For the last few years, Uptown’s recovery has been caught in an eddy of good intentions and bad actors. But thanks to the efforts of residents and business owners and attention from city leaders, things may finally be moving in the right direction.
First, the Good
The 50-year-old Uptown Association is rightly proud of its efforts to bring stability, safety and businesses back to the area. The Farmers Market is returning to Uptown for a second season, and the iconic Uptown Art Fair will be back after a two-year hiatus to Bachman’s in Richfield. Arizona Tacos, a popular restaurant in New Hope, is opening a second location at Seven Points in May. It’s rumored that a restaurant will be moving into the former Sooki and Mimi space, aka Lucia’s to old timers, and there’s even a whisper that there may soon be some action in the former Apple store.
Neighbors Step Up
Uptown United started when Kevin Norman moved back to Uptown after 10 years in Oakland, California, and saw empty storefronts and open drug dealing in his formerly thriving neighborhood. Norman wrote a letter to city officials pleading for them to pay attention, and he started community walks on Friday and Saturday nights to bring energy — and people — back to the streets.
The City Steps Up
In other good news, there is now a dedicated Fifth Precinct patrol unit in Uptown, and since March 1, officers have issued 120 misdemeanor trespassing citations and made 60 arrests, many involving people with outstanding warrants.
On April 7, Ward 7 Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer announced that safety ambassadors will finally be coming to Uptown in November. “The community has been asking, and now we’re delivering!” she said. At a press conference on April 21, Shaffer was joined by Mayor Jacob Frey, Chief Brian O’Hara and other city officials to talk about the ambassador program.
The speakers credited the collaboration between city agencies, health care teams and the county, as well as the Uptown Association, business owners and neighbors, for the changes starting to happen. Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene noted that the county has a big presence in the neighborhood with the Walker Library — ground zero for much of the open drug use in Uptown — and thanked the county’s staff for stepping up as well.
The mayor and Shaffer noted that the city is not just sweeping dealers and addicted people off the streets and into other neighborhoods; they are working with appropriate agencies to get them the help they need.
To the question of why the ambassadors won’t hit the streets until November, Amanda Harrington, director of the Neighborhood Safety Department, said the ambassadors need to be recruited, vetted and trained in everything from de-escalation techniques to CPR, and that data shows training is critical to the program’s success. She said it also takes time to allow for community input on where and how the ambassadors can be most effective.
A Walk Through Uptown
Response to the announcement of an upturn in Uptown ranged from cautious optimism to wary skepticism.
Carla Pardue, a longtime resident of Uptown, captured the mixed emotions that many people feel about Uptown in an account of her experience on a recent Uptown United community walk.
“About 30 of us gathered in front of Seven Points to get our T-shirts before setting out. We had wonderful conversations about the future of Uptown, what we all could do to help and how nice it was to be walking around the neighborhood together on a beautiful Friday evening.
“We stopped in new places and old places to tell them — please stay, we are here and we want you here.
“It reminded me of the old days when we would walk to Uptown with no idea where we were going or what we were going to do. There was just so much going on, we knew we would find something.
“My takeaway from the evening was that the Uptown community does care. The police do care. And now it seems the city does care. But two restaurants just closed, there is still drug use on the streets and too many vacant storefronts.
“I am not giving up on my neighborhood, and I will go on more of these walks. Meeting my neighbors gave me hope. It reminded me of why I always loved living in Uptown.”
Susan Lenfestey writes for the Hill & Lake Press. She lives in Lowry Hill.
