A Northside Newsletter: W5
From Ward 5 Minneapolis City Council Member, Jeremiah Ellison.
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Civil Rights Department honors History Makers at Home
The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights is honoring several community leaders as part of the History Makers at Home program. The program features African American leaders advancing civil rights and removing barriers to equity in the fields of criminal justice, education, economic development, health, housing, government and more.
Whether “home” is defined as a city, region or state, the department is honoring changemakers who are creating a lasting impact for future generations.
The Civil Rights Department is also recognizing the Minnesota Black Basketball Coaches Association (MBBCA), which launched the inaugural George Floyd Basketball Classic Dec. 28, 2021. The association is dedicated to advocacy, employment and advancing the careers of African Americans in Minnesota.
Learn more about this year’s award winners on the City website.
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Minneapolis street renamed Cheatham Avenue to honor life of John Cheatham, City’s first Black fire captain
Dight Avenue in south Minneapolis is officially renamed Cheatham Avenue to honor the legacy of John Cheatham, who became the first Black fire captain with the Minneapolis Fire Department in 1899 and is believed to be the City’s first Black firefighter.
Cheatham, who was born enslaved in 1855, worked out of Fire Station 24 until his retirement in 1911. The station is about two blocks from the newly renamed street. Cheatham Avenue runs from 34th Street East to 43rd Street East in south Minneapolis.
The former namesake of the street was Charles Fremont Dight, a physician and Minneapolis alderman who founded the Minnesota Eugenics Society in 1923. He was also a Hitler supporter.
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Resources for Students and Families During the Teachers Strike
The City of Minneapolis has compiled a list of resources for students and families during the teachers strike affecting Minneapolis Public Schools.
Emergency Food Resources:
- Minneapolis Public Schools Students -
- Emergency Food Resources - Ongoing:
Safe Places for Kids:
Updates About the Strike:
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Mayor Frey Announces New Police Warrant and Entry Policy Proposal
Mayor Jacob Frey has announced his new standards for the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) warrant and entry policy. The new policy will prohibit police applying for or using no-knock (unannounced) search warrants within Minneapolis. Under the new policy, MPD will no longer request or respond to no-knock requests on behalf of other jurisdictions.
The new proposed policy:
- Prohibits the Minneapolis Police Department from applying for and using all no-knock search warrants.
- Requires that officers continuously knock and announce their presence and purpose before entering with at least a 20 second wait time for any warrant and 30 seconds for warrants carried out during nighttime hours (8 p.m.-7 a.m. as defined by state statute).
- Creates a new risk classification and evaluation system for knock-and-announce search warrants.
- Introduces new, safer tactics when police enter a home.
- Enacts a more robust and thorough internal review and accountability process.
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Funding Available for Violence Prevention Ideas
Funding is now available for violence prevention proposals that benefit Minneapolis communities. The funds are being distributed as part of the City’s ongoing effort to support community-led strategies that reduce violence and promote resilience, connectedness and healing throughout Minneapolis.
Residents, organizations and businesses with proposals that target specific forms of violence affecting their communities are encouraged to apply. Eligible programs include community outreach, events, block patrols, youth mentoring, employment, recreational activities, education opportunities and more.
There are four categories of available funds, with multiple awards for each category:
- Projects that take place over several months (up to $85,000 per proposal)
- Smaller-scale projects to address violence over more focused implementation periods (up to $50,000 per proposal)
- Smaller projects led by individuals (up to $10,000 per proposal)
- Specific projects that focus on creating safety through environmental changes (up to $75,000 per proposal)
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De-escalation Training for Community Members
The Office of Violence Prevention is offering to host a de-escalation training community members in Ward 5. This specific training is targeted to build skills around the prevention of and intervention in mental health crisis and wellness recovery. The training will be put on by the Barbara Schneider Foundation and features scenario-based actors who bring the trainings to life.
The training is a total of six hours and is covered over a period of two days (3 hours each day). The Barbara Schneider Foundation has many years’ experience training on mental health crisis response for first responders, law enforcement, social service providers, health care systems, and others. A training must have between 12-25 community members in order to be effective.
If you are interested in this program, please contact Dieu Do, Ward 5 Policy Associate, dieu.do@minneapolismn.gov and our office will follow up with more information.
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Employment Opportunities for Adults & Youth
There are tons of job opportunities available at the City of Minneapolis. View and apply here.
Here is a list of full-time and part-time advocacy and organizing jobs in the Twin Cities area:
If you are interested or know someone who may be interested, please apply and share with your communities.
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Apply to Serve on a City Board or Commission
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All Youth Programs & Sports Are Free Beginning This Summer
Registration fees have been eliminated for all youth programs, activities and sports leagues based at Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) parks, recreation centers and facilities within census-designated “areas of concentrated poverty.”
Sites with Free Youth Programs
- The sites with free youth programs include Bottineau Park, Central Gym, East Phillips Park, Elliot Park, Farview Park, Folwell Park, Harrison Park, Kroening Nature Center, Luxton Park, North Commons Park, Painter Park, Peavey Park, Phillips Park, Powderhorn Park, Stewart Park, Van Cleve Park and Whittier Park.
- In addition, three Rec Plus School-Age Childcare sites are now donation-based: Harrison Park, Matthews Park and Webber Park.
Browse Programs and Sign Up
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Resources for Housing and Benefits
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Free COVID-19 Vaccine Shots & At-Home Tests
COVID-19 vaccines dramatically reduce the likelihood of serious complications from COVID and have been shown in recent studies to reduce spread by people who don’t have symptoms.
How to Get Your Free Shot:
- Use the State’s Vaccine Locator Map to find a vaccine provider near you.
- Check for vaccine appointments at Vaccines.gov, where you can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
- Contact your primary health care provider or a local pharmacy.
- Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline at 1-833-431-2053 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays.
You can now request free at-home COVID-19 test kits from the federal government at covidtests.gov.
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Virtual Open Coffee Hours on Mondays 12-1 P.M.
Join me from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM every Monday for Open Coffee Hours! These are informal and a chance for me to hear directly from you while we share coffee or a meal (virtually).
Office hours is on a first come first served basis. Please try not to call in past 12:50 p.m. as we want to leave enough time to chat about what you'd like to discuss.
Please RSVP below, and my staff will follow-up with the call-in details. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to Policy Associate Dieu Do at dieu.do@minneapolismn.gov.
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Jeremiah Ellison is the Minneapolis City Council Member for Ward 5, which includes the neighborhoods of Harrison, Hawthorne, Jordan, Near-North, North Loop, Sumner-Glenwood, and Willard-Hay.
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