Minneapolis city leaders are putting an added emphasis on safety and livability in the Uptown Neighborhood.
Mayor Jacob Frey says Uptown is a vital economic and cultural engine for Minneapolis. He said the goal is to align public safety resources, infrastructure investments, and community partnerships.
"If we're going to tackle some of the issues that we're seeing on the streets, it needs a comprehensive approach," said Frey. "We need upstream work, we need social services, we need prevention, we need treatment, and yes, we also need enforcement."
Officials say they want to restore Uptown Minneapolis as a vibrant destination, and Frey says to do that, the city needs a comprehensive approach.
"If one of those solutions is taken away, you ultimately have problems on your streets and what we found is that we need to be doubling down much further," Frey adds.
City leaders say the increased safety effort will help keep the neighborhood safe and accessible for residents, businesses, and visitors.
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt also said the Uptown of old needs to be a priority, telling WCCO's Adam and Jordana that it is a place people remember fondly.
"I mean, there's some people that are here that don't know what it used to be like," Witt said. "I'm not one of those people, you know. Again, somebody who grew here who absolutely understands the where we were, and where we are now, and where what we need to get back to. So, I'm all-in for helping any way that I can (with) my office to make sure that all parts of Hennepin County are vibrant and safe."
That part of the city has seen an increase in reports of shots fired, assaults and car thefts going back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the unrest in the city after the killing of George Floyd.
Starting in November, eight city employees will patrol the Uptown area, and respond to a dedicated phone line that will run through the city's dispatch system.
"What's certain is that the Uptown of the future is going to be dramatically different from the uptown of the past, but there are a few core things that need to be the same," Frey said Tuesday. "One of them is the conviction that we need safety on our streets. People need to feel safe. They need to be safe."
Community leaders will also be part of the effort to bring services to those in need in the area.
