A large crowd gathered for a community meeting at the epicenter of Uptown’s latest struggle on March 19 to discuss how to take back a failing commercial district.
The meeting, organized by Uptown United, came to fruition after four months of community members contacting 311 and elected officials about an increase in open drug use, loitering, trash, and unhoused people focused around Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue.
Kevin Norman, a South Uptown resident, started Uptown United as a letter writing campaign. He teamed up with Uptown Association to get the word out about the campaign.
Networking with other concerned residents led to the idea of a walking campaign about Uptown, beginning March 27, referred to by Uptown United as a community ambassador program.
“I've been so inspired by how many people care about Uptown,” Norman said on March 19.
Norman sent an email in late November 2025 to elected officials that alerted them to an “informal boycott” happening on Hennepin Avenue, which had just reopened after multiple years of construction.
“People are avoiding the corridor not because they want to, but because the conditions make them feel unsafe,” Norman wrote to Mayor Jacob Frey and Council Member Aisha Chughtai in the fall.
A more positive tone was taken at the meeting.
“We’re all in this together,” Andy Vaaler, the meeting’s emcee encouraged everyone to shout back at the beginning of the meeting. Vaaler told the crowd of over 100 people that if the community can beat back Operation Metro Surge, it can solve Uptown’s problems.
The new tenants of the Art + Rec space, Arizona Tacos, donated their space for the meeting and were present on March 19. Hoping to open in the next month, Arizona Tacos co-owner Marcos Ayala said he was well aware of the open drug use in the area.
“Community has to be empowered” to solve these issues, Ayala told the crowd.
The meeting included remarks from the Minneapolis Police Department Fifth Precinct’s Crime Prevention Specialist Faith Randal, Seven Points business owner Marsha Magdalene, and numerous Uptown neighbors pitching the community ambassador program.
Randal said police have issued 60 citations and 20 arrests for trespassing in the area. A police unit is also spending 80% of their time in Uptown.
Mike Savage, a security guard who works in a business inside Seven Points, confirmed with Southwest Voices that the amount of incident reports he’s had to write has dwindled.
It is not clear where the drug users and unhoused people are moving to from the Uptown area.
The meeting agenda went long and community members had to wait an hour to ask questions and pitch their own ideas. When community members did get up to speak, people weren’t all in agreement with Uptown United’s plan.
“You talk about the unhoused and the dope addicted as they're your neighbors and your friends. I am here to tell you they are not,” Joe, a resident and veteran, said. “They don't care about you. They don't care about themselves.”
Caroline, a new resident to Uptown, said she was “taken aback” by “what we see on the street here.” She pitched doing community work without police intervention.
“Sleeping on the street and drug addiction rewires your brain,” Caroline said. “We can learn about harm reduction or have Narcan.” She suggested working with Uptown Joyce Food Shelf and Smitten Kitten, two businesses who have done direct work with community members in need this winter.
People interested in joining Uptown United’s community ambassador campaign can sign up online. Walking shifts are scheduled for weekend nights.
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