​The following is an update from Inspector Katie Blackwell regarding community concerns at both the Speedway gas station at 22nd St & Lyndale Ave as well as the illegal nightclub operation at 2200 Lyndale Ave: 

• 30 arrests were made as a result of a Thanksgiving event held at 2200 Lyndale, the site of the illegal nightclub. The tenants were served an eviction notice a couple weeks ago but refused to vacate and have a court hearing on December 1. Inspector Blackwell indicated it's a near lock that the eviction will be held up in court. All 911 calls regarding the property will also be used as evidence at the court hearing. 
• Speedway ownership will be meeting with Inspector Blackwell, the crime prevention specialist, and Mpls Dept. of Inspections in the next week to discuss community concerns and work to come up with solutions to mitigate the issues stemming from that property. LHENA will be collecting community impact statements this week and relay those to the Inspector. 

If you would like to submit a community impact statement regarding the Speedway gas station at 22nd and Lyndale, you may do so here by Sunday, December 5th. LHENA will share impact statements with Inspector Blackwell and the Dept. of Inspections. 

Submit a community impact statement.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021
11:46AM

From MPD 5th Precinct Inspector Katie Blackwell: 

Hello, 
We have recently experienced an increase in aggravated robberies.  Particularly in the Lowry Hill East and Whittier Neighborhoods; however, there are some incidents have occurred outside of these neighborhoods.
The suspect descriptions vary in race, gender and age.  The majority of suspects have been described as males, and in a few cases females, in their late teens to 20 years old.  Often times, suspect(s) approach victims and there are additional suspects nearby as a lookout or to drive them away.  In some cases a weapon is displayed or implied.  It appears most victims are by themselves or in a pair; either walking, sitting in their vehicle or near their vehicle.  The suspects are looking at stealing vehicle keys, wallets, purses and/or cell phones.  In some incidents the suspects are using the stolen credit cards shortly after the incident or they steal the vehicle. 
We are asking the public to remain aware of their surroundings, drive or walk away if they are not comfortable with a situation, lock your car doors, and provide the best description of the suspects and/or their vehicle to 911. 
We have put out additional squads that are actively conducting directed patrols in the high pattern areas and are working with specialty units to focus on these incidents and investigations. 


Respectfully,

Inspector Katie Blackwell
Minneapolis Police Department
5th Precinct
3101 Nicollet Ave S
Minneapolis, MN  55408

On Wednesday, December 15, LHENA members are encouraged to vote on proposed changes to the LHENA bylaws at the association's monthly board meeting. Amendments to the bylaws were drafted to align with the City of Minneapolis' new standards for neighborhood organizations to receive city funding. 

Proposed changes include:

• Adding a LHENA board member term limit at a maximum 6 consecutive years. 
• Expand annual meeting voting (board member election) to include online voting and a 7-day voting period.
• Eliminating in-person voting requirement at annual meeting.
• Formalizing the floor nomination process for board member elections (this has always been allowed, but not officially in the bylaws).
• allowing business owners one person to vote on their behalf.

To vote on these changes, please join our Wednesday, December 15 board meeting, starting at 6:30pm, via Zoom.

LHENA Board Meeting
Wednesday, December 15
6:30-8:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting  
Passcode: 436778 

For special accommodations, please contact paul@thewedge.org. 

LHENA is aware of public safety concerns in the Wedge and is committed to keeping our community safe. Wedge residents and business owners who are interested in getting crime and safety information and learning more about solutions can sign up to receive public safety alerts here. No personal information will be shared publicly. Our goal is to use this information to increase public safety and peace in our neighborhood so that everyone in LHENA feels safe in the Wedge.

What to Do If You Have a Public Safety Issue 

If you have a public safety issue in the Wedge, here's what you can do.

1. Call 911 for any public safety issues that require police, fire or medical. Follow up with a call or email to 311. Calling 311 can have up to 30 min wait times. If you don't want to call 311, you can email any and all complaints to 311 at minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov. In other words, anytime you call 911, report it to 311 also. Ask for a report/incident number every time you call or email.

When you email 311, copy the following people:

Jose Velez, crime prevention specialist manager: Jose.Velez@minneapolismn.gov
Jennifer Waisanen, crime prevention specialist:  Jennifer.Waisanen@minneapolismn.gov

2. If there is a problem property in your neighborhood - residential or commercial - you can report to 911 and 311. Regulatory Services, NCR (Neighborhood and Community Relations), and the Ward 10 Council offices will all be notified when anyone reports a problem property. These complaints are tracked and counted, and the properties get flagged and bumped up the chain of command. 

3. Contact LHENA. LHENA staff serves as a conduit between Wedge neighbors/business owners and City/MPD. After you have reported a public issue to 911 and 311, let LHENA know about it. You can share your concerns here. We will not share your name or any other personal information if you want to remain anonymous to the city and MPD. When you contact LHENA, just let LHENA staff know what information you do not want us to share, and we will keep it private. Once we determine what information you want us to share, LHENA will relay the information to the appropriate people at the city and MPD to ensure swift actions are taken and the issue gets resolved. 

LHENA is here to help. LHENA staff and board members are serving as a conduit between Wedge neighbors/business owners and city/MPD. Together, we will work together to create public safety solutions that work for everyone in our community. If you want to join us in this effort or have ideas to share, please let us know. All are welcome.