City of Minneapolis

Also in this issue:

More police on the streets and buses

City wins national clean air award

MOSAIC gears up for 2007

Get connected with North force

Gold Medal Park is Open downtown

Minneapolis is Family Town USA

Midtown Global Market Celebrates

Keeping Our Kids Safe for the Summer

This week I stood with a diverse group of community leaders to showcase how the City, the police, the park, library and school boards, the Youth Coordinating Board, and dozens of community partners are working together in an unprecedented, coordinated way keep our kids safe for the summer – and continue to drive down violent crime in Minneapolis.

We are meeting the challenge of youth violence with a multi-faceted plan of attack that calls for tough enforcement when kids step out of line, but also gives youth creative, relevant alternatives to violence:

• We are centralizing a curfew and truancy center to streamline and improve our aggressive efforts to enforce curfew and make sure kids are off the streets at night.

• We are providing grants to community-based groups working with kids who are at a higher risk for delinquency, crime, gangs and violence.

• We are engaging youth in positive activities with more than 750 programs to choose from this summer in athletics, arts, learning, outdoors, leadership and volunteering.The Whats Up youth information line is a great resource to connect kids with activities in their neighborhoods.Just call 612-399-9999 or visit www.whatsup.org.

• Starting June 18, recreation centers at 10 Minneapolis parks will stay open late and hold activities for teens until at least 10 p.m.

• Starting June 18, the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating will begin operating two “Youth Are Here” circulator buses to make sure young people have safe transportation to youth-friendly places in their areas. Two routes are planned; one on the North Side and one on the South Side. 

Altogether, our aggressive public safety efforts are paying off. Violent crime fell 22 percent city-wide in the first quarter of this year, with double-digit decreases in every police precinct. Throughout the summer, Minneapolis will continue focusing on strategies that are working. We are adding more police officers to the streets, more cutting-edge safety technology in our neighborhoods, and more prevention programs that get at the root-causes of crime. Working together, we are turning the tide and taking back our city – and our youth.

More Police Officers Hitting the Streets and Buses
Last week the City Council and I approved $750,000 to strengthen police patrols downtown and in other strategic areas of the city: $500,000 will fund increased patrols along the #5 bus line, especially downtown and $250,000 will fund increased police presence in other targeted areas of the city this summer. Because of our aggressive efforts, crime is falling and we want to maintain that trend. Fifteen new police officers have already been added downtown, along with additional mounted patrols, mostly on weekend nights when extra crowd control is especially needed. These efforts come as Metro Transit adds $2.4 million to improve security on buses with more police presence and enhanced camera systems. For more information about these downtown and transit safety plans visit my website and the City newsroom.

Minneapolis Wins National Environmental Award
Minneapolis won a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Excellence Award for its many efforts to improve air quality in the city. This is one of the top environmental awards from the EPA, and Minneapolis was one of just two winners nationwide in the “Regulatory/Policy Innovation” category. Minneapolis is considered one of the most environmentally-friendly cities in the country, and the City has long been a leader in creating policies and practices that protect and enhance the environment. Air quality in Minneapolis is among the best of major metropolitan areas in the United States, but it still faces challenges. The EPA award recognized Minneapolis for a wide range of actions designed to improve air quality. To learn more about the EPA award, visit the City newsroom.

Minneapolis MOSAIC Gears Up for Summer 2007
Minneapolis MOSAIC showcases our city’s vibrant and diverse cultural scene and celebrates the many ways we express our cultural traditions through art. Be sure to join the MOSAIC “Many Worlds One Night” celebration on Saturday, June 9 from 6 to 10pm for fantastic FREE entertainment on Hennepin Avenue downtown between 7th & 9th Streets. From Hmong butterfly dancers to hip hop music, you'll find more than 40 entertainment acts from many different cultures. There will be food from the Midtown Global Market, a cultural fashion show, a Visual Art Gallery and lots more - ALL FREE and ALL ONE NIGHT! For more information about the June 9th event and other MOSAIC events throughout the summer, visit www.minneapolismosaic.com.