Vol. 90
Inside this Edition...
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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
November 23 - 29, 2023
PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
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Phone: 612-827-4021
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City Council rejects MPD hiring and retention bonuses again By MSR News Service n Friday, November 17, the Minneapolis City Council voted 8-5 against the mayor’s tentative agreement with the police union that would have paid officers retention bonuses designed to address staffing shortages in the MPD. Previously, the council voted against the agreement 7-5 at a budget meeting earlier in the week, before Mayor Frey called a special session for Friday to take up the issue again. According to the agreement, eligible employees in the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM) bargaining unit would receive incentives of $18,000 over three years for existing officers according to a payment schedule. New recruits would receive $15,000 over three years. The first installment for new hires of $5,000 would be paid upon successful completion of a probationary period. The second payment of $5,000 would be earned one year after completion of the probationary period, and the final payment of $5,000 would be earned two full years after completion of the probationary period. Officers who were already employed with the department would receive an $18,000 bonus over the three-year period for remaining with the department. The MPD bonuses would be paid for with public safety funds from Minnesota’s surplus and were included in
the mayor’s 2024 recommended budget, at a cost of $15.3 million, including payments for 731 sworn officers by 2028. “As an employer, we need to compete to recruit and retain police officers. That’s no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention,” said Mayor Frey before last week’s city council votes. “Our officers are doing incredibly hard work every day, and we need to pay them accordingly. It’s also clear that stronger managerial authority for the department and chief is a key piece of our overarching reform and safety work,” said the mayor. The agreement with the union was intended to get control over the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) shift-bidding process. The current shift-bidding process requires that vacant shifts remain open for 28 days before the police chief can assign staff to those shifts—leaving precinct residents underserved for almost a month. With the reforms outlined in the agreement, the police chief would be able to assign officers after just 10 days of a shift being vacant, filling vacancies at a much faster rate and with greater discretion. “This will directly impact communities that we all strive to protect,” Frey said on Friday. ■ See MPD BONUSES on page 5
Will Black businesses save Downtown Minneapolis? By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer hile Shalawn Randall was growing up in Minneapolis, she dreamt of having a business downtown. “It’s where my friends and I hung out. It’s home. You always feel safe at home,” said Randall at her tent at the Taste of Minnesota earlier this year. In late 2021, she realized those dreams when she opened B’Youtique, a women’s clothing store, on the skyway level in the Baker Center. She had help from a Minneapolis Downtown Council program that is trying to fill downtown retail spaces Strive Bookstore owner Mary Taris, in her left vacant as corporate chains flee and nine-to- downtown business inside the Young-Quinlan five office workers hesitate to return. building on Nicollet Mall Photos by Chris Juhn The neighborhoods encompassing downtown Minneapolis have 450 retail shops today, nesses to use. “The question of scale is somedown from the 550 retail stores comprising thing that downtowns all over the country are six-million-square-feet of space that existed in working through, and it will take partnerships 1972— a drastic decline. Four of those stores between property owners, the city, and orthat existed in 1972—Dayton’s, Donaldson’s, ganizations like ours to solve,” said Shannon JC Penney and Powers—comprised 1.9 million- Fitzgerald, director of partnerships at the Minneapolis Downtown Council. square-feet of retail space. In 2018, the Minneapolis Downtown CounThose stores all closed during the past 50 cil started a program called the Chameleon years, and the last major retailer to leave downShoppes to transform vacant retail spaces into town was Macy’s in 2017. The last clothing “equity opportunities for BIPOC- and womenchain in downtown Minneapolis, Marshalls, owned businesses,” according to Fitzgerald. closed in January of this year. “We’re passionate about opening up business Some of the spaces remain vacant because ■ See DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS on page 5 they’re too big, thus impractical for small busi-
Remembering Andre ‘Debonaire’ McNeal: a pillar in the Twin Cities community By Tony Kiene Contributing Writer The Twin Cities is mourning the loss of a cherished fixture in the community. Andre McNeal, affectionately known to family, friends, and colleagues as “Debonaire,” tragically passed away Sunday, Nov. 5, in a single-car accident along Interstate 94 in North Minneapolis. He was 53 years old. A native of Chicago, McNeal was born February 10, 1970, and graduated from Neal F. Simeon High School on the city’s South Side in 1988. An exceptional student, he was always an enterprising young man. It was during his years at Simeon that McNeal began to showcase his organizing skills along with a multitude of other talents that would serve him well during his life. Among his many titles throughout his life were entrepreneur, comedian, radio personali“I was a KMOJ alum and still frequented the ty, impresario, nonprofit founder and CEO. McNeal made his way to Minneapolis in the mid- station,” noted Lee, remembering the first time 1990s, where he began working as a deejay at he met McNeal. “You could see right away he ■ See DEBONAIRE on page 5 KMOJ and soon befriended Travis Lee.
Community feedback on proposed Third Precinct By Cole Miska Contributing Writer The Longfellow Community Council hosted an informational meeting on Thursday evening, November 16, to share information with the community about the new police building that will be constructed in the neighborhood. Minneapolis council members who represent the Longfellow neighborhood—Robin Wonsley and Jason Chavez—as well as Jamal Osman, were invited to speak at the event to give the community the latest information on the new Third Precinct building. The council members discussed the history of the search for a precinct location, their hopes of getting a Department of Public Safety in the new building, and what public safety services they would like to see. The city of Minneapolis has been searching for a new loca-
Community members exPrecinct site not be built at all. In November, after several pressed similar frustration during votes to study Third Precinct Thursday’s meeting, with some locations in Seward and down- feeling that the council had not town, the city council voted to done enough to ensure the Delocate the Third partment of Precinct headPublic Safety “Time and time again, would be able quarters as well they’re being asked to to meaningfully as a community show up by the city to operate in the safety center in the Seward community if share their thoughts, neighborhood based out of the their feedback, their at 2633 Minnew location. input, their expertise, Some question nehaha Avenue. and their time around whether the Mayor Jacob critical priorities like department will Frey’s proposal public safety.” projected a cost even operate (l-r): Council members Jamal Osman, Jason Chavez, and Robin Wonsley at 3rd Precinct com- between $7 to out of the buildmunity meeting hosted by the Longfellow Community Council Photos by H. Jiahong Pan $8.5 million for ing at all, as the the Department of Public Safe- plan for the location passed with funding only guaranteed for potion for the Minneapolis Police nity feedback sessions earlier attended the feedback sessions ty in the new building. The public safety depart- licing operations. Department’s (MPD) Third Pre- this year, where the community expressed frustration that they According to Wonsley, the cinct headquarters since it was was presented with a choice were not being heard. Black ment did not present a plan or burned down during protests between the original Third community leaders wanted to conduct engagement for what Commissioner of Public Safety over George Floyd’s murder in Precinct location at 3000 Min- develop 2600 Minnehaha into will go into the space, leaving told the city council that comMay 2020. The city, along with nehaha Ave. or a site at 2600 a Black economic development the three councilmembers to munity safety operations might center. Other community mem- appear in a meeting full of dis- be “phased in” after the opening local neighborhood organiza- Minnehaha Ave. ■ See 3RD PRECINCT on page 5 Community members who bers preferred that a new Third gruntled residents. tions, held a series of commu-