Near North is a community in Minneapolis northwest of the city's downtown area that contains six smaller neighborhoods. The communities of Near North and Camden are often referred to colloquially as "North Minneapolis".
31-539: Willard-Hay is a neighborhood within the larger Near North community in the northwest side of the U.S. city of Minneapolis which is known locally as the "Northside". The neighborhood is often known as Willard-Homewood by residents; the portion south of Plymouth is Homewood. It is named after two elementary schools within its boundaries, Frances Willard and John Hay. 44°59′47″N 93°18′40″W / 44.9964°N 93.3112°W / 44.9964; -93.3112 The boundaries are roughly Olson Memorial Highway on
62-449: A 3 in order to comply with a state law designed to require city council elections in years ending in 2 or 3 after a census. Each city council member represents one of 13 wards. Ward boundaries are redrawn after each census and approved by the court-appointed Charter Commission. For elections, the 13 wards are subdivided into a total of 137 precincts . Council Members have a base salary of $ 109,846 in 2024. Raises for council members and
93-452: A dozen of her supporters and DFL volunteers were physically assaulted in the chaos, while Warsame claimed his campaign manager had been hospitalized due to an injury sustained by a member of the opposing campaign staff. Later that month, leaders of the DFL voted to permanently bar Warsame from seeking the party's endorsement for any elected office. In 2006, Minneapolis voters approved the use of
124-555: A federal search warrant to his home by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The affidavit attached to the warrant revealed that the FBI had Zimmermann on video and audiotape accepting bribes for a zoning change. Zimmermann subsequently lost his re-election campaign, and was convicted in federal court on three counts of accepting cash from a developer and found not guilty of soliciting property from people with business with
155-493: A high school diploma (compared to 9.2% city-wide), and only 4,813 (23.9%) have a bachelor's degree or more (compared to 53.5% city-wide). Minneapolis City Council By affiliation The Minneapolis City Council is the legislative branch of the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota , United States . Comprising 13 members, the council holds the authority to create and modify laws, policies, and ordinances that govern
186-813: A hub of African American Minnesotan life in the twenty-first century. Minneapolis' Near North Side has always been a haven for marginalized communities, mostly for its affordable housing and proximity to downtown. In the early twentieth century, much of the Twin Cities' Jewish population resided in the Near North neighborhood, especially along Plymouth Avenue and what is now the Olson Memorial Highway. Restrictive covenants written into real estate deeds limited Black people to certain areas of Minneapolis. During World War I, many began moving from longtime-settled neighborhoods, such as Seven Corners near
217-409: A one-year sentence in federal prison. On November 21, 2002, ten-year DFL Council Member Joe Biernat was convicted of five federal felony charges, one count of embezzlement, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of making a false statement. Biernat was found not guilty on extortion and conspiracy to extort charges. In September 2005, Green Party Council Member Dean Zimmermann was served with
248-582: A recreation center for African American children. African American activist and writer Ethel Ray Nance also became associated with the Wheatley House. In 2018, the Minneapolis African American Heritage Museum and Gallery opened on the corner of Penn Avenue and Plymouth Avenue North. Its goal is to preserve the history of Minnesota African Americans, and to showcase the community’s achievements. Near North
279-614: Is bounded by Minneapolis city limits at Xerxes Avenue to the west, Lowry Avenue to the north, the Mississippi River and I-94 to the east, and Bassetts Creek and Plymouth Avenue to the south. It is primarily located in Ward 5, represented by city council member Jeremiah Ellison . A small portion in the northwest is in Ward 4 , represented by LaTrisha Vetaw . The population of Near North has remained relatively steady since 1980 and
310-412: Is currently just over 35,000 people. The racial makeup of the community is 17,987 (50.9%) Black , 7,804 (22.1%) White , 3,632 (10.3%) Hispanic or Latino , 2,870 (8.1%) Asian , and 456 (1.3%) Native American . 2,365 (6.7%) are of two or more races . 6,916 (19.6%) of residents are foreign-born. The educational attainment of the community is lower than the rest of city: 3,781 (18.8%) have less than
341-580: Is located in Willard-Hay, bounded by Plymouth Avenue to the north, Penn Avenue to the east, Oak Park Avenue to the south and Xerxes Avenue to the west. This area was central to the North Side Jewish community beginning in the early 1910s. It was designated by the city as a historic district on February 28, 2017 due to its rich Jewish history. This designation sparked some controversy among Homewood residents. Near North, Minneapolis In
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#1732780745738372-458: The 2021 Minneapolis City Council election , the city's government structure was considered a weak-mayor , strong-council system. However, a charter amendment was passed that gave the mayor more power and reduced the council to purely legislative duties. The city has never had more than 13 wards, but at one time there were three representatives from each area, for a total of 39 members of the city council. The city council assumed its current size in
403-600: The Minneapolis Police Department . Their plan included amending the city's charter to remove the requirement for a minimum number of officers, along with replacing the MPD with a broader public safety agency. The city council was then discovered to have been utilizing private security at a cost of $ 4,500 per day for three of their members. The plan made it to the ballot in 2021, but ended up failing with only 43% of votes in support of it; along with six of
434-562: The single transferable vote for its municipal elections. The first use of ranked-choice voting was in the 2009 municipal election . However, since the City Council uses single-member districts , the single transferable vote functions the same way as instant-runoff voting . This system of voting is commonly known in the United States as ranked choice voting. Each member's term is normally four years, and there are no limits on
465-539: The 1950s. The Minneapolis City Council represents the city's thirteen districts called wards . The city adopted instant-runoff voting in 2006, first using it in the 2009 elections. The council has 12 DFL members and one from the Democratic Socialists of America . Election issues in 2013 included funding for a new Vikings stadium over which some incumbents lost their positions. That year, Minneapolis elected Abdi Warsame , Alondra Cano, and Blong Yang,
496-475: The City Council's three Muslim members at the time, issued a statement calling Rainville's comments "incorrect," "inappropriate," "disturbing," and "dangerous." Rainville has since apologized for the comments. At the Minneapolis DFL caucus for Ward 10 on May 13, 2023, supporters of challenger Nasri Warsame rushed the stage when incumbent Aisha Chughtai was scheduled to speak. Chughtai claimed that over
527-658: The University of Minnesota, the South Side, and the North Side. The Sumner Field public housing project, completed at 1101 Olson Memorial Highway in 1938, was segregated, but its white Jewish and Black residents generally interacted peacefully. By 1936, there were more than 16,000 Jews in Minneapolis, and 70% of them lived on the North Side. The Jewish Community of North Minneapolis presents an intriguing record of
558-417: The campaign. Johnson paid a $ 200 fine for these violations, the lowest fine possible. In 2015, DFL Council Member Alondra Cano used her Twitter account to publish private cellphone numbers and e-mail addresses of critics who wrote about her involvement in a Black Lives Matter rally. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd , nine city council members announced their highly controversial goals to disband
589-554: The city council passed the Minneapolis Comprehensive 2040 Plan and submitted it for Metropolitan Council approval. Watched nationally, the plan rezones predominantly single-family residential neighborhoods for triplexes to increase affordable housing, seeks to reduce the effects of climate change , and tries to rectify some of the city's racial disparities. After the Metropolitan Council approved
620-639: The city's first Somali-American, Mexican-American, and Hmong-American city councilpeople, respectively. The city council passed a resolution in March 2015 making fossil fuel divestment city policy. With encouragement from city administration, Minneapolis joined seventeen cities worldwide in the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance . The city's climate plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent in 2015 "compared to 2006 levels, 30 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050". In 2018,
651-524: The city. Each member represents one of the 13 wards in Minneapolis, elected for a four-year term. The current council structure has been in place since the 1950s. In recent elections, council membership has been dominated by the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). As of 2024, 12 members identified with the DFL, while four identified with Democratic Socialists of America (three members identify as both DFL and DSA). Until
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#1732780745738682-525: The city. Zimmermann was released from prison in July 2008. In 2009, Council President Barbara A. Johnson was accused of misusing campaign funds for personal spending. An administrative hearing was held January 26, 2010. The administrative judges at the hearing dismissed six of the eight charges; it upheld two charges—that AAA services were paid for both her and her husband's vehicle and that not all charges for hairstyling or dry cleaning were reasonably related to
713-574: The community-Hebrew schools, synagogues, and social groups-this collection uncovers the challenges and triumphs of the Jewish community. When black people arrived in the Twin Cities, they often did not have access to the same community-based agencies as white people, so Black churches, social organizations, and barber and beauty shops provided support. One such place, the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House , opened in 1924 as
744-678: The earliest beginnings of Jewish communities in the city. Through the medium of historic photographs, this book captures the cultural, economic, political, and social history of this community, from the late 1800s to the present day. The Jews in North Minneapolis enjoyed a busy social and cultural life with their landsmanschaften , and shopped together at the kosher butcher shops and fish markets, grocery stores and bakeries, clothing stores, barber shops, restaurants, and other small businesses that had sprung up along Sixth Avenue North and then Plymouth Avenue. Including vintage images and tales of
775-440: The early 1900s, the Near North area featured the population center of Jewish people in the city, and since the early 1900s it has been the location of a sizeable African American population and a cultural hub of Black residential and economic development. The Near North community of Minneapolis has had a major African American presence since the early 1900s. Distinguished by its own businesses, organizations, and culture, it remains
806-945: The mayor are based on "averaging out the increases included in the union contracts they approved the previous year." The rate was $ 106,101 in 2021. In 2018, all Council Members were paid a base salary of $ 98,696 annually, plus mileage, free parking, and the usual employee benefits. This salary included an increase of $ 10,000 approved in late 2017. The council is made up of 13 members. The DFL holds 12 seats, while one member ( Robin Wonsley ) sits as an independent democratic socialist . New members took office January 2024. The Minneapolis City Council operates through several standing committees, each focusing on specific areas of city governance. Administration & Enterprise Oversight Committee Business, Housing & Zoning Committee Public Health & Safety Committee Climate & Infrastructure Committee Budget Committee Committee of
837-442: The nine city council members who wanted to disband the police department either voted out or having not ran for reelection. In 2021, while leaving a Pride Day event, a car containing Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins was surrounded by protesters who blocked her from leaving until she signed a list of demands, which included not interfering with the occupied George Floyd Square and the resignation of Mayor Jacob Frey . Jenkins
868-402: The number of terms a member may serve. In 2020, voters approved a plan to amend the city charter to establish city council elections in 2021 and 2023 for two-year terms instead of the regular four-year terms, with four-year term elections restarting in 2025. The amendment also granted the ability for the city to use this method whenever regular city council elections do not fall in a year ending in
899-696: The plan, in November 2019 the city council voted unanimously to allow duplexes and triplexes citywide. The Brookings Institution called it "a relatively rare example of success for the YIMBY agenda" and "the most wonderful plan of the year." In July 2001, DFL Council Member Brian Herron pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion. Herron admitted to accepting a $ 10,000 bribe from business owner Selwin Ortega who faced numerous health and safety inspection violations at his Las Americas grocery stores. Herron served
930-625: The south, Penn Avenue on the east, (though a small portion of the neighborhood is northeast of Penn and Plymouth) Broadway Avenue on the northeast and Theodore Wirth Park on the west. It is primarily located in Ward 5, represented by city council member Jeremiah Ellison . A small portion in the northwest (north of 26th Ave) is in Ward 4 , represented by LaTrisha Vetaw . Willard-Hay is in Legislative District 59B, represented by State Senator Bobby Joe Champion and State Representative Esther Agbaje . The Homewood Historic district
961-723: Was stuck for over 90 minutes before signing the list so she could go. In July 2022, City Council Member Michael Rainville said during a meeting with his constituents that he was going to go to a mosque in Northeast Minneapolis to "meet with Somali elders and tell them that their children can no longer have [poor] behavior," in response to incidents on the 4th of July in downtown Minneapolis, during which groups of younger people were seen launching fireworks at buildings and passerby. His comments drew criticism, including from fellow City Council members who attempted to censure him. Jamal Osman, Jeremiah Ellison, and Aisha Chughtai,