Minneapolis, MN
Two Minneapolis men sentenced for armed carjacking on Valentine’s Day
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Two men who pleaded guilty in an armed carjacking case were sentenced to prison Friday.
T’Shawn Teon Palton, 21, received nine years in prison, followed by three years of probation. Jamal Timothy Funchess received eight years in prison, followed by three years of probation., according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.
According to court documents, on the evening of Feb. 14, 2023, Palton, Funchess, and a then-juvenile posted an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace to sell an iPhone. The victim responded to the advertisement and made arrangements to buy the phone. The victim and the supposed seller agreed to meet at a location in Columbia Heights. When the victim arrived at the location and was still in the car, Palton and the juvenile approached. The juvenile had a gun and hit the victim in the face with it. The men ordered the victim to the backseat of the car, then got into the car. They drove for a short distance and picked up Funchess.
For several hours, the three men drove the victim’s car around the Twin Cities, holding the victim at gunpoint in the backseat. Each of the three men at some point held the firearm and pointed it at the victim. During this time, they demanded that the victim surrender his cell phone, wallet, credit cards and banking information, a press release said.
The men drove to several gas stations in an attempt to withdraw money. Toward the end of the ordeal, they discussed what to do with the victim and openly talked about killing him. They ended up dropping the victim on a road in St. Paul and drove away in the victim’s car.
The victim ran to a gas station and borrowed an employee’s cell phone to call 911. Officers were able to use the location of the victim’s stolen cell phone to find the three perpetrators, along with the victim’s stolen car and possessions, the release said.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis shooting critically injures man
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Police say a man was struck by a vehicle and then shot when he tried to run away from a Minneapolis bus stop.
What we know
Officers responded to a reported shooting near the intersection of Lowry Avenue North and Fremont Avenue North around 12:15 a.m. Saturday.
Investigators believe a man at a bus stop was in “an altercation” with multiple people in a vehicle.
The driver then struck the man with the vehicle as the man tried to run away, police say.
Someone in the vehicle then allegedly shot the man before the driver left the area with the vehicle.
Law enforcement described the victim’s injuries as “potentially life-threatening.”
What we don’t know
Police have not released details on any suspect descriptions or the vehicle involved.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis park board systems disrupted by cyberattack
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Minneapolis, MN
Vacant no more: Artists, creatives move into empty storefronts for new Minneapolis initiative
The city of Minneapolis announced the first awardees of its Vibrant Storefronts Initiative. The city’s pilot program subsidizes the rent of formerly vacant storefronts downtown for artists and arts organizations.
The awardees include Black Business Enterprises, Twin Cities Pride, Skntones creative agency, Blackbird Revolt design studio and Flavor World arts and entertainment company. The city’s Arts and Cultural Affairs department chose the awardees from 43 applicants.
“They selected the brightest and most talented people that we have in the city to fill these spaces with creativity,” said Mayor Jacob Frey in a press conference at one of the formerly vacant storefronts at 1128 Harmon Place.
“The whole idea is that it’s not just any creativity. It’s edgy. It puts you on the edge of your seat a little bit. It challenges our perspective. It requires us to all think outside the box, and it’s livening up an area.”
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The five arts and culture organizations will occupy spaces within a few blocks of each other near Loring Park in the city’s effort to create a cultural hub. The city reports that the initiative will distribute $224,202 “to foster creativity, enhance vibrancy, and promote sustainability in Minneapolis.”
“This program was meant to not only address the the lack of vibrancy in the storefronts, but also address the affordable space crisis that are facing artists in our community, and so we’re trying to combine and solve both of those through this initiative,” said Ben Johnson, arts and cultural affairs director.
Blackbird Revolt owner and founder, University of Minnesota associate design professor Terresa Moses, said the initiative would help the studio fulfill its dreams and help revitalize downtown.
“What that includes is us working together to intersect design, animation, video, photography with black liberation, with abolition, with justice, with the things that we find are important, lifting up our voices and our narrative,” Moses told the crowd. Blackbird Revolt will occupy 1128 Harmon Place.
Twin Cities Pride executive director Andi Otti said it was an opportunity for the longstanding organization to deepen its roots. Otti announced the creation of the new Pride Cultural Arts Center (PCAC) at 1201 Harmon Place, just blocks away from where the Twin Cities Pride Festival takes place at Loring Park every June.
“By creating a physical location and a cultural hub for the community connection and growth, the PCAC will serve as a dynamic platform for expression, education and support,” Otti said. “It will be a safe, welcoming and vibrant environment where community members and our allies can celebrate arts and culture.”
Nancy Korsah is the founder of Black Business Enterprises (BBE), a business-to-business service provider that provides guidance to entrepreneurs. The goal is to turn the BBE storefront at 1128 Harmon Place into an art activation hub.
“We want to make sure that you understand that art is not dead,” Korsah said. “We are here to bring the neighborhood back alive, and we’re going to work together, all of us, to ensure that we can create spaces for artists to really express themselves and to showcase the incredible talent that is Minneapolis.”
The storefront leases will run for two years. Current awardees will have the option to renew.
“These neighborhoods and these buildings have been vacant for a long time,” said Minneapolis Council member Katie Cashman. “So, I’m really happy that the city this year decided to invest in artists as a strategy to fill vibrant storefronts.”
The city’s Arts and Cultural Affairs department hopes to expand the program in 2025.
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