BRIEFS July 21, 2022

Mayor’s Community Safety Work Group
Mayor Frey’s Community Safety Work Group has presented their recommendations for improving public safety to the city council. They include creating a new leadership commissioner-level position to coordinate city public safety services, implementing a police recruitment and training program focused on future candidates who live in Minneapolis, improving police training, strengthening disciplinary and accountability systems, as well as expanding violence prevention programs and the city’s behavioral crisis response strategy.

New Commissioner of Safety
Following the City Council’s approval of establishing the new position of the Community Safety Commissioner for the City of Minneapolis, Mayor Frey announced that he was nominating Cedric Alexander as his choice for the new position. If everything goes as planned, the commissioner will oversee the mayor’s proposed Office of Community Safety, which includes the fire and police departments, 911, the office of emergency management, and a new office of neighborhood safety that will replace the office of violence prevention now housed in the health department. Alexander is a former police chief, deputy mayor, and member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. His nomination was formally referred to the council meeting on July 21 and will likely be voted on in August.

Kenilworth Lagoon closed
In July, a month-long closure of the north end of Kenilworth Channel started. The channel, or lagoon, will be closed to boats and paddle boarders while the old pedestrian bridge over it is demolished. The channel may reopen on some weekends for recreational use “when conditions are safe,” according to a statement from the Park Board. During the closure, people may use a portion of the lagoon which will remain open to Lake of the Isles.

Lyndale Avenue pilot
This month, Hennepin County will begin a lane conversion pilot project on Lyndale Avenue between Franklin Avenue and Lake Street. Following the work, the county plans to collect input from residents, businesses, neighborhood groups, and other key stakeholders. Feedback can be shared at https://zan.mysocialpinpoint.com/lyndale-avenue-safety-improvements#/.

Consent decree listening sessions
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MNDHR) is working with the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) to gather ideas from the community on what should be included in a consent decree to addressing race-based policing in Minneapolis. The center intends to include ideas from the community in a report to MDHR that will inform any agreement made between MDHR and the City of Minneapolis. The first sessions were held on July 7, at the Longfellow Park Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room, July 10 at Windom Northeast Recreation Center, and July 21, at the Bryant Square Recreation Center, 3101 Bryant Ave S. Additional sessions will be held at to be determined locations on July 24, from 3- 5 p.m. and July 28, 6-8 p.m. More details can be found at https://www.mnjrc.org/events.

Input on 38th & Chicago’s future wanted
As the project to re-envision the intersection design at 38th and Chicago moves into the “community visioning” phase, the project team has announced that they will gather input on which infrastructure needs are most important to the community. People are invited to share their ideas through Community conversations during virtual office hours 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m.-noon Thursdays, join a focus group, and invite staff team members to an event they are hosting.