Minneapolis, MN

Doctor who grew up in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis wants to open an opioid clinic

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

Press Room

Doctor who grew up in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis wants to open an opioid clinic

Plans for opioid treatment center in Cedar-Riverside neighborhood

Dr. Sadik Ali is passionate about helping those fighting opioid addiction.

“For me, it’s very personal,” he said. “I have family members who’ve been affected by this. I have relatives that have died from an overdose. That’s when it hit home for me.”

Ali, an internal medicine specialist who works in Mankato but grew up in Cedar-Riverside, wants to open what he calls the ‘Model C’ center on a property along 20^th Avenue South.

“We call this ground zero,” he declared. “This is the epidemic; the epicenter of substance use disorder in our community. It’s tearing it apart. It’s an existential crisis.”

Ali says he’s investing his life savings into the project.

Its estimated cost — more than $34 million.

The goal is to open a 31-bed detox unit; a clinic that would dispense medication for opioid use disorder for 300 people initially — and later twice that. There would also be a counseling facility that would place about 16 people on an abstinence recovery track.

“I feel there’s not enough we can do on the prevention side to educate people just how deadly and how bad this problem is,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told Ali during a Zoom meeting. “You’re talking about trying to help people that are affected in these groups trying to keep people alive. That keeps getting worse each year.”

City data shows 244 opioid-related deaths in 2022.

That’s about triple the number from 2017.

O’Hara says treatment, not arrests, is the solution for those fighting addiction.

“For people who are addicted and who are suffering through all this, their answer to their problem is not going to be in handcuffs,” O’Hara noted. “We’re not going to be able to arrest our way out of people who are addicted.”

He told Ali he should engage with local elected officials and the public to keep them updated about the project.

Ali says he’s trying to get funding from grants and other sources, but says for now, money for the center is coming out of his own pocket.

He notes he’s still waiting for the required licenses from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the state and federal regulators.

Ali says he hopes to open the first stages of the clinic sometime in May.

“This is something that wakes me up every morning and gives me a purpose,” he declared. “It’s about saving lives and making a difference in our community.”

Source link

Click to comment

Minneapolis, MN

New video shows moments before attack involving Turning Point USA contributor at Minneapolis anti-ICE protest

Published

4 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

New video shows moments before attack involving Turning Point USA contributor at Minneapolis anti-ICE protest

New video shared with WCCO shows the scuffle in which a reporter says she got hurt outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Saturday.

The cases against three people arrested in that fight are now in the hands of the Hennepin County Attorney for potential charges.

A Justice Department official announced Sunday a federal investigation is being opened into an assault that allegedly occurred during a protest outside the Whipple Federal Building.

Turning Point USA contributor Savanah Hernandez said she was “brutally assaulted by multiple people” for filming and reporting on Saturday’s protest.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon quote retweeted a post saying the FBI was investigating the alleged assault on Hernandez, writing “Correct.”

The newly obtained video, recorded by Derek Kosh and Oskar Quentin, shows what they say happened before the altercation seen in the widely circulated clip posted by Hernandez on X. They say it’s important people get the full exchange.

In one video, you can see Hernandez speaking to people in the crowd, at times smiling as she records.

In another angle, a woman wearing black tells Hernandez to leave. Not long after that, you see both women pushing and shoving one another to the ground.

Kosh and Quentin say Hernandez was assaulted and the video shows she was throwing punches, too. Both men say they released the video so the world could get a fuller understanding of what happened beyond the viral clip.

Saturday’s incident has gotten the attention of Vice President JD Vance, who has called for swift action against those responsible.

In a statement from the attorneys representing the people involved in the altercation say in part, “At this time, we do not know whether any formal charges have been brought against our client… Regarding the recent videos and statement by JD Vance, we cannot say anything, presuming there is an ongoing investigation.”

No charging decision has been announced.

In:

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

The New York Times

Published

16 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

A Minneapolis immigration officer has been charged with assault, marking a rare instance in which the state government has filed a lawsuit against an officer for actions taken while on duty. This case is drawing attention due to its implications for law enforcement accountability, particularly in relation to the use of force during immigration enforcement. While officers are typically shielded from lawsuits in the course of their duties, this case raises important questions about the boundaries of law enforcement conduct and the mechanisms for holding officers accountable for their actions.

Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Charges: Man stole car, fatally ran over owner after dragging him down the street

Published

1 day ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Charges: Man stole car, fatally ran over owner after dragging him down the street

A suspect has been charged after stealing a man’s car, dragging him down the street and fatally running him over in Minneapolis.

Gerald Nicolas Cepeda, 34, is facing one count of second-degree murder.

On Saturday, Minneapolis police responded to 18th Street and Chicago Avenue for a report of a man who was dragged by a car and was lying in the street.

Minneapolis police investigating fatal hit-and-run, no arrests made

Authorities found the man and provided life-saving measures, but he later died at the hospital.

According to court documents, surveillance video showed the man arriving in his white van in the area of Chicago and Franklin avenues while Cepeda was near the bus stop.

The man got out of his vehicle to talk to people on the sidewalk, which is when Cepeda ran over and jumped into the driver’s seat, the criminal complaint notes.

Court records say the man then ran back to his car and stopped Cepeda from shutting the door, but Cepeda drove away while the man was hanging onto the open door.

Cepeda drove for about two blocks, dragging the man’s body along, before quickly turning onto East 18th Street, causing the man to fall from the vehicle and be run over by the van.

Officers found the van a few blocks away with the keys still in the ignition, according to court documents.

The complaint states that witnesses on scene reported Cepeda and the man had a brief argument before Cepeda stole the car.

Cepeda was arrested on Tuesday and told authorities that he was “just playing a joke” and was going to bring the man’s vehicle back. He added that he did not know the man was killed as a result, court records note.

Court documents show that Cepeda had prior convictions for vehicle theft in 2024 and 2025.

His first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.

Source link