Friday

Aug282020

August 28 Ward 7 News from Council Member Lisa Goodman

Friday, August 28, 2020 at 3:05PM |

For the past few weeks, I have been able to see the city of Minneapolis through the eyes of an old friend and coworker who was here visiting family and friends. He was here as a result of being one of millions of people laid off from a job he loved, due to the COVID pandemic. He was so proud of how far the city has come in so many ways since he left town. I got to see an “outsider” perspective of the resiliency of Minneapolis attempting to recover from civil unrest and to do better by varied communities of color that make our city the wonderful place it is.

We had the good fortune of touring an historic building being saved after a fire and made into affordable housing. We walked around east downtown where he used to live, and he was so happy to see the new Finnegan’s Brewery and all the mixed income development in a neighborhood that had almost no development when he left. We looked at some of the many boards created by artists in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and felt hopeful that real change, systemic change, was around the corner and something we could do with public safety transformation here in Minneapolis and that it would start the nation on the path to real change in law enforcement.

Wednesday night, his last night in town, we witnessed a very different picture. A murder and suicide happened downtown, and two people lost their lives. That in and of itself is a tragedy, but what happened next was a travesty - violence, rioting and opportunistic looting - these are not acceptable responses to anger and trauma. It must be said that the level of distrust between law enforcement and many members of our community partially led to this situation as did being cooped up by COVID, unemployment, homelessness and uncertainty in these times we live in. The fact that this all began through misinformation being put out on social media is completely irresponsible, both by those who put out the message and by those that chose to react with abject destruction of property.

What we have all witnessed occurring in our downtown and to our beloved neighborhood businesses is exactly the reason I believe we need a fully funded, well trained and transformed public safety system. We need a system that can respond to 911 calls, many of which are in and of themselves violent, and to conduct investigations so those who commit serious crime are found, tried and punished fairly but most importantly we need a public safety system that is proactive and engaged in the community. We need foot patrols that walk a beat, know neighbors by name, stop by businesses to listen to concerns and address them in advance of violence. We need intervention and redirection by community partners like MAD DAD’s, a Mother’s Love and YouthLink to communicate with people before violence happens and we need to partner with others who can best respond to traffic issues, mental illness calls and other concerns that might not need an armed law enforcement response. We need more public safety, not less. I have always believed that public safety is the most important public service element cities are responsible for and if we are not all safe, if we don’t all feel safe, than we have nothing.

I know no one wishes to hear this but I need to be honest: prior to this week, I had already heard from many small and large business owners, their employees and residents are seriously contemplating whether they wanted to live, work and own businesses in our city. Downtown businesses employ more than 175,000 people, many of whom also live in the city and want to be there because they can easily bike, walk or use transit to get to their jobs. My fear is that this is exactly the sort of unrest that will tip the scales. It isn’t only that businesses don’t want to invest in our downtown or Uptown but that there is a broader belief that downtown, in particular, isn’t safe. This affects all aspects of what our city has to offer and ultimately it hurts everyone.

Downtown Minneapolis is the economic hub of the state of Minnesota. We have a thriving theater district, a historic warehouse district along with restaurants and sporting venues, small businesses and big ones, hotels and event locations that will all suffer, if jobs cease to exist or move out of the city. Our neighborhood commercial and cultural corridors like 38th and Chicago, Lake Street and the incredible American Indian corridor of Franklin Avenue have suffered as a result of violence that has spun out of control as we hope they will have the resiliency to come back.

There is no excuse for people looting stores and setting businesses on fire. This does not honor the memory of George Floyd or any of the dozens of black and brown people who have been killed by law enforcement this year. Systemic racism is the challenge of our generation and our children's generation. We must step up and call out racism and work to cure it. We can do this, we must do this, and we can’t allow violence, arson and looting to be the path we are on to cure this public health crisis.

Summary of Damage Assessment and Outreach

Below are some summary points of business support activities and below that a copy of the communication we sent to businesses.

Following the Mayor’s emergency declaration, City staff were out immediately this morning to assess the damages. This canvas identified damages to 61 properties throughout the city. We are also receiving data from our partners at the DID, Warehouse District, though 311 and 911, and other community organizations of damages that we will cross reference with our data in the coming days.
We will provide details on these properties and locations when we confirm the cross reference.
City staff has reached out to the businesses who sustained fires, Britt’s, Walgreen’s, Tire’s Plus, and China Wok, to offer support and assistance. We plan to connect with all affected properties in the coming days.
We continue to work with our partners downtown and in the neighborhoods to provide supports and sent messaging out to businesses and community organizations this afternoon with tips and information around supports.
The City has technical resources available to affected businesses through our Business Technical Assistance program. Please connect with the Small Business Team at 612-673-2499.

Mayor Frey and Chief Arradondo Overhaul Policy on Police Using Force

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced an overhaul of the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) use of force policy. The new policy requires that officers use the lowest level of force needed to safely engage a subject and that officers first consider all reasonable alternatives before using deadly force. The changes also prohibit behavior that incites or escalates a situation.

Frey and Arradondo are also advancing a ban on shooting at moving vehicles and effecting a fundamental shift in department policy by replacing long-held standards for what is “legally allowable” with overarching principles and best practices to oversee use of force.

Some of the changes were made possible by new latitude afforded by the recent Minnesota Police Accountability Act, including the restrictions on deadly force.

City Council Expands Revised Structure to Five Modified Committees

The City Council continues to update its committees and schedule to respond to changing needs during the local public health emergency. Beginning the week of Sept. 7, the two-week City Council cycles will consist of five standing committee meetings and the regular meeting of the full City Council. The standing committees are:

Budget Committee.
Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning Committee.
Policy & Government Oversight Committee.
Public Health & Safety Committee.
Transportation & Public Works Committee.

The full City Council will continue to meet at 9:30 a.m. every other Friday.

This is the latest change in the City’s policy-making process since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dates and times of upcoming meetings are available on the City’s website at lims.minneapolismn.gov.

Census Deadline Approaching Fast – Get Counted

Have you completed the census yet? The deadline to get counted in the 2020 census is Sept. 30, and Minneapolis still has several neighborhoods that are severely undercounted. 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.

In 2010, the City of Minneapolis had a census response rate of 72.8%.

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.

Highlights of Recovery Efforts Helping Business Community

As these unprecedented times test our resilience, staff across the City are working on strategic resources to begin the long path toward recovery. Since the start of the pandemic, the City’s economic development team has helped our business community start to recover through expertise, funding and adapting processes.

Overall, the City’s economic development team has connected with more than 2,000 businesses, provided more than 3,000 hours of direct customer assistance directly or through service contracts, changed licensing and regulatory processes to save businesses $1.4 million, and helped business access more than $3 billion in funding since the start of the pandemic.

Some highlights of our work:

Expertise

The Small Business Team has fielded 650 calls since the beginning of April to connect businesses to resources. The team has reached out to cultural malls and damaged commercial areas and done research as part of establishing the Small Business Administration’s disaster declaration.
Increased resources to community-based partners and modified program guidelines provided technical assistance supporting 645 businesses. The service helped navigate employee issues, triage outstanding expenses, negotiate payments with creditors and apply for relief funds.
Our partners helped food establishments adapt their business models with online ordering and delivery, online sale of gift certificates, etc.
The City committed a total of $500,000 to 10 community-based business organizations in pandemic specific funding.

Funding

Made 173 loans totaling $1.55 million to businesses in targeted areas to increase equitable results. Around 70% of loan recipients identified as non-white with borrowers identifying as Black/African American as the largest overall recipient group at 42% of total loans.

The program provided $5,000 or $10,000 loans of flexible funding to meet immediate working capital needs such as payroll and employee benefits, rent or mortgage payments, accounts payable and payments due to supply chain.
Besides direct funds, our business teams helped businesses access funding from County, State and federal resources for a total (including the City funds) of almost 14,000 businesses receiving more than $3 billion.

The City business assistance teams relaxed permit fees and fee collections, saving businesses a collective $1.4 million.

Improved processes

The City streamlined reopening for 112 businesses expanding outdoors and reopening in early June by creating a guide; modifying processes and ordinances; and coordinating with the State of Minnesota, Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit.
City staff rooted the opening plan in racial equity and identified those impacted most by having roundtables with restaurants, labor leaders and community-based groups; and completing a racial equity impact assessment to flag barriers to the business owners and needs of the workers.

See more ways the City is working to move recovery efforts forward.

COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program Opens to Help with Housing Expenses

Minnesota’s COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program has opened to cover housing expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities, or other housing-related costs. This program will help keep folks in their homes and maintain housing stability for eligible renters and homeowners in communities across the state.

People in Minnesota interested in applying for assistance can call the Greater Twin Cities United Way’s 211 Resource Helpline at 651-291-0211, 211unitedway.org or texting “MNRENT” or “MNHOME” to 898-211. The 211 Helpline has dedicated multilingual staff to answer questions about the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

For questions regarding the application process, check the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program frequently asked questions.

Expanded Bus, Light Rail Train Service Coming in September

Upcoming schedule changes will serve riders with more options and space when traveling on buses and trains. The changes taking effect Saturday, Sept. 12, will mean that many local bus routes, the METRO A Line and the METRO C Line will have about as much service as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. The METRO Blue Line and METRO Green Line will offer 10-minute service throughout most of the day. Because of a significant drop in demand, around 50 express bus routes will remain suspended and the Northstar Commuter Rail Line will continue to operate on a limited, weekday-only schedule. In July, ridership on local bus routes and the METRO A Line and METRO C Line was down about 50% compared to the same month last year. Light rail train ridership was down about 75%. Increases in local bus and light rail train service will help riders keep a safe distance on buses and trains as more people return to transit.

Learn more about the changes.

Voters: Apply Now to Get Your Ballot for the General Election

Want to make sure your ballot will be returned on time to count for the general election on Nov. 3?

Apply now and get your ballot right when early voting opens. Ballots will be mailed out starting Sept. 18. This will ensure plenty of time to receive your ballot, vote and then return your ballot using the postage-paid envelope.

Apply on the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.

Learn more about how the City is working to ensure a safe election season during the pandemic.

City Leaders Continue Conversations with Community about Future of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue

The City is committed to supporting and investing in racial justice and healing in the area of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. City leaders have met with community leaders who have authored a racial justice resolution outlining a series of demands for the City to consider before barricades would be removed from the intersection.

While City staff and elected officials have had conversations with community about a potential phased reopening plan for 38th Street the week of Aug. 17, those plans are on hold to allow for continued discussions with community members.

City leaders and staff have been actively engaging with community members since late May following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in the custody of Minneapolis Police. They have attended daily meetings on the street and held several town halls. The City has heard numerous perspectives about this intersection, both short- and long-term desires and needs. City officials including Mayor Jacob Frey, Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins and Council Member Alondra Cano met for two hours with justice resolution authors to discuss demands.

To provide safe access for visitors to the intersection, the City placed barricades to through traffic, while also ensuring access for emergencies and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since May, the barricades have remained in place. Moving toward a phased reopening is necessary to improve community access, mitigate neighborhood and business impacts, and support public safety. The City has expressed the need for a phased reopening to community members and organizers.

Conversations between City and the community are continuing with a commitment to work together toward longer term investments in racial justice, in addition to numerous efforts currently underway:

The City Council recently passed a resolution declaring racism a public health emergency and has committed to a series of action steps to dedicate more resources to racial equity work.
The revised 2020 City budget includes $100,000 to support initial community engagement in the co-creation of a vision for a permanent memorial for Floyd. It also includes $150,000 for the Creative City Making program to hire a diverse team of artists and healers to create, implement, and lead community engagement processes to guide the City’s community healing and rebuild with racial equity efforts for areas most impacted by civil unrest.
The City Council adopted an ordinance establishing 38th Street as one of seven cultural districts in Minneapolis. As outlined in Minneapolis 2040, the City’s comprehensive plan, the goal of cultural districts is to advance racial equity, prevent displacement, preserve cultural identity and fuel economic growth in areas with a rich sense of cultural and/or linguistic identity rooted in communities significantly populated by people of color, Indigenous people and/or immigrants. The ordinance allows the City to prioritize deploying resources to these areas.
A recommendation to rename Chicago Avenue between 37th Street East and 39th Street East to honor Floyd is also moving through the City approval process.
The City will accelerate funding to reconstruct the street and intersection to build the community vision in conjunction with the Metro D-Line bus-rapid transit project.

The City Council’s Policy & Government Oversight Committee heard a staff report Aug. 20 on the status of the intersection and future work.

Find updates on the City website.

COVID-19 Situation Update as of August 26, 2020

Situational updates: Minneapolis

There are 8,768 cases in Minneapolis and 218 deaths. The City shares Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.
Minneapolis has seen a decrease in the seven-day rolling average of new cases from 19.2 cases to 15.5 cases per 100,000 between August 1 and August 19. This decrease coincides with the implementation of both Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17 for bars and restaurants and Governor Walz’s Executive Order for statewide mask use.
Colleges and universities are preparing for the start of the fall semester by developing COVID-19 safety plans for housing, classroom instruction, and other on-campus experiences. The state health department recommends they balance the need to return students to in-person instruction with the importance of reducing transmission opportunities. The University of Minnesota decided to delay the opening of dormitories and the start of in-person undergraduate classes by at least two weeks at its Twin Cities campus.
Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 12 regarding masks remains in effect. The regulation requires people to wear face masks in all indoor public places.
Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17 regarding bars and restaurants remains in effect. The regulation closes bar areas in restaurants, nightclubs, and indoor spaces of entertainment. Food and beverages can be served tableside while patrons are seated and patrons can approach the bar to order as long as they don’t congregate.

Situational updates: Minnesota

There are 71,236 cases in Minnesota out of over 1.4 million tests completed. There have been 1,793 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 22,044 cases and 873 deaths in Hennepin County.
The Health Department is using a color-coded map with multiple layers to track a seven-day rolling average of new cases in Minnesota. The State is at 11.1 cases per 100,000 and Minneapolis is at 15.5 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 Minneapolis 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:

Health inspectors continue to assist with permitting and inspecting larger public events that will serve food. Health inspectors ensure events are following the governor’s executive orders, including having an approved COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and meeting food safety standards. Attorney General Ellison’s office has asked to be notified of large events as they are enforcing the Governor’s executive orders. On Sunday, August 23, health inspectors provided 1,000 masks to the Black Entrepreneur State Fair organizers to distribute to event goers.
Health inspectors are normalizing COVID-19 education and review of Preparedness Plans into routine inspections.

Case investigations:

MHD is conducting over 50 case investigations and contact follow-ups per day for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Currently, there are 26 investigators, including six non-MHD enterprise staff. Of the 8,768 cases in Minneapolis, 85.3% have been interviewed, 2.1% have refused, 9.3% have been lost to follow-up, and 3.3% are new cases that still need to be interviewed. Twenty-eight percent of interviews of Minneapolis residents are in a language other than English.

Communications:

MHD is working with City Communications to amplify the #MaskUpMpls media campaign to encourage mask wearing, especially among young adults. New campaign materials featuring Minnesota Lynx player, Napheesa Collier, will launch later this week. The media campaign will include a promotional video, social media, and donated billboard space. Magnets and branded Lynx and Timberwolves masks will be distributed at a youth-focused community event in partnership with Man Up Club in North Minneapolis on August 29. City Communications will send out a media advisory to bring awareness to the campaign.
MHD and Communications staff are working with the state health department to develop messaging to promote flu vaccinations among BIPOC communities and other at-risk groups. This season, getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever as it will not only protect against seasonal flu, but it will also help preserve scarce medical resources for health care providers and COVID-19 patients.

Community testing:

MHD continues to work with community partners and clinics to host free COVID-19 testing events. So far this week, more than 650 people were tested at two events focused on low-income families and BIPOC communities.
A pilot program to give free flu shots was held at a COVID-19 testing event on August 25. One third of the participants elected to receive a flu shot.
The next testing event is planned for Friday, August 28 from noon to 7:00p.m. at New Salem Baptist Church (2507 Bryant Ave. N). While this event is focused on the north Minneapolis community, all are welcome. The testing is free for everyone. Online pre-registration is available, but not required. Flu shots will not be offered at this event.
Testing events are promoted in a variety of ways including through cultural radio programs, social media, the City's COVID-19FAQ webpage, news webpage, twice weekly e-newsletters, and through City Council constituent newsletters.

Food security:

MHD and NCR continue to co-host a weekly free food distribution event at Powderhorn Park (Fridays, 11 a.m. to 2p.m.) for 400-700 households, primarily serving the Latinx community.
City staff are working to support pop-up food distribution sites and other community organizations as they address equity, accessibility, and other systemic barriers to food security and distribution. City staff are identifying potential operating options and regulatory frameworks for pop-ups that want to continue operating long-term. Pop-ups have varying organizational partners, structures, resources, and strategies. Each will need to consider what options work best for them and the community they are serving. The City is committed to working with pop-ups to ensure they can continue to provide low-barrier food support to their communities.

Encampments:

This week, MHD staff placed hygiene stations and trash receptacles at two encampments located on City-owned land: one behind the former Kmart site on Lake Street and another at 9^thAvenue and 13^thStreet. Staff will continue to monitor health and safety needs at these sites and other encampments across the city.

Personal Protective Equipment:

MHD continues to respond to requests for masks and other supplies. In the past week, staffdistributed4,645masks and 110bottlesof hand sanitizer to neighborhood organizations, small business owners, faith communities, and community-based organizations. Specific efforts included distributing masks at the Black Entrepreneur State Fair, the Powderhorn Park weekly free food distribution, and City-sponsored community testing events.

Schools:

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS)has outlined five phases for students returning to full-time classroom learning. MPS will start the school year under Phase 2: Distance Learning with Student Supports.
Health Department School-Based Clinic staff will provide services by appointment, either in-person or through virtual consultations (telehealth care). Clinics are located within Edison, Henry, Longfellow, Roosevelt, South, Southwest, and Washburn High Schools.
School based clinics provide health education, medical, and mental health services to students. Services include physicals, immunizations, treatment of illnesses, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, family planning care, prescriptions, nutrition services, mental health assessment and ongoing counseling.

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

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