Tour video of Minneapolis Democracy Center transcript

Barbara: We're here at 3000 Minnehaha Avenue, which is the location for the new Minneapolis Democracy Center for early voting and citizens to come and cast their votes.

Casey: This is where voters will engage right here. This is the community space?

Barbara: Community space. [inaudible].

Casey & Margaret: Wow. Oh, wow.

Barbara: So, in the upcoming weeks, months, we will start to see windows and things that like this being replaced and it will make a big difference in the space. But, as you can see, structurally sound.

Margaret: Yeah, very much so.

Barbara: A very, very, nice space, very large, flexible space that will be a great home for our democracy center. Margaret, this gives you a really good feel for what the other floors will feel like.

Margaret: Oh, yeah, this is really good.

Barbara: Because the windows are still intact up here. You typically can see the Minneapolis skyline. And it's it's stunning.

Margaret: This is an incredible amount of space.

Casey: Conceptually, this is where our offices would be, right? This is where the offices for the election director, where staff would be. This is the third floor. The second floor would really be our training rooms, our ballot board, sort of those office functions of an election. And then the first floor would be our community partner and our public facing early vote center. Is that right?

Barbara: That's correct. Now, keep in mind that is part of our concept today. We still need to go through the design process where we will sus out all of those things and make sure that the form matches the function.

Casey: Correct. Nice. Huge space.

Margaret: And so being able to have this site where you really are within a block and a half from the light rail stop and frankly you are right here where there are bus stops is an incredible thing.

Casey: And the bike infrastructure too. Multiple options for public transit is really good. Not just for voters but of course on election day when we deploy getting out of all of our precincts and on election night coming back. [Barbara: Yeah]. It's a major transit route. [Barbara: It is.]

Margaret: I think our ethos in Minneapolis as a community that's very engaged, high level of voting participation in Minneapolis, in Minnesota. This idea of democracy center really honors that ethos and the legacy of that and then helps build it forward for the next generations.

Casey: Absolutely. As I agree. Yep. Mayor sometimes says we are the voting estate and the voting estate. So we should have a democracy center.

3000 Minnehaha Ave. community voices transcript

Text on the screen: We asked, what do you hope for the future?

Community member: Honoring the history of the building of the Third Precinct to me means really bringing healing in the space where such tragedy and hopelessness and Injustice was felt.

Community member: And I feel like as a community we can withstand anything. This place should be able to have imprinted his [George Floyd's] name with his photo because it was very important.

Community member: We should use it to heal the people that were the victims.

Lisa: So what might that community space look like for healing? That question needs to be asked, and it needs to be asked of some of the people who have been most deeply affected.

Community member: Making it a place where community members can now make new memories there that can outlive the terrible memories that they had there.

Community member: It should also be a place where youth, our youths, can be able to come and get educated and get Social Services. A place where they can be able to vote.

Community member: If the City is going to make it a Democracy Center, I do hope to see some classes being taught there on how to vote. Because a lot of community members don't even get their voices heard because they don't know how to vote or where to go to vote.

Community member: Some people want it to really serve the people that are affected by poverty. Other people wanted to serve the whole entire Community. I think it should do both. [Laughs]. I'm sure everybody would love it if it can do both.

A Future Democracy Center and Community Space video transcript

The Third Precinct building has been vacant since the murder of George Floyd and the community unrest that followed four years ago. Now the City has a proposal to redevelop the building into a democracy center and a community space. 

For years, our Elections and Voter Services has been housed in a rented industrial office in Northeast Minneapolis. Relocating to 3000 Minnehaha would put us in a central location close to transportation and in one of the lower voter turnout areas of our city. 

We hope this new location will increase voter turnout in the area and make voting more accessible to more Minneapolis residents. 

This proposal also includes an 8,000 ft space dedicated for community use. We know this building has an important history in our city. That's why we want to hear from you.