July 2021 E-News

Summer in the City!

EPNI Calendar for July

Early Mornings with Elliot Park Neighborhood

All levels are welcome to join in on the fun - 7:30AM • Outdoors at Elliot Park

Early Mornings with Elliot Park is in person this July! Start your day off right with an outdoor restorative yoga session (no experience required, mats provided) and coffee social hour.

Concert in the Park

Music for all ages - 6PM • Outdoors at Elliot Park

Sit back, relax and listen to the wonderful music of the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra at their annual summer concert. Then join neighbors and friends after the performance for ice cream treats courtesy of the MPRB. Stay tuned for a grand opening celebration of the updated Elliot Park Skate Park this Summer!

Safety Patrols Begin on Chicago Ave

In partnership with neighborhood residents, businesses, and institutions, EPNI has hired Strength Group, a community based safety organization, to address the persistent safety challenges along Chicago Avenue between 15th & 17th Street. The patrols are trained and experienced in violence prevention and intervention through security detail and community outreach.

Strength Group will patrol on a variable schedule throughout the summer. If you have any questions about the patrols, please contact the EPNI office.

HOW THE PROJECT WAS FUNDED
EPNI received a $10,000 grant from the City of Minneapolis Great Streets Business District program to support safety patrols over the period of four months. We are thrilled to announce we have raised an additional $20,000 to fully fund this work.

We thank you for your support!

Missed the June Building, Land Use, and Housing (BLUH) meeting? We've got you covered!

At the June BLUH meeting, Erik Vegel, Tenant Advocate & Volunteer Coordinator at HOME Line, shared an introduction to tenant rights in Minnesota.

Ellie Benson, EPNI's Tenant Organizer VISTA, highlighted multiple resources available to renters across the state, from a tenant hotline to a new tool that makes it easy to research your landlord.
 
Check out the meeting recording here and slides here!

Our next BLUH meeting will be held IN-PERSON at NCU Centennial Hall (727 S 10th St) on Thursday, July 15th at 6pm. 

- RSVP in advance for the BLUH Meeting

Lutunji's Palate Bakery & Cafe

Lutunji has loved baking sweets her whole life — it's her love language. She loves to bless people with treats. Since 2018, she has been selling scrumptious treats, like her famous Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Harriet’s Escape Peach Cobbler, and Coconut Macaroons. Many of her desserts are vegan and gluten-free!

But Lutunji’s Palate is not just about amazing treats — she and her team bake with community and people in mind.  She has partnerships in the community that allow her to invite local teens (StepUP), young adults (Emerge), and men returning to work after incarceration into the kitchen to learn about baking, running a business — and life-skilling. Lutunji’s Palate has already outgrown two commercial kitchens! In order to expand her business and her commitment to the community, she needs a much bigger space — that’s where you come in. 

You can be a part of building Lutunji’s Palate Bakery & Cafe. She already has a beautiful space at the new Gatsby building at 1400 Park Ave S, Minneapolis, MN. Your support will help build out the kitchen, the bakery case and counter, and the seating. Lutunji is working with retired General Mills Executives to optimize operations and kitchen equipment needs, ensuring a world-class kitchen space.

You see, building this bakery is about so much more than making and selling delicious gourmet desserts. It’s about bringing more people into the bakery to life-skill — and supporting the programs that foster community. We invite you to make a contribution today. Together we will build a great resource for the neighborhood and community. Thank you!

As you wait for the Bakery and Cafe to open, you can find them in grocery stores (North Market and many of the local Lunds and Byerlys, Specialty Foods), farmers markets (Farmer’s Market Annex, Northeast Farmer’s Market and The Plant Based Pop Up), and restaurants (Handsome Hog, Pimento, and The Gnome). 
 

Free Fitness Summer Program

The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) is introducing the public to its newly redesigned Plaza this summer by offering free outdoors fitness classes every Saturday from July 17 through August 28. A variety of local fitness businesses have been invited to take their classes outside and onto the Plaza – bringing seven weekends and 15 classes to choose from.

Each Summer Fitness on the Plaza event is free to the public. There is no limit on the number of events that fitness enthusiasts may attend.

• When: Every Saturday from July 17 through August 28
• Price: Free
• Registration & Class Details: Click Here 
• Where: Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2^nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55403
  (The Plaza is located across the street from the main entrance on 2^nd Avenue)

Is paying electric or gas bills a struggle for you – or a friend or family member? Keep the lights on – apply now for #MNEnergyAssistance or Call MN Commerce: 1-800-657-3710, and press 1

Consumers who apply for the Energy Assistance Program are protected for one year from being disconnected. The Energy Assistance Program @MNCommerce now has higher income eligibility and extended deadline to apply, so thousands more Minnesotans qualify and have more time to apply.

Eviction Moratorium Update

On June 29, 2021, the State of Minnesota passed a law to phase out the COVID-19 moratorium, which has suspended evictions and landlord-initiated lease terminations since March 2020. This law establishes a timeline to allow different kinds of lease terminations and evictions.

The new law offers protection against an eviction for nonpayment of rent if you have a pending application for emergency rental assistance. We strongly encourage tenants to apply for rent assistance ASAP at RentHelpMN.org or by calling 2-1-1.

Check out HOME Line’s website for more information. HOME Line also is hosting weekly free public webinars about the new law. If you are a Minnesota renter and have a specific housing question, please contact their free tenant hotline for legal advice at 612-728-5767 or use their free email an attorney service.

Crime Prevention Specialists Move Over to Neighborhood & Community Relations 

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) crime prevention specialists, who have been an integral part of the MPD for more than 30 years, officially move to the City’s Neighborhood & Community Relations Department (NCR) June 28. Crime prevention specialists are being transferred to NCR at the direction of the City Council.

Since January, NCR staff have worked closely with Police Chief Arradondo, Deputy Chief Waite and Deputy Chief Fors to ensure that the crime prevention specialists will have access to the technology they need to perform their numerous responsibilities. This includes:

• Conducting premise surveys.
• Offering block leader trainings.
• Providing crime statistics
• Participating in weekly MSTAT meetings with law enforcement.
• Participating in crime prevention strategies.

The crime prevention specialists will also continue educating the community about public safety and appearing at community and neighborhood association meetings and related events.

NCR Crime Prevention Team Manager Jose Velez will take over direct supervision of the crime prevention specialists.