When it comes to incarceration rates, Minnesota stands out as one of the few states who is experiencing an increase in their prison population despite prison overcrowding and crime at a 50-year low. While there are multiple factors for this, a significant part of this increase is due to the incarceration of formerly released individuals for non-criminal “technical violations” of parole. According to the Department of Correction in 2017 alone, 3,391 people were returned to prison, yet 88 percent – or nearly 3,000 of those admissions – were a return without a new sentence, that is, for technical violations. A technical violation is a petty violation of supervised or conditional release (colloquially known as “parole”) which are not in themselves a misdemeanor or felony. For example, people can be violated for failure to obtain or maintain housing or employment, being late for or missing an appointment, going on social media, driving a vehicle and many other non-crimes.
Best of Neighborhood News 8/1/18: Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham hosts forum, speaks out on the 2040 Plan in Minneapolis
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Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham hosts forum, speaks out on the 2040 Plan in Minneapolis
On July 22nd, public commenting ended for the City of Minneapolis’ comprehensive plan, a document that encompasses the city’s plan of action of housing, employment, investment and other aspects of city governance. Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham held a forum to discuss the new plan and offer his perspective on how the plan could be used as an opportunity to invest in marginalized community. “I am not satisfied with the current draft of the 2040 plan because I think that the policies need to go much deeper into racial and geographic equity. There are downtown specific policies as it is an economic engine, but there are no policies that are Northside specific, from the opposite side of that, right? We need to talk about the disparities and the disinvestment,” said Cunningham. Continue Reading

Open Call for Contributors
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Twin Cities Daily Planet, an award-winning online publication powered by Twin Cities Media Alliance (TCMA), is looking for contributors who reflect our mission to amplify and connect marginalized voices. For us, marginalized refers to the communities who have historically been oppressed in society and kept out of mainstream media, such as people of color, LGBTQIA, immigrant and refugee, indigenous, ex-offender, low-income and disabled communities. There is room on our platform for mission-centered work that comes from allies to marginalized voices – and we welcome that. But such work needs to forward the conversation beyond the realities marginalized communities deal with every day. The Daily Planet endeavors to share stories that challenge dominant narratives, bring context and nuance to complex issues, and support and spotlight local communities. Continue Reading
Radically engaged institution East Side Freedom Library celebrates second year
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Two years ago, founders of St. Paul’s East Side Freedom Library founders Beth Cleary and Peter Rachleff opened the doors to an institution that is changing what a library can be and can do for community. Continue Reading
West Broadway farmers market brings fresh food to Northside residents
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Editor’s Note: This video was produced as part of a One Minneapolis project which sought to teach media and reporting skills to Northside residents who wanted to tell better stories about their neighborhood. The West Broadway farmers market has been going strong for four years now. It’s a place where residents go not only to buy healthy food, but create community. Continue Reading
So long Open Streets. It’s been fun!
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Lowry Avenue in North Minneapolis hosted the season’s last Open Streets event. Photographer Mark Peterson was there to catch all the action. Check out the photos below. See you next year and enjoy the fall. Continue Reading

Humans of Nicollet Avenue: Open Streets in photos and audio
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Fall is upon us and the time for outdoor events is almost coming to a close. Wandering around Open Streets on Nicollet Avenue last Sunday one could feel the changing air and atmosphere as folks soaked up the last bit of summer. Everyone was festive as bands played, corn roasted and people enjoyed a street free of cars. Humans of Minneapolis blogger and photographer Stephanie Glaros captured the moment with her camera while Daily Planet editor Allison Herrera pulled out her microphone and asked, “why are you here?” The answer unfolds below…. Continue Reading

Robert Cray Groovin’ at Weesner Family Amphitheater
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I’ve heard some hard working musicians who love performing to a live audience remark, “travel is what I get paid to do, I play my shows for free”. A clever sentiment you might expect to hear from Blues Hall of Famer Robert Cray, who’s August 18th Music in the Zoo at Weesner Family Amphitheater performance was part of his current trek celebrating 40 years as a touring musician. Cray has had quite a ride and accomplished a great deal, all of which has been earned through his tireless touring ambition and outstanding talents. Even a rain soaked day did not discourage loyal Blues fans from packing the seats. Once again, the Zoo venue’s mysterious powers held the drops off for most of the show. Continue Reading

On West Broadway, the energy FLOWS
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The energy that emanates from FLOW seems to get greater each year it takes place on West Broadway in North Minneapolis. The annual art crawl originally started out as a small, but burgeoning showcase of Northside creatives, initiated by the Northside Achievement Zone. Now 10 years later and tipping the scale at over 200 featured visual and performing artists this summer, FLOW continues to grow in community attendance and participation each year since its 2006 debut. As an homage to the 10 year anniversary of FLOW, we’re sharing ten highlights from the 3-days of dynamic artistic exchange and why we think it was the best yet, including some of the special moments from JXTA. Traditional Hmong performance art
The Koom Siab Block Party, presented by Asian Media Access, showcased Iny Asian Dance Theater’s dance drama “Longing for Qeej.” On Plymouth Ave, the street became the stage for bright flashes of public Contemporary dance and Hip-Hop performances. Continue Reading

Celebrating 40 years of Southeast Asian Minnesotans
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On July 30th, the Washington D.C.-based Southeast Asian Resource Action Center will convene a special community reception at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota. Part of the national 40 and Forward campaign, the reception will take place from 5:30-8:00 PM and will reflect on forty years of the Southeast Asian American journey. For Minnesotans, this is a year that has led to significant soul searching as they consider the next directions to take. For the Lao community, for example, there are nearly enough Lao to form a city the size of Crystal, but only a handful of organizations in Minnesota who can meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of their community. As dialogues continue on issues of health care reform, immigration reform, and education reform, it is a time to consider where the Lao voice will fit in, especially as the 2016 election season approaches. Continue Reading
No Blues for Adelabu: A Mississippi Ride with Amoke Kubat
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As part of the 2015 Mississippi River Revue, put on by the Mississippi River Fund, artist and community organizer Amoke Kubat gathered some friends onto a Saint Paul riverboat to share stories of African and African American river life.
Check out the sounds and sights of the two-hour trip up the Mississippi and Minnesota. The evening full of song and story ended with a pledge to protect Sweet Water. Continue Reading