July Safety Update
From Glenda Marsh, Safety Committee Chair
July 4th was manageable, quiet, and safe in East Bde Maka Ska. Yes, maybe the rain dampened things a bit along with the absence of fireworks displays from the Minnekahda Club but our lakeside neighborhoods, community, Parks, and City partners can claim a lot of success for being prepared to deter the use of dangerous illegal fireworks and out of control crowd behavior. Where activities that threatened public safety did occur on July 3 and 4th, police were able to stop the activity and make arrests for illegal fireworks use. In East Bde Maka Ska some small groups gathered at parking lots near the lake and at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, but were quickly dispersed by police when 911 calls from residents were made.
The biggest and best news, though, is that a lot of important progress for neighborhood and ‘lake-hood’ safety, cleanliness, and community building resulted from our lake side neighborhoods collaborating and coordinating with Parks and City law enforcement departments, Somali-American community leaders, and community-based Safety Clubs. Let’s keep it going—find out how below!
And let’s thank all our partners and participants: Jennifer Spiller, Thomas Beach Safety Club leader of Linden Hills; Leyden Victoria of West Maka Ska Neighborhood Council; Glenda Marsh, Amber Ratner, and Jeff Hero, safety volunteers of East Bde Maka Ska Neighborhood Association; Aileen Johnson, Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Clubs Founder; Imam Yusuf Abdulle of Islamic Association of North America; Minneapolis Police Department Lt. Michael Frye; MPD Inspector Christie Nelson; Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board Superintendent Al Bangoura; MPRB Police Chief Jason Ohotto; Leslie Vinson, MPRB Community Connections and Violence Prevention; MPRB Community Connections Liaison Abdi Mukhtar; Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Commissioners Meg Forney, Elizabeth Shaffer and Cathy Abene; Minneapolis City Council Members Aisha Chughtai, Katie Cashman, and Linea Palmisano; and every neighbor who came to planning meetings in 2024 to roll up their sleeves!
What’s next?
Please help grow these year-round practices that have grown out of our efforts this year by continuing your participation! Bring a neighbor, bring a friend!
Join your neighborhood e-newsletter email list! Keep abreast of safety related meetings, initiatives, and how to volunteer! Click here to join East Bde Maka Ska newsletter. Click here to join West Maka Ska newsletter. Click here to join Linden Hills newsletter. If you’d like to opt out of the neighborhood newsletter, send an email to your neighborhood association contact on the website.
Join the new and growing lake-wide Safety Club for walking and community building around Lake Bde Maka Ska! Be notified of upcoming walks immediately by:
Joining the text notification circle for weekly walks. Send your cell number to East Bde Maka Ska volunteer Kate van Slyck: kvanslyck1@gmail.com.
Viewing the walk schedule on this city website—scroll down walk list for Bde Maka Ska walk dates and times. Show up, get an orange t-shirt, and you’re in!
Volunteer to be a Block Captain—help distribute safety flyers around your block, like the auto theft prevention flyer posted here on our website. For East Bde Maka Ska, contact Glenda Marsh for more info: marshmellow8562@yahoo.com.