Uptown United is a new resident-driven volunteer effort that aims to bring people back to the streets, support businesses and strengthen community presence.
On March 19, more than 175 residents, business owners, police officers and elected officials gathered in the future home of the Arizona Taco Company in Uptown.
The crowd was there to learn more about the Uptown Community Ambassadors Program, slated to start in Uptown at the end of March.
The Uptown Community Ambassadors will be groups of people who care about Uptown walking the area’s streets together on Friday and Saturday nights.
There will be two shifts each evening, and the goal is to strengthen the neighborhood with a visible community presence.
The program is a collaboration between Uptown United, a new cross-neighborhood advocacy group, and the Uptown Association.
The Uptown Association is a long-standing nonprofit that partners with businesses and community groups to improve Uptown’s economic vitality and sustainability.
The evening’s emcee and program founder, Andy Vaaler, described what he wanted neighbors to do: “Show up to be present in Uptown, show up to support Uptown businesses, show up to eat at Uptown restaurants and show up to meet your neighbors.”
“ Wouldn’t it be great to say ‘I was actually a part of the rebirth of Uptown.’ ”
Speakers included Arizona Taco owner Marcos Ayala, Shop My Closet owner Marsha Magdalene, MPD Crime Prevention Specialist Faith Randall and MPD Uptown patrol officers, program founder and Uptown resident Lee Todd, Uptown United founder Kevin Norman, Uptown Association President Andrea Corbin and newly hired Uptown Association Executive Director Stefani Pennaz.
Kevin Norman described his dream for the program this way: “We want to have community walks on Friday and Saturday nights, not policing, just walking. We want to get people on the streets walking around, eating at restaurants and saying hello to business owners.” He added, “Wouldn’t it be great to say ‘I was actually a part of the rebirth of Uptown.’”
Lee Todd gave his perspective on the decline of Uptown. He said the decline was the result of increasing pressure on its businesses from the growth of online retail, the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest following George Floyd’s murder.
He credits the Uptown Farmers Market, a multi-neighborhood community event that launched on Thursday nights last summer, with stopping the decline and starting the renewal.
The Uptown Farmers Market will be back on Thursdays starting in June. In more good news, Pennaz also announced that the Uptown Art Fair is coming back to Uptown this summer.
All the speakers thanked the crowd for coming out to support Uptown. They also praised the increased efforts and patrols of the Minneapolis Police Department, which are already making a difference in the number of people loitering and breaking the law in Uptown.
Speakers stressed that more police presence is only part of the solution. Residents need to do their part, too.
They encouraged everyone to call 911 whenever they witness trouble in Uptown, whether it is drug dealing, drug use, trespassing or vandalism, or see someone who is not well and needs help.
While the initial plan is to have the walks on weekend evenings, organizers are open to walks happening at other times of the week and day as well.
As Uptown business owner Judy Longbottom said, “The trouble is out there 24/7.”
Uptown supporters can sign up to be an Uptown Community Ambassador on the Uptown United website at UptownUnitedMpls.org.
The founders are seeking volunteers to walk and to help organize walking shifts. All volunteers can pick their own walk schedule and frequency.
Ellen van Iwaarden is the president of the East Isles Neighborhood Association.
