Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis kids ‘are not alright’ says frustrated mom over city’s recent events
In a viral video, a Minneapolis mom says kids here “are not doing okay.” This comes after she heard a conversation between two sixth graders about some of Minnesota’s more recent traumas.
“God, it was so [exploitative] sad,” said Betsy Bissonette, a Minneapolis mom of two, while sharing vulnerability and tears. “There are these big girls, probably sixth graders, playing hot lava monster. I was overhearing their conversation. They were so cute.”
Bissonette describes overhearing the conversation between the two young girls at a park. One girl telling the other that she attends Annunciation, describing it as ‘the one with the school shooting.’
“She goes, ‘yeah, we don’t really like to talk about it. I’m sorry for being a downer. It was really scary.’ The other kid goes, ‘I understand scary. ICE took my dad away,’” said Bissonette in the video.
“We’ve just like failed the children,” she told WCCO.
Bissonette adds that she’s received a variety of messages since.
“Stories from moms from Annunciation and teachers from Saint Paul or Minneapolis saying this is the exact conversation I’m hearing every day on the playground.”
We spoke with a child psychiatrist to put this into perspective.
“The kids in Minneapolis are doing the very best they can under really complicated circumstances. My general answer is kids are not okay. They’re not,” said Jenny Britton, Chief Clinical Officer for Washburn Center for Children.
Washburn is an agency that’s been boots-on-the-ground for kids for years. Britton says this past year has changed and challenged them.
“There’s the settling in of what happened afterwards. That’s where kids are right now,” said Britton.
If you’re wondering what you should do, Britton says, “The honest truth is, you have to talk about it. You have to find a way to find out what’s going on. Authenticity as a parent is one of the best things you can do.”
She suggests keeping the three aspects of parenting in mind:
- Laugh and play with kids
- Owning when there’s a rupture, making sure you repair when you act out of place.
- Help kids know when to ask for help.
“One of the hardest questions for kids to answer is ‘how are you doing?’ We’ve been trying to tell adults like ‘I’m so glad you’re here,” said Britton.
“I wanted to hug those kids so badly. Instead I said, ‘hey can I be the scary lava monster,’” Bissonette added in her video.
“I love how she responded. Went in and played lava monster,” said Britton.
“What we do in Minnesota is we keep us safe and we move forward together,” said Bissonette. “I did one tiny drop in the bucket. But if we all do one tiny act when we can, when we see it, I think that’s the only way forward.”
Bissonette says she recognizes being shocked by that interaction is a privilege and many children have to face traumas regularly. Britton says it’s healthy that the girls on the playground were talking about these tough topics.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis City Council passes financial relief near George Floyd Square, rejects mayor’s pick for developing The Peoples’ Way
On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council voted on major action items regarding the future of George Floyd Square.
One provides financial relief to those who live and own property near 38th & Chicago Avenue, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The other rejects a proposal from the mayor, setting up yet more delays.
The city was seeking a more than $630,000 assessment to help pay for the $15 million construction project that’s underway — but in unanimous support, the council voted to not charge home, business and property owners.
Help may be on the way for people face special assessments near George Floyd Square
“This project has been billed for so long as something the city was doing for the community, and you can’t do something for the community and then charge them for it as a way of recommence for the murder of George Floyd,” said Councilor Soren Stevenson, who represents part of the area around George Floyd Square.
At the meeting, the council also rejected the mayor and city staff’s recommendation on who should have exclusive development rights for the former gas station site at the intersection, now known as The Peoples’ Way.
Defying community input from a survey about what people like to see at the site, the mayor chose the Minnesota Agape Movement to handle the work.
Minneapolis mayor, city staff defy community survey, pushback growing on council
The city and Mayor Frey received sharp criticism from some council members at their meeting.
“The city absolutely fumbled this process from start to finish,” Robin Wonsley said.
Council member Jason Chavez, who also represents parts of George Floyd Square, said, “Much of the feedback that my office has received since a decision was made has been frustration and distrust in the process.”
In a statement from the Mayor’s office, they pushed back on the criticism of how he’s handled project planning, sharing specifically about the action taken Thursday:
“Voting down Agape and returning to the drawing board is the Council’s prerogative. Mayor Frey’s goal is to move forward at George Floyd Square and stop delaying. The mayor is already coordinating with Council Members Chavez and Stevenson and City staff to determine a path forward.”
Since the city shared their pick for development rights at the Peoples’ Way, the mayor’s office has declined multiple interview requests, as we try to learn his reasoning.
We also had other questions about what seems like a contradiction in how he’s felt about community being involved in this process so far.
For example, following a city council override of his veto as they pushed for a 38th & Chicago plan that community surveying found was not wanted in February 2025, the mayor lashed out at council members.
“Today’s short-sighted decision by the council has ignored community wishes and is a colossal waste of both time and money,” Mayor Frey said that February day last year.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis man indicted in $4 million pandemic fraud case turns himself in, officials say
A Minneapolis man accused of stealing $4 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the Covid-19 pandemic surrendered to the FBI on Thursday, federal officials announced.
Said Abdullahi Ereg was indicted on June 24, 2024, on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Ereg is accused of obtaining, misappropriating and laundering millions of dollars meant to feed children in need, officials said in a statement.
“Today’s arrest is historic,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a different statement.
It was not immediately clear whether Ereg has a lawyer.
Ereg was added to the Justice Department’s “Most Wanted Fraudster” list last week and is the first person to be arrested, Patel said.
Federal officials established the list to “bring to justice the alleged worst of the worst who took advantage of American taxpayers and stole public funds, and let them know that the days of Washington, D.C. turning a blind eye to fraud are over,” Patel said in the statement.
Officials said Ereg ran a grocery store and deli in Minneapolis that was sponsored by the nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future. The organization, founded in Minnesota in 2016, has recently been at the center of a federal investigation into what federal officials have called “the single largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.”
Aimee Block, former leader of Feeding Our Future, was convicted last month in a $250 million fraud case that helped ignite an immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.
The group was part of a large fraud network that included partner organizations, fake distribution sites, kickbacks and false lists of children supposedly being fed, prosecutors said in Block’s indictment.
Ereg is alleged to have participated in the scheme during a one-year period starting in 2020. He is accused of submitting false reimbursement claims and receiving more than $4.2 million in federal funds.
A federal arrest warrant was issued after Ereg was charged, but he was living overseas, and his whereabouts were not known.
He surrendered to FBI agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
“This case sends a clear message: being outside the United States does not place you beyond the reach of HSI and our law enforcement partners,” said Michael McCarthy, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge in Minneapolis. “Our commitment is unwavering: those who exploit programs intended to support children and families will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice here in Minnesota.”
Ereg’s wife, who worked with him, pleaded guilty last year to one count of money laundering. She is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
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