Ms. Juneteenth
As a young woman growing up on the Northside I competed in pageants like Miss Teen Minneapolis and Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens, not for the crown, but for the courage to believe in myself. Last week I was grateful to share that experience with some of the girls and young women participating in this year’s Ms. Juneteenth MN pageant. Mentorship is important to me and I want young women who look like me to know where the confidence they are cultivating can take them, including to City Hall.
The pageant takes place on June 7, and you can buy your tickets here.
Tragic Pedestrian Death In Ward 10
Last Friday evening I received an urgent email from an Uptown neighbor who was very concerned that someone may have lost their life after being hit by a vehicle on their block. I arrived on the scene and listened to neighbors worried about pedestrian safety, whose efforts to speak with their Council Member have failed. I later reached out to the mayor who assured me the City will be looking into ways to make Emerson safer for pedestrians, especially for our children who attend public school there.
Tragically, I learned that indeed one person did die after a car hit her, and that in addition to this incident, two other pedestrians were hit by the same driver–also in Ward 10–just five minutes before the vehicular fatality. My gratitude goes out to our Minneapolis police officers who tracked down the suspect so quickly and removed this person from the roads, potentially saving other lives.
Star Tribune, Charges: Driver purposely hit 4 in Minneapolis crosswalks, with one dragged and killed
As your Council Member I will ensure our pedestrian safety concerns are heard at City Hall and will not stop until action is taken. Our ward has suffered under years of neglect and it is time to focus on these constituent issues that make a big impact on our quality of life and on our basic safety.
However, there is a limit to designing safer streets. When someone is set to take the life of another — as appears to be the case in this instance — no urban planning project can stop them. This is why public safety must become a priority for our ward office. Those who are a danger to the public must be taken off the streets, there must be justice for the victims and their loved ones, and we must have swift and effective law enforcement in order to prevent future crime.
Small Business Highlight
Uptown BID Update
The Uptown Association is facilitating conversation and serving as a forum for educating the public about the possibility of an Uptown Business Improvement district. It is a collaboration between business owners, Uptown Association members, and others with the aligned interest to form a separate organization that would oversee and manage the BID. You can find out more about this proposal my Ward 10 update from last week.
