When I read that the Institute for Quality of Life had named Minneapolis the happiest city in the USA, I decided to get with the program. No more Debbie Downer opinions from me!
But then I got to wondering what life is like in the less-happy cities, because things are a little rough in our city right now.
I’m not talking about the quality-of-life issues that usually get me down, like gas-powered leaf blowers and unused bike lanes.
I’m talking about crime and failing businesses, and how some in city leadership don’t seem to see the crisis it truly is.
Crime
On the crime front, efforts are being made to restore safe streets by hiring “ambassadors” and “violence interrupters” to patrol the streets. It’s a start, but not the same as the presence of a robust and well-trained police force.
Mayor Frey and Police Chief O’Hara have been working hard to replenish the ranks of the MPD — difficult in the current environment. Recently the city announced a tentative three-year agreement with the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis that includes an historic 21.7% pay increase over three years.
But some members of the Council oppose the contract and have continued to sow distrust of the MPD. In a public statement after the shooting of Officer Jamal Mitchell, Ward 10 Council Member, Council Vice-President Aisha Chughtai, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, known also as the DSA, did not mention that a police officer was shot. She did not say his name.
Instead, Chughtai wrote that the “massive law enforcement presence, helicopters overhead, and gun violence should not be normalized” and apologized to her constituents saying, “[m]any residents came home to find crime scene tape closing off access to their home. For those who experienced this yesterday, I am so sorry."
Mpls for the Many, the political action committee that supports DSA-aligned candidates, sent out an email stating that “… we collectively grieve the tragic deaths of Officer Jamal Mitchell, Osman Said Jimale and Mohamed Bashir Aden.” No. We. Don’t.
I know nothing about Mr. Jimale or Mr. Aden, but I know that only one of those men was there as a police officer, to protect the lives of the others. Say his name.
The email went on to urge supporters to attend a public hearing on June 25 to voice opposition to the new contract.
That hearing, before the Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee, was attended by nearly 100 people. After a detailed presentation on behalf of the city by City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher, and rebuttal by Stacey Gurian-Sherman of Minneapolis For A Better Police Contract, the meeting was opened for public comment. Roughly 35 people spoke, the overwhelming majority of them in favor of the contract.
But the committee deadlocked at 3-3 on whether to move forward with a full Council vote on June 27, with opponents insisting that they needed another hearing to get more information. Chair Wonsley, Ellison, and Chughtai were against, while Vice-Chair Palmisano, Vetaw, and Cashman favored immediate action.
Kicking the Can
Given that the Council already participated in a day-long seminar on contract details, and there is no requirement for public input on this or any other city contract, and citizens are more likely to share opinions than new facts, this appears to be a kick the-can-down-the-road maneuver with the goal of prolonging the process. It’s reminiscent of the foot-dragging of so-called progressives on reopening the 3rd Precinct. If you keep holding hearings, you might hear what you want to hear.
The next public hearing has been pushed to July 8 with final consideration no earlier than July 18. However, seven votes are needed for approval and Council Member Osman, the seventh vote, will be out of town for the next two-week council cycle. This could push the vote until August 1. Ward 7 Council Member Katie Cashman has promised to vote for the contract. Stay tuned.
If the council fails to approve the contract, then it returns to mediation, and advances to binding arbitration.
On the commercial front, small businesses are plagued by chronic crime and vandalism.
Judy Longbottom, owner of the UPS store at 28th Street and Hennepin Avenue South, sent a list of simple requests to the City Council, including asking that lighting be restored in the streets and alleys by her shop. Criminals have stripped the copper out of the streetlights, leaving her business and her neighbors in the dark.
She wrote, “I beg city council members to hear our valid concerns about the cost of doing business in the city of Minneapolis. There is a breaking point for all businesses.”
That breaking point was recently reached by Mikaela Harrod, owner of Les Sól, a boutique on Lake Street near Irving Avenue, who will close her business on June 30.
In a post announcing the closing she wrote: “Small businesses in Uptown are hurting… we feel the city hasn’t done enough to help our little slice of Minneapolis… We’re sad to close our doors… but hoping our closing can serve as a reminder to the city that more needs to be done to help other small businesses.”
Restaurants still open are hanging on by a thread, reducing their hours to stay in business and retain employees. Efforts to unionize in these small, often BIPOC-owned, restaurants could not come at a worse time.
Kim’s restaurant in Uptown, owned by stalwart Uptown supporter Ann Kim, is an example of a restaurant determined to stick it out in these tough times. But workers there are attempting to unionize, an effort Kim does not support. The restaurant recently had a slab of concrete thrown through the front window and white paint splashed over the façade. Whether random or related to the unionization effort is anyone’s guess.
Council Member Cashman is co-author of a bill to establish a Labor Standards Board, an advisory panel that would recommend new policies to oversee working conditions for restaurant employees.
