July 2 Ward 7 Update from Council Member Lisa Goodman

Hello to everyone.  You may have noticed that we are sending out our newsletter on Thursday this week as our office is closed Friday, July 3, in observance of the Fourth of July, holiday weekend. No matter what you are doing to acknowledge and celebrate the long holiday weekend, I hope you can take some time to rest and relax and as always, in everything you do – please be safe!

As we reported last Friday, the Minneapolis City Council voted to move the question about the future of the Minneapolis Police Department and the idea of creating a new department called, Community Safety & Violence Prevention onto the Minneapolis City Charter Commission. This starts the process for the people of Minneapolis to vote on this idea.  The Charter Commission is now tasked with gathering public input and determining if this initiative should be on the ballot this fall.  Under state law, the Charter Commission has at least 60 days to complete its review and submit its recommendation back to the City Council.  The article below this message tells how you can share your public comments with the Charter Commission.

How to Share Comments with the Charter Commission on the Proposed Police Reorganization

Information on this and a way to comment is available at this web page: http://www2.minneapolismn.gov/charter/public-safety

Additional information (also found on that web page) is below.

Public Safety Transformation

The City Council has proposed an amendment to the City Charter to be referred to voters in November. If approved by voters, that amendment would create a new Community Safety & Violence Prevention Department and remove the Police Department from the Charter. 

See the proposed amendment

The proposal has been referred to the Charter Commission for its review as required by state law. The deadline to submit a ballot question this year is August 21.

Learn how the Charter can be amended and view current proposals for amendments.

You may submit comments for the record on this proposal. Your comments will be included in the public record and shared with the Charter Commission.

Your data will be added to the public record.

Information you provide is subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. This law classifies certain information as available to the public upon request.

COVID-19 Situational Update as of Noon, July 1, 2020

• There are 4,732 cases in the city of Minneapolis and 187 deaths. The City is sharing Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics through a public facing dashboard at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard. The dashboard has been updated to provide more data on neighborhood level numbers of cases, including information on the total ICU count for the state and Minneapolis.
• Minneapolis saw more than 300 confirmed cases this past week, a 35% increase after five straight weeks of declining case counts. We have seen a significant increase in the proportion of cases in younger adults. The proportion of cases occurring among those under 35 years old increased from 43% the week of May 30 to 66% the week of June 21.
• Congregate living facilities in Minneapolis continue to see new cases among residents and while accounting only for 9% of confirmed cases, account for 73% of COVID-19 deaths.
• There are 36,716 cases in Minnesota out of over 617,000 tests completed. There have been 1,445 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 11,892 cases and 776 deaths in Hennepin County.
• There are over 10 million confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 2.6 million cases confirmed and 127,485 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 new testing criteria to include all contacts with a known exposure. MDH recommends COVID-19 testing for anyone involved in recent mass events that occurred across the state beginning May 25. Free testing was offered through June 24 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
• 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. Mayor Frey issued an Emergency Regulation requiring that masks be worn in indoor public spaces in Minneapolis.
• 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 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.

Case investigations: The Health Department continues to conduct over 30 case investigations and contact follow-up for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 per day. 86% of all cases reported in Minneapolis have been interviewed, 10% are lost to follow up (insufficient contact information or non-returned calls), 2% refuse the interview and 2% represent new cases that we have yet to speak with. Currently, MHD has 21 investigators, including five non-MHD enterprise staff. Of case investigations conducted, 43% were done in a language other than English.

Testing: MHD staff continue to support state-led testing as local public health liaisons at long-term care facilities in Minneapolis. On June 23, staff supported testing at the Minneapolis Apartments; 214 residents and 53 staff were tested. MHD staff will be supporting MN National Guard testing at two long-term care facilities next week (July 9 and 10). As well, we are working with community partners and clinics on how to support ongoing testing efforts and requests for community testing.

Personal Protective Equipment: Last week, we distributed 5,117 cloth masks and 271 bottles of hand sanitizer. As the volume of requests increases, we 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, community clinics, people experiencing homelessness, and community-based organizations. From a public health standpoint, we are looking to increase distribution of resources based on data telling us where new COVID-19 hot spots are occurring.

Communications and outreach: With the significant uptick in confirmed cases among young adults and increased reopening of bars, restaurants, youth sports, and other social gatherings, there is renewed emphasis on the need to wear face masks and practice physical distancing. Health Department staff are working with the City’s Communications team to develop key messages geared at encouraging young adults to wear cloth face masks. These messages will be incorporated into a variety of communications strategies including a short video featuring Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx.

Health inspections

o Health inspectors are canvassing more than 20 bars located in Downtown, Uptown, and Dinkytown, including three bars that were linked to recent clusters of confirmed cases among young adults. Inspectors are reviewing businesses’ COVID-19 preparedness plans and offering guidance for table layout and other strategies to prevent the spread of the virus.

o Health inspectors and Business Licensing staff are also supporting adult entertainment venues in implementing appropriate safety and mitigation strategies for employees and customers. Written guidance on developing COVID-19 plans was provided to business owners and managers.

Homelessness response: 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 35 parks across the city, including more than 400 tents at Powderhorn Park. Additional encampments of note include approximately 55 tents at a city-owned lot on 23rd/14th, about 15 tents at 26th/14th , and 30 tents between 12th/14th along the Midtown Greenway. Health Department staff are coordinating on-site services such as hand washing stations and syringe drop offs to help maintain safe and hygienic environments.

Housing supports: The economic impacts of COVID-19, coupled with the already limited supply of affordable housing options, pose a challenge to many individuals and families. 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 share this resource widely: https://www.hennepin.us/rent-help.

Food insecurity response: The Health Department, in partnership with other City staff, is convening, coordinating, and assisting community groups in addressing urgent food access needs, especially in the areas hardest hit by grocery store closures resulting from the civil unrest. We are actively supporting community-led pop-up food distribution events happening across the city. This week, City staff hosted calls with operators of these events to share information about funding opportunities, identify needed support and resources, and encourage new collaborations. Staff are also working with the University of Minnesota Institute on Environment to co-develop GIS maps identifying current grocery, local food and hunger relief assets and gaps. This information will be shared with City leaders soon to aid in advocacy and decision-making. We are also actively participating in conversations with retail partners to help establish and promote temporary grocery services, including Cub’s temporary grocery and shuttle service on Lake Street (launching July 8) and in North Minneapolis (launching later in July).

Community engagement: The COVID Community Engagement team managing the work of the Shared Power Advisory Committee (SPAC) has conducted a hotwash (consisting of 3 meetings) to determine what worked, what needs work, and what could be carried forward to ensure that the City continues to center equity and elevate the voices of underrepresented communities in its response and recovery efforts. Over the next four weeks, individual interviews will be conducted with City staff and SPAC membership to gather more complete data about the model. In the meantime, the BIPOC Impact Report, charged to the Health Department from the SPAC, will also be a focus of staff work.

Public health leadership: Commissioner Gretchen Musicant will participate in a national roundtable call, “The path to Zero: Suppressing COVID-19 through Testing, Contact Tracing and Supported Isolation” on July 2. Commissioner Musicant and three other public health officials will discuss proposals about testing and contact tracing for COVID-19. The roundtable is sponsored by U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski and Tom Carper.

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

Mayor Frey, Chief Arradondo Roll Out Tighter Rules on Officer Body Camera Review and Reporting

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo have announced the first of what will be a series of new public safety policy reforms. The new policies, driven by Arradondo and approved by Frey, effectively tighten rules for officer body camera review and reporting by preventing Minneapolis officers involved in critical incidents – including the use of deadly force – from reviewing body camera footage prior to completing an initial police report for the critical incident. The updated policies are designed to better capture officers’ perceptions and factors believed to exist at the time an officer acted.

The policies also provide clearer direction to supervisors regarding immediate on-scene communications, remove past barriers on such communications, and clarify time requirements for reporting.

Read more here.

City Leaders Provide Update on Violence Prevention Efforts, Ongoing Recovery Work and COVID-19 Response

Officials from the City of Minneapolis shared updates on violence prevention efforts, COVID-19 response, ongoing building recovery work, and the status of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights investigation among other topics.

Watch the recorded video on the City’s YouTube channel.

Office of Violence Prevention Launches Web Presence

The City of Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention has a new web presence describing its work within the City’s “transforming public safety” content. The office uses a community-focused public health approach to address the roots of violence, intervene at the first sign of risk, and lead healing in its aftermath.

The Office of Violence Prevention approaches violence prevention with this these things in mind:

• Violence is not inevitable. As with other health conditions, we can prevent and treat violence, and we can heal from it.
• Violence has roots in social, economic, political and cultural conditions. These can include:
  • Oppression.
  • Limited economic opportunities.
  • Community disinvestment.
  • Community disconnectedness.
  • Poor housing conditions.
  • Harmful norms around gender and masculinity.
  • Classism.
  • Racism.
• Violence takes an unequal toll on communities of color and on specific neighborhoods in Minneapolis. Violence prevention must include work to dismantle structural racism.
• Everyone has a role to play in creating communities that don’t include violence. It takes all of us to make our communities safe, healthy, hopeful and thriving.

Participate and learn more

• Tune in to KMOJ 89.9 FM to hear Office of Violence Prevention Director Sasha Cotton discuss the office’s work 1-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 8.
• Take this survey to help guide the City’s violence prevention priorities for the next three-five years.
• Comment on the proposed charter amendment establishing a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention and removing the Police Department as a charter department.
• Read about Office of Violence Prevention initiatives.

The Office of Violence Prevention formed in 2018 building on Health Department violence prevention work since 2006. The work has been a national model for other cities across the country.

“20 is Plenty” Speed Limit Yard Signs Available July 6

Minneapolis and Saint Paul are in the process of implementing new, lower speed limits to support safer streets. Slower speeds on local streets make travel safer for everyone no matter how you get around.

The new speed limit starting this fall will be 20 mph in both cities unless otherwise signed. To help get out the word about the new speed limits and the importance of slower speeds for safety, the City has yard signs available for community members.

You can pick up your “20 is Plenty” yard sign at any Minneapolis fire station. Signs will be available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays July 6 to July 24 while supplies last. Due to COVID-19, signs will be available outside the stations for no-contact pickup. Signs come with metal stands. Find your nearest fire station here.

You can learn more about new speed limits here.

Voters are Encouraged to Vote by Mail this Election Year

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 this and other CDC and Minneapolis Department of Health recommendations to make sure every voter in Minneapolis can safely cast their ballots this election year. 

Early voting begins for State primary and special election – Council Ward 6

Early voting has begun for the Aug. 11 State primary and special election – Council Ward 6. Ballots may be cast early by mail or in person at the Early Vote Center, 980 East Hennepin Ave. Requested mail-in ballots are now being mailed to Minneapolis voters.

Changes to voting by mail

Any Minnesota voter can vote early; no reason is needed. However, due to a recent court action, some of the requirements for voting by mail have changed. These affect witness requirements and the deadline for returning your ballot. Currently, these changes only apply to the State primary.

• If you are registered to vote at your current address you will not need a mail ballot witness for the Aug. 11 State primary.
• If you have moved, changed names or need to register for the first time, you will need a witness to sign your mail ballot envelope.

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. Please note that if voters deliver their ballot in-person to the Elections & Voter Services office, it still must be returned by 3 p.m. on the day of the primary.

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

Voting at the Early Vote Center

The Early Vote Center, 980 East Hennepin Ave., makes early in-person voting 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 (closed Friday, July 3). 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.

Election judges needed

Election judges are needed for the State primary Aug. 11 to serve voters in local polling places. Election judges are paid $17.15 per hour for their service, which includes training. Depending upon schedule and preferences, people can choose which elections they work in, and whether they want to be at a polling place close to where they live or anywhere else in Minneapolis.

Serving as an election judge provides an opportunity to learn about the election process and is an important service to our community. Judges who are fluent in a second language are especially needed to provide additional language support in the polling place, including Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Oromo, Lao, Vietnamese, Russian and American Sign Language.

Find out more about this opportunity at vote.minneapolismn.gov/judges or call 311.

Voters can save time by taking these three steps

1. Make sure you’re registered to vote, or pre-register at least 21 days before the election. Voters can register or check the status of their registrations at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/register.
2. Download and complete the absentee ballot application form in advance, and bring it when you go to vote. Find the request form at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/bymail.
3. Look at a sample ballot ahead of time; even bring it to refer to when you go to vote. Find your sample ballot at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/ballot.

What’s on the ballot?

Minneapolis voters will cast ballots for the following primary races:

• U.S. senator.
• United States representative (District 5).
• School Board member at large.
• Council member (Ward 6 only).

State law allows voters to bring materials into the polls to help complete their ballots, and the sample ballot is the best tool available for this purpose. By downloading and printing their sample ballots (which are customized to their specific ward and precinct), voters can practice marking their ballots. They can bring this marked-up sample ballot as a reference to the voting booth when completing their official ballots. This is the best way to reduce the time spent waiting in lines.

Find sample ballots for all 134 Minneapolis precincts here: vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/ballot.

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 Budget 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.

Fourth of July Reminder: Be Safe with Fireworks, Keep 911 Open for Emergencies

Fourth of July fireworks are part of Independence Day celebrations, and the noise complaints and safety issues they can generate lead to high call volumes at 911 call centers across the country. That’s why the City wants to make sure folks stay safe during fireworks season and know what to do if they have fireworks-related complaints.

Fireworks safety

• Read, understand and follow the instructions on each device before using.
• Use fireworks with close adult supervision.
• Choose a safe place to use fireworks. Fireworks should only be ignited outdoors and away from animals, buildings, storage tanks, brush or combustible materials.
• Anyone acting in an irresponsible manner or who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs should not handle or discharge fireworks.
• Keep fireworks away from small children and store them in a cool dry location away from sources of ignition (heat and flames).
• Never ignite fireworks inside another container such as a bottle or can.

What’s legal, what’s not

• Non-explosive fireworks are legal in Minneapolis. Examples include sparklers, cones, tubes that spark, snakes and party poppers.
• It is legal to use these types of fireworks in your yard or on your sidewalk.
• Fireworks that explode or take off are illegal in Minneapolis. Examples include firecrackers, bottle rockets, missiles, roman candles, mortars and shells. Besides being illegal, these types of fireworks are upsetting to veterans with PTSD and to pets, especially dogs.
• It is illegal to use any fireworks on public property including roads, alleys, schools and parks.

When to call 911

For fireworks-related issues that pose life safety threats or fire hazards, residents should call 911 for police, fire or medical help.

Examples of calls that should go to 911 include:

• A person injured by fireworks.
• Airborne fireworks landing on a building or wooded area posing a fire risk.
• The size of a fireworks gathering and unruly behavior beginning to pose a threat to others.

Find tips on calling 911 here.

Make noise reports online

Instead of calling 911 for Fourth of July noise reports, people are asked to make noise reports online (link here, or search “fireworks” on the City website); the reports will be reviewed during normal business hours. Noise reports can also be made through the 311 mobile app, to minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov or by calling 311. You can also text “fireworks” to 311898 to enter a fireworks complaint on the City’s website.

Reducing the number of noise complaints to 911 will allow emergency calls to be answered as quickly as possible. On a typical Fourth of July evening, Minneapolis 911 receives hundreds of calls per hour, most of which are related to fireworks noise complaints. On an average day, Minneapolis 911 receives 80-100 calls per hour. Because of the volume, police officers cannot be dispatched to each fireworks noise incident around the Fourth of July but calls will be prioritized to ensure public safety.

Residents should note that Minneapolis 311 is closed July 3 and 4, but reports can be made 24/7 online, on the 311 app or at minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov. City staff will review the complaint during normal business hours when offices open again and may follow up with the property owner the complaint references.

Find more fireworks safety tips here.