In this issue: A photo of City leaders celebrating and presenting Junauda Petrus with the official 2025 Poet Laureate designation We celebrated Junauda Petrus as the City’s new poet laureate for 2025-2026. Petrus succeeds Heid E. Erdrich in this prominent literary role. A multidisciplinary artist, Petrus spans stage, screen and page in her work. She blends ancestral storytelling, speculative fiction and poetic verse around themes of Blackness, queerness and womanhood. Co-founder of the experimental artist collection Free Black Dirt, Petrus is known for creating innovative performances. Her acclaimed debut novel, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them, received the 2020 Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award. In 2023 she released her first children’s book, Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers? It is based on an abolitionist future and became a Minnesota Book Award finalist. Deeply rooted in the cultural, social and historic fabric of Minneapolis, Petrus will use her visionary voice as poet laureate to celebrate the city’s beauty, struggle and magic through poetry. The administration of the Poet Laureate Award is overseen by The Loft Literary Center. The Loft is hosting a public celebration in honor of Petrus Feb. 13 at its headquarters in downtown Minneapolis. Read more about the City of Minneapolis and The Loft Literary Center’s Poet Laureate Award on the City website. Council passed a resolution designating the location and improvements proposed for Franklin Avenue between Lyndale Ave S and Chicago Ave. A public hearing has been set for March 6, 2025 to consider the project. The scope of work will include full reconstruction of Franklin Avenue, reconfiguring the current four-lane undivided street into a street with two lanes, a center left turn lane, and medians. The project will remove obstructions in sidewalks and add pedestrian space, protected bike lanes, and boulevards with trees and greening. The Franklin Ave layout was approved by City Council on April 11, 2024. The 2025 General Appropriation Contingency Account was amended to transfer $100,000 to the City’s Regulatory Services Department to provide emergency funding in support of the operations of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center for its warming center, subject to conditions. I want to thank MIWRC for opening their doors as a warming center to help unhoused neighbors in response to the fires that took place on January 6. Neighbors and organizations have volunteered their time around the clock on site, sharing their talents, and bringing in kind contributions of supplies, food, clothing, and toiletries. Many staff and volunteers have worked completely on a volunteer basis to support this effort, highlighting the urgency of the situation. Hospitals and emergency responders began bringing individuals to the warming center, underscoring the systemic need for additional shelter and resources, as well as the need for additional financial and operational support to sustain these lifesaving, critical efforts. The warming center has been incredibly successful, functioning as a mini-navigation center by providing an opportunity for service providers to successfully connect with residents and support them in accessing services such as long-term shelter, coordinated entry, and MAT/Treatment. Due to the collaborative work amongst organizations and neighbors, 15 residents entered MAT/treatment,18 entered long term shelter, and 2 have been permanently housed, with many more navigating the process of coordinated entry. I am proud that the Council made the collective decision to match Hennepin County’s contribution toward this effort. We all need to work in partnership to help unhoused residents find stability. Council amended an ordinance to allow the City to charge fees for the use of City-owned resources by outside entities. Authored by Council Members Wonsley, Chavez, and Council President Payne, this ordinance amendment is the first significant reform to off-duty work in decades. MPD’s off-duty program allows officers to work private and largely unregulated side jobs using city cars, uniforms, materials, and liability coverage. The program has been identified as an area of concern by the U.S. Department of Justice. If approved, the ordinance would allow the City to charge fees to recoup the costs of the materials used by officers when working off-duty, as well as offset the costs of administration liability coverage. Estimates using MPD data indicate that such fees could have recouped up to $1.4 million in 2024. City leaders have spoken publicly about their concerns with off-duty since at least 2019, when MPD officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed a resident named Justine Ruszczyk after working off-duty and starting his on-duty work with very little sleep. A 2019 internal audit of off-duty work led to clear and actionable recommendations, which were never implemented. Mayor Frey convened an Off-duty Task Force in 2020, but the group ceased meeting without any outcomes. Improving supervision is a significant element of the U.S. DOJ’s Consent Decree. Council voted unanimously as a body earlier this month to adopt the consent decree and committed to work in partnership with the Mayor to implement reforms like this one as quickly and effectively as possible. Council Members passed 1 honorary resolution this cycle, recognizing February as Black History Month. Public hearings are officially confirmed when meeting agendas are published in the roughly 48 business hours prior to a scheduled meeting, so I recommend checking back on the respective links to verify the timeline. Find out more about participating in scheduled hearings and submitting a public comment or watch meetings on the City’s YouTube channel. Climate & Infrastructure Committee: February 6, 2025 | 1:30 pm | Public Service Center (250 S 4th St, Room 350) - Gas franchise agreement ordinance
- Electric franchise agreement ordinance
In each Ward 7 Newsletter, we include a question for constituents to weigh in on. Questions may be related to upcoming policy decisions, future planning, issue prioritization, community project ideas, and more. Today's question: Earlier this month, the City Council unanimously passed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve the Department’s findings that the city and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal anti-discrimination laws. Actions of the new federal administration have brought up questions about the federal consent decree jointly filed in federal court Jan. 6. No matter what happens with the consent decree itself, the City is committed to this work and to building upon the reforms. I want to hear from you. Which ONE (1) reform, as outlined in the DOJ Consent Decree, are most urgent and important to you and why? - Use de-escalation to minimize the need to use force and increase the likelihood of voluntary compliance; resolve incidents without force where possible; use force proportional to the threat; and adopt use of force policies, training, and review systems that provide sufficient guidance and develop necessary skills;
- Enforce the law fairly and impartially, providing equal protection of the law for all people in Minneapolis and barring racial discrimination in enforcement;
- Respect the First Amendment rights of all persons;
- Maintain an emergency response system that respects the rights of people with behavioral health disabilities;
- Investigate allegations of employee misconduct fully, fairly, and efficiently; predicate investigative findings on the appropriate standard of proof and document them in writing, and hold officers who commit misconduct accountable pursuant to a disciplinary system that is fair, consistent, and provides due process;
- Approach youth in a manner that is developmentally appropriate, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed; and
- Provide confidential mental health wellness services to all MPD officers and other groups of public safety personnel.
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A blue and green illustrated graphic with a bus, bus shelter, people, and tree in front of the Downtown skyline Final reminder! As I’ve shared in past newsletters, City staff have been working in partnership with Metro Transit over the past year to explore changes to the bus routes currently moving through Nicollet Mall in Downtown. Nicollet Mall is the busiest transit corridor in the region. Though the transit times on the mall are often slower, we know other important factors like accessibility, reliability, safety, and overall experience also need to be considered. I don’t take this decision lightly and are calling upon stakeholders who use transit in the Downtown corridor to help me understand what matters most to you. A blue, green, and white graphic with event details and headshots of Council Members Cashman and Osman Join us for our next “Coffee with Katie” event on Thursday, February 6th at the Semple Mansion (100 W Franklin Ave) in the Loring Heights neighborhood! Following recent business closures and persistent crime trends, Council Member Osman and I invite neighbors to join us for a solutions-oriented conversation on ways to lift up our small businesses, increase safety and perceptions of safety, and plan for the future. We hope to see you on Thursday, February 6th at 6pm! A large group of community members seated a round table and engaged in discussion The Community Connections Conference is an annual free event happening on Saturday, February 8 that connects residents of Minneapolis, community groups, neighborhoods and local government. We invite you to speak your mind and help guide future City policies at this year’s conference. Join in a breakout session to share your stories and vision with the City of Minneapolis: - Share your health story.
- Envision a food-focused future.
- Learn about having a seat at the table by joining a board or commission.
- Learn about the City Council.
Stop by these and many other exhibits to share your thoughts and stories: - StoryCorps initiative.
- MN StoryCollective.
- Traffic safety camera pilot.
A photo of people standing throughout an art gallery with wood floors, white walls, and art on display The historic Kickernick Building in Downtown Minneapolis is hosting their second art gallery opening event. Artists Include: - Carla Cohen
- Christine Armbruster
- Coreen Johnson
- seangarrison
- Ken Herren
- Jil Evans
- Christina B. Johnson
- Michele Yates
- Sandra Felemovicious
- James Gabbert
- Cathy Bratter
Stop by and check out the great things happening in the Warehouse District. More details about Minneapolis' newest gallery available here. A photo of two program participants and a staff member at work in a commercial kitchen The City of Minneapolis’s Step Up Program is a summer internship opportunity for high schoolers and young adults ages 14 to 21 who are not enrolled in college. This paid internship program runs from June 23 to August 22, 2025, with two program levels based on age. Applications are open now and due by February 14, 2025. The Urban Scholars Program is for college and graduate students who want to work in the public sector. The application period for the Urban Scholar program opens on February 17. The paid program runs from June 2 through August 15, 2025 and is overseen by the City’s Human Resources Department. Building on the tremendous success of the popular 2024 Open Streets program, the City of Minneapolis is now looking for four 2025 summer event organizers. New in 2025, the City is expanding the proposal process to allow organizers to select from several event dates and routes around the city. Open Streets transforms major city streets into car-free places for one day. Open Streets shuts down car traffic during the event to allow people to walk, bike and roll down the street. Organizers plan programming and free activities for the day. Applications are due February 21 at 2 p.m. Sometimes the news can get us down, but there is a lot to be excited about in Minneapolis! This year we will be sure to call out some good news in each of our newsletters. Do you have some good news to share? Let us know by emailing ward7@minneapolismn.gov and including “Good News Round-up" in the subject line. - Minneapolis reached a major construction milestone in 2024: surpassing $1 billion in construction value for the 14th year in a row. The total reflects the city’s continued growth and residents’ confidence in Minneapolis as a place to live, invest and build. Read more about 2024 Minneapolis construction projects on the City website.
- The Cities of Minneapolis and Seattle have been jointly awarded $14.8 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The two cities are collaborating to address growing challenges that many cities face in managing limited curb space for competing needs such as deliveries, sidewalk use and street travel lanes.
- Moody’s credit rating business recently upgraded the City of Minneapolis credit rating to AAA in addition to the same high ratings given in September by S&P Global and Fitch Ratings. A report released by Moody’s says the upgraded rating reflects the “continued strength in the city’s economic and demographic trends, a consistently strong financial profile and declining long-term liabilities.” Read more on the City website.
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A photo of Council Member Cashman speaking with families about their favorite playground features The Ward 7 team continues to get out in community to talk to neighbors and stakeholders where they are. Here are a few highlights from the past couple of weeks. - Joined neighbors in Loring Park to discuss the recent removal of the Loring Greenway playground and brainstorm some potential solutions for getting this important community asset replaced.
- Connected with residents in our Uptown neighborhoods at the public safety meeting put on by a partnership of organizations.
- Welcomed neighbors from Loring Green West and adjacent neighborhoods to the Public Service Center to discuss safety concerns and strategies
To find out about what’s going on in your part of town, check out the nine neighborhood organizations working to keep folks connected and engaged in Ward 7: |
