The Market at Malcolm Yards, a new food hall in Prospect Park, is set to open Aug. 5. The food hall is part of a development that will bring market rate and affordable housing, breweries and parks to the Prospect Park neighborhood.

The market will feature nine kitchens with a diverse mix of foods, a self-pour tap wall with 32 selections and a service bar with 17 tapped cocktails.

Molly Herrmann, the community outreach and events manager at Malcolm Yards, said the market will bring a sense of community to the Prospect Park area.

“The area is ripe with wanting something unique and affordable and engaging in a sense of community,” Herrmann said. “There’s not a whole lot around for entertainment and dining opportunities and I think that we’re excited to bring that to the table.”

Herrmann said the Market will host community events including a free community yoga event every Sunday.

When completed, the Malcolm Yards development will feature a mixed-use market-rate apartment building, an affordable housing apartment building and office spaces.

Jeff Ellerd, a developer with Wall Companies, said construction on the mixed-use market-rate apartments is set to begin in November of this year, while the affordable housing apartment building is set to begin construction at the beginning of 2022.

Joey Meatballs, a fast-casual Italian kitchen, will be one of the nine vendors in the Market. Joshua Hedquist, the owner of Joey Meatballs, said the Market is a mission-based development project.

“It’s a true way to incubate an idea and see it come to life and see it come to fruition,” Hedquist said.

Hedquist is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Redemption Project. The project works to educate individuals while they are incarcerated, and connects formerly incarcerated individuals with employment opportunities at local businesses.

Hedquist said Joey Meatballs will be partnering with the Redemption Project to provide employment and mentorship for formerly incarcerated individuals.

“I want Joey Meatballs to be the flagship in the food industry of being a felony friendly work environment,” Hedquist said. “We’re not trying to hire felons to come in and be dishwashers and wipe down tables. We’re working with these [people] because we want them to be leaders in our community.”

The Market was built from the structure of the Harris Machinery Building, which was constructed in 1870. Eric Amel, the president of Prospect Park Neighborhood Association, said the Market preserves that historical heritage in the neighborhood.

“[I’m] glad that [Wall Companies] are doing effectively the right thing and saving those building assets that we already have, that have industrial and historic heritage in the neighborhood,” Amel said.

Neighbors from Southeast Como and Marcy-Holmes gathered at University Baptist Church on July 15 to offer support and varying resources to unhoused neighbors in an effort to build community. Volunteers offered resources such as hot food, showers, haircuts and HIV testing.

The Accompanying Unsheltered Neighbors Collaborative, a coalition of organizations and businesses in the Southeast Como and Marcy-Holmes area, has hosted three drop-in days since March 2021 with plans to continue. Volunteers and local business owners volunteered to provide resources at each event for neighbors struggling with housing insecurity.

Doug Donley, a pastor at University Baptist Church, said the coalition was formed as a way to address needs and provide support for unhoused neighbors.

“It’s a way to destigmatize homelessness, and also to build partnership with our neighbors,” Donley said. “We believe that our unsheltered friends are our neighbors as well.”

Jessica Focht-Perlberg, executive director of Southeast Como Improvement Association, said resources were provided by local businesses, including free food from Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers in Dinkytown and free haircuts from Steller Hair in Minneapolis.

Focht-Perlberg said the goal of the drop-in day was to provide unhoused neighbors with resources and also connections with the surrounding community.

“The goal is to really be hyper-locally focused on the community of folks that are living in our neighborhood and connect and build relationships with these folks,” Focht-Perlberg said. “So that we ourselves can be better equipped to be a resource for a broader range of needs in the neighborhood.”

Free HIV testing was also offered from The Aliveness Project, a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis focused on supporting those who are living with HIV. The Aliveness Project offered incentives, such as Target gift cards, for those who got tested.

In December 2018, there was an outbreak of HIV in Minneapolis, but since then the reported cases have trended downwards. In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health reported 66 cases of HIV in Hennepin County.

Brad Bryan, who runs the outreach and testing department of The Aliveness Project, said it is important to connect those living with HIV to resources, especially in the wake of this outbreak.

“It’s part of our job to go and find folks who are either living with HIV and don’t know their status or living with HIV not connected to care, and get them connected to care,” Bryan said. “We really want to show up for our community in any way that we can.”

The next drop-in day will be in September at Van Cleve Park. East Side Neighborhood Services and Como Cares will also host a produce distribution that day, where neighbors struggling with food insecurity can receive fresh food.

“We aim to reduce stigma and work to collaboratively offer these resources in a way that encourages anyone who self-identifies with a wide range of housing or food security experiences to feel welcome and more connected with our shared community,” Focht-Perlberg said in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

The Minneapolis Charter Commission proposed an amendment that would redefine the roles of the mayor and City Council members if voted in on November 2.

The amendment will be posted on the ballot as a city question. It will ask voters if they want to define the role of the mayor as chief executive officer and the role of City Council as the legislative body. This would shift both parties’ responsibilities, which advocates hope will bring more accountability to elected officials.

The possible amendment was proposed in April 2021 after a series of interviews with Minneapolis city department heads and former elected officials. The Charter Commission found that the current legislative structure “lacks strong accountability” and is “significantly influenced by personalities of individual elected officials.” The current charter does not explicitly define the mayor as the chief executive officer.

Charter for Change is an organization working to gain support and spread awareness for the amendment to neighborhood associations and local businesses.

Kathleen O’Brien, former Minneapolis coordinator, described the issue with the city charter as the “14 boss problem.” She said the lines of authority are unclear in a city run by 13 council members and the mayor, causing department heads and city staff to struggle with whose directions to follow.

Colleen Moriarty, president of the League of Women Voters’ Minneapolis chapter, said the league supports the amendment because it would streamline decision-making.

“It’s kind of a wishy-washy system that ends up putting both the professional staff and the citizens at a doubt of where to go to get a decision made,” Moriarty said. “It just wastes a lot of time … when there could be a clear line that they could follow that would result in better outcomes for citizens.”

The proposed amendment would change the structure of the city government and make it operate similarly to government structures at the state and federal levels.

Jay Kiedrowski, a public policy professor at the Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said he is a supporter of Charter for Change because it will improve accountability within the city government.

“Citizens are interested in having a city that works better, that’s more accountable to the voters,” Kiedrowski said. “The cities of Duluth, Rochester and St. Paul all use this form of organization. It really allows for good administration.”

Steve Fletcher, Ward 3 City Council member, said he is opposed to the proposed amendment because it will cause underrepresentation in communities of color by concentrating more power in the mayor.

“I think that the representative form of government that we have gives a lot of voice to different parts of the city that are sometimes underrepresented in citywide elections,” Fletcher said. “You’re really disempowering communities of color that often vote in lower numbers.”

O’Brien said the amendment would not diminish authority from city Council members and would actually give them more authority in their roles.

“They still would represent their board, and serve as the policy and law making body of the city,” O’Brien said. “The council is really defining what city services are and how much money they get to do it.”

The Minnesota Daily sat down with Mark Globus, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate for Minneapolis mayor to talk about his policies and how his business approach will benefit the city.

Tell me about yourself.

“I’m a businessperson and entrepreneur by heart. I’m a commercial real estate developer and a lot of my time, frankly, goes into growing my businesses and trying to make sure the projects I’m involved with are successful … Most of my life I’ve spent growing up here in the Twin Cities.”

Have you worked as a politician before?
“I’m trying to stand apart from the politicians in the race and from Mayor Frey, who I think is a classic politician … At the University of Minnesota, I was really active on campus in the Minnesota Student Association, I was in a fraternity and I was active in a couple of policy things at the [University] … when I went to law school, I was my class representative to the Student Bar Association, so I was active in politics and the governance of William Mitchell College of Law.”

Why are you running for mayor of Minneapolis?

“It really started last May 25th when George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin. That was an extremely upsetting event … I watched every minute of what unfolded and I feel that the mayor made some bad strategic decisions … I understand the frustration but to see so many small businesses burned down and so many things just get out of control past the point of protest … I found it upsetting.”

Why should citizens of Minneapolis give their vote to you?

“Look at our current mayor. He’s been dealt some really bad cards, but he’s played them even worse … We need a fresh face, we need a fresh approach … There are some really smart people who are challenging the mayor and I have nothing against people who are younger, but I don’t think they have what it takes to govern the city effectively. I don’t think that having even more liberal policies and getting rid of the Minneapolis Police Department is going to solve the problems in our city.”

How would you handle the recent crime increase in the city?

“I think there needs to be a top-to-bottom reorganization of the police department. I think they need to do things in a much different way … [The Minneapolis Police Department] feels very demoralized as a force, because they feel that the majority of the city is against them. I think they’re afraid to enforce the laws … I do not believe in defunding the police … I like to simply say that the community and the police need to break some bread. They need to come together, they need to realize there’s fault on the part of the police for how they’ve acted in the past, and they need to improve drastically.”

What changes do you think should be made by the police department?

“I want to take a really close look at what weapons [police officers] have on their utility belt … I think that when somebody new joins the Minneapolis Police Force, after 18 months they should probably live in the city of Minneapolis. Because if they’re living far out in a rural town and they’re coming in, it’s a different mentality … I think it’s really important for the police to be part of the community.”

On your website you said that “we must rebuild the trust between elected officials and the people they serve.” How will you build trust with your constituents?

“I’m just going to try to be more plain spoken, and try to answer the questions … It seems to me that city hall does so many things that make life more difficult for people living in the city. It’s the job of the government to make life easier for people living in the city … I just don’t think enough thought goes into, ‘How does this affect [people] on the street?’ ‘How is this going to affect their daily life?’”

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Some Minneapolis residents felt relieved, but some activists felt that Chauvin deserved more time.

Chauvin will serve two-thirds of his sentence in prison and will have an opportunity for parole after serving 15 years. Judge Peter Cahill sentenced him for second-degree murder, though he was also convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April.

Jae Yates, an organizer with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCCJ4J), said they were disappointed with the sentencing.

“This is a person of power and privilege who killed someone… so it felt like probation was really lenient and the 22 and a half years was very lenient as well, considering the severity of what happened,” Yates said.

The average sentence for second-degree murder is 12 and a half years, but the prosecution was seeking a 30 year sentence based on the aggravating factors in this case.

The court originally recommended four aggravating factors: that Chauvin abused a position of authority, that Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty, that children were present during the crime and that Chauvin committed the crime with active participation of three other officers, according to Cahill’s sentencing memorandum.

Cahill granted three factors, but said that children being present during the crime was not a reason for an upward departure. He said that although children were present at the crime, they were free to leave at any time and did not indicate any evidence of trauma during the trial.

Within the sentencing memo, Cahill referred to the children as “all four of these young women,” which was “problematic” according to Mary Moriarty, former Public Defender of Hennepin County.

“I think there was a lot that was problematic about his conclusion,” Moriarty said. “First of all, the aggravating factor only requires the children to be present, it does not require that there be proof of trauma.”

Jess Sundin, a member of the TCCJ4J, said she was disturbed by Cahill’s decision to not consider this factor.

“Those young people are changed forever… They were in a crowd of people begging for George Floyd’s life for 10 minutes,” Sundin said. She added that she wants to see change in policing and accountability.

J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. The trial is set for March 2022.

“Going into it, they are facing exactly the same sentence theoretically that Chauvin did, so the stakes are very high for them,” Moriarty said. “On the other hand, they played different roles and we don’t know what the jury will make of the roles that they played.”

Trahern Crews, a member of Black Lives Matter Minnesota since 2015, said that although the conviction and sentencing of Chauvin sets a precedent for other officers, he thinks people need to keep fighting for justice.

“If we don’t keep pushing and keep on fighting for justice, these things will keep happening,” Crews said. “There’s still some issues that need to be addressed here, but I definitely do think it’s a small step in the right direction.”

Yard sale days returned to the Prospect Park neighborhood on June 26 and 27 for the first time since the pandemic began, giving residents an opportunity to shop and meet their neighbors.

The neighborhood-wide yard sales have been a tradition in Prospect Park since 2014. After more Minnesotans received the vaccine and Gov. Tim Walz lifted restrictions on outdoor gatherings, the event was brought back.

In order to increase foot traffic in the neighborhood, neighbors hosted the yard sales at the same time as plant sales, some also offering tours through their gardens.

Gib Ahlstrand, the coordinator of the event, said that he felt there was a sense of enthusiasm throughout the neighborhood about the yard sales returning.

“It’s part of the community tradition,” Ahlstrand said. “Like any tradition when the cycle is broken and then you come back to it again a bit later, it’s a resurgence of enthusiasm again to see the old tradition coming back and giving people an opportunity to unload junk.”

There were 25 yard sales and five tailgate sales during the weekend.

The tailgate sales allowed neighbors who do not have yards to sell items out of the back of their cars. Over two-thirds of Prospect Park residents rent their homes, according to the Prospect Park Association website.

Barb Thomasson moved to Prospect Park in 2020 and participated in the tailgate sales for the first time in 2021.

“[The tailgate sale] wasn’t available and we still had a lot of things that we needed to get rid of,” Thomasson said. “Doing the tailgating, or the boot sale is for those of us who don’t have yards or garages to have a sale. It’s been great, plus I’ve met neighbors.”

Yard sale days gave an opportunity for residents of Prospect Park to get rid of household items, but it also allowed residents to interact and meet their neighbors for one of the first times since the pandemic started.

Kristen Rainey has lived in the Prospect Park neighborhood for 12 years. She shopped in past years, but decided to participate as a seller for the first time last Saturday.

“My parents are starting to downsize their house into an apartment and it was sort of an inspiration for me this year to be in the tailgate sale,” Rainey said. “I thought there would be more traffic, foot traffic, if I came over here and did the tailgate sale.”

Ruby Dennis and Lee Werner participated in the tailgate sale for the first time this year. Dennis said that it felt great to be selling off vintage clothes.

“I feel like a part of the neighborhood again, being able to see everybody, run into people I know and it feels like things are opening up,” said Dennis.

Several area developers proposed three new townhomes in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood amid resident concerns about affordability and losing the historic character of Dinkytown.

If approved, these townhomes would provide student housing in the Dinkytown area and replace homes on 4th Street SE, 7th Street SE and 10th Street SE that were built as long as 100 years ago.

The proposed townhomes would give students more options for housing, with 13 new five-bedroom units. If approved by the city, construction on all units would begin fall 2021 and renters could lease units by summer 2022, said William Wells, owner of Wells & Company Architects, which designed the three townhomes.

Dinkytown Rentals is developing the project on 7th Street and submitted it to the city for a final permit. The 4th Street and 10th Street projects, developed by the Miles Group and GoGopher Rentals, are slated for public hearings in July 2021 before they go to the city for approval.

The townhomes would provide students with more safe housing options in Dinkytown with additional external lighting, said Chris Lautenschlager, the executive director of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association.

“They are a clear improvement over what’s existing there, and it will allow the opportunity for more students to have more options, options that are safe,” Lautenschlager said.

The proposed properties would replace houses that have been a part of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood for up to 100 years. Barbara Camm, a founder of Preserve Historic Dinkytown, said that she is disappointed with the deterioration of historic Dinkytown homes.

“It’s really a shame that Dinkytown homes, historic or otherwise, are being lost due to negligence on the part of property owners,” Camm said. “The character of the neighborhood is being systematically destroyed. One-hundred-year-old houses are being replaced by buildings constructed of shoddy materials that will last perhaps no more than 40 years.

According to Camm, these townhomes would replace naturally occurring affordable housing, which are houses that cost less than the market rate. She added that these new developments, geared toward student living, tend to drive out young families from the neighborhood.

“These buildings are not ones in which to raise families, and actually, this is no longer a family friendly neighborhood,” Camm said. “Young families need to have a place to live near campus and they need to have services like schools and health care available near them.”

Joe Schaedler, a board member of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, said his biggest concern about the townhomes was affordability.

“I want to make sure that developers steer away from [expensive apartments] and try to make things as affordable and as livable as possible,” Schaedler said.

The University of Minnesota announced public safety changes in an emailed response to a shooting in Dinkytown that left five people injured, three of whom were students.

The shooting occurred early in the morning on Saturday, June 19 near the corner of 14th Avenue Southeast and Fourth Street Southeast. The public safety changes include increased police presence and mobile cameras in Dinkytown and Marcy-Holmes, while long-term changes include installing lighting and blue light kiosks.

None of the students were critically injured, but it left many students on edge. Regan Anderson, a student at the University, said the shooting and recent crime left her shocked and upset.

“I love living in Dinkytown and I love being on campus but I do sometimes think is it really worth it if I’m just gonna have to deal with this kind of stuff day in and day out,” Anderson said.

An increase in police officers has improved safety in Dinkytown in the past, according to an emailed statement by University Police Department Chief Matt Clark.

“Numbers [of police officers] will vary by shift, but there will be an increased presence of UMPD officers in Dinkytown for the foreseeable future,” Clark said. “An increased visible presence of law enforcement and ability to respond quickly to emergency calls traditionally helps improve safety.”

Andy Oien, a member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), said that he was frustrated with the increase of police on campus. He said that SDS is holding a protest against the increase on Saturday, June 26.

“What I would like to see is the [University] work with the city of Minneapolis to try to get them to implement more programs that address the cause of this violence,” said Oien. “We’d prefer to see the U trying to go after the root causes of all this crime and violence.”

In the future, the University is looking at installing additional blue light emergency kiosks in Dinkytown. In case of an emergency, these kiosks connect students to campus police with the push of a button.

Anderson said adding more of these kiosks in Dinkytown would be helpful for students.

“I feel like just being able to physically see a light up blue thing that reads emergency, it’s like okay, that is clearly a place I can go to like get help,” Anderson said.

Victoria Epshteyn, a junior, said that after the recent crime in Dinkytown, she is looking forward to seeing these public safety changes implemented by the University.

“I feel like people were just taking advantage of the fact that there really wasn’t a police presence at all on our campus,” Epshteyn said.