Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

May is a great month to show off Eastside Minneapolis. Art-A-Whirl, the largest open studio and gallery tour in the United States, always brings thousands of visitors to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District to experience our community’s artists, restaurants, pubs, shops and parks. This year’s Art-A-Whirl, which is May 17 – 19, will feature 500+ artists at over 70 locations, as well as a partnership with Metro Transit to offer free rides to attendees. Check out the story on our blog for more information. 

The Neighborhoods, USA Conference is also coming up May 22 – 25. This year’s conference, which is hosted by the Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) Department, in partnership with Nexus Community Partners and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), will bring over 800 people from across the country to our City. Among the scheduled events are Neighborhood Pride Tours, two of which will feature Ward 1: Arts Buildings of the Northeast Arts District and Minneapolis/St. Paul Cooperative Movement. 

Lastly, the “State of the Second Precinct” community forum on Wednesday, May 8, will offer the opportunity to learn more about our Public Safety team. In 2012, the Second Precinct led the City in officer productivity reductions in crime. This forum, which is co-hosted by the First Ward office, 2PAC and the NE Chamber, will allow current 2nd Precinct Insp. Kathy and former 2nd Precinct Insp. Bryan Schafer to discuss the details of our glowing stats, as well as the future direction of the Second Precinct. This family-friendly event will be held at the Firefighters Hall & Museum, 664 22nd Ave NE, at 6 p.m. on Wed, May 8. Click here to RSVP. 

Regardless of weather, May is a wonderful month to be out and about in the First Ward and I hope to see you at some or all of these events in our community.

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