Minneapolis, MN
Should smoking marijuana be allowed in Minneapolis parks? Residents can now weigh in
MINNEAPOLIS — Smoking cannabis or THC products would not be prohibited under a newly-proposed Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board policy.
The board published the two draft policies on Monday covering cannabis and THC consumption as well as THC product sales. Both drafts are open to public comment for the next 60 days.
The cannabis policy, which is an update to the currently-existing tobacco policy, limits the use of cannabis or THC products that “produce vapor or smoke in any form.” The products would be banned at playgrounds, athletic fields, beaches, trails and all facilities operated by the park board.
Park police would warn and then ask those who are violating the policy to leave the park or facility, the draft says.
In the THC policy, the board permits beverages and edible products that contain 5mg of THC or less. The THC products can also be served and sold as long as vendors have a contract with the park board. Cannabis flower, however, cannot be sold.
State law permits smoking and vaping of cannabis or THC products on public property, though it can be prohibited by local jurisdictions. Currently in Minneapolis, smoking or vaping cannabis is allowed outside, including in parks, on sidewalks and outside restaurants or bars.
Duluth banned the smoking of recreational marijuana in city parks shortly after cannabis was legalized in Minnesota. The St. Paul City Council also voted to ban smoking cannabis in public, as well as public parks in 2023.
Note: The above video was first published on Sept. 12, 2024.
Dozens wept and embraced before releasing scores of balloons Saturday over north Minneapolis to remember two community pillars who were killed in a fiery car crash.
The crowd gathered near 26th and Emerson avenues to remember Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57. They died on Dec. 16 when Teniki Latrice Elise Steward, 38, allegedly drove through a red light and struck their vehicle. A teenager waiting at a nearby bus stop also was injured.
Fulks and Reese “gave their love and their hard work and dedication to the community. And as you can see, there’s people out here for them,” said Fulks’ daughter, D’Nia. “I’m going to miss my mom. That was my world, I was with her day in and day out. I was hoping to come home to my mom, and it didn’t happen.”
“It means a lot,” Fulks’ son, Joseph Loyd, said of the neighbors attending the balloon release. “It shows what they contributed to the community and how much they meant to people. Not just their own families, but they touched countless other families and helped people.”
Emmary Thomas places a candle at a bus stop during a balloon release Saturday for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece at 26th and Emerson avenues in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A memorial of flowers, balloons, candles and pictures on Saturday mark the spot near the site of the crash that killed Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Drakarr Lobley hugs a supporter during Saturday’s balloon release for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. Lobley is Reece’s son. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Family and friends said Fulks and Reece were pillars of the community who treated strangers like family and brought love to those around them. Both had worked as navigators for the Minneapolis Cultural Wellness Center since 1998, helping residents with food, clothing, shelter and other resources.
“They reminded us daily of the transformative power of service, love and cultural connection,” Elder Atum Azzahir, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. “They were not just navigators: They were beacons of hope, guiding people toward brighter futures.”
At the crash scene Saturday, loved ones embraced as they shed tears and shared memories. Anthony Hamilton’s “I Can’t Let Go” played as passing motorists called out condolences and words of support. Caution tape strung from a traffic cone near the intersection fluttered in the wind.
On Friday night, community members and artists with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre gathered atop a snow-covered hill in Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis to celebrate the winter solstice together.
In the center of the crowd, Minneapolis-based musician Sarina Partridge led a series of call-and-responses:
Musician Sarina Partridge leads a call-and-response song during a winter solstice celebration in Powderhorn Park.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
“Welcome in, wild hearts,” she sang. “We will sing our way to wholeness.”
The solstice at 3:21 a.m. Saturday marks the beginning of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing with it longer days. Saturday will be the shortest day of the year, at 8 hours, 46 minutes and 10 seconds in Minneapolis.
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A 25-foot tall heron puppet leads hundreds of community members through the snow in Powderhorn Park.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
About 300 people had assembled at Avalon Theatre on Lake Street and walked a few blocks down 15th Avenue to the park. Many procession participants held up paper lanterns, while others carried larger-than-life handmade puppets, recognizable from events like the MayDay Parade and Puppet Lab as well as the theatre’s puppet library, which lets people check out puppets for free.
In the Heart of the Beast’s vibrant puppetry has been a staple of Minneapolis’ Powderhorn and Phillips communities for nearly 50 years, and the organization has called the Avalon Theatre home since 1988. But in November, theatre leadership announced it was starting the process to sell the Avalon and look for a new home for its programming.
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In the Heart of the Beast’s interim executive director Elina Kotlyar said she hopes to continue to expand on the theatre’s current programming — and make it more accessible.
She said her dream is that the new space “can be reached by as many people as want to come.”
Windchill temperatures hovered in the single digits as the procession wound its way back to the Avalon, but the lanterns cast a warm glow on participants’ faces as they plodded along the quiet neighborhood street.
Three-year-old Finn Miller lets out a howl while perched on the shoulders of his father, Josh Miller, during a winter solstice celebration.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Back inside the theatre, community members shared homemade soup and watched musical performances. For Kotlyar, events like the solstice celebration are integral to bringing the community together.
“Tonight is simply an opportunity to be in the moment with other people,” she said. “And the warm soup is a bonus.”
Members of Sisters Camelot serve hot soup in the lobby of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
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