It’s that time of year again, and what a year it’s been!
I usually like writing posts that have some aspect of positivity or future collective goal, but this post is not like that. This is my 2020 airing of grievances.
As COVID-19 continued to spread through our community and we neared the peak of summer, the Minneapolis Park Board said they couldn’t afford to keep the parkways closed to cars while the park are open for active recreation. However, they paved a new path for golf carts at Theodore Wirth Park and sealcoated other parkways for motorists.
We take joy in people erecting tents for farmers markets, craft fairs, and camping, but we evict and criminalize people who erect tents on public land when they have no other options for safe shelter.
Our Elected Officials say they wish they had more money to create “meaningful changes in public safety” but suggest spending millions of dollars to rebuild a police force that we do not want.
Our City Council continues to make pledges and say they care about increasing affordable housing, but then they vote to ignore planning commission recommendations which would allow more housing to be built.
We’re spending millions of public dollars on toxic car infrastructure that will remain in place for 2 generations or more, even though the City of Minneapolis aims to reduce VMT and car trips overall.
Hennepin County can immediately close a bridge citing safety concerns, but when it comes to wanting to #FixLyndale, making it a safer place to walk and roll, it’s lip service as per usual.
I’m tired of writing comments only to receive the bare minimum of transportation safety. I’m tired of watching public hearings, hoping for more housing and more neighbors, only to see units get slashed from the proposal.
Isn’t the fact that people are dying from crossing the street enough to catalyze change? What will it take for us to finally decide to adjust course?
Civilian casualties are a policy failure. Having a homeless population is a policy failure.
What is the endgame? I’m so sick of this constant dissonance.