Do you have news of general interest to the neighborhood? Our deadline for “Items” is the first Friday of the month. MHNA reserves the right to post/ edit as appropriate -– no commercial advertising, please, but news of new businesses opening welcome.

MHNA
415 4th Ave SE #116
Mpls, MN 55414
612-623-7633

People may be wondering about two serious crimes in our area that occurred recently. MHNA received word from Second Precinct and U of MN police:

The campus shooting is being handled by the U of M police and it is still an ongoing investigation.

The 8th Street shooting is also an ongoing investigation –- not much to report at this time.

Though statistics seem irrelevant when there is a serious crime and injury, the trend continues to be very positive. Marcy-Holmes saw a 16% decrease in Part 1 Crime, Como saw a 20% reduction, U of M a 12% reduction, and Prospect Part a slight increase of 7%. The 2nd and 3rd Wards combined saw an average of a 46% decrease in Part 1 Crime. Thanks one and ALL!

Do you know someone looking for a home near The U of MN? For sale and rental listings are now on the website: livenearyourwork.net. It’s easy to post a property. Rentals are geared toward mature adults, professionals and grad students, downtown workers and U faculty and staff. Pass the word!

Theater fans: the current production of Macbeth at the Guthrie features a Marcy-Holmes neighbor, Charlie Lincoln, a seventh-grader at Marcy Open School who is the son of Tom and Linda Lincoln of 7th Avenue SE. Charlie plays the role of Macduff’s son, and because the kids’ roles in the play are double-cast, he will be appearing in half the performances. His dates are:

2/16, Tues., 7:30 pm
2/17, Wed., 7:30 pm
2/19, Fri., 7:30 pm
2/20, Sat., 7:30 pm
2/23 Tues., 7:30
2/24, Wed., 7:30 pm
2/26, Fri., 7:30 pm
2/27, Sat., 1 pm
3/2, Tues., 7:30pm
3/4, Thurs, 7:30 pm
3/6, Sat., 1 pm
3/7, Sun., 7:00 pm
3/10, Wed., 10:30 am
3/11, Thurs., 7:30 pm
3/13, Sat., 1 pm
3/14, Sun, 1 pm
3/17, Wed, 10:30 am
3/18, Thurs., 7:30 pm
3/20, Sat., 1 pm
3/21, Sun., 1 pm (Shakespeare Classic)
3/23, Tues., 7:30 pm
3/25, Thus, 7:30 pm
3/27, Sat, 1 pm
3/28, Sun, 1 pm
3/30, Tues., 7:30 pm
4/1, Thurs., 7:30 pm
4/3, Sat., 7:30 pm

At its January 2010 meeting the MHNA board announced an upcoming vote on an NRP Plan Modification. This was also announced and discussed at the Jan General Membership meeting, following the board meeting. The total for the Plan Mod would be $17,200. Amounts under $25,000 only require board vote. Board vote will be February 16, 2010.

• Reallocate $14, 200 from Phase I Library to CEE Revolving Loan Program
• Re-allocate $3000 Phase I Lead Remediation to staff coordinator/admin expenses (use for non-personnel admin expenses).

MHNA Needs Your ADVICE!

CEE (Center for Energy & Environment — mncee.org) is offering a new program for neighborhoods called Energy Efficient Cities. The program is for owner occupied 1-4 unit residences. The neighborhood organization does the outreach, including door knocking, to get people to attend a free energy workshop/info session to learn how to lower their energy usage through low cost/no cost measures. People who then want to go on and put into practice things learned at the workshop pay $30 to have an in-home consultation, which includes installation of cfl lightbulbs, lowflow showerheads, programmable thermostats and performing a blower test. The home visit will prioritize specific actions the homeowner can take to lower energy costs, such as new furnace, insulation, etc. CEE will also provide a list of preferred contractors and available financial assistance (like how to obtain 35% rebates, low interest financing, federal stimulus funding, etc.). The University District Alliance neighborhoods (Marcy-Holmes, SE Como, Prospect Park/East River Rd and Cedar Riverside/ West Bank) are considering a joint application….but we need to gauge people’s interest. They would like 100 people total in the University District to participate in the home visit (and beyond) portion of the program. Can we get 25 from Marcy-Holmes? Would you be interested in such a program? The Alliance application is due March 1st, so if we participate the workshop could be held in spring and any work at homes could be done over the summer. PLEASE contact the MHNA office if you think this is a viable proposal for our neighborhood and if you might be willing to participate. Also needed – people to door knock and spread the word about the opportunity. A program for rental properties is being designed, but is not available at this time.

In the meantime, you can still get in on Energy Saver Rebates go to: mncee.org.

Another opportunity — got any ideas? Community Power Grants Available

Grant Funding Available for community-based waste reduction, toxicity reduction, and recycling projects! Non-environmental groups are the focus of the program. Past recipients include neighborhood organizations, schools/youth organizations, faith communities, immigrant organizations, arts groups, senior citizen organizations, and many others in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Letter of Interest due March 15, 2010.

Informational meeting:

Tuesday February 23, 2010
12 noon – 1 pm
Neighborhood House
179 E Robie Street
St Paul Room 212.

We found an Earth Day River Clean Up Site Coordinator — U of MN student Alicia Uzarek will be organizing our site at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park.

Save the date: Saturday, April 17, from 9:30am – Noon.

We still need help with our outreach –- if interested, contact the MHNA office.

Look for MORE improvements in the Sixth Avenue Greenway this summer. MHNA received a grant from the Home Depot Foundation to purchase more plants for the project. They must be planted by June 30, 2010. If you are interested in helping with this project, please let the MHNA office know- we will have an organizing meeting this spring.

MHNA has a new board member -– Martin Chorzempa.

He fills the appointed student seat for fraternal, professional or residential organizations, on behalf of the InterFraternity Council. The other student seat is held by Holly Engle, representing MSA.

From the Second Precinct:

Criminal Sexual Conduct — Last week there was some information regarding date rape because we have realized an increase in the precinct this year. This is a continuation of discussion on the topic.

Nothing — Not even previous consensual sex — entitles anyone to force others to perform sexual acts. Without consent, forcing sexual contact is a crime. Date rape is a betrayal of trust and causes long-lasting emotional injuries. Date rape or acquaintance rape is about power, control, and anger – not romance.

Why does it happen? Let’s look at sexual stereotyping and how males and females talk to each other.

. Although things are changing, society still frequently encourages men to be competitive and aggressive and teaches women to be passive and avoid confrontation.
. Men say they misunderstand a woman’s words and actions – the excuse, “She said no, but meant yes.”
. Some people – men and women alike – still believe that it’s okay for a man to demand sex if he takes a woman out or buys her gifts, and that it’s not rape if he forces sex on a woman who previously had sex with him or other men.
. Women also feel that if they’ve previously had sex with a boyfriend who later forces them to have sex against their will, it may not be considered rape.
Preventing Date Rape – As a woman, you can
. Be clear with men in your life about what, if any sexual behavior you are comfortable with and keep talking as you get deeper into a relationship.
. Not take drugs and only use alcohol in moderation – they decrease your ability to take care of yourself and make sensible decisions.
. Trust your gut feelings. If a place or the way your date acts makes you nervous or uneasy, leave. Always take enough money for a phone call for help.
. Check out a first date or blind date with friends. Meet in and go to public places. Take public transportation or drive your own car.
. Leave social events with friends not with someone you just met or don’t know well.
. Always watch your drink and never leave it unattended. Don’t accept beverages from someone you don’t know and trust.
.

As a man, you can …
. Realize that forcing a woman to have sex against her will is rape, a violent crime with serious consequences
. Accept a woman’s decision when she says “no.” Don’t see it as a challenge.
. Ask yourself how sexual stereotypes affect your attitudes and actions toward women.
. Not use drugs and only use alcohol in moderation – it clouds your judgment and understanding of what another person wants.
. Understand that if a woman is drunk and you have sex with her against her will, it’s still rape.
. See counseling or a support group to help you if you feel violent or aggressive toward women.

Date rape can happen in homosexual relationships as well as heterosexual ones. Although it is less frequent, men can also be the victim of rape. It is still a crime and the victim needs to get medical attention and counseling as soon as possible.

Additional information on Sexual violence is available at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/injury/topic/svp/index.cfm

Sex Offender Locator is available on line at:
http://www.doc.state.mn.us/level3/search.asp

For questions, contact:
Carol Oosterhuis, Crime Prevention Specialist
Minneapolis Police Department, 2nd Precinct
(612) 673-2874
carol.oosterhuis@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

To: All Members of the University of Minnesota Campus Community
From: Rusty Barcelo, Vice President and Vice Provost Office for Equity and Diversity
Subject: Sunday February 21, 2010 Martin Luther King and Black History Month Celebration: “Full of the Hope that the Present has Brought Us”*

Over time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the premier standard bearer for the African American struggle for civil rights in the United States, has become an inspiring”drum major for justice” for all those facing oppression. Indeed, King’s 1963Letter from a Birmingham Jail contended that, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

For nearly 30 years, the University of Minnesota has celebrated Dr. King’s life and legacy and Black History Month in an annual concert program. We enthusiastically invite all members of the University of Minnesota community to join this year’s

Sunday, February 21st celebration headlined by Charmin Michelle, extraordinary jazz vocalist, and T. Mychael Rambo, actor, vocalist, and educator. The afternoon of music, song, readings, and spoken word poetry also features LaTannia Ellerbe, violin performance doctoral student in the University’s School of Music, the premier Minneapolis South High Jazz Ensemble, and three poets from Voices Merging, a campus spoken word poetry collective.

The event will be held from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in the University’s Ted Mann Concert Hall.

It is free and open to the public and no registration or tickets are required.

Comedy Comedy: Justin Thomas Schaefer

January 23 - March 13, 2010

Midway Contemporary Art
527 Second Avenue Southeast
midwayart.org

Bundle up and head down to the Soap Factory for “The New Land of Milk and Honey”

Saturday — February 20, 2010
7 - 11pm; Performance 8 - 8:30 pm

A new project by twin cities artists Brett Smith, Erin Smith and Annie Larson, New Land of Milk and Honey is at once an experiment in communal living, an investigation into the history of Midwestern communes and an embrace of collaborative artmaking.

soapfactory.org
518 2nd St. SE, Mpls.

Marcy-Holmes artist Candy Kuehn is the latest local artist exhibiting at the SE Library!

Check out her work — library is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

From the Second Precinct:

A Personal Safety Workshop will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at Northeast School, 2929 Hayes St NE 10:00 a.m.

Please call Carol at 673-2874 to reserve a place in the program.

Friends of the Mississippi River, Mississippi River Fund and the National Park Service are exploring the idea of hosting an annual bike ride focusing on the Mississippi River in Minnesota (2011). Please take a few minutes to fill out a survey about this potential event. Your input is essential.

Please respond to the survey by March 1, 2010:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TKJNT5V

Thanks for your input!

The University of Minnesota Good Neighbor Fund is a resource for neighborhood communities that are adjacent to the Twin Cities Campus. Its purpose is to enhance and protect the beauty, serenity, and security of the communities impacted by the operation of the University of Minnesota’s on campus football stadium.

Do you have an idea? If so, contact the neighborhood office and we’ll introduce it to the board at the February meeting. Applications are due March 15, 2010 and require board approval, so let’s put our creative minds to work! This year they are especially seeking projects that will in some way build pride in the community.

The 2010 Northeast Business Directory is now available for viewing or printing on the Northeast Neighbors & Business Association’s website:

http://www.northeastnba.com

Find all kinds of great local providers of goods and services. Find it on the NENBA website’s sidebar and print a copy today!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
7:30 pm (following MHNA board meeting)
University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Avenue SE

You are invited to a public meeting to discuss proposed changes to identify a bicycle boulevard on Sixth Avenue SE between the Stone Arch Bridge and East Hennepin Avenue. This project is intended to provide a north-south route for bicyclists. It will NOT entail removal of any parking. A bike boulevard provides shared lanes (bikes and cars together) in the middle of the street. In order to implement the bicycle boulevard, Minneapolis Public Works has developed a layout with several options. The public will be asked to rank preferences for items such as traffic calming and improvements to busy crossings. The project will include wayfinding and route identifier signs, as well as pavement markings. To the north, the Sixth Avenue bike boulevard will connect with a bicycle boulevard on Fillmore, Polk and Tyler Streets NE.

For more information:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles/boulevards.asp

or contact Shaun Murphy at 612-333-2450 or shaun.murphy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.

Questions and feedback are welcome.