On March 28, Newly elected Minneapolis councilmember Blong Yang gave a tour of City Hall to 20 North Minneapolis Hmong students on spring break from school.
trying on hardhat councilmember Yang uses in city tunnels
First they crammed into councilmember Yang’s office. Then they walked the halls of city hall.
Some are more spellbound than others by councilmember Yang’s words
The students got to see council chambers where for 30 minutes they took over city council.
They also saw the office headquarters for Minneapolis police, firefighters, and Hennepin County sheriff’s office.
The new mayor of Minneapolis – at least for the next 30 minutes
Along the tour, students talked with councilmember Yang about what they wanted improved in their neighborhood, from fixing potholes to fewer gunshots to more soccer fields to less snow.
The next councilmember Yang
Councilmember Yang talked about how important it was to stay in school, and hoped some of them would follow him as members of the Minneapolis city council
Practising his best Law and Order courtroom staredown
Blong Yang is Minneapolis’s first Hmong councilmember. Many of these students know him better as soccer coach for the Farview Park soccer team
After the tour of city hall, the students got a chance to walk through the skyways and try some pizza.
Hmong students run into councilmember Cam Gordon outside city hall, thank him for supporting Hmong police officer
Enjoying some downtown pizza after city hall tour
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