Former MPD officer J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting manslaughter for his involvement in George Floyd’s murder. 

Kueng was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter alongisde former MPD officer Tou Thao. As part of the plea agreement, Kueng will serve 3 ½ years in federal prison in exchange for the state dropping his murder charge, according to a release from Attorney General Keith Ellison. 

Thao, Kueng and the third former officer Thomas Lane were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a federal trial in February and reported to federal prison on Oct. 4. Kueng received a 3-year sentence, Thao received a 3 ½-year sentence and Lane received a 3-year sentence. Kueng will serve his state sentence in federal prison concurrently with his federal sentence. 

In his plea deal, Kueng said he heard Floyd say he couldn’t breathe and should have been aware of the risks of “positional asphyxia,” NPR reported. Kueng said MPD’s restraint of Floyd was “unreasonable under the circumstances.”

If convicted of his state charges, Kueng was facing more than 12 years in prison, according to Hennepin County District Court documents. The agreement comes roughly two months after Kueng and Thao rejected a plea deal, which contained a three-year sentence. 

Kueng held Floyd’s torso to the ground as former MPD officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, killing him. Thao held back bystanders who were filming the officers and pleading with them to stop. Kueng was working as a rookie officer while Thao had roughly nine years of experience with MPD. 

The state was trying Kueng and Thao together. Despite Kueng’s guilty plea, Thao remains on trial for aiding and abetting second degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

“J. Alexander Kueng is now the second officer involved in Floyd’s death to accept responsibility through a guilty plea. That acknowledgement hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd’s family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice,” Ellison said in the statement.

Tou Thao’s trial

Additionally, Thao waived his right to a jury trial and joined the state in asking the court for a bench trial for his manslaughter charge, the statement said. In the bench trial, the state and Thao will work together to submit evidence to the court. The court will reach a verdict rather than a jury. 

According to Ellison, the state will wait to move forward with Thao’s murder trial until after the court reaches a verdict on the bench trial. If the court convicts Thao of his manslaughter charge, the state will dismiss Thao’s murder charge and will not seek increased sentencing beyond sentencing guidelines. 

“We look forward to a swift resolution of Tou Thao’s stipulated bench trial,” Ellison said in the statement.

Two former Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder and second-degree manslaughter  in George Floyd’s murder are set to begin their state trial Monday. 

Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021. Thomas Lane, the third officer that was facing charges, accepted a plea deal in July to serve a 2 ½-year sentence concurrent with his federal sentence and will not stand trial. 

Tou Thao, J Alexander Kueng and Lane were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a federal trial in February and reported to federal prison on Oct. 4. Kueng received a 3-year sentence, Thao received a 3 ½-year sentence and Lane received a 3-year sentence. Chauvin pled guilty to the federal charges against him in December 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence alongside his 22 ½-year sentence for his state conviction. 

If convicted of state charges, Kueng and Thao could face more than 12 years served concurrently with their federal sentence, according to Hennepin County District Court documents. 

The trial comes roughly two months after Kueng and Thao rejected a plea deal from the state, which contained a three-year sentence. 

The trial was originally scheduled to begin in June, but Thao’s attorneys requested a delay to have an impartial jury following the two-year anniversary of Floyd’s murder. 

Michelle Gross is the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB). According to Gross, the community still needs Kueng and Thao to be held accountable despite the delays. 

“Justice delayed is justice denied, and it’s made people get to the point where they want to think about other sorts of things … it’s understandable,” Gross said. “At the same time, we do need to have our state statutes and the expectations of police under those state statutes be vindicated.”

Kueng held Floyd’s torso to the ground as Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, killing him. Thao held back bystanders who were filming the officers and pleading with them to stop. Kueng was working as a rookie officer while Thao had roughly nine years of experience with MPD. 

Floyd’s murder caused nationwide protests amplifying activists’ calls for racial equity and systemic police reform.

David Schultz is a professor at the University of Minnesota who specializes in state Constitution law. According to Schultz, despite decades of movements for police accountability, it is still “unprecedented” for police officers to be tried for misconduct. 

“It’s rare for an officer to be indicted and it’s rare for an officer to be convicted,” Schultz said. “It may be suggesting that we’re moving in a direction more willing to hold police officers accountable … this is pretty significant.”

A state statute was updated in 2020 in response to Floyd’s murder to include additional requirements for officers’ use of force. The updated policy requires officers to intervene and stop another officer if they witness them using clearly unreasonable levels of force and report illegal uses of force to chief law enforcement officers. 

According to Schultz, the upcoming trial will set a precedent for whether an officer can be held criminally liable for another officer’s illegal use of force.

Although it is uncommon for a trial to have joint defendants, Kueng and Thao’s cases have relatively similar facts and defenses, Schultz said.

Abigail Cerra worked as a public defender and served on the city’s Police Conduct Oversight Commission for two years until she resigned in 2022. Cerra said she was shocked that Kueng and Thao decided to take their case to trial but said no outcome is guaranteed in court. 

“Anything is possible with the jury,” Cerra said. “Any prosecutor, any defense attorney, any judge, they will tell you [that] you don’t know what a jury is going to do … so I guess it just remains to be seen.”

Cerra said she expects Kueng to argue he was operating as a rookie under orders from officers with more experience and Thao to argue he did not restrain Floyd and is therefore not responsible for his death. 

Cerra said prosecutors may present Thao’s history of misconduct as evidence in the trial. Thao’s training officer cited him eight times for dishonesty as a rookie, and Thao himself had six police conduct complaints filed against him during his nine-year career with the MPD, the StarTribune reported. 

Jury selection will begin Monday 

The state is distributing a special juror questionnaire to ensure any selected jurors are as impartial as possible to the case. The questionnaire is divided into six parts: knowledge of the case, media habits, police contacts, personal background, opinions regarding the justice system and availability to serve. Each section contains several questions asking peoples’ knowledge of details related to the case.  

According to the questionnaire, jury selection will last until roughly Nov. 4, and the court will submit the case for jury deliberation no later than Dec. 16. 

While Kueng and Thao are on trial, the trial itself is more about holding MPD accountable for a history of misconduct, Gross said. In his career with MPD, Chauvin had more than 30 complaints filed against him, including multiple instances in which Chauvin shot people while on duty, according to CUAPB. 

Gross said even in Floyd’s case, the public wouldn’t know what happened if it weren’t for recorded videos from bystanders. MPD initially reported Floyd’s cause of death to be a “medical incident.”

“The reality is, what’s really on trial is police culture,” Gross said. “I’m fearful that if [Kueng and Thao] are acquitted … [MPD’s policing] will just be business as usual.”

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is moving forward with plans to use drones as part of its policing, leaving some residents concerned about how MPD intends to use the technology.

MPD’s plans come in response to a 2020 statute allowing law enforcement agencies to use and maintain unarmed aerial vehicles for investigations, training, emergency response and specific requests. Their goal is to use the drones to “enhance [their] response to public safety emergencies and needs,” according to the department’s presentation to the Minneapolis City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee on Aug. 24.

The committee held a public hearing directly after the presentation, where MPD Commander Jonathon Kingsbury presented the department’s current draft policy for drone use to the council and said the program is intended for use in active criminal investigations and not for random surveillance of citizens.

Roughly two dozen people attended the hearing and shared their thoughts on MPD’s proposal. Although some voiced support for the program, the vast majority shared concerns regarding increased government surveillance, distrust in the police department and the program moving forward without finalized plans.

“This is not a surveillance program,” Kingsbury said in the hearing. “Please understand that despite what we see on TV or in movies or even on the news, that’s not what this is. This program is set to respond to emergencies and public safety needs.”

Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley is a member of the Public Health & Safety Committee. Despite having her own concerns with the program, Wonsley said there is nothing the council can do to prevent it from moving forward.

“We’re reminded as a council we don’t have authority over MPD,” Wonsley said. “That’s the Mayor’s job … [MPD] is just doing this to check the box.”

In response to the proposed policy, Wonsley and fellow council members Elliot Payne and Linea Palmisano requested a committee hearing on Nov. 14 to review existing surveillance policies and discuss improvements to the city’s public data and oversight practices.

A Minnesota law created in 2020 requires law enforcement to present planned drone programs to a governing body. According to Kingsbury, no further public comment is scheduled on the drafted policy.

MPD is estimating drones will cost between $30,000 and $40,000 in total and will not be purchased until the policy is finalized in the coming weeks, Kingsbury said. MPD will use between six and 10 officers as drone pilots.

A team of six officers, including the deputy chief and commander of special operations, must authorize each drone, the policy draft said. The department is looking to hire drone pilots that already have Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot certification to help get the program “up and running,” Kingsbury said. Any new officers will become certified through the FAA’s training.

Officers will be required to submit police reports for every flight and must operate drones within FAA guidelines unless they have a warrant or special circumstance, Kingsbury said.

The policy draft lists several special circumstances for authorized flights, including conducting rescue missions, collecting information on public areas with “reasonable suspicion of criminal activity,” conducting threat assessments before events and surveilling public events with many people. MPD must delete all data not part of a criminal investigation within seven days in accordance with a state statute. MPD will also be required to submit an annual report detailing their drone usage to the Commissioner of Public Safety.

Additionally, MPD cannot conduct random surveillance, collect data on protests or use visual enhancement technology without a warrant or special circumstance, according to the policy. Weapons, characteristic-based surveillance, harassment, facial recognition technology and the use of drones for officers’ personal business are all prohibited.

The current draft policy does not outline punishments for officers’ misuse of the drones, Kingsbury said.

Munira Mohamed has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota since 2020 and helped organize Safety not Surveillance, a coalition dedicated to protecting civil liberties and privacy. According to Mohamed, MPD must rebuild trust with the community before it starts using new technology.

“This is a technology that is rapidly advancing, [but] it’s not just about the drones,” Mohamed said. “Especially with a police department … that’s currently under investigation for human rights violations as well as a pattern and practice of racial discrimination, this really isn’t the time to be giving them new technology without any strings attached.”

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) released a report in April that found probable cause MPD engaged in “a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.”

The investigation analyzed body-worn camera footage and MPD documents since 2010. The report alleged MPD officers cite more frequently and use more severe force against Black people compared to white people, maintain a racist culture, lack training and lack accountability for misconduct.

According to MDHR’s report, MPD officers also used fake social media accounts posing as community members to spy on Black activists and organizations as well as criticize elected officials.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation into MPD for using discriminatory practices in their policing.

Drones are becoming increasingly popular among Minnesota law enforcement agencies. In 2021, officers from 76 agencies in Minnesota reported using drones without warrants more than 2,200 times, according to a report from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

The BCA’s report stated Minnesota law enforcement’s drone usage increased roughly 93% compared to the previous year.

Despite more law enforcement agencies implementing drones, Cal Mergendahl, a member of the University of Minnesota student group Students for a Democratic Society, said although they understand the MPD’s desires for drones, the current policy flies in the face of a department that says it’s committed to reform.

“It would be easier to have a conversation about [drones] if we actually had any faith that some accountability body [could represent] the needs of … the most marginalized members of the city and the community who are most likely to be targeted by these things,” Mergendahl said.

In 2018, 40% of U.S. college students voted in the midterms. Leading up to the Nov. 8 election, more than 300 voters near the University of Minnesota have already cast their ballots. 

Here are some of the issues voters care about this year. 

Abortion in the wake of Dobbs

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, leaving abortion access a state decision. The ruling sparked nationwide protests and caused abortion to become a key issue for many candidates in the midterm election. 

Minnesota is set to become a sanctuary state for abortion healthcare, with legislators in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa looking to ban or restrict abortions. A 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision protects abortion in Minnesota, but legislators could still limit its accessibility. 

“Now, with every election, abortion is on the ballot,” said Emily Bisek, vice president of strategic communications for Planned Parenthood North Central States. “Every election will determine who has power over our bodies and who has control over our healthcare.”

Governors have the power to approve or veto abortion bills passed by Minnesota’s legislature. DFL incumbent Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order in June to protect out-of-state abortion seekers and said he aims to protect abortion access if reelected in November. 

GOP nominee and former state senator Scott Jensen has gone back and forth on his abortion stance through his campaign, initially supporting different versions of an abortion ban. Jensen has more recently said abortion is a constitutionally protected right in Minnesota and highlighted the potential for a pro-life movement in the state. 

The U.S. House of Representatives creates and votes on national abortion laws. Incumbent DFL candidate for the Fifth District, which represents the University area, Rep. Ilhan Omar voted to approve a House bill in July to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. 

GOP candidate Cicely Davis has been quieter about her stance on abortion compared to Omar. She told the Star Tribune in September she respects all life from conception until death and that abortion is protected in Minnesota. 

Cost of living

The Consumer Price Index, which measures average product price increase over time, measured a 7.4% increase in the Twin Cities in 2022. The increases have affected food, gas, housing and tuition. 

In his 2022 state budget proposal, Walz proposed lowering taxes for some middle class families and spending roughly $2 billion to distribute checks to Minnesotans. Jensen, in contrast, wants to lower taxes for all residents and deregulate permits to encourage business growth, according to his website. 

In the House, Omar voted to approve the Inflation Reduction Act in August and said she supports expanding student debt relief to all borrowers and guaranteeing tuition-free public colleges. Davis, on her campaign website, said she supports combating inflation by reducing government spending and lowering taxes for residents. 

Members of the State Legislature elect and appoint candidates to serve on the University’s Board of Regents. The governor appoints regents if there is an unexpected vacancy. 

The Board is made up of 12 members serving staggered six-year terms, one from each Congressional district and four from the state at large. While serving on the Board, regents create a vision for the University and vote on, among other things, tuition prices. 

“As a campus community…we have more power and more say to move things forward in whatever direction we want them to move if we participate in processes like this; if we vote and if we show up,” Undergraduate Student Government campaign co-chair Carter Yost said. 

Public safety and policing

After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in 2020, many Twin Cities and Minnesota residents began advocating for public safety and policing reforms.

Omar condemned the police’s use of force against protesters after Floyd’s murder, and in August, supported legislation to dispatch mental health professionals when responding to mental health crisis calls. In a 2021 interview with Fox News, Davis said Omar “emboldens criminals” and said if elected, she will work to rebuild and support police departments to reduce crime. 

On his campaign website, DFL incumbent Attorney General Keith Ellison said he worked with law enforcement to reduce deadly-force encounters and will work to review potential wrongful convictions if reelected. GOP opponent Jim Schultz said if elected, he will prosecute criminals and support funding police departments.

In a nonpartisan election for Hennepin County sheriff, Dawanna Witt said if elected, she will target violent crime and support local police departments, according to her website. Witt’s priorities include recruiting additional officers and providing programs for substance abuse and mental health support. 

Joseph Banks is running against Witt. According to his website, Banks is advocating for police reform, including finding alternatives to use of force, encouraging police diversity, expanding community relations and conducting transparent investigations of law enforcement. 

Kathryn Pearson is a professor specializing in American politics at the University. In a midterm year where she is expecting close races in Minnesota, Pearson said legislators tend to listen to whoever turns out to vote. 

“Voting is critically important, and legislators look at what turnout is like at the University of Minnesota, how engaged students are, it matters,” Pearson said. 

Images of kids playing, trees and a neighborhood skyline were painted into a new brightly-colored mural overlooking the space that has been transformed into the new Edna’s Park in Cedar-Riverside.

The West Bank Business Association (WBBA) organized the mural’s painting, which took place during the association’s three-week fall activities fair beginning on Sept. 29, featuring activities such as art workshops, live music and free food for the neighborhood.

The mural was designed by 11 local artists from City Mischief Murals, an artist collective focused on creating a safe space for Black artists, Indigenous artists and artists of color. Event organizers passed out snacks and art supplies to children while they watched the artists paint the wall.

Joan Vanderbruggen has worked as a public art consultant in Minneapolis for roughly 15 years. Vanderbruggen recruited artists with the WBBA for the project and said the space gives the community “a place to belong.”

“It’s been so nice to see so many young people come through and get really excited about taking art supplies,” Vanderbruggen said. “That really means a lot to me because I think sometimes, those are just items that aren’t always accessible to everybody.”

The mural, which artists completed on Oct. 5, comes as the culmination of a larger, year-long clean up effort to revitalize an area of Cedar-Riverside that has suffered from neglect in recent years, according to WBBA director KJ Starr.

Edna’s Park links Riverside Plaza with Cedar Avenue, acting as a popular walking path for many residents and a connection between apartment buildings and the neighborhood businesses, Starr said. The space, which used to be occupied by a restaurant that burned down several years ago, became vacant and overgrown with weeds as time passed.

“When I think about the needs of the neighborhood, it’s to show people that this is a cared for and loved place,” Starr said in an April interview. “I think that makes a big difference in how our neighborhood is perceived and how we perceive ourselves.”

Starr has owned The Wienery next to the park for more than 20 years and said prior to the clean up effort, the area was filled with garbage and drug paraphernalia.

“This is a space where people who live here walk through it every day,” Starr said. “The amount of feeling of neglect … it’s not a great feeling. It doesn’t speak to business vibrancy and doesn’t speak to this being a neighborhood everyone wants to be in.”

After being neglected for many years, the park is receiving care and upkeep. Volunteers replaced weeds with plants and trash with wood chips, along with a colorful mural covering an entire wall. The park now has tables with parcheesi boards and a portrait of a local business owner whom the park is named after.

WBBA received an initial $5,000 grant for the project from the City of Minneapolis as part of its green zone initiative in November 2021, according to Starr. The city’s initiative, which includes Cedar-Riverside, aims to promote community health and environmental well-being for diverse communities. The WBBA later received additional funding for the mural through several sources including the Cedar-Riverside Community Council and out-of-pocket donations.

Laura Phelps works with Streetworks, a local organization focused on providing outreach to youth experiencing homelessness. Phelps, who was handing out free snacks on behalf of Streetworks, said Edna’s Park provided an opportunity for Cedar-Riverside communities to come together.

“It’s nice when we can bring lights and joy to people’s lives,” Phelps said. “This is a great little park. This could be a great community space for people.”

The mural’s artists periodically stopped to talk with people about the artwork. Groups of people stood near the entrance of the park on Cedar Avenue talking and drinking hot chocolate, while residents gathered around a microphone in the center of the park to listen to performances from local artists.

One of the local artists was Hassan Shahid, who performs under the name “Shahidi.” After his hour-long set where he sang and played guitar, Shahid said he hopes the mural helps inspire others to use art as a “healthy outlet.”

“Art is a second language, it’s a language of the world,” Shahid said. “Art is an extension of the community and a stitching of the emotions that are felt.”

For many artists working on the project, including lead artist Thomasina Topbear, the mural’s connection to Cedar-Riverside makes the art more personal.

“I have a very special connection with the West Bank,” Topbear said. “As a teenager, growing up as a homeless youth, I lived in so many different neighborhoods, and the West Bank was really like a safe haven for me. It was someplace I could come and just be a kid.”

Topbear said she and other artists interviewed people within the neighborhood and took surveys to see what the community wanted from the mural. Feedback from the surveys influenced the final design of the mural.

People have their own interpretations of what the mural means and have been excited to see different parts of the community recognized on the artwork, Topbear said. One child had been watching the mural’s creation from his apartment in Riverside Plaza and was thrilled to see his home painted on the wall.

“So far, the feedback we’ve received has been really beautiful and really touching and amazing to hear,” Topbear said.

Protestors from East Phillips disrupted Minneapolis City Council proceedings in a rally on Sept. 22 to prevent the demolition of the neighborhood’s former Roof Depot building, with advocates sharing concerns over the environmental impacts the project would have on the community.

East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) activists played drums and pleaded with council members at the meeting not to tear the building down. The EPNI has worked since 2014 to convert the space into an indoor urban farm for the community.

After adjourning the meeting, the majority of council members left to wait in a nearby room, said Joe Vital, EPNI organizer and former East Phillips resident. Vital was one of EPNI’s protesters during the meeting and said only council members Elliot Payne, Robin Wonsley, Jason Chavez, Andrew Johnson and Jeremiah Ellison stayed behind to hear the community’s concerns.

“The other council members left,” Vital said. “You could hear laughter.”

After returning from a recess caused by the protest, the council voted 7-4 to approve a request for proposals regarding the demolition of the building. The council will need to approve a plan for the space before moving forward with demolition.

The city hopes to replace the Roof Depot building with a consolidated public works facility, which will store water treatment equipment and vehicles. However, arsenic trapped under the Roof Depot building combined with the risk of increased traffic pollution from the development has many East Phillips residents concerned over the environmental impacts of the city’s demolition.

“I can’t imagine, for residents to feel like they had no other choice but to … take up actions like that during a City Council meeting,” Wonsley said. “It further undercuts the credibility that we claim to have as being champions of our constituents.”

Wonsley, who voted against the request for proposals along with council members Payne, Aisha Chughtai and Chavez, said the vote puts one of Minneapolis’ most diverse communities at risk of further environmental harm. Chavez represents Ward 9, which is made up of East Phillips and its surrounding neighborhoods.

East Phillips’ polluted history

In 1938, a pesticide manufacturing plant in East Phillips’ industrial corridor along Hiawatha began producing and storing arsenic-based pesticides. For the next 25 years, until the site’s closure in 1963, the plant produced, shipped and stored arsenic. The building has had several uses since the plant’s closure, including a Sears warehouse.

State health officials found high levels of arsenic in soil and groundwater near the site in 1994 during a Hiawatha construction project, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Minnesota Department of Agriculture soon after concluded the plant as the cause of the contamination, and a year-long cleanup effort began in 2004 after conducting three environmental consultations.

In 2007, the EPA added the former plant site to its National Priorities List and continued cleanup efforts. By 2011, officials removed 50,000 tons of contaminated soil from over 600 contaminated properties in the neighborhood.

Despite the cleanup efforts, the extent of pollution and exposure risk remained uncertain. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the “ubiquitous presence of arsenic in the environment” limited officials’ ability to fully resolve the problem.

Minneapolis designated East Phillips part of the Southside Green Zone in 2018. City Green Zones work to improve air quality and livability, promote equity and clean up contamination.

Battle for the Roof Depot site

Minneapolis began developing plans for the Roof Depot site in 2001 before formally purchasing the property in 2016, according to a report published by the city. An overview of the project lists job opportunities for more sustainable designs such as storm water retention as benefits of the project.

In contrast, EPNI’s latest proposal includes plans to make the space into an organic farm, a cafe, a bicycle repair shop and a market.

EPNI has envisioned an indoor urban farm for the space for almost a decade, Vital said. After continuously pushing back on city plans and proposing their own, Vital said some people in the East Phillips neighborhood are starting to give up.

“After an eight-year fight and the community saying ‘no,’ and the government again ignores that to go through with a giant truck stop,” Vital said. “It’s demoralizing.”

Environmental racism

“The city’s plan is a death sentence, and they know it,” Cassandra Holmes, a life-long East Phillips resident who helped establish EPNI, said.

Holmes lost her son in 2013 after he was hospitalized in need of a heart transplant. After his death, Holmes said she began noticing how many young people in her community were suffering health conditions they weren’t born with due to the neighborhood’s poor environmental conditions.

“Our kids are important,” Holmes said. “Feeding and housing them are important things, but we also need our children to still live and have a chance to live … our lifespan is already shortened compared to others.”

About 70% of East Phillips residents are Black people, Indigenous people and people of color (BIPOC), almost double the percentage of Minneapolis as a whole, according to a 2021 City Council analysis.

Areas near the Roof Depot site in East Phillips experience asthma across all ages more than twice as often than the rest of Minnesota, the analysis said. The same areas are also in the highest 10% of air pollution measured in the state.

In the East Phillips neighborhood just north of the Roof Depot site, fine particles from air pollution contributed to deaths of adults 25 and over at a 37% higher rate than seen on average in the metro, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. In 2015, fine particles were linked to roughly 19 deaths in the East Phillips neighborhood for the same age group.

The city’s plans specifically target BIPOC residents, Holmes said. According to Holmes, pollution-caused health conditions are expensive to treat and keep children out of school in East Phillips, which affects things like education, public safety and economic status for the neighborhood’s residents.

“We know it’s going to continue until we can put something [at the Roof Depot site] that will be good for the community and help remediate the area that’s still contaminated,” Holmes said.

M Health Fairview reached a tentative contract agreement on Monday night with roughly 350 mental health workers who were scheduled to join a three-day strike with Allina workers. 

The 18-month deal comes after a “marathon” 12-hour bargaining session Monday night, according to a press release from SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, the union representing the workers. With the contract, workers will receive a 6% average immediate wage increase, with an additional 2.75% increase in March. 

The contract also establishes increased paid time off, initial grievance procedures and increased wage transparency and predictability. Union members will vote in the coming weeks whether to approve the agreement. 

“Because of our efforts, we reached the best deal possible for our important work and I am proud of what we accomplished,” 20-year psych associate Jenny Webster said in the press release. “So many people have experienced mental health issues themselves or to a loved one, especially during the pandemic. Raising wages and getting a first contract will mean better care for our patients.”

The bargaining group, which is comprised of M Health psych associates and behavioral assistants, joined SEIU Minnesota & Iowa in 2021. Prior to this agreement, M Health’s workers went on strike with Allina mental health union members in May. 

Over 130 Allina workers began their three-day strike on Monday. According to a statement, MHealth workers were planning to join Allina’s walk-out until the group saw negotiations progress on Wednesday. Allina’s negotiations have not had the same success, and their strike is ongoing throughout Minnesota. 

“We’re pleased to share that after many months of negotiation, we reached a tentative agreement with SEIU,” M Health Fairview officials said in a statement. “With the help of a skilled federal mediator, we were able to find common ground that is equitable across the team, is sustainable for our organization and keeps the focus where it should be: on our patients.”

Neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota have changed in recent years due to new large housing developments. While some are already offering leases, others are scheduled to open before next fall.

As the Doyle and Fieldhouse finish development, both buildings aim to attract thousands of student renters in Dinkytown and Como. Meanwhile in Prospect Park, Malcolm Yards is set to expand its complex with Malcolm Station and the Flats, the neighborhood’s two newest apartment complexes.

The Doyle hopes to rejuvenate Dinkytown

In 1970, University students organized a weeks-long protest on the property on Fourth Street where the Doyle now stands. The purpose of the protest was to prevent a fast food restaurant development from destroying existing businesses.

Now, the Doyle and housing projects like it are helping to activate student life in Dinkytown, according to Alicia Liebel Berg, a University alum and developer on the apartment building.

“On the Stadium Village and Dinkytown side, it just reached the point where [the housing] was old. It was ready for a new refresh,” Liebel Berg said. “Sometimes newness comes. That’s where we transition to.”

The $35 million building opened in September. The Doyle rents per bed and offers furnished units with up to four bedrooms. Along with their apartments, renters are also provided access to the building’s amenities including a fitness center, sauna, study rooms and rooftop deck.

The Doyle’s luxuries come at a price however, with an individual one bedroom apartment carrying a $1,600 monthly rent price tag, according to property manager Sydney Dreyer. Despite the price, Dreyer said the Doyle is currently at 95% capacity.

“[Tenants] are outside, they’re walking around, they’re visiting businesses,” Dreyer said. “I think it plays a huge part in revitalizing this area.”

Building a community at Malcolm Yards

The Market at Malcolm Yards opened in August 2021, bringing kitchens from around the world to a central space to feed the Prospect Park neighborhood. The Market was the beginning of a larger project to make Malcolm Yards “the place to be” in Minneapolis, according to Jeff Ellerd, one of the project’s developers.

The Flats and Malcolm Station apartment buildings are currently undergoing a combined $80 million construction adjacent to the Market and are both scheduled to open in summer 2023, Ellerd said. While Malcolm Station will provide market rate housing for anyone, the Flats will provide affordable housing only available to people making 60% or less of the median area income.

“The neighborhood has been our partner in terms of advocating for some of the things we needed to make the development successful,” Ellerd said. “We think it creates a better community.”

Ellerd said the Flats will also reserve roughly 14 “high priority homeless units” to house people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness as decided by Hennepin County.

Despite their differences, the buildings will offer similar amenities, according to Ellerd. Each complex will offer tenants a fitness center, sky lounge and underground parking. Additionally, Wall Companies, the Malcolm Yards project developers, are discussing plans with the city park board to create an on-site park that connects to the Minneapolis Grand Rounds trail system.

“Our hope is that we have a connected community … and that these people are intermingling and providing a liveliness and kind of a destination for the area,” Ellerd said.

Fieldhouse to begin welcoming students

Construction is underway on Fieldhouse, an apartment building located south of Van Cleve Park near the 15th Avenue railroad bridge. Although the apartment building isn’t scheduled to be completed until summer 2023, community manager Brady Maly said in an email to the Minnesota Daily he has seen a “positive response” from students already reserving their leases for next fall.

Similar to other apartment buildings in development, Fieldhouse plans to offer its tenants a variety of amenities including an outdoor spa, a game room, study rooms and a four-season spa.

Units will start at $700 per month per bed, consisting of furnished studio apartments with up to five bedrooms, Maly said. The building also plans to offer penthouse units with balconies overlooking the neighborhood.

“We strive to provide a comfortable living experience that allows students to focus on what matters most during their time at the University,” Maly said.

Preserving History

Tony Nicklow has owned Tony’s Diner in Dinkytown for over 20 years. After other longstanding Dinkytown restaurants such as Gray’s and Camdi have closed in recent months, Nicklow said new housing developments could be an effective way to attract more customers.

However, Nicklow said Dinkytown’s history is what makes the neighborhood special, and placed responsibility on remaining businesses like Tony’s and Al’s Breakfast to protect the neighborhood from big chains.

“There’s thousands of kids walking the streets, and it’s a great thing to keep going with all these apartments going up,” Nicklow said. “My goal is that we keep Dinkytown as cool as we can, keep that nostalgia here in spirit.”