We look forward to sharing some recent and upcoming activities in the neighborhood including events, news, opinions, and more. June was another busy month with a lot to be grateful for, but also a lot to be concerned about because of the ongoing federal tactics being employed against our city.
Whittier Alliance held their annual board meeting in June with great attendance and energy, and the regular monthly meetings will commence again here in July. See the upcoming events schedule below for details on many upcoming events in July, but first some news.
What’s news in….
in Minneapolis
City Council
On June 11th, the council unanimously voted to deny Special Assessments associated with modifications/improvements around George Floyd Square. This was largely seen by council members as an assessment that the nearby community should not be responsible for thus resulting in the denial.
Last month the council voted to approve the introduction of an amendment to the zoning ordinance related to data centers. On June 25th, the council approved this amendment on Data Center development, which places a 6-month moratorium on data centers larger than 350,000 square feet so the City can have time to consider further amendments to city ordinances that would allow data centers to be more regulated than what the current ordinances allow.
On June 25th, the council voted to approve the passage of an ordinance amendment related to adult bathhouses and sex venues which modifies languages related to health and sanitation.
Council Member Chugtai
CM Chugtai announced via the Ward 10 newsletter that they will be taking a brief leave of absence (about a month). Please keep them in your thoughts as we all know the toll the last several months have taken on our bodies and our community. It takes courage to take care of yourself, and I’m proud to have a council member who is brave enough to do so!
June 16 Arrests – Metro Surge
Fifteen City of Minneapolis residents were arrested on varying charges associated with events that took place during metro surge earlier in the year. While this is an alarming escalation by the federal government’s use of their own justice department, it appears to largely be associated with individuals who were demonstrating their constitutional rights.
However, given the unfortunate and concerning recent sentencing associated with the Prarieland defendants in Illinois, there appears to be a lot up in the air as the federal government and the judicial system seem to be enacting orders associated with executive directive NSPM-7, which is directed at limiting free speech and mass surveillance. The directive targets certain groups and language in the light of “counter-terrorism.” For more information, More Perfect Union created this video outlining some of the mass surveillance tactics being employed. Stay safe friends, and stay connected.
Democracy Defense
Monarca is hosting several upcoming events around the metro area associated with the upcoming midterm elections. There are several ways to get involved through Monarca. See the below links for more information. If you are explicitly interested in furthering these efforts in Whittier, please reach out to a WSN organizer or consider reaching out to Whittier Alliance as well.
The Monarca Democracy Defense Pledge is a way to indicate your interest in things like the Truth Council, electoral engagement, protecting election results, and more. The Action Interest Form is a more targeted way to reach out to Monarca about organizing around democracy defense in our communities. See this link for locations of several upcoming trainings around the metro and please share with your networks.
The Wedge Democracy Defense Network is scheduled to host events from 6pm-7:30pm at Muller Park every Tuesday related to this democracy defense planning, and they will likely by hosting a legal observer training with emphasis on complying with federal and state election laws on Thursday July 23rd at the Springhouse Ministry Center.
States at the Core, based out of Chicago, hosted several constitutional observer trainings earlier in the year, and they will be hosting upcoming zoom trainings on democracy defense with the next event planned for July 8th at 6pm. Refer to the Community Action channel on the Discord server for more information.
in Whittier
Lyndale Ave Reconstruction
Hennepin County is presenting their conceptual design to the Climate and Infrastructure Committee on July 9th. Advocates in support of the project are planning to attend the meeting, so please consider attending if you are interested in this project and interested in seeing how the City process works!
Assuming that the C&I committee recommends approval of the project, it would then be heard in front of the next City Council meeting, exact date TBD. Please consider emailing [email protected] to submit a public comment prior to July 9th. The C&I committee passed a resolution opening up a comment period for the project to allow for residents to comment on the public process with the County.
Generally speaking, the County has done their best to make this design as appealing as possible to the businesses. Throughout this process, the County has held several community engagement meetings, yet the design is still significantly lacking in pedestrian oriented improvements due to many factors that limit the designer’s ability to do so. The introduction of the shared-use path back in the fall of 2025 was a significant hurdle, and was frankly completely unexpected. It is still unknown exactly why the County attempted to include this design, but due to OUR advocacy, we were able to convince the County to reintroduce the two-way bikeway instead. While there is still much room for improvement in the design, this is about as good we are going to get, but we should still be proud of our advocacy efforts. It is of utmost importance to continue to stay engaged in this process whether through contacting Ward 10 to let them know your opinions on the process or by attending the public hearings.
The Star Tribune (I’m told as I don’t have a subscription) posted a supportive article regarding the project in their June 22nd issuance.
Franklin Ave and Safe Routes to School Construction
Construction remains constant in our community. While it is frustrating, it is a necessary component of maintaining important infrastructure such as water distribution, sanitary sewer, and street level pedestrian improvements. Franklin Avenue appears to be moving along as segments of the road have already received curb, sidewalk, and bike lane paving. The Safe Routes to School construction projects along 26th St and 28th St have also commenced, so expect construction related challenges for the remainder of construction season.
Upcoming Events
WSN events:
- Saturday July 4th – Really Really Free Market
- Location: Whittier Rec Center (425 W 26th St), outdoors unless there is bad weather which then it will be hosted inside the rec center
- Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
- Note: This event occurs on the first Saturday of the Month
- Click here to sign up to support the event as we are always looking for helpers
- Sunday July 5th – Urban Design Meeting
- Location: Bob’s Java Hut
- Time: 3:30pm-5:00pm
- Note: This event occurs on the first Sunday of the Month
- Sunday July 12th and Sunday July 26th – Whittier Organizer Meeting
- Location: Whittier Alliance Office (10 E 25th St)
- Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm
- Join us as we chat about ways to collaborate and organize in our community!
- Sunday July 5th and Sunday July 19th – Coffee Club
- Location: Bob’s Java Hut
- Time: 3:00pm-5:00pm
- Note that the July 5th event somewhat overlaps with the Urban Design meeting, so its possible coffee club starts around 2pm on the 5th
- Saturday July 25th – WSN Monthly Tech Meeting
- Location: Whittier Alliance Office (10 E 25th St)
- Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm
- Sunday July 26th – WSN Monthly Bike Ride
- Location: Meet at MIA/Washburn Fair Oaks on 24th St
- Time: Meet between 9:45am-10:00am, depart @ 10:00am, return to neighborhood between 11:00am and 12:00pm
WSN Adjacent Events
- Thursday July 23rd – Whittier Alliance Monthly Board Meeting
- Location: Whittier Alliance Office (10 E 25th St)
- Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
- More details – there is a virtual/hybrid option as well
- Sunday July 12th – Whittier Alliance Trash Pickup
- Location: Whittier Alliance Office (10 E 25th St)
- Time: 10am-11am
- Sign up here
- Saturday July 4th – Whittier Block Party
- Location: Whittier Rec Center (425 W 26th St)
- Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
- Local Organizers are hosting a block party in conjunction with the RRFM, and we are so appreciative of their hard work. Please consider stopping by to hang out on the 4th!
Reminders and Connections
We are always looking for more neighbors who are interested in participating or starting events like the coffee club or bike ride. In the past we have hosted one-off like events for other activities such as crafting clubs, book clubs, videogame nights, movie nights, and more. If you are interested in participating in something like this, please feel free to reach out to a WSN organizer for assistance, or feel free to use the WSN discord as a means to organize around your specific interest.