March 15, 2022 Meeting Recap
At this week’s Armatage Monthly Meeting, the ANA heard an update on Mpls Park & Rec hours during the strike (youth can drop in and run off energy weekdays from 3:00-9:00pm) and discussed a return to in person meetings in May including how to share meeting materials so community members can join discussions. Board members approved the Green Team’s People for Parks grant application to fund a pollinator garden at the Washburn Tot Lot and approved funds for snacks for the youth helping out at the Tech Help for Seniors event on April 23.
The ANA also edited and approved the Annual Report to the City of Minneapolis for FY2020 and 2021, planned the speaker line-up for the Annual Meeting in May (which will feature elected representatives and Julie Gramentz, owner of Unwind Within), and discussed plans to shift Safety, Equity & Outreach’s meetings to feature more relevant speakers and conversation and share resources.
Soil Health & Regenerative Agriculture Series
Join Armatage Neighborhood’s Green Team in a series on soil health and how we all can have an impact by working with, rather than against, nature to help fight climate change! The series includes a free virtual screening of Kiss the Ground and a Regenerative Agriculture Panel on March 24 at 7:00pm on Zoom. Learn more and register at https://armatage.org/soilhealth/
Kiss the Ground Community Screening (now through March 24) unveils a game-changer to our climate crisis: the Earth’s own soil. The solution is called “Regenerative Agriculture,” which can revive farmer prosperity, reduce flooding & drought, replenish fresh water sources, reduce fire hazards, reverse global warming, recreate regional access to nutrient-dense food, reduce toxic pesticides & fertilizers, reduce dead zones & water pollution, reverse extinction, and reconnect humanity & nature. Kiss the Ground presents the research, practice, and hope we need to move forward. Together.
Regenerative Agriculture Panel (March 24 at 7:00pm) will feature experts including farmers and Homegrown Minneapolis staff to share what’s happening right here in Minnesota around regenerative agriculture and local food systems. Panelists will share how they’re protecting soil health, answer our questions, and help us understand what we can do locally or with our own yards. This event is free and open to all. Register to attend at https://armatage.org/soilhealth/
Ward 13 Public Safety Conversation
Join Council Vice President Linea Palmisano for a conversation about public safety in the City of Minneapolis on Monday, March 21 at 6:30pm. This hybrid event will be held at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church (5025 Knox Ave S) or can be watched via livestream. Regardless of how you plan to attend, please register at https://bit.ly/3ClSJlP
Speakers include MPD 5th Precinct Inspector Katie Blackwell, Hennepin County Director of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation Catherine Johnson, and hopefully Canopy Roots and the Behavioral Crisis Response Team.
MPS Strike Resources
As the MPS strike continues, we’re sharing this strike fund created for Armatage Elementary staff, specifically educational support professionals who keep our school running! Resources for families include the following:
- Pick up a free breakfast and lunch between 9:00am and 1:00pm at their student’s school. Learn more at https://cws.mpls.k12.mn.us/mealbags
- Access other food shelves through the City’s interactive map at www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/homegrown-minneapolis/food-shelves/
- Looking for child care resources? Check out the district’s list at https://bit.ly/3q2I0I4
Low Cost Tree Sales are HERE!
Minneapolis property owners are able to order 5- to 8-foot trees in 30 varieties (including shade, fruit and flowering trees!) for $30 each to plant on their private property. Rental property owners and property owners who haven’t participated in the City Trees program can order a tree now. All other Minneapolis property owners can order two trees per address starting at 8:00am Wednesday, March 23.
New this year: two trees can be ordered per property! Tree are available first-come, first-served, and the sale closes on April 15 or when the trees run out, whichever is first. Tree pick-up will be May 21, 22 or 23 (subject to change). Volunteers onsite will help load each new tree and a complimentary bag of mulch into vehicles on request.
Celebrate Cultures of Minneapolis at the International Festival
The Minneapolis International Festival happens on Saturday, March 26 from 1:00-5:00pm at the Central Gym (3400 Fourth Ave S). Celebrate the different cultures in the City of Minneapolis and surrounding communities with music, dance, art, cultural learning booths, exhibits, demonstrations, food and more. Some of the groups featured that day include: Nyttu Chongo, Kuyayki Peru, Chinese Heritage Foundation, Oromo Cultural Institute of MN, Spirit Boy Singers, food, art, jewelry and clothing from all over the globe.
The Minneapolis International Festival is FREE and open to the public. To learn more visit www.minneapolisparks.org and click on activities and events or by calling 612-230-6400. You can also find the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mplsinternationalfestival.
Celebrate Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, CA in 1978. A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March. Thanks to our SEO Committee Member, Sheila Dingels, for this write-up and the following resources!
- Listen to 89.3 The Current for a different featured female artist each day.
- Learn about the women behind several of our neighboring schools, including Sister Kenny, Maude Armatage, and Susan B. Anthony.
- Donate to a non-profit organization that supports women and girls like Girls Who Code or the Malala Fund.
- Read one of innumerable books that celebrate women in history such as She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton.
Get Involved with an Armatage Neighborhood Committee
Hi Neighbors! Did you know that Armatage has three committees that plan fun and educational events to bring the neighborhood together? Last year these committees worked as teams to host free workshops, film screenings, neighborhood clean-ups, organized food truck nights and more.
We would love for you to join us on the Safety, Equity & Outreach, Green Team, and Community Engagement Committees. Check out the Get Involved page on the Armatage neighborhood website and then choose to volunteer for a single event or join a Committee e-list to help plan new events throughout the year. Come meet new friends and neighbors while making Armatage an even better place to live!
Learn more, register for a meeting or volunteer at armatage.org/get-involved/:
- The Green Team meets TONIGHT (Thursday, March 10) at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Safety, Equity & Outreach meets next on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:00pm on Zoom
- Community Engagement meets next on Thursday, April 7 at 6:00pm on Zoom
Share E Line Bus Rapid Transit Feedback
Metro Transit’s new E Line Bus Rapid Transit will provide faster, more reliable transit in the Route 6 corridor from University Avenue/4th Street, Hennepin Avenue, and France Avenue from the University of Minnesota to Southdale.
The public comment period for the Recommended Corridor Plan is open now through April 8. Please explore the plan and provide comments on future E Line station locations at metrotransit.org/e-line-corridor-plan
New Minneapolis Warrant and Entry Policy
Mayor Jacob Frey has announced new proposed standards for the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) warrant and entry policy. Read more about the proposed warrant and entry policy on the City website. The new proposed policy:
- Prohibits the Minneapolis Police Department from applying for and using all no-knock search warrants.
- Requires that officers continuously knock and announce their presence and purpose before entering with at least a 20 second wait time for any warrant and 30 seconds for warrants carried out during nighttime hours (8:00pm-7:00am as defined by state statute).
- Creates a new risk classification and evaluation system for knock-and-announce search warrants.
- Introduces new, safer tactics when police enter a home.
- Enacts a more robust and thorough internal review and accountability process.
Save the Date: Tech Help for Seniors
Sat, April 23 | 1:00-3:00pm
Armatage Community Center
Come to the Armatage Community Center for free tech help on Sat, April 23 from 1:00-3:00pm!
We’re partnering with Cyber Seniors, a nonprofit that provides free tech help, youth training, and connects generations!
Bring your phone, tablet, computer, or other device AND your questions on troubleshooting issues, apps, content, and more to get help from friendly, trained Minneapolis teens who will walk you through step by step. Masks are required at all times per the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board policy. Learn more at armatage.org/techhelp/
Personal Safety & Carjacking Prevention Tips
Our Safety Equity & Outreach Committee put together these helpful safety tips and graphics with a few simple actions you can take to stay mindful AND safe, especially as the weather warms and we are out and about more often. See the full list at armatage.org/safety-tips/ Follow the ANA on Facebook or Instagram for posts to share with family, friends and neighbors.
After Action Review from Civil Unrest Released
Hillard Heintze, a security risk management firm, presented key findings and recommendations of an after action review (AAR) of the City’s response to civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd to the City Council’s Committee of the Whole on March 8. Learn more about the after action review and read the full analysis here.
The analysis focuses on the City’s actions immediately following Floyd’s murder from May 25, 2020 to June 3, 2020 and recommendations to rebuild trust in the community. Watch the March 8 Committee of the Whole presentation here (start around minute 21).
Remove Racial Covenants Through the Just Deeds Project
Applications are open for the Minneapolis Just Deeds Project, which provides property owners with the opportunity to discharge racial covenants recorded against their properties and reclaim their homes as equitable spaces. Racial covenants were legal documents recorded against a property’s title that prohibited all future owners of the property from selling it, renting it or allowing it to be used by people of certain races or ethnicities. Thanks to the work of Mapping Prejudice, we know that more than 8,000 properties in Minneapolis contain racial covenants including many here in Armatage (see above).
The City’s Just Deeds Project and Hennepin County will help homeowners record a discharge form against their property title, free of charge. Participation is first come, first served and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more, check whether your home has a racial covenant, and apply for the project on the city’s website here. If you have questions, contact JustDeedsProject@minneapolismn.gov.
COVID-19 Vaccines and Testing
Vaccines: if you haven’t been vaccinated or gotten a booster yet, get a free vaccine as soon as you can. Visit mn.gov/vaccine to use the Vaccine Locator Map (more options listed below). Learn more about boosters here.
Testing: you can now order four totally free COVID-19 rapid tests per residential household through https://www.covidtests.gov/ Ordering takes just a couple minutes. For more local testing options including home saliva PCR tests, visit https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/index.html
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The Armatage Neighborhood Association works to make Armatage a place where all are welcome, empowered, and connected through safety initiatives, community-building events, environmental work, advocacy and communications that keep you informed and engaged.
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