Minneapolis, MN
Violence interrupter contract controversy creates service gap on Minneapolis' North Side
The controversy over violence interrupter contracts at Minneapolis City Hall has left a gap in prevention services on the city’s North Side as of Tuesday, as several newly selected violence interrupter groups took over services across the city.
Previous contracts expired on Monday, and with it, funding for the group “We Push for Peace,” which was not re-contracted for services on the North Side.
Another group, “21 Days of Peace,” was supposed to step in until the city withdrew its contract two weeks ago amid concerns surrounding its founder, Rev. Jerry McAfee, leaving a gap with no end in sight.
RELATED: Minneapolis City Council member’s proposal to transfer $1.1M for violence intervention to Hennepin County sparks heated debate
The historically underserved, higher crime area has notably seen a drop in violent crime recently, but area council member and longtime North Sider LaTrisha Vetaw said she fears that progress could halt without city funding for services like 21 Days of Peace that she said neighbors have come to rely on.
“When it kind of like, registered, ‘Whoa, we’re losing… ‘We Push for Peace,’ and we’re losing Rev. McAfee, potentially, like that was a hard pill for me to swallow, especially when the news reports were coming out that crime is down on the North Side,” Vetaw said during an interview at her Ward 4 office on Tuesday.
“It’s not better yet. Like, it’s not over. We still need to continue doing the work to make it better.”
Community members rallied in support of McAfee and his organization outside City Council offices, citing similar concerns.
As of this report, no one was scheduled to take over the area, which includes the historically troublesome West Broadway corridor.
The city’s Neighborhood Safety Department did not have an answer on when it would contract a group to fill the gap, saying they are “…still reviewing events…” that led them to reconsider the contract with McAfee, and “…no decision has yet been made on how to proceed.”
“I have not gotten any answers yet,” Vetaw said.
“There’s an investigation going on. I don’t know of what, but that’s what they keep saying. ‘There’s an investigation.’”
In the meantime, Vetaw said about 10 jobs are also at stake.
“You know, people focus on Rev. McAfee. There are people who work for ’21 Days of Peace,’ who live in this community, that have a job that is going to lose their jobs because they don’t have that contract. That’s important,” she said.
McAfee did not previously have a city contract and has said he’ll continue to work with or without city funding.
Vetaw worried that would not be a long-term solution and without a contract, officials don’t have control over these services, nor can they track their effectiveness.
Vetaw said she’s exploring alternatives to bring before the city council in a resolution.
Timeline: Violence interrupters and Minneapolis city government
- December 2020: For the first time, the Minneapolis city budget includespermanent funding for violence interrupter programs through the MinneapolUS Strategic Outreach Initiative. The program received $2.5 million in its first year.
- May 2021: The Rev. Jerry McAfee sets out to achieve “21 Days of Peace” with volunteer patrols in the wake of three shootings over the span of a month that killed two young children and severely injured another.
- February 2022: The Minneapolis City Council approves an additional $5 million for violence interruption contracts, despite concerns about transparency and accountability.
- August 2022: Then-Commissioner of Community Safety Cedric Alexander calls for more hard data surrounding the city’s violence interrupter program.
- October 2023: Minneapolis authorizes a one year, $200,000 contract with Salem Inc., McAfee’s nonprofit, for violence intervention services.
- April 2024: Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley accuses the city’s Neighborhood Safety Department (NSD) of “mismanagement” and wrongly withholding funds from violence interrupter groups. Former NSD Director Luana Nelson-Brown later told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she stopped payments to certain organizations over a lack of receipts and data.
- Feb. 10, 2025: McAfee blows up at Minneapolis City Council members over a plan to offload oversight of $1 million in violence interrupter contracts to Hennepin County. Council members condemned the tirade and accused him of hurling threats and homophobic remarks.
- March 10, 2025: Two 21 Days of Peace members are involved in a shootout in north Minneapolis and are later criminally charged.
- March 17, 2025: Minneapolis city officials withdraw a request for Minneapolis City Council action on violence interrupter contracts over concerns surrounding McAfee and 21 Days of Peace.
- March 25, 2025: The Minneapolis City Council Committee of the Whole accepts a new request for violence interruption contracts that excludes Salem Inc.
Minneapolis, MN
After raising money for immigrant families, Minneapolis adult store asks community for help
After spending months helping immigrant families weather the economic fallout of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities, Smitten Kitten is asking the community for help sustaining itself.
The adult retail store in Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood issued a public plea for community financial support.
The strain comes after months of directing staff and volunteer time, resources and fundraising efforts toward mutual aid work that supported immigrants during Operation Metro Surge.
The store became one of the most visible community aid hubs after the federal operation began. Following the killing of Renee Good, Smitten Kitten began collecting groceries, diapers, toilet paper and other essentials.
“Nothing is going to change unless we’re going to do something,” said Anne Lehman, Smitten Kitten social media manager and mutual aid advisor.
The store also helped direct efforts toward rent relief for immigrants facing heightened uncertainty and economic hardship.
“People had been hiding out since October. They’re going to need things like diapers, toilet paper and water.” Lehman said. “We ended up opening our store as a donation drop-off stop.”
Community support quickly exceeded expectations.
“It felt like every fifteen minutes someone was pulling up in an SUV that just came from Costco,” Lehman said. “As soon as we got it, it would be gone because of how great the need was.”
Lehman said that the attention also created safety concerns for staff and visitors.
“We had to move where our stuff was because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had caught on to what we were doing and tried to intimidate us,” said Lehman.
In response, the store decided to move its operations elsewhere and began to focus on raising money for necessities. According to Lehman, the establishment raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various needs.
The operation, in part, ended by mid-February, and federal presence in Minnesota diminished. As things began to wind down, so did cash flow at Smitten Kitten.
“There were a lot of weeks where we were cutting it close on payroll,” said Lehman.
In a social media post, Lehman asked the community to come help support the store by asking for donations, asking people to shop at their store or online.
“We are asking for help, but also all of these things that we’re pouring all of our energy into is not going away,” said Lehman. “If we want to continue doing mutual aid, we have to have a solid foundation of our business as well.”
MINNEAPOLIS — Real Capital Solutions (RCS) has acquired 3701 Wayzata Boulevard, a 308,681-square-foot office property in the Urban West End neighborhood of Minneapolis, for $34 million. Situated on 25.8 acres overlooking Brownie and Cedar lakes, the nine-story asset is 99 percent leased and serves as the headquarters location for several companies such as Tactile Medical, SRF Consulting Group, Regis Corp. and MOBE.
Originally developed as a corporate headquarters campus for Prudential and later occupied by Target Corp., the property underwent a comprehensive renovation and repositioning in 2019. Amenities today include a fitness center, conference facilities, a golf simulator, onsite café, outdoor gathering spaces, a rooftop patio, bike storage and direct access to regional trail systems.
-
Pittsburg, PA44 seconds agoAnalysis: Most Pittsburgh‑area communities are losing residents — here’s why that might be OK
-
Washington, D.C4 minutes agoTrump’s DC makeover frenzy bewilders locals and visitors: ‘It’s like we’re under occupation’
-
Augusta, GA4 minutes agoAugusta Regional Airport hosts drone camp for students
-
Cleveland, OH16 minutes agoCleveland police arrest suspect in involuntary manslaughter investigation, find fentanyl and PCP
-
Austin, TX19 minutes agoAustin community celebrates ‘Black Artists Matter’ mural before removal
-
Alabama24 minutes agoTwo Alabama bridges rank among longest in U.S. Have you crossed them?
-
Alaska31 minutes agoPilot dies in small plane crash southeast of Cordova
-
Arizona34 minutes agoArizona’s Rugged Wilderness Area Has Gorgeous Mountain Trails And Scenic Camping Spots – Islands
