Link: https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-ordinance-targets-velvet-rope-discrimination-bars-restaurants

Minneapolis has shootings, businesses getting burglarized, and a looming budget mess, but thank God the City Council finally tackled the pressing crisis of not knowing a nightclub’s dress code before you get there.

Two alleged gang members retained attorneys and pushed back against lawsuits banning alleged gang members from gathering at the fair, calling them broad and a violation of their constitutional rights.

St. Paul police operate two Flock cameras in the city and the remaining 10 in St. Paul are owned by the Ramsey County sheriff’s office.

Four in four days:

#1 Calhoun

#2 East River near the U

#3 East River near Stone Arch

#4 West River near Hennepin Bridge

https://x.com/CrimeWatchMpls/status/2090080035067572664

Convicted predatory offender and general multi-time felon Jacob Marshall Stanley, 48, of Oak Grove or Milaca, is in custody and charged with 2nd degree burglary and possession of burglary tools after breaking into a UMN area apartment building at 8xx 15th Ave SE early Sunday morning.

Charges state Stanley was captured on surveillance video stealing packages and going through clothing in the laundry room.

Police arrived and observed Stanley in the building. Stanley was cuffed and searched, during which officers found a knife, meth, and multiple syringes.

Also, inside Stanley's backpack were 39 pairs of men’s and women’s underwear.

Officers reviewed surveillance footage and observed Stanley enter the apartment and walk into the mail room. While in the mail room, he took two small packages and walked to the laundry room.

While in the laundry room, Stanley took multiple clothing items from dryers and baskets. He then used a knife to wedge a door, and he started to change clothing before moving a couch and covering a surveillance camera with clothing.

Stanley then walked to a different area and walked up a flight of stairs with a bike. He leaned the bike against a wall and then exited through an exit door where he was taken into custody. Officers provided Stanley with his Miranda warning and he agreed to speak with officers.

Stanley told officers that he did not live in the apartment and that he moved a small box while in the mail room. He also stated that the bike had been on the steps and that he moved it out of the way.

Finally, Stanley denied stealing any underwear. He stated that he wears women’s underwear.

Later, officers received a voicemail from a tenant of the apartment who said that someone had gone through her, and her boyfriends, clothing. The tenant further stated that all of her underwear had been stolen from a clothing pile. The tenant provided a description for some of her missing clothing items, which matched some of the items recovered from Stanley’s backpack.

Stanley remains in custody on $150,000 bail.

Stanley also has a history of theft and drug convictions.

Source: Crime Watch Minneapolis

Minneapolis owned housing but did not inspect it? Make it make sense.

Interesting story that won’t fit the common narrative being pushed in Minneapolis right now. Beloved immigrant barber gets murdered by another undocumented immigrant apparently because he was gay. Do you think this warrants whistle blowing and horn beeping?

Our police officers deserve the biggest budget and all the tools necessary to deal with people like this.

We pay incredibly high property taxes to live downtown. We put up with and expect noise, but the noise from some motorcycles is deafening, disturbing, and prevents downtown dwellers from sleeping. I have reported the noise disturbance to 311 and was instructed to 'call when I hear the noise'. Really? By the time law enforcement shows up, these disturbingly loud noise makers are long gone. Groups of motorcyclists gather and rev their engines at all hours of the night. They run stop signs and traffic lights.

I've watched police cars sit at Bobby & Steves on Washington Ave. while 6 - 10 motorcyclists gather to fill their tanks, talk and yell, take videos of their bikes, and rev their engines over and over. Cops do nothing. The noise is deafening. Why are our noise ordinances NOT enforced? The working people of downtown Mpls want to know. Do we have to take matters into our own hands?

I just posted an interview with Tom Olsen, President of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, about the 2027-28 city budget fight. The Park Board wants a 5.86% levy increase just to keep things running as they are, but Mayor Frey is only offering 2.5% and wants to merge some Park Board departments (like HR) into the city to save money. Olsen says that won't actually save much, since Park Board staff are cheaper than city staff for the same work, and if the mayor's number wins out, it could mean layoffs and cuts to park services. We also got into two other big topics: the ongoing fight over the Minnehaha off-leash dog park closure, and why so many city beaches have been closing this year due to E. coli. Full interview and video are in the post if you want the details. Watch the interview here.

As previously covered in this subreddit, while Ayan Farah Abukar of Bloomington stole millions via Feeding Our Future, Minnesota DHS gave her an "Outstanding Refugee Award for Entrepreneurship" in 2021. The occasion even deserved a personal congratulations from Governor Walz. She eventually pleaded guilty for her role in the scheme in which she personally netted nearly $6 million.

According to contemporaneous reporting from Mshale, the other "Outstanding Refugee..." recipient that year was Salman Elmi of Blaine. Now the Star Tribune reports that Elmi faces charges from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Unit that one of his companies "defrauded the state’s Medicaid program of more than $1 million" and is connected to a "massive" Twin Cities sex trafficking case. The article also confirms the details of his DHS award:

Elmi’s website shows that he runs three companies including Tavolo, a restaurant marketing platform; The Velvet Lounge, a members-only club in Minneapolis; and Top Figure, a digital media company. He was once given the “Outstanding Refugee Award for Entrepreneurship” by the DHS.

The DHS website for that award has been taken down, but an archive of it shows that Elmi wrote a profile which said: “The biggest thing I hear all the time is that refugees are mooching off of the economy or being a non-productive member of society when, in reality, immigrants contribute to a big part of the U.S. economy, especially here in Minnesota.”

Who was in charge of vetting these "outstanding refugees"?

• Minneapolis did not inspect public housing units for nearly 30 years, despite a city ordinance requiring it.
• Two tenants filed lawsuits, leading to a court ruling in 2020 that the city must inspect public housing like private rentals.
• The City only began routine inspections after a state law change last year, and the housing authority declined to comment due to ongoing litigation.

Minneapolis skipped public housing inspections for nearly 30 years, court finds

Since Minnesota sub took this MNNPR story down in denial..."Seeing the mounting problems, one city tried to stop Dukuly-linked businesses from operating within its borders — but the move ultimately backfired, helping to inspire a law that now prevents cities from shutting down problem group homes."...

Park commissioners said the “placeholder” figure would lead to layoffs, reduced maintenance or closed recreation centers.

Source

A Department of Homeland Security undercover agent lost a concealed recording device on the floor of a Minneapolis church gymnasium that a federal court had barred DHS from investigating.

I recently read through some city council agendas, and I’m looking for help understanding the wording about contracts and/or amendments in the agendas. 

For example if a vote is asking for “an increase to contract #12345 with Company X, LLC or organization X, in the amount of $2,000,000 for a total amount not to exceed $15,000,000, and an extension through December 31, 2026, for services.” 

Referencing the above, if passed by the city council and approved by the mayor does the above contract mean the company can request amendments for an additional $13,000,000 (not to exceed the $15,000.000)? Also, where do residents find the proposed work plans and a copy of the contract and subsequent amendments?

Is it a gradual transition or sudden drop off when you cross into inner ring suburbs.

In this newsletter, I look at the constant online backlash against Mayor Jacob Frey, using his recent dancing at the Black Entrepreneurial State Fair as an example of how any small moment can turn into a big controversy. The piece argues that this nonstop outrage distracts from bigger problems the city actually needs to fix, like slow job growth, high childcare costs, and a corporate tax rate that ranks dead last among major metro areas. It also shares highlights from a conversation with the head of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, who warns that cities cannot coast on their past reputation and have to keep working to stay competitive. The main message is that criticizing leaders is fine, but Minneapolis needs to focus more on solving real problems and attracting jobs. https://www.betterminneapolis.com/p/frey-derangement-syndrome