Minneapolis, MN
Park Board in talks to mend relationship with Minneapolis Police Department
“We’re at capability and we will’t add any extra,” Shane Stenzel, who’s in control of issuing permits for occasions held at Minneapolis parks, stated at a current Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board assembly.
The MPRB, alongside the Minneapolis Park Police Division, is at a fragile time as town returns to a life as soon as recognized earlier than the pandemic. With main occasions again on the books for this summer season, Minneapolis park officers say their police division doesn’t have sufficient officers or sources to deal with the total lot.
“We now have rising crime throughout the park system, we’ve fewer Park Police sources than we had 20 years in the past, and we’re confronted with the problem of making an attempt to supply secure public occasions on the park system,” Park Police Chief Jason Ohotto stated to park commissioners in early April.
This want, and increase in occasions for the reason that coronary heart of the pandemic, has led to MPRB superintendent Alfred Bangoura asking the board to rethink its present relationship with the Minneapolis Police Division. — one which has been complete since shortly after the homicide of George Floyd.
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously votes to sever ties with Minneapolis Police Division
9 days after George Floyd’s homicide, the park board minimize ties with MPD — particularly with their assist at park occasions and aiding with MPD calls, citing the lack of neighborhood belief as its most important motive.
Now, practically two years later, in a letter to the board, Superintendent Bangoura states, partially: “The MPRB Park Police Division has restricted capability to supply particular occasion safety and can’t match pre-pandemic ranges with out supplemental help.”
Bangoura would love the board to repeal the decision that ended their partnership with MPD to assist with future occasions. The board’s Administration and Finance Committee will vote on the matter this Wednesday; if accredited, it might transfer to a full board vote subsequent.
“Our dialogue will in all probability be strong, and there may be some emotions,” stated Becka Thompson, first time period park commissioner for Minneapolis’ 2nd District.
“I hope folks acknowledge that we’re making an attempt to do our greatest by everyone, like deeply,” Thompson added.
Thompson stated she understands that a few of the misplaced belief with MPD has not been restored and expects a significant dialog along with her colleagues earlier than voting.
“If we need to transfer ahead in neighborhood, if we need to attempt to heal a few of these wrongs, we have to keep in communication with one another for certain,” Thompson stated. “However we additionally — how a lot are we going to lose earlier than we begin going ahead?”
An MPD spokesman wouldn’t touch upon the present discussions inside the Park Board however stated, “We look ahead to studying extra if the repeal involves fruition.”
Enlisting assist from the MPD shouldn’t be the primary transfer the Park Board has made to assist with its safety workload. It says the Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Workplace, Metro Transit Police Division and the College of Minnesota Police Division have all stated they can not assist.
In an announcement, the Minnesota State Patrol claims the next for not with the ability to present help:
“The Minnesota State Patrol’s main mission is to advertise site visitors security via help, training and enforcement on Minnesota’s roadways. With our dedication to site visitors security and associated actions such because the HEAT patrols, road racing patrols, Twin Cities Auto Present and Minnesota State Honest, we’re unable to allocate sources for this request.“
A consultant with the Metro Transit Police Division despatched the next assertion:
“The Metro Transit Police Division is dealing with its personal staffing challenges and doesn’t have the capability to tackle further duties for different businesses. MTPD already offers protection in eight counties and about 85 communities served by Metro Transit. It staffs greater than 125 occasions a yr, comparable to Twins video games served by Metro Transit. Nonetheless, it does work together with the park board at occasions such because the Twin Cities Marathon that contain each Metro Transit and the park board. “
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis reaches agreement with DOJ to instate oversight in police reform – Washington Examiner
The city of Minneapolis and the Justice Department have reached a tentative agreement for a consent decree to place the city’s police department under federal oversight.
Members of the Minneapolis City Council are expected to review the agreement on Monday with the intention of finalizing it before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has been a vocal opponent of the move. He has called the court-enforceable reform a “war on police.”
There has been great concern Trump will try to stop the mandated federal oversight of the city’s police department, as city officials began their inquiry into the department’s misconduct nearly five years ago following the death of George Floyd.
“We haven’t taken our foot off the gas since we started, and I have no intention of taking the foot off the gas,” City Attorney Kristyn Anderson said in an interview last month. “I’m still hopeful we’re gonna be able to land the plane on this one.”
In June 2023, the Justice Department concluded in a report that the Minneapolis Police Department had repeatedly used “unjustified deadly force and excessive less-lethal force,” unlawfully discriminated against black and Native American people, violated First Amendment rights, and caused trauma or death when responding to people with behavioral health problems.
The city and the DOJ were expected to begin negotiating terms for the decree, but it took nearly a year for the DOJ to submit a draft consent decree for feedback following the published report.
There was no rationale provided for the delay. Already, the city has entered into a consent decree with the state. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has entered a four-year oversight agreement with the city to monitor the MPD and ensure changes are made to ensure no racial discrimination is taking place.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has allocated $16 million in 2024 and $11 million in 2025 to manage the reforms expected to be implemented from the decrees. Last year, MPD launched an Implementation Unit that will focus on improving data collection and ensuring that compliance with the new standards is met.
If the city council agrees to the terms laid out by the Justice Department, the MPD will be the first police department in the country to be subjected to both a federal and state consent decree.
Minneapolis, MN
Burglar strikes Minneapolis’ historic 19 Bar amid reconstruction, owner says
MINNEAPOLIS — The 19 Bar, the oldest LGBTQ+ bar in Minnesota, was targeted by a burglar overnight Tuesday amid the push to rebuild it following a devastating fire.
Owner Gary Lee Hallberg tells WCCO the thief took some tools, a backpack and batteries with chargers from the historic Loring Park bar.
He says the security system has yet to be reinstalled since the bar was destroyed on March 23.
The setback comes just days after Hallberg announced the bar wouldn’t reopen as planned on New Year’s Eve due to delays in construction and inspections.
In August, Hallberg filed a $2.8 million lawsuit against a recycling company whose garbage truck struck the electrical pole next to the bar, which then fell on the building and ignited the fire. Hallberg says the fire occurred just weeks before he was set to close a deal on selling the bar, which was subsequently canceled.
While the recycling company admits fault for the accident, it refutes Hallberg’s claims that the bar was a total loss.
The 19 Bar is one of the oldest operating LGBTQ+ bars in the country, first opening its doors to customers in 1952.
Hallberg says he hopes to reopen by early February.
Kirsten Mitchell will bring us inside The 19 Bar to see the reconstruction effort firsthand Tuesday on WCCO 4 News at 9.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis-based agency donates 50% of profits to use ‘business as a force of good’
Krista Carroll CEO and founder of Latitude (Latitude/Latitude)
To build Latitude into a full-service agency, Carroll hired subject-matter experts and added brand, strategy, creative, experiential and other services. While starting a business amid the Great Recession was “scary,” the prospect of it not flourishing was less dire than what they had seen in Haiti, she said.
“We can figure something else out,” she said.
The beginning of the pandemic, however, proved “really devastating,” Carroll said. Most client work then was in retail event activations and in-store merchandising, and 90% of current and forecasted business went away within a few days. Latitude continued some charitable giving, having put money into a donor-advised fund for that purpose.
“During those layoffs, I was like, full transparency, maybe I shouldn’t have given so much away, even though we were a healthy company,” Carroll said. “But I decided that I truly believe that ‘business as a force for good’ is a worthy cause, and one that is worth digging really deep for. Even though it’s been a really steep climb, I still like the purpose of why we exist. Still gets me out of bed in the morning.”
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