals Season Author Guest - Yaa Gyassi

Yaa Gyasi, the author of Homegoing, is a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award. Her new novel Transcendent Kingdom releases in September 2020.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 | 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.

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2020-21 Pen Pals Season Author Guest - Susan Choi

Susan Choi is the author of The Foreign Student, A Person of Interest, My Education, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated American Woman, and Trust Exercise, which won the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction.

Thursday, May 6, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.,  Friday, May 7, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.

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2020-21 Pen Pals Season Author Guest - Erik Larson

Erik Larson is the author of five bestsellers, including The Devil in the White City, which was nominated for a National Book Award. His latest, The Splendid and the Vile, chronicles Churchill’s first year as prime minister.

Monday, May 24, 2021 | 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 25, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.

Season Format and COVID-19 Update 

Fall 2020 events are virtual and take place on Zoom. Winter/Spring 2021 events take place in person at Hopkins Center for the Arts with traditionally reserved seating. 

In-person events are subject to change based on recommendations from health agencies. Ticket holders will have access to a virtual backup event in the case of in-person event cancellation. 

Virtual event tickets include access to an on-demand recording for 72 hours following the event.

MSP Film Society's Virtual Cinema Updates

Via an August 5 e-announcement from MSP Film Society:

August has arrived and MSP Film Society has another jam-packed month of exciting programming available in our Virtual Cinema:

Opening this Friday, August 7 - A THOUSAND CUTS, Ramona S. Diaz's thrilling film about the increasingly dangerous war between press and government; along with OUT STEALING HORSES (Ut og stjæle hester), based on the bestselling novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson. JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY, the classic concert film set at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, will open on Wednesday, August 12.

In anticipation of Fashion Week MN, MSP Film Society is excited to present two fashion-forward docs this month:  MARTIN MARGIELA: IN HIS OWN WORDS, about the mastermind known as the Banksy of the Fashion World, opens on Friday, August 14; followed by HOUSE OF CARDIN on Friday, August 28, which offers a rare peek into the life of legendary fashion designer Pierre Cardin.

"WE THE PEOPLE: REQUIRED WATCHING" continues on Sunday, August 16 with a FREE screening of JIM CROW OF THE NORTH, the Twin Cities PBS original documentary that explores why Minnesota has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation, followed by a conversation with Director Daniel Pierce Bergin, Anthony R. Scott, President of Minnesota's Black Community Project, and Brian Paulson, Senior Program Officer at the Pohlad Family Foundation, on Monday, August 17 at 7pm.

Opening Friday, August 28 is MR. SOUL!, Melissa Haizlip award-winning documentary about her father Ellis Haizlip’s groundbreaking television variety show SOUL!, which ran from 1968-1973 and offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music, and politics. MR. SOUL! is being presented as part of our "WE THE PEOPLE: REQUIRED WATCHING" series, and will include a FREE Community Conversation on Monday, August 31 at 7pm. Registration will be made available as soon as guests are confirmed.

And on Wednesday, August 19, MSP Film Society presents a special encore screening of the MSPIFF39 Redefined official selection COUP 53, followed by a discussion with Director Taghi Amirani, Editor Walter Murch, and actor Ralph Fiennes on Thursday, August 20.

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OPENING Friday, August 7 - A THOUSAND CUTS 

On June 15, 2020, journalist Maria Ressa was found guilty of cyber libel, setting a ticking clock on the limited time she has to get her story out to the world and keep the fight for democracy alive in this all too familiar tale of an autocratic leader drowning out "fake news." Nowhere is the worldwide erosion of democracy, fueled by social media disinformation campaigns, more starkly evident than in the authoritarian regime of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Ressa places the tools of the free press—and her freedom—on the line in defense of truth and democracy. Ramona S. Diaz's thrilling film follows key players from two sides of an increasingly dangerous war between press and government. As each side digs in, we become witness to an epic and ongoing fight for the integrity of human life and truth itself—a conflict that extends beyond the Philippines into our own divisive backyard.  official trailer  - official website

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OPENING Friday, August 7 - OUT STEALING HORSES (Ut og stjæle hester)

November 1999: 67-year-old Trond (Stellan Skarsgård), lives in self-imposed isolation and looks forward to welcoming in the new millennium alone. As winter arrives he meets one of his few neighbours, Lars (Bjørn Floberg), and realizes he knew him back in the summer of 1948. 1948 – the year Trond turned 15. The summer Trond grew up. OUT STEALING HORSES is based on the bestselling novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson. official trailer  - official website

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OPENING Wednesday, August 12 - JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY

Filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island and directed by world-renowned photographer Bert Stern, Jazz on a Summer's Day features intimate performances by an all-star line-up of musical legends including Louis Armstrong, Thelonius Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day, Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, and closes with a beautiful rendition or The Lord's Prayer by Mahalia Jackson at midnight to usher in Sunday morning. The 1959 classic is considered one of the most extraordinary and possibly the first concert film ever made. official trailer - official website

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OPENING Friday, August 14 -  MARTIN MARGIELA: IN HIS OWN WORDS

An intimate profile of Martin Margiela, one of the most revolutionary and influential fashion designers of his time. From Jean Paul Gaultier's assistant to creative director at Hermes to leading his own brand, Margiela never showed his face publicly but reinvented fashion with his radical style for over 20 years, through 41 provocative collections. For the first time, the "Banksy of fashion" reveals his drawings, notes and personal items, giving us an exclusive peek to his vision and career. The film features interviews with, among others, Jean Paul Gaultier, Carine Roitfeld, Trend Forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort, Fashion Critic Cathy Horyn and Fashion Historian Olivier Saillard. The score has been composed by the Belgian rock band dEUS.

official trailer

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ONGOING SERIES - "WE THE PEOPLE: REQUIRED WATCHING" 

MSP Film Society presents our community screening and conversation series of films that speak powerfully to systemic inequality, followed by conversations with directors and community leaders discussing ways we can support social justice and anti-racism efforts within our communities.

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FREE SCREENING - Sunday, August 16 - JIM CROW OF THE NORTH

Why does Minnesota suffer through some of the worst racial disparities in the nation? One answer is the spread of racist, restrictive real estate covenants in the early 20th century. Jim Crow of the North charts the progression of racist policies and practices from the advent of restrictive covenants after the turn of the last century to their final elimination in the late 1960s. Roots of racial disparities are seen through a new lens in this film that explores the origins of housing segregation in the Minneapolis area. But the story also illustrates how African-American families and leaders resisted this insidious practice, and how Black people built community — within and despite — the red lines that these restrictive covenants created. A Twin Cities PBS Original. official trailer

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COMMUNITY CONVERSATION - Monday, August 17 at 7:00pm 

MSP Film Programmer Craig Laurence Rice leads a post-screening discussion with Director Daniel Pierce Bergin and Anthony R. Scott, President of Minnesota's Black Community Project, discussing the ways we all can support social justice and anti-racism efforts in our community.

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SPECIAL SCREENING - Wednesday, August 19 - COUP 53 

*MSPIFF39 Redefined Official Selection*

While making a documentary about the CIA/MI6 coup in Iran in 1953, Iranian director Taghi Amirani and editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The Conversation,The English Patient) discover never seen before archive material hidden for decades. The 16mm footage and documents not only allow the filmmakers to tell the story of the overthrow of the Iranian government in unprecedented detail, but it also leads to explosive revelations about dark secrets buried for 67 years. Working with Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Schindler’s List, The English Patient) to help bring the lost material to life, what began as a historical documentary about four days in August 1953 turned into a live investigation, taking the filmmakers into uncharted cinematic waters. The roots of Iran's volatile relationship with America and Britain has never been so forensically and dramatically exposed.

A ticket for the COUP 53 screening also includes an exclusive Q+A with Ralph Fiennes, Walter Murch and Taghi Amirani, which will be available on August 20. official trailer

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OPENS Friday, August 28 - MR. SOUL!

From 1968 to 1973, the public television variety show SOUL!, guided by the enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music, and politics—voices that had few other options for national exposure, and, as a result, found the program an improbable place to call home. The series was among the first to provide expanded images of African Americans on television, shifting the gaze from inner-city poverty and violence to the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. With participants’ recollections and a bevy of great archival clips, MR. SOUL! captures a critical moment in culture whose impact continues to resonate. official trailer

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OPENS Friday, August 28 - HOUSE OF CARDIN

A rare peek into the mind of a genius, an authorized feature documentary chronicling the life and design of Pierre Cardin. A true original, Mr. Cardin granted complete access to his archives and his empire, and unprecedented interviews at the sunset of a glorious career to filmmakers P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes. official trailer

Parkways Reopen to Motor Vehicles Beginning August 3 (With Construction-related Exceptions)

This is a reminder that all Minneapolis parkways closed to motor vehicle traffic and open to trail users will go back to allowing motor vehicle traffic beginning Monday, Aug. 3.

On Aug. 3, workers will begin removing barriers and other traffic control in place at Cedar Lake, Lake Harriet, West Bde Maka Ska and West River Parkways. Most parkways will be open to motor vehicle traffic by Wednesday, Aug. 5, with several construction-related exceptions.

West River Parkway will remain closed in three sections due to construction projects:

• Between 4th Avenue North and the Stone Arch Bridge parking lot for the Water Works project. Trail traffic will be routed onto one lane of the parkway.
• Between 13th and 22nd Avenues South for repairs to the 10th Avenue SE Bridge and Bridge #9, which serves the Dinkytown Greenway trail.
• Between East 33rd and 36th Streets for a sewer improvement project.

Theodore Wirth Parkway is also closed between 29th Avenue North and Golden Valley Road for a road resurfacing project. Please follow posted detours and stay away from areas where construction work is happening.

In late March the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) began closing parkways or park roads adjacent to its most popular trails to allow more space for trail users to follow social distancing practices and limit the spread of COVID-19. Several adjustments were made throughout the spring and summer in response to parkway conditions and demand, as well as efficiently use funds allocated toward maintaining the closures.

At its May 6, 2020 meeting, MPRB Commissioners passed Resolution 2020-202, which granted MPRB Superintendent Al Bangoura authority to spend up to $250,000 on a series of parkway closures enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those funds will be exhausted by Aug. 3.

Please continue to stay at least six feet apart from people not in your own household while using parks and trails. Other guidelines park users are asked to follow to limit the spread of COVID-19 while using parks and trails:

• Bring a water bottle. Most MPRB water fountains are not operational.
• Bring disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer. Most MPRB restroom buildings remain closed.
• Do not use parks if you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.
• Cover your cough with your elbow, don’t cough into your hands.
• Wash your hands immediately before and after visiting a park or trail.

Stay Updated

Visit minneapolisparks.org/coronavirus for more information on the MPRB's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Receive timely email updates by visiting minneapolisparks.org/subscribe, entering your email and selecting the “COVID-19” topic in the “News Updates” section.

Mobile Entertainment Embraces Social Distancing with new ‘Six Foot Bubble™ Tours’

Via a recent Press Release from Mobile Entertainment:

Mobile Entertainment, known for Human on a Stick– the first Segway tour operator in the U.S.an d Minnesota’s top-rated tourist attraction for over 10 years, is launching unique walking tours with professionally-authored and voiced storytelling technology.

Mobile Entertainment adds walking tours in a new tour series, Six Foot Bubble™ Tours, officially launching on Friday, July, 31. 

Six Foot Bubble™ is pioneering tours for a socially-distanced world with innovative audio equipment so groups can still enjoy learning more about wonderful Minneapolis and Saint Paul together. Watch our promotional video here.

For the first time, in addition to being led by a professional Mobile Entertainment tour guide, tourists will be guided by audio narration, either via headphones or a small speaker, produced to make listeners feel like they are reliving history, while keeping a safe distance from those outside their “bubble.” Local celebrities, including the architectural historian and former Pioneer Press critic Larry Millett, collaborated with Mobile Entertainment to produce a lively and informative narration for these tours.

“The idea behind Six Foot Bubble ™ is basically to make something good out of a bad situation,” says Mobile Entertainment Founder Bill Neuenschwander. “We want people to still be able to enjoy the rich history and views of the phenomenal areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, while keeping themselves and their families safe.”

There are six new routes that are part of the Six Foot Bubble™ Tours, all with a digital storytelling feature with narrators from unique and distinctive backgrounds. Kicking off the series is a tour of Irvine Park, the first neighborhood in Saint Paul. This tour will guide guests through the heritage preservation district of Irvine Park as well as other nearby landmarks within the broader West Seventh neighborhood, including the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Mississippi Upper Landing. Tours run everyday from 9-1 p.m., and 2-6 p.m., but tourists must make a reservation.

July 31 Ward 7 Updates

COVID-19 Situation Update as of July 29, 2020

• There are 6,751 cases in Minneapolis and 196 deaths. The City is sharing Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics through a public dashboard at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.
• The Health Department is using the Harvard Global Health Institute's COVID-19 Risk Levels dashboard (https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/). This color-coded metric looks at a seven day rolling average for new cases. Based on the latest data, Minneapolis is at 18 cases per 100,000 compared to 11 cases per 100,000 for the State. These numbers put both Minneapolis and Minnesota in the orange category, which represents accelerated spread of COVID-19.
• Case numbers for the past two weeks show that six Minneapolis neighborhoods (Central, East Phillips, Elliot Park, Jordan, Lowry Hill, and Whittier) have seen increased case counts which correlate with case increases in the under 35 year-old age group. Data also indicate a slight increase in cases among the 35-44 year-old age group.
• Over the past few weeks, the racial breakdown for the under 35 year-old age group has shifted from over 50% white to about 30% white and 60% BIPOC. This group is experiencing increased exposure in bars and at gatherings of friends and family.
• Congregate living facilities in Minneapolis continue to see new cases among residents, but the numbers have decreased significantly, from an average of 49 cases a week in April and May to six cases a week in June and July. Residents of these facilities account for only 7% of confirmed cases, however they account for 71% of COVID-19 deaths.
• Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 12 regarding masks is still in effect. The regulation requires people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places. Last week, the Mayor rescinded Emergency Regulation No. 15 and No. 16 which allowed Adult Day Cares to reopen and eased operational restrictions in licensed congregate care settings. These facilities are beholden to state COVID-19 guidance.
• Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17, signed July 29, 2020, requires all bar areas in restaurants, nightclubs, and indoor spaces of entertainment in Minneapolis to be closed starting August 1. Bar areas that can be converted for seated service will be allowed as long as food and/or beverage services are provided tableside while patrons are seated. The goal is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among young adults, food service workers, and bartenders. Nine Minneapolis bars have been publicly identified as having outbreaks associated with spread among patrons.

Situational updates: Minnesota

• There are 52,947 cases in Minnesota out of over 993,000 tests completed. There have been 1,589 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 16,881 cases and 810 deaths in Hennepin County.
• Minnesota is currently in Phase III of the Stay Safe MN plan for reopening. This phase allows bars and restaurants to offer indoor dining at 50% capacity with tables spaced six feet apart. Further restrictions at bars are currently in effect in Minneapolis (see above: Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17). Pools may open at 50% capacity and gyms may open at 25% capacity.
• Governor Walz’s statewide mask mandate is still in effect. This requires people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places where people gather and some outdoor venues where physical distancing is difficult.

Health Incident Command Updates

As the MHD continues to respond to COVID-19, we are applying an equity lens to all our work in conjunction with partners across the City enterprise.

Businesses:

o Health inspectors have completed 569 site visit/inspections since indoor dining reopened on June 10. Bars continue to have clusters of positive COVID-19 cases. Health inspectors continue to provide guidance and cleaning instructions to bars with COVID-19-positive employees and patrons. Additionally, inspectors are reviewing COVID-19 plans during all routine health inspections.

o The Health Department is assisting with a joint business recovery effort to distribute 500,000 masks to businesses, prioritizing distribution to BIPOC-owned businesses and those located in BIPOC communities. CPED is leading this effort in partnership with the Mayor’s office, Regulatory Services, and Health.

o In response to requests from business owners, Health Department and Communications staff created new signage clearly stating that the City requires masks in indoor public spaces. Signage is available on the City’s COVID-19 website in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.

Case investigations:

The Health Department is conducting over 50 case investigations and contact follow-ups for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 per day. Currently, there are 26 investigators, including six non-MHD enterprise staff. Of the 6,751 cases in Minneapolis, 85% have been interviewed, 2% have refused, 8% have been lost to follow-up, and 5% are new cases that still need to be interviewed. Thirty (30) percent of interviews of Minneapolis residents are in a language other than English. The MHD team has conducted 53% of the interviews for Minneapolis residents since May 8.

Community Testing:

o Sagrado Corazon/Incarnation Church: Community testing will be offered from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 1 and 15 at Sagrado Corazon/Incarnation Church, 3800 Pleasant Avenue South. This community testing event will focus on the Latinx community; however, it will be open to everyone. The goal is to test 300 persons per day during the 8 hours that testing will be available. Partners include Sagrado Corazon/Incarnation Church, Hennepin Healthcare, the Minneapolis Health Department, and St. Mary’s Health Clinics.

o PICA Head Start: Testing will be available on August 11 and 25 primarily for Head Start families at both the Fraser site (700 Humboldt Avenue North) and the McKnight site (4225 3rd Avenue South). Testing for the community will also be available. Partners include PICA Head Start, the Minneapolis Health Department, and the Minnesota Department of Health.

o The Health Department’s Long Term Care team supported baseline testing at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s Heritage Park site for their assisted living residents on July 23.

Food security:

o The Health Department continues to co-host a weekly free food distribution event at Powderhorn Park (Fridays, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.). The event regularly serves approximately 500-800 people, many from low-income Latinx households that have been heavily impacted by loss of employment, COVID-19, and the closure of retailers along Lake Street. City staff will continue to support this event at least through the end of August and are in the process of assessing long-term food security needs, operations, and options, especially in light of the elimination of a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit.

o Health Department staff, in partnership with other City staff and community partners, are convening calls and conducting outreach with community-led “pop-up” food distribution hosts, The goal is to assess real-time needs, gather feedback on ongoing food security challenges in specific communities and related policy implications, and connect groups to available resources such as PPE and Hennepin County funds. MHD staff continue to coordinate with food banks and other hunger relief organizations to identify, implement, and support food-related community needs.

Homelessness:

o The encampment located on City property at 2601 14th Avenue South was disbanded on Wednesday, July 29. The Police Department’s Homeless Outreach team and community partner, American Indian Community Development Corporation, worked together to clear the property. People living at the encampment were given one week’s notice of this action and were provided with resources for available shelter. Immediately after the property is cleared, CPED and Public Works will fence in the property to prevent future encampments from forming.

o The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board designated the following as sanctuary parks: Riverside, Annie Young, Marshall Terrace, Lake Harriet, Boom Island, and Bde Maka Ska. An additional four to six parks will be named based on proximity to hygiene supports. Park encampments must obtain a permit and cannot have more than 25 tents. Encampments will not be allowed in Safe School Zones. The Health Department continues to work with MPRB to provide health and sanitation services at encampments on park land. Last week, MHD staff provided guidance on the potential environmental impacts and hygiene safety of “pop-up” showers that have appeared at some encampments.

o MHD staff continue to distribute harm reduction supplies, masks, and hygiene kits to community outreach partners for distribution to residents of various encampments.

Personal Protective Equipment: The Health Department is continuing PPE resource distribution efforts. In the past week, MHD staff have distributed over 2,200 cloth masks in response to requests from the community. In fulfilling those requests, staff are balancing the needs of clinics and health care providers with the needs of low-income individuals, BIPOC communities, low-income multi-family housing properties, faith communities, people experiencing homelessness, community-based organizations, food distribution sites, and people engaged in recovery efforts. The Health Department recently received an additional 50,000 cloth masks, which will help in responding to ongoing community requests.

• The City specific COVID email address is: COVID19@minneapolismn.gov.

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Polling Places Changing Due to Pandemic

To help keep voters and Minneapolis residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, 50 of 125 polling places in Minneapolis are moving for the 2020 primary and general election. The changes will help protect people living in residential facilities and provide more space to keep voters a safe distance from elections staff and each other.

Of the 50 polling places being relocated, 16 were in senior homes, high-rises and other residential sites. Another 32 were in areas with limited space that would make it difficult for people to keep at least 6 feet from others inside. Two were moved due to on-site construction.

Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services partnered with Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation board to find new locations for voting during the pandemic. In total, 94 buildings will be open for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections, with 35 in schools and 22 in park buildings. Some buildings will have more than one voting precinct.

Registered voters will receive a postcard in the mail indicating their new polling locations. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s polling place finder can also provide voters their new polling places. These locations will be the same for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections. All voters choosing to vote in person on Election Day should check the online polling place finder or call 311 to verify their polling place.

Keep safe and vote by mail

Though polling locations will be open for the primary and general elections, the City encourages voting early by mail to minimize direct contact with others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages voting early by mail, and Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services supports this and other CDC and Minnesota Department of Health recommendations to make sure all voters in Minneapolis can safely cast their ballots this election year.

More information on how to vote by mail is available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/bymail.

For those going to the polls on Election Day, we will have COVID-19 protocols in place to provide a safe and healthy environment for all voters and election judges. The polling place protocols follow best practices from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the protocols follow Emergency Regulation 2020-12, which requires people in Minneapolis to wear a cloth face covering when they are in an indoor public space.

Voting at the Early Vote Center

The Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., makes early voting in person more convenient for Minneapolis voters. It’s especially helpful to people who need language support or other special accommodations, such as curbside voting. And while we are in a pandemic, voting early can help people avoid lines and crowds at polling places on the day of the election.

The Early Vote Center’s hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The center will also have Saturday hours for the last two weekends before the primary. All early voting hours are posted on the Elections & Voter Services website: vote.minneapolismn.gov/events.

EVS Headquarters—located at 980 E. Hennepin Avenue—will be open to serve in-person early voters both Saturdays (Aug. 1 and 8) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Direct Balloting begins Tues., Aug. 4, allowing in-person early voters to directly scan their completed ballot into the tabulator…exactly as on Election Day. New this year, in light of the need for enhanced safety protocols, EVS will be hosting “drive-in, drop-off” ballot service, as shown on this graphic.

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Next Steps for Proposed Charter Amendment that Would Create New Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention

The Minneapolis Charter Commission has held three public hearings to gather feedback on a proposed charter amendment establishing a new Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention authored by five City Council members. A decision on whether that proposal will be referred to voters at the Nov. 3 general election must be decided by Aug. 5 to meet statutory deadlines.

The proposed Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention would have responsibility for “public safety services prioritizing a holistic, public health-oriented approach,” according to the proposed amendment. As a charter department, the director would be nominated by the mayor and approved by the City Council. The director would have non-law enforcement experience in community safety services, including but not limited to public health and/or restorative justice approaches.

The ordinance provides that the City may maintain a division of law enforcement services composed of licensed peace officers subject to the supervision of the Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention.

The City Council voted June 26 to advance the proposal as a ballot measure to be considered by Minneapolis voters. Under State law, proposals to amend the City Charter must first be reviewed by the City Charter Commission. The Charter Commission has at least 60 days to complete its review and submit its recommendation to the City Council but it may take up to 150 days to complete its review. The statutory deadline for submitting questions on the Nov. 3 general election ballot is Friday, Aug. 21. If approved by voters, the changes would become effective May 1, 2021. A decision by the Charter Commission is anticipated at its regular meeting on Aug. 5.

The Charter Commission also held a public hearing on a separate proposed charter amendment that proposed to eliminate minimum funding level requirements for the police force. That proposal was submitted by a Charter Commission member. At its meeting July 29, the Charter Commission voted not to submit that proposal to voters in November.

Learn more about the proposed charter amendment and submit feedback.

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City Council Adopts Revised 2020 City Budget

The City Council has approved Mayor Jacob Frey’s revised 2020 City budget proposal that addresses roughly $156 million in projected revenue losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mayor and City Council have trimmed the budget through a combination of spending freezes, use of cash reserves, program cuts and employee furloughs. The revised City budget is approximately $1.5 billion.

The first phase of the response to the economic impact of the pandemic included spending and hiring freezes that saved approximately $58 million. The revised budget plan includes plans to offset approximately $100 million in additional revenue losses.

As part of the City Council’s budget markup process, approximately $1.1 million has been shifted from the Minneapolis Police Department to the Health Department for violence prevention efforts. In addition, the City added $100,000 to the budget to support initial community engagement in the co-creation of a vision for a permanent memorial for George Floyd.

The mayor will present a recommended 2021 City budget to the City Council later this summer. Learn more about the City budget at minneapolismn.gov/budget.http://tour.35wat94.com/

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Mayor Frey Moves to Curb COVID-19 Community Spread in Bars and Restaurants

Mayor Jacob Frey has issued an emergency regulation that targets the community spread of COVID-19 in Minneapolis bars and restaurants.

The action orders the closure of bar areas in restaurants, clubs and other indoor spaces starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 1. Indoor table service, including at high tops, will be allowed under the regulation as long as patrons follow the existing state guidance.

The Minneapolis Health Department is reporting a rate of 18 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 per day while the statewide rate has remained closer to 11 per 100,000. Public health experts have attributed the higher rate to people congregating at bars, among other reasons. More than 50 percent of new cases in Minneapolis continue to be in young adults under age 35 who report increased exposure in bars and at gatherings of friends and family.

Read more about the emergency regulation.

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National Night Out Recommended Date Changes to Sept. 15 for 2020

The Minneapolis recommended National Night Out date for 2020 is Tuesday, Sept. 15. Residents can find out if their block is already signed up by emailing crime.prevention@minneapolismn.gov. Registered block leaders received notices directly about closing their streets to hold their event, but a block without a block leader could still hold a COVID-19 safe event by spreading out across three or four yards to make enough space for physical distancing.

Event safety in a pandemic

A safe event during a pandemic follows guidelines from the Minneapolis Health Department, Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Events are outdoors.
• People keep their masks on when they’re not eating or drinking.
• People keep at least 6 feet from others not in their household.
• Households bring their own food, beverages, utensils, tables and chairs.

National Night Out is an annual nationwide event that encourages residents to get out in the community, holding block parties and getting to know their neighbors to prevent crime. It’s a great way to promote community-police partnerships and enjoy a Minnesota summer evening surrounded by friends and family.

Find out more about National Night Out.

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Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Parkways Reopening to Motor Traffic

All Minneapolis parkways closed to motor vehicle traffic and open to trail users will go back to allowing motor vehicle traffic by Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Schedule

• East Bde Maka Ska Parkway: Thursday, July 30.
• Cedar Lake, Lake Harriet, West Bde Maka Ska and West River Parkways: Barriers and traffic control will be removed starting Monday, Aug. 3.

The funds for parkway closures to allow more space for trail users to follow physical distancing practices and limit the spread of COVID-19 will be exhausted by Aug. 3.

Please continue to follow these safety guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 while using parks and trails:

• Stay at least 6 feet from people not in your own household.
• Do not use parks if you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.
• Cover your cough with your elbow, don’t cough into your hands.
• Wash your hands immediately before and after visiting a park or trail.
• Note that most MPRB water fountains are not operational, and most MPRB restroom buildings remain closed.

Keep up to date with Park Board news here.

MSPFS Presents Tribute to Rep. John Lewis with MN AG Keith Ellison

Via a July 29 Press Release from MSP Film Society:

To honor of the recent passing of the legendary civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis, MSP Film Society proudly presents an encore engagement of the powerful documentary “JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE” in our Virtual Cinema as part of our social justice-themed initiative “We the People: Required Watching," followed by a Community Conversation on Monday, August 3rd with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on the influence of Rep. John Lewis’s lifetime commitment as an activist and public servant.

JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE – available now in MSP Film Society’s Virtual Cinema

Using interviews and rare archival footage, JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE chronicles Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. Using present-day interviews with Lewis, now 80 years old, acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family and his fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. In addition to her interviews with Lewis and his family, Porter’s primarily cinéma verité film also includes interviews with political leaders, Congressional colleagues, and other people who figure prominently in his life.

Community Conversation w/ AG Keith Ellison - Monday, August 3 at 7:00pm

Join MSP Film Programmer Craig Laurence Rice in conversation with Minnesota Attorney General and former Congressman Keith Ellison on the influence and inspiration of Rep. John Lewis’s lifetime commitment as a civil rights activist and public servant. Register to join this conversation via Zoom on MSPfilm.org or view it live or at a later on MSP Film Society’s Facebook page.

MSP Film Society presents “We the People: Required Watching” as an ongoing series to highlight films that speak powerfully to systemic inequality. Following each of these screenings, MSP Film Society Programmer Craig Laurence Rice hosts conversations with filmmakers and community leaders to discuss ways we all can support social justice and anti-racism efforts in our community. The films are made available to view through MSPfilm.org, and the Community Conversations follow on Monday evenings at 7pm via Zoom and on MSP Film Society’s Facebook page, where they can also be viewed at a later day. Further program information, including registration info, can be found on MSPfilm.org. 

Local Author Carolyn Holbrook to Discuss Her New Book Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify at Upcoming Virtual Events

Via a July 24 Press Release:

Local author Carolyn Holbrook to discuss her new book Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify at several upcoming virtual events:

- Virtual launch event: 8/12/20, 4 pm. Register at: z.umn.edu/holbrookzoom Hosted by the University of Minnesota Press. Books available for purchase through Moon Palace Books.
- First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, 8/18/20, 7:00 pm. Register at: tinyurl.com/MWPThesetimes. Sponsored by the Minnesota Women's Press and St. Catherine University.
- Ramsey County Library, 8/19/20, 7:00 pm. Register at: https://rclreads.bibliocommons.com/events/5ef1215c46ac164500d7d0ca
- Next Chapter Booksellers, 8/26/20, 7:00 pm. Register at https://www.nextchapterbooksellers.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

 
Carolyn Holbrook’s life is peopled with ghosts—of the girl she was, the selves she shed and those who have caught up to her, the wounded and kind and malevolent spirits she’s encountered, and also the beloved souls she’s lost and those she never knew who beg to have their stories told. “Now don’t you go stirring things up,” one ghostly aunt counsels. Another smiles encouragingly: “Don’t hold back, child. Someone out there needs to hear what you have to say.”
 
Once a pregnant sixteen-year-old incarcerated in the Minnesota juvenile justice system, now a celebrated writer, arts activist, and teacher who helps others unlock their creative power, Holbrook has heeded the call to tell the story of her life, and to find among its chapters—the horrific and the holy, the wild and the charmed—the lessons and necessary truths of those who have come before. In a memoir woven of moments of reckoning, she summons stories born of silence, stories held inside, untold stories stifled by pain or prejudice or ignorance. A child’s trauma recalls her own. An abusive marriage returns to haunt her family. She builds a career while raising five children as a single mother; she struggles with depression and grapples with crises immediate and historical, all while countenancing the subtle racism lurking under “Minnesota nice.”

Here Holbrook poignantly traces the path from her troubled childhood to her leadership positions in the Twin Cities literary community, showing how creative writing can be a powerful tool for challenging racism and the healing ways of the storyteller’s art.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carolyn Holbrook was founder and executive/artistic director of SASE: The Write Place and now leads More Than a Single Story, a series of panel discussions and community conversations for people of color and indigenous writers and arts activists. She is author of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Journeys and Earth Angels, and coauthor with Arleta Little of Minnesota civil rights icon Dr. Josie R. Johnson’s memoir, Hope In the Struggle (Minnesota, 2019). Her personal essays have been published in A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota and Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota. She is recipient of the Hamline University Exemplary Teacher Award, the Minnesota Book Awards Kay Sexton Award, a Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Next Step grant, a Minnesota State Arts Board Cultural Community Partnership grant, a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant, and was an AARP/Pollen Midwest 50 over 50 honoree. She teaches at Hamline University and in community venues. She is the mother of five, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of one.

For more information, including the table of contents, visit the book's webpage:
https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/tell-me-your-names-and-i-will-testify

2020 Census Update and Request for Assistance

Editor's Note - The U.S. Census Bureau is asking everyone to share this information - please pass it on!

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We’re reaching a critical point of the 2020 Census – two things are happening:

1.  The Census Bureau has added a NEW postcard reminder to households that have not yet responded to the census. Non-responding homes will get the postcard THIS COMING WEEK.

• March 12 is when the first 2020 Census mailings were sent - this NEW postcard mailing is due to the impact of COVID-19 on census operations.

 2.  Households that do not respond on their own will soon have census takers visiting in person to ask census questions. Enumerators will begin August 11 to visit homes. 

While Minnesota has almost 72 percent responding – that means more than one in four households has yet to respond.

• For Minnesota counties – the response rates range from over 80% for Carver, Washington and Anoka counties, to under 40% for Aitkin, Cass, Mahnomen, Lake of the Woods and Cook counties.
• For Minnesota cities with over 2k population – the response rates range from over 87% for Andover and Centerville, to under 50% for Howard Lake, Breezy Point, Gaylord and Nisswa. The response in Crosslake is 29%.  
• For tribal areas in Minnesota, response rates range from Fond du Lac at almost 60% to Red Lake at 5.2%.

Groups that tend not to respond – and who have been historically undercounted – include renters, people with low incomes, and ethnic and racial minorities and American Indians.

Response rate info:  2020Census.gov/response-rates - the map is updated daily M-F.

The map includes a link to response rate rankings.

Ways for responding to the 2020 Census: 

• Online – visit 2020Census.gov 
• Phone – call 844-330-2020 – phone lines are open 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Central – seven days a week.

Why is Goldy Gopher wearing a cape and eye mask? Because he's a census hero! You can be a #MNCensusHero too - complete the 2020 Census!

August 1 Drive-in Movie at Bohemian Flats! Reserve Your Spot Now!

*EVENT IS SOLD OUT*

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has partnered with North Star Community Rowing to present a community showing of the movie A Beautiful Thing. North Star Community Rowing is a Minnesota non-profit organization that seeks to empower individuals, transform lives, and build community through the sport of rowing. 

Event details:

Date: Saturday, August 1

Time: Movie will start at dusk - approximately 9:15 p.m.

Location: Bohemian Flats, 2150 West River Parkway

Cost: $15 per vehicle. Advance online purchase required. Space limited to 50 vehicles -  follow this registration link.

FM transmitter will be your access to the sound for this movie event. Details regarding sound and tuning into the movie will be confirmed after registering for this event.

Originally headed to debut at SXSW, the much-anticipated documentary feature, A Most Beautiful Thing, narrated by Grammy and Oscar-winning artist Common, executive produced by NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, NBA All-Star Dwayne Wade, Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder, and directed by award-winning filmmaker and Olympic rower, Mary Mazzio.

The film chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in the nation (made up of young men from the West Side of Chicago, many of whom were from rival gangs, all coming together to row in the same boat.)

Aquatennial 2020 Online Content Kicks Off July 22.

The Minneapolis Aquatennial is officially under way with online content that will be updated today through Saturday. You’ll find Aquatennial interactive activities, videos, memories, and more. Aquatennial’s online content can be found at www.aquatennial.com/aqua2020.

Some of the highlights include:

• AquaTivities for all ages, featuring interactive puzzles, a scavenger hunt, BINGO games, card games, Zoom backdrops, origami, and more
• Run the Life Time virtual Torchlight 5K—free to sign-up and can be run any time between now and July 26
• Enjoy a virtual Street Show musical performance by Jeremy Messersmith on Friday from The Dayton’s Project terrace
• Videos and highlights from flagship events, the CenterPoint Energy Torchlight Parade and Target Fireworks
• Take a virtual Alchemy A10 high-intensity fitness class on Friday—your Alchemy coach will lead the workout from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Shop local makers all weekend with the Aquatennial virtual Mpls Craft Market
• Take a paddle share ride on the Mississippi River and enjoy a 10 percent discount using a special Aquatennial code, or have virtual Coffee with a Ranger featuring a St. Anthony Falls lock and dam tour
• Twin Cities River Rats highlight videos
• And more

Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Below is a schedule of Aquatennial 2020 content. 

Mark your calendars for next year’s Aquatennial, including the CenterPoint Energy Torchlight Parade and Target Fireworks, July 21-24, 2021.

Join the DMNA for August 8 and 9 Community Clean-up Events

Please join the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association (DMNA) the weekend of August 8 and 9 to help cleanup around the downtown community. They are hosting two events:

Saturday, August 8, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Sunday, August 9, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Please meet at the Bark Park at 205 Park Avenue to pick up gloves and garbage bags.

Central City Tunnel System Construction - Learn More via July 21 Virtual Open House

The City is planning to construct a new stormwater tunnel in Downtown Minneapolis. The new tunnel will be parallel to the existing tunnel located under Washington Avenue between Nicollet Mall and Chicago Avenue and under Chicago Avenue between Washington Avenue and the Mississippi River. The new tunnel will increase stormwater capacity and will reduce possible safety hazards and failure of the existing stormwater tunnel.

The project is currently in the design phase and includes community outreach activities to inform the public on project schedule and staging. The final design for the parallel tunnel is anticipated to be completed in early 2021 and construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in late summer/early fall 2021.

The link to the virtual open house will be posted the morning of July 21, 2020. 

10th Ave Bridge and Watermain Project Update

Via a July 17 update from the City of Minneapolis

10th Ave Bridge and Watermain Project

This project will rehabilitate the historic 10th Ave SE bridge over the Mississippi River and W River Pkwy. A new water main will be installed under the river as part of the project.

Latest Project News

Construction Update Meeting - Friday, July 24, 2020 - at 10:30 a.m.

Project staff will hold a virtual construction update meeting next Friday using GoTo Meeting. Members of the public are invited to join the online meeting and hear updates on construction progress and speak with project staff.

Please use this link to join the 10th Ave Bridge Online Construction Update Meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone:

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/784924461 

You can also dial in using your phone:

United States: +1 (224) 501-3412 
Access Code: 784-924-461  

The bridge was closed on March 30th and the contractor has been actively working on repairs. For more details on the repairs, schedule and bridge deck changes, please see the latest Construction Update or go to the project page 10thavebridge.com

What's Coming Up

The bridge will remain closed to all traffic including, vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians until Summer 2021.

West River Parkway (roadway only) will be closed to motor vehicles through November 1, 2020. The adjacent trail will remain open for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Work requires the use of heavy equipment that will increase noise, vibration, and dust in work areas.

Access to adjacent apartments and businesses will remain open during the construction activity.

For more information on this project contact: 

Bridge Contact: Meseret Wolana, meseret.wolana@minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-3527

Water Main Contact: Peter Pfister, peter.pfister@minneapolismn.gov or 612-661-4906

Artists’ Connection With Nature Subject of New Exhibit at Bridgewater Lofts Through September 12, 2020

Article by Lynn Kittel, Photos provided by the Bridgewater Lofts Art Committee

Although it seems like a lifetime, it wasn’t too long ago that concepts like lockdown and quarantine were reserved for made-for-TV disaster movies. Social distancing was the bailiwick of bird watchers, and walking a few hundred yards to the car in the mall parking lot was akin to traversing the Appalachian Trail.

Fast forward to spring 2020.

As the novel coronavirus continued its deadly race around the world, we paced our homes, longing for a small breath of fresh air, to walk and run and play in a world not enclosed by four walls. We realized our bond to the natural world was an integral part of life, one that could nourish and sustain us not just physically but emotionally, as well. 

This newly embraced philosophy is the inspiration for “Earthbond,” the current art exhibit at the Bridgewater Lofts condominiums in the eastern loop of downtown Minneapolis. Running through September 12, the exhibit features nine artists whose subject matter and/or working materials have a direct connection to nature.   

“Although we’ve been hosting exhibits for several years now, we knew it was going to be challenging to mount a new show under the Governor’s stay-at-home orders,” stated Bridgewater Friends of the Arts Co-Chair Dianne Walsh. “We also knew that having art throughout the building was going to be critical to maintaining a positive outlook and keeping beauty in our lives. We were pleased to find artists who were willing to participate, even as they and their peers were withdrawing to their personal spaces.”

Moira Bateman (moirabateman.com) is an artist whose affinity for the natural world expresses itself in the abstract. She notes: “It is important to me that I give some control of my artistic process away to nature.” She often will go to “wild places” to gather raw materials for her works. Her “Flow” series, which has been shown in the Bowery Gallery in Chelsea, NYC, utilizes beeswax and hand stitched silk fabric that has been stained using tannins and sediment from natural waterways.

Moira Bateman, Flow Series

Fiber sculptor Barbara Riegel Bend’s (barbbend.com) creative use of reclaimed zippers is well known to her friends and followers, and she is never without an ample supply to use in her three-dimensional art. Her pieces range from the whimsical “Little Fish Sticks” with their charming button eyes to the churning shoreline waters captured in “River Rocks”.

Barbara Riegel Bend, Little Fish Sticks

Another artist who has turned recycling into an art form is Heather M. Cole (designHMC.com). Her interest is in transformation, “both the concept of changing or having a new purpose and the physical change from one thing to another.” In the case of her ethereal yet highly functional lighting designs, we can certainly say that the plastic milk jug never looked quite so chic.

Heather Cole, Urchin

Kathleen Krishnan (kathleenkrishnan.com) was originally a plein air painter, documenting her subjects directly in nature (think Renoir or Monet). Today, her camera is a critical tool, allowing her to capture nature verbatim and letting those photos launch her into a “visual memory” or “invention” to be translated to canvas. Krishnan, a lifelong nature walker, feels that her work exudes a sense of déjà vu. “I hope my paintings elicit this type of response for anyone who views them, conjuring their own personal memories.”

Kathleen Krishna, Garden Path

The mediums of choice for metalsmith Jane Driess (itsjanellc.com) and jewelry designers Megan Wiley (soliddesignstudios.com) and Kristen Iburg-Meyer  (elementsbyk.com) aren’t paint, fabric or canvas  but hard and unforgiving elements that are literally pulled from the earth itself. In their skilled hands, silver, gold, iron and semi-precious stones are transformed into functional, wearable art. Dries’s “It’s Jane” line includes the hand-hammered sliver shot glasses and serving pieces now on display in the Bridgewater exhibit along with Wiley and Iburg-Meyer’s bracelets, necklaces and pendants.

Jane Driess, Hammered Silver Cups

Meghan Wiley and Kristen Iburg-Meyer Jewelry

Ceramic artist Denise Tennen (denisetennen.com) returns to the Bridgewater with a new collection of works from her Poetry Orb series. Resembling the rocks that are found along the shoreline of Lake Superior, these small, smooth ovoid forms are meant to be held and even caressed as a means of relaxation or as a conduit for meditation.

Denise Tennen, Orb Series

Birch trees, fields and wetlands are the purview of Mary Welke (marywelke.com) who is a 2020 recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. Focused on the process of nature, her work is notable for a quiet, meditative quality as well as a dense textural surface. Among her pieces currently on display at the Bridgewater is “Crescendo.” Stand close. You may hear the crackle of fire racing across an American prairie.

Mary Welke, Crescendo

Let them Eat Cake! You almost imagine the voice of the infamous Marie Antionette emanating from the fantastical collages of Dominique Winders (treslechesartgallery.com/). Best known for her oversized post-apocalyptic tribal jewelry/sculptures, Winders also creates allegorical assemblages brimming with what she calls “little secrets.” Her biography notes that “Each piece takes the perceiver on a journey of both the future and the past…What would you remember if there was nothing left to remind you?”

Dominque Winders, Everybody Dance Now!

Turbulent color and bold, dense textures are the hallmarks of Alison Price,(alisonpricestudios.com)  who along with fellow artist Kathleen Krishan co-founded Tres Leches Gallery in the Northrop King building in Northeast Minneapolis. Her unique aesthetic is a perfect complement to the exhibit and includes works from her various series. “Shifting” brings us a bird’s eye view of submarine trenches in the Philippines and the Greenland Seas. The “Purely Structural” series showcases her commitment to maintaining a zero waste studio. Each 12 x 12 piece is a one-of-kind delight and utilizes texture, patina, paint, glass, paper and other extreme mediums to create works that compel and intrigue us.

Alison Price, Purely Structural

As we view the works of Price and all of these artists it reminds us that even the most common things in nature are meant to be treasured. That we can choose to see only the infinite landscape or an all-encompassing sunset but lose sight of the minute details that are soon lost to time. We’re reminded always of those lines by Joni Mitchell: “Don’t it always seem to go. That you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone.”

Northeast Minneapolis' Central N.E. Restaurant to Open July 16

Morrissey Hospitality announces Central N.E. will open Thursday, July 16th to serve the Minneapolis community. Located in the heart of NE Minneapolis at 700 Central Avenue NE, this new restaurant will be serving elevated American cuisine made from scratch and innovative cocktails made with Minnesota spirits.

Central N.E.’s carefully crafted menu features a variety of small plates that offer a smattering of delicious bites in perfect portions before diving into other dishes to further tantalize your taste buds. The open kitchen allows for the culinary to infuse seamlessly with the dining room and bar. The counter seating even allows for a front row seat into the culinary orchestra.

“Morrissey Hospitality is thrilled to be in partnership with Andy and Mary at Central N.E. Their passion for the neighborhood and business aligns with our passion for providing high quality food, drinks, and authentic hospitality. The Northeast neighborhood is animated and energetic, and we look forward to being a part of this community and add more energy to the neighborhood,” said Elizabeth Morrissey-Brown, Principal at Morrissey Hospitality.

“The mouthwatering craft cocktails or the vibrant dining and bar space might draw you in to Central N.E., but the familiar flavors, warm ambiance, and friendly service is what will make you a regular,” said Elizabeth.

Central N.E. owners, Mary and Andy Cohen, are excited to open their new restaurant. “We are very pleased to serve the NE neighborhood and beyond with our new concept - Central NE. We are excited about both food and beverage menus, created with the neighborhood in mind and executed with the experience and expertise Morrissey Hospitality brings to the table. We look forward to welcoming diners and hope that this spot will be a place for the neighborhood to enjoy for years to come.”

Central N.E. will open with their dinner menu available for in-store dining and take out which includes gluten friendly and vegan friendly items. Central N.E. has hopes to expand into brunch and lunch service in the future.

Call (612) 354-7947 for reservations, https://www.central-ne.com

Hours Of Operation:

Restaurant / Kitchen / Bar/ Patio:

Sunday & Monday    closed

Tuesday – Saturday   4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

(take-out also available via website or phone # above)

July 10 Ward 7 Update from Council Member Lisa Goodman

Public Hearings on Revised 2020 City Budget

The City Council’s Budget Committee will hold two public hearings, July 14 and 22, on proposed revisions to the City’s 2020 budget. The City is facing approximately $156 million in projected revenue losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Revised budget proposal

Mayor Jacob Frey presented the second phase of his revised budget proposal to the City Council’s Budget Committee July 9. The proposal avoids mass layoffs of City employees by relying on existing spending freezes, use of cash reserves, program cuts and furloughs. The budget also prioritizes preserving housing, economic development and racial equity work that will benefit the communities of color who have been hit hardest by COVID-19.

Frey’s Phase 1 response to the impact of COVID had included spending and hiring freezes and has saved approximately $58 million to date.

Public hearings

Engage and share your voice in this process during two online public hearings:

• Tuesday, July 14 at 6:05 p.m.

• Wednesday, July 22 at 10:00 a.m.

The City Council is scheduled to hold a budget markup July 17 and vote July 24 on a revised 2020 budget.

You can watch the online meetings and participate in the online public hearings.

For more information about the City’s budget, visit minneapolismn.gov/budget.

Public Hearings for Proposed Charter Amendment Creating New Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention

The Minneapolis Charter Commission is seeking public comments on a proposed amendment to the City charter related to the future of public safety. People can submit their comments online or provide them directly to members of the commission at a public hearing July 15 or July 21.

The proposed amendment, submitted by the City Council, proposes removing the Police Department from the charter and adding a new Community Safety & Violence Prevention Department. Under State law, the Charter Commission is required to review and submit its recommendation(s) on the proposed amendment before a ballot question can be presented to voters.

The virtual public hearings will take place

• Wednesday, July 15 at 5:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m.

Participation instructions will be published on the City’s website. If you’re interested in speaking at either or both of the public hearings, you can pre-register using the online registration form.

Other ways to comment:

• Using the online public comment form.
• Emailing councilcomment@minneapolismn.gov.
• Mailing comments to:The City Council voted June 26 to advance the proposal as a ballot measure to be considered by Minneapolis voters.
• Minneapolis Charter Commission City Hall – Room 304 350 S Fifth Street Minneapolis, MN 55415

Under state law, the Charter Commission has at least 60 days to complete its review and submit its recommendation to the City Council. The statutory deadline for submitting questions on the Nov. 3 general election ballot is Friday, Aug. 21. If approved by voters, the changes would become effective May 1, 2021

The Hennepin County Response to Homelessness

Hennepin County is the government entity that is the lead agency for addressing the topic of homelessness.  The remainder of this newsletter is a republishing of Commissioner Marion Greene's newsletter where she shares detailed information on what is being done by Hennepin County.

Shelter Available Today

As of today, there are 50 private rooms available for families with children at People Serving People and St Anne’s and we want to get all families out of encampments and inside as soon as possible.

At both People Serving People and St. Anne’s, families can find safe shelter from the elements, staff trained in trauma informed care and connections to quality childcare, healthcare, education and housing services. Additionally, as a right-to-shelter community for families with children, the county will work with families to make shelter arrangements even if these agencies no longer have rooms available

Responding to Families

We continue to implore all families with children to contact the Hennepin County shelter team at 612-348-9410 to arrange to get them into one of these safe places today. Outreach workers on the ground in city parks are aware of this and have helped connect some families to shelter. We want all to come inside and avoid the risks that are present at encampments. Please share this information broadly so we can help get more families out of harm’s way.

Immediate Response to COVID-19

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly threatening to our most vulnerable neighbors. As soon as the Hennepin County board issued our emergency declaration in mid-March, we expanded the entire shelter system to be CDC-guidelines-compliant, we also expanded it on a massive scale to shelter significantly more people, and we took immediate action to protect just under 600 of the most vulnerable (older people and people with comorbidities). We responded to the urgent need by asking willing Hennepin County employees to work in and run new shelters. Hennepin County shelters now operate 24-hours a day and offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner so residents have a safe place to reside full-time. 

These enormous efforts are the reason we have not seen widespread outbreaks in our homeless community as many other urban centers across the country have experienced. Hennepin County is spending almost $3 million per month for this response.

In addition, at the time of the civil unrest in Minneapolis, Hennepin County participated in the state-led effort to move about 130 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness from the Sabo Bridge, Stevens Square and Cedar encampments (also offered to folks on the Greenway) to two area hotels leased and managed by Avivo and Start Today.

Current, Ongoing Supports

Hennepin County in partnership with the city is deploying our Healthcare for the Homeless team to provide health supports to people at encampments across the city. Our Homeless Access and non-profit outreach teams are similarly working in encampments. They attempt to connect people to openings in housing, shelter and other services.

County and city staff and services have Are currently overextended at levels previously unheard of after standing up, staffing and maintaining hundreds and hundreds of new units of protective and isolation space since the days that followed the State of Emergency Declaration while also converting our entire homeless and housing system to be responsive to COVID-19.

On May 13 Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis communicated to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) that we could not safely stand up any additional hotel sites. This was before the murder of George Floyd and the resulting uprisings stretched our shelter system even further

Making Shelters Safer

These actions taken together have led to the largest and safest shelter system we have ever had in Hennepin County. Today, including the state’s most recent encampment evacuation to hotel sites, there are:

• Approximately 1,130 spaces in use for single adults experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County.
• Two-thirds of these spaces are individual separate rooms.
• All of these spaces are available for guests to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Three months ago, there were:

• About 930 emergency shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County
• All of these beds were in congregate settings with as many as 130 people in one room in the largest setting
• Only 180 spaces were available 24/7

Additionally, our family system still operates under a right-to-shelter for families with children and we have more than sufficient capacity to serve and shelter families

Testing for COVID-19

Mass testing at both our family shelter and one of our hotel sites recently found zero COVID+ test results for guests and staff. As of last week there had been a total of ~100 COVID+ cases among people experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County (as per MDH). While there is still a long road ahead of us, positive cases among people experiencing homelessness stayed flat thus far and have been declining steadily in recent weeks.

This effort has required unprecedented levels of funding. Hennepin County and partner staff have volunteered to be redeployed from their traditional work to offer support and step into roles they’ve never had before. This response has stretched our capacity and that of our nonprofit partners to a level that is unsustainable without additional support.

Helping People Keep the Homes They're In

The economic impacts of COVID-19 are further threatening to exacerbate these challenges. To prepare for the risk of thousands of people newly threatened with homelessness, Hennepin County recently announced $15 million for rental assistance for low income households who cannot afford their housing costs due to COVID-19.

Please help us share this resource widely: https://www.hennepin.us/rent-help.

Protecting People in Encampments

These unprecedented efforts still fall short of meeting the extraordinary need in our community. There are very real public health risks that are unavoidable in large, concentrated encampments that must be considered in our collective response to this situation. As described above, we will continue to deploy our Healthcare for the Homeless team to provide health supports to people at Powderhorn Park and other encampments across the city. Our Homeless Access and outreach teams will similarly continue to work tirelessly to connect people to services and the shelter and housing that is available.

The county and city’s previous experience with large encampments has taught us that the larger encampments get, the more dangerous they become. That is especially true for those staying within them. This was true before factoring in the global pandemic that requires social distancing to keep vulnerable individuals and our community safe.

What the City of Minneapolis is Doing

The City of Minneapolis has been a close partner of the county’s in this work. If you would like information specifically about the City’s overall homeless response system and encampment response the city’s webpage here: http://www2.minneapolismn.gov/cped/housing/WCMS1P-081097.

Underpinning: Lack of Affordable Housing

Our region’s lack of affordable housing does the most harm to people with very low incomes—those making 30% of the Area Median Income (or about $30,000 for a family of four). People of color are disproportionally represented in this group and even more disproportionately represented in who experiences homelessness. In Hennepin County:

• About 74,000 households live in this income bracket.
• We have only about 14,000 units of subsidized housing in Hennepin County that are affordable for them.
• About 95% of people experiencing homelessness have incomes at or below this level, including many who are working full-time jobs.

The math is simple, people can’t afford housing and there is not enough of it.

Immediate and Long-term Solutions – In ‘Normal’ Times

Every year, the county invests about $134 million, primarily state and federal funds, to support a range of affordable housing and shelter response strategies. This funding allows us to:

• Provide shelter for 9,000 people experiencing homelessness
• Help more than 7,500 residents who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness maintain or access permanent housing
• Support 15,000 people in supportive housing
• Create or preserve about 975 units of affordable housing

As I mentioned above, from the beginning of the year to the end of May, our community has moved more than 700 people in Hennepin County directly from homelessness into permanent housing. This work makes a difference for the people served but unfortunately it is not nearly enough.

Increasing Supportive Housing

Last year the Hennepin County board adopted a new strategy to proactively drive construction of 1,000 new units of housing affordable to those with the lowest income, including housing specifically designed for people who are chronically homeless or medically fragile.

This is an innovative 10-year strategy that the we estimate will cost the county $90 million and require continued investment from state and city funding partners. We have already awarded $6 million to fund seven new supportive housing projects which will create 212 physical units of housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness and people with severe addictions.

Partnership

If you’ve read this far, it is clear how closely Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis are collaborating, and partnership with the State of Minnesota is woven through this work as well. Here is the list of joint initiatives the city and county are working on that the state hopes to join:

• Funding for additional outreach at encampments to connect people to shelter and housing
• A park board request: Funding for incidental expenses at encampments: bathrooms, handwashing stations, showers, medical services and security
• Capital and operating support for emergency shelter: dormitories at the State Fair Grounds (or other state-managed location), excess quarantine housing identified by the State Emergency Operations Command (SEOC), or other new shelter locations including but not limited to hotels
• Response to the City/County joint request to the SEOC for staffing support, either re-assigning state workers as the County has done, or new staff for hotels and shelters
• Purchase of hotels using federal CARES Act dollars or bonding across the state and region, a long-term investment in shelter and housing that would supplement this strategy that the City and County are jointly pursuing
• Support for longer term shelter needs for culturally appropriate shelter and medical respite shelter

Further Ways to Help

People often ask ‘what can I do to help,’ so here is an answer, to the best of my ability. These challenges require all of us working together with the urgency that the moment requires. Here are a few things you can do right now to help.

1. Keep advocating: Join forces with established efforts to increase housing stability in our community. Check out the Homes for All Campaign, MN Coalition for the Homeless, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Please continue to reach out to your state and federal representatives, as well as your city and county elected leaders and let them know we need immediate funding and action to address homelessness in our communities.
2. Volunteer: Many organizations lost volunteers when the pandemic started. Organizations need volunteers now more than ever — you are likely connected with your local non-profits but otherwise Handsontwincities.org is a good place to start.
3. Donate: Nonprofits who are providing shelter and essential services to people experiencing homelessness are facing dire financial constraints at a time when their services are more needed than ever. Hennepin County is doing everything we can to increase funding, but your donations are badly needed, too.
4. Educate: In order to take decisive and effective action together, having a sound understanding of the challenges we face together is crucial. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a good resource to help educate your friends, family, and neighbors on solutions to end homelessness. You can also find great statistical information for Minnesota at Wilder Research. 

Thank you again for your passion for this work. It requires good faith collaboration and strong partnerships across government agencies, the public and private sectors and, especially, community and people with lived experience of homelessness. And to reiterate, shelter and encampments are not acceptable solutions; only housing is.

The City’s Response to Homelessness

Minneapolis has experienced an unprecedented growth in homeless encampments since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several large encampments citywide with the largest currently at Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis. There are roughly 100 encampments throughout the city, most of which are small in size.

Response

The City is working with Hennepin County to help connect people experiencing homelessness to housing, shelter and services while preserving dignity and respect. The response includes:

• The City has placed more than 15 hygiene stations throughout the city including portable toilets, handwashing stations, used syringe containers and trash receptables.
• The City Health Department is coordinating public health services at large encampments.
• Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department Homeless and Vulnerable Persons Initiative deliver food and water and help people access resources.
• The City works with contracted outreach providers to connect encampment residents with services, shelter and housing.
• The City and County will work with community partners to secure federal COVID-19 funding to expand outreach and rapid rehousing services and expand long-term culturally appropriate shelter capacity.

Affordable housing

Housing ends homelessness, and the City and County have significantly increased investments in affordable housing development in 2019 and 2020, with priority for housing serving people experiencing homelessness.

• Since 2006, the City has provided more than $68 million to help develop more than 900 units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness.
• About 290 new units for people experiencing homelessness will close on financing from City and County, State and/or Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) funding programs and start construction in 2020.
• We are working with partners to prevent evictions during this time of crisis. The City made $3 million available for Emergency Housing Assistance for people who have lost income due to COVID.
• The County has made $15 million available for Emergency Housing Assistance through CARES Act funds. Applications for County housing assistance are currently being accepted.

Find out more on the City website.

COVID-19 Situational Update as of July 8

• There are 5,048 cases in Minneapolis and 190 deaths. The City is sharing Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics through a public facing dashboard at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.
• Young adults continue to account for more than 50% of cases. Social exposures and contacts are increasing as more facilities open. This is the second week that cases in young adults have spiked.
• Congregate living facilities in Minneapolis continue to see new cases among residents and, while accounting only for 9% of confirmed cases, account for 72% of COVID-19 deaths.
• There are 39,589 cases in Minnesota out of over 692,000 tests completed. There have been 1,485 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 12,703 cases and 789 deaths in Hennepin County.
• There are over 11 million confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 3 million cases confirmed and 131,857 deaths in the US alone. The US remains the country with the highest number of cases and deaths by a significant margin.
• CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health have issued testing criteria to include all contacts with a known exposure.
• As of June 10, Minnesota has entered Phase III of the Governor’s Stay Safe MN order which allows bars and restaurants to offer indoor dining at 50% capacity with tables spaced six feet apart. Pairs of people may sit at a bar if they maintain the appropriate distance from others. Pools may open at 50% capacity and gyms may open at 25% capacity.
• Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation requiring that masks be worn in indoor public spaces in Minneapolis is still in effect.
• The state’s Community Resiliency and Recovery Work Group has released a survey to gather information about the impacts of COVID-19 on traditionally marginalized communities. They would like to hear from Minnesota’s Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities to understand how COVID-19 is impacting these groups and how the state can better support them. Please consider sharing the survey link with your constituents.

Health Incident Command updates

As the MHD continues to respond to COVID-19, we are applying an equity lens to all our work in conjunction with partners across the City enterprise.

Case investigations: The Health Department is conducting over 50 case investigations and contact follow-ups for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 per day. 86% of all cases reported in Minneapolis have been interviewed, 9% are lost to follow up (insufficient contact information or non-returned calls), 2% refuse the interview, and 3% represent new cases not yet interviewed or cases in long-term care facilities which are investigated by the state health department. Currently, the MHD has 25 investigators, including six non-MHD enterprise staff. Of case investigations conducted, 37% were done in a language other than English.

Testing: The testing team is beginning to plan for a community testing event at Sagrado Corazon church in south Minneapolis. This will be planned with the church and its community partners, as well as the Minnesota Department of Health. This community testing event will focus on the Latinx community; however, it will be open to all. The MHD is in conversation with community groups and Healthcare for the Homeless about coordinating testing for individuals sheltering at or near Powderhorn Park.

Personal Protective Equipment: The Health Department continues to receive requests for masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. Last week, we distributed 2,730 cloth masks and 191 bottles of hand sanitizer. Much of what was distributed went to supporting safe practices as people congregate at and around the George Floyd memorial site at 38th and Chicago. The remainder was distributed in response to various community requests across the city. Broadly, we continue to seek to balance the needs of clinics and health care providers with the needs of other priority populations including low-income individuals, BIPOC communities, low-income multi-family housing properties, faith communities, people experiencing homelessness, and community-based organizations.

Health inspections: Health inspectors completed a sweep of 24 bars in downtown, Uptown, and Dinkytown. Nine bars were closed. The 15 open bars all had COVID-19 plans in place. Health inspectors stressed COVID-19 safety messages. Additionally, COVID-19 plans are reviewed at all routine health inspections. The Park Board opened 20 wading pools on July 4, and the MHD is reviewing COVID-19 plans at the pools as they inspect.

Homelessness response: The MHD continues to work closely with others across the City enterprise, the State, County, and the Park Board to respond to the urgent and long-term needs of the unsheltered homeless population. Tent encampments of various sizes can be found at approximately 38 parks across the city, including more than 560 tents at Powderhorn Park. Health Department staff are coordinating different health care needs at the encampment such as wound care, harm reduction, mental health, HIV and hepatitis testing. In addition, the MHD is providing on-site services such as hand washing stations and syringe drop boxes to help maintain safe and hygienic environments.

Food security efforts: Unemployment, disrupted transportation services, and public safety concerns are significantly impacting food security for individuals and families across the city. Multiple City departments are collaborating to provide leadership and support for emergency food relief efforts.

Food retail: Health inspectors completed a final walk-through of the temporary Cub Foods community market on Lake Street. The 13,000 square foot space, which includes grocery and pharmacy services, opened on Wednesday, July 8. The temporary market on West Broadway has started construction and is scheduled to open in late July. Cub is offering shuttle service from these two locations to nearby stores for those who seek a larger selection of food and goods.

Free food distribution: Demand at food shelves and free food distribution events continues to increase. City staff are co-hosting a weekly food distribution at Powderhorn Park for 600+ Latinx households and a growing number of other community members. As needs are identified among food shelves and community groups, the MHD is making connections to available resources such as state and county funding opportunities. Staff are also convening partners to help foster collaboration and address barriers such as the need for language translation at pop-up events.

Community engagement: A pilot effort is being proposed which will provide COVID-19 education and help address social isolation among Somali elders in public housing high rises. Financial support will be provided to a community-based group working with this population. If the pilot program moves forward, both the Health Department and Neighborhood and Community Relations will be involved.

Heat emergencies The Health Department is connecting with area hospitals to maintain situational awareness on hospital use related to extreme heat. Community spaces usually available for people to cool off, such as libraries and park buildings, are not available this year. Several strategies are being vetted to cope with extreme heat events including mobile cooling shelters using busses and development of emergency cooling site plans with the Park Board.

The City specific COVID email address is: COVID19@minneapolismn.gov.

MNHS Announces Plans for Historic Sites and Museums in 2020, including the Mill City Museum

Via a July 10 e-announcement from the Minnesota Historical Society:

The Minnesota Historical Society is working on plans to welcome back visitors to the Minnesota History Center, to Mill City Museum, and for tours at the Minnesota State Capitol later this year. 

Earlier MNHS announced that Split Rock Lighthouse and Jeffers Petroglyphs will once again be open for visitors beginning July 15. Birch Coulee Battlefield, Lower Sioux Agency, Marine Mill and Traverse des Sioux are already open to the public. 

While the remaining MNHS historic sites and museums will not have regular open hours for the rest of the year, staff at a number of sites are working on limited offerings including programs that could accommodate guests onsite. View an open/close grid.

In order to ensure the health and safety of guests, staff and the community, MNHS is limiting the number of daily visitors at Split Rock Lighthouse and Jeffers Petroglyphs. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online or through the box office at 651-259-3015. A limited number of tickets will be available for walk-ups.

New protocols designed to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 can be viewed on the health and safety procedures page of each website, which can be found on our visit page.

MNHS is following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, and will adjust reopening plans as necessary.  

For more information, visit our website at mnhs.org/covid-19.

About the Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

July 8 Newsletter from Council Member Steve Fletcher

Ward 3 Friends -

My regular Wednesday coffee hours will be cancelled this week and next while the Charter Commission takes up the Council's proposed public safety charter amendment for this year's ballot. Then, starting on Thursday, July 23, they will move to THURSDAYS at 5:00 P.M. for the foreseeable future. 

I encourage you to read the proposed charter amendment and submit public comment to have your voice heard (more info below). There are also two scheduled public hearings: next Wednesday, July 15 at 4:00 P.M. and Tuesday, July 21 at 6:00 P.M.

We are also amending the 2020 Budget this month to address revenue shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Public hearings on that amended budget will be held on July 14 and July 22; more details on those are below as well.

I look forward to continued discussion with you on both of these critical items and more in the weeks to come.

En Avant,

Steve

Comments Sought on Proposed Changes to the City Charter

The Charter Commission holds its first public hearing July 15

The Minneapolis Charter Commission is seeking public comments on a proposed amendment to the City charter related to the future of public safety. People can submit their comments online or provide them directly to members of the commission at a July 15 public hearing.

The proposed amendment, submitted by the City Council, proposes removing the Police Department from the charter and adding a new Community Safety & Violence Prevention Department. Under State law, the Charter Commission is required to review and submit its recommendation(s) on the proposed amendment before a ballot question can be presented to voters.

The first of two virtual public hearings takes place at the next Charter Commission meeting, 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 15. Participation instructions will be published on the City’s website.

Other ways to comment:

• Using the online public comment form.
• Emailing councilcomment@minneapolismn.gov.
• Mailing comments to:

Minneapolis Charter Commission
City Hall – Room 304
350 South Fifth St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415

(Virtual) Coffee With Your Council Member

I have normally held regular open community office hours at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, at a rotating neighborhood coffee shop in Ward 3 for constituents to drop by, ask questions, and raise any issues you see in the community. 

While we are practicing social distancing, I am holding my community office hours remotely on Microsoft Teams.

Due to the Charter Commission meetings and Public Hearings, meetings are cancelled for the next two weeks. Then please join me for my coffee meetings on their new regularly occurring time on Thursday nights: 

Wednesday, July 8 -- CANCELLED

Wednesday, July 15 -- CANCELLED

THURSDAY (new regular day), July 23, at 5:00 p.m.

Click to join in Microsoft Teams  or by phone: 612-276-6670, 933 303 746# 

Anyone can join a Microsoft Teams web meeting. A free software download may be required, depending on how you join the meeting (computer, Android or Apple device).

If you have questions or a topic to discuss, email David.Zaffrann@minneapolismn.gov to RSVP.

Public Hearings Scheduled for July on Revised 2020 Budget

The City Council’s Budget Committee will hold two public hearings in July on proposed revisions to the City’s 2020 budget.

The City faces a significant revenue shortfall as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and needs to make cuts to the City’s roughly $1.5 billion budget.

Mayor Jacob Frey will brief the City Council's Policy & Government Oversight (POGO) Committee on a revised 2020 budget July 9, and staff will present the revised budget to the City Council July 10.

Public hearings

Engage and share your voice in this process during two online public hearings:

• 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, July 14
• 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 22

You can watch the online meetings and participate in the online public hearings.

The City Council is scheduled to vote July 24 on a revised 2020 budget.

For more information about the City’s budget, visit minneapolismn.gov/budget.

Training Opportunities From Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute

Introduction to Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience for Cultural Competence - 2 hour online training

When terrible things happen, like COVID-19, racism, police brutality, our peace is stolen from us. Most people want to build peace back into their lives and community.

These 2-hour online trainings are partially funded by the City of Minneapolis’ Office of Violence Prevention to promote racial trauma healing, resilience, and restorative justice for all who live, work, and/or play in Minneapolis.

Pay-what-you-can up to $30 Click to register:

• Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 2pm – 4pm CST                          
• Friday, July 17, 2020, 10am – 12pm CST
• Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 2pm – 4pm CST                          
• Thursday, July 23, 2020, 10am – 12pm CST
• Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 2pm – 4pm CST                          
• Friday, July 31, 2020, 10am – 12pm CST

This 2-hour online training teaches basic concepts, models, and strategies of the 5-day Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience - STAR Training. STAR is a research and practice-supported community education training integrating neuropsychology, trauma healing and resilience, restorative justice, nonviolent conflict transformation, and broadly defined spirituality for increasing cultural competence. All are welcome to join us. Space is limited to 30. 

This training is for everyone: laypeople, paraprofessionals, and licensed professionals. This training is not only for “staff.” Training objectives: 

1. Learn and reflect on the various types of trauma and common responses to psychological trauma for increased racial healing and equity.

2. Learn and reflect on the links between unhealed trauma and cycles of harm and violence experienced by all people.

3. Learn and reflect on the basic STAR trauma healing and resilience models and associated practices for increased racial healing and equity.

4. Explore ways to apply trauma healing, resilience, and restorative justice practices toward building peace within your sphere of influence.