Meanie Rep. Omar Hurts Strong Mayor’s Feelings

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.

Local Elected Officials Really Hate Each Other

Our Eddie Haskell ass mayor is once more picking fights and then whining to the refs when someone slaps back. After Rep. Ilhan Omar defeated Don Samuels in the DFL primary Tuesday night, Jacob Frey popped up on Fox 9 to congratulate Samuels on his loss and accuse Omar of “sending out vitriolic tweets and being mean-spirited” rather than effectively lawmaking, and also “making it about [herself],” a subject he knows a little something about. It’s also worth mentioning, as Fox 9 did, that Frey only endorsed Samuels at the last minute, and quietly at that, but after seeing the results he’s made the close race all about Jacob.

Omar had the audacity to respond to the Strong Mayor, reminding him that he has full command over the Minneapolis Police Department, a fact he always resents hearing about for some reason.

Frey sniveled back in his worst sitcom dad tone about being "not surprised, but disappointed.” Way to elevate the discourse. I mean, fuck civility. If two major local politicians hate each other I want it all out in the open. But if you want to point fingers about who’s really undermining our local democratic discourse, Frey’s condescending tone-policing of other elected officials (especially if they’re Black or women) and the vacuous air sandwiches he passes off as policy proposals have absolutely made him the most corrosive figure in Minneapolis politics today.

Nurse Strike Imminent?

Around 15,000 nurses working at 15 hospitals in the Twin Cities and Duluth are ready to strike. Contract negotiations have hit an impasse, with hospital brass unwilling to move enough on wages and staffing levels, so members of the Minnesota Nurses Association will vote Monday on whether to authorize a work stoppage. If two-thirds of membership for in the affirmative, it'd mean nurses could walk off the job with 10 days notice, though the length and scope of such a strike would be TBD. “Hospital executives with million-dollar salaries have created a crisis of retention and care in our healthcare system, as more nurses are leaving the bedside, putting quality patient care at risk,” Mary Turner, a registered nurse and president of MNA, says in a statement. “Nurses do not take this decision lightly, but we are determined to take a stand at the bargaining table, and on the sidewalk if necessary, to put patients before profits in our hospitals.” Max Nesterak at the Minnesota Reformer has more insight and context on the looming "public health crisis" created by C-suite disregard for hard-working nurses.

Report: Violent Crime Isn’t Getting Worse, but It’s Also Not Getting Better

We’re plateauing, if you will. That’s kinda sorta OK news, right? Yesterday, the Minneapolis Police Department shared the findings of their 2022 Gun Violence Overview. The data is pretty depressing, as crime is massively up since 2019–a common occurrence across America post plague, unrest, people plunging into poverty, and… general late-capitalism decline. Homicides are up 156% (56 in 2022 vs. 21 in 2019), carjackings are up 519% (328 in 2022 vs. 53 in 2019), and gunshot victims are up 101% (354 in 2022 vs. 176 in 2019). However! The numbers appear to be leveling off, per the most recent year-over-year data: Homicides are at 0% (56 in 2022 vs. 56 in 2021), carjackings are still up at 21% (328 in 2022 vs. 270 in 2021), and gunshot victims are down 11% (354 in 2022 vs. 398 in 2021). Bring Me the News has a nice breakdown of some key takeaways of this data–including crime hotspots, data connecting fentanyl with gun violence, and the emergence of fully automatic gunfire–should you prefer not to read the 45-page report. 

Former Calhoun Square to Look Bad

The current structure at 3001 Hennepin Ave. might not be of historical significance, but the stately, sturdy brick building once known as Calhoun Square has helmed the busy intersection since 1916. Its new life* as Seven Points Uptown is about to look a whole lot shittier, per these just-released renderings. Northpond Partners and Doran Companies will soon begin redeveloping the address into a seven-story retail/residential hub that’ll feature 272 apartments and an Ann Kim-designed grocery store. Aesthetically, we’re in store for more of the ubiquitous 5-over-2 type of architecture that dominates modern construction and homogenizes cities. It’s bland. It’s lifeless. It’s further ammo for the “Uptown is dead” crowd, though as we learned on the ground last year, it’s tricky to make a conclusive call on that neighborhood’s pulse or lack thereof. Anyway, take a look at the future Seven Points Uptown in all its sterile, unimaginative glory:  

*Correction: As an eagle-eyed reader pointed out (and as is clearly visible in the above rendering), the Seven Points project is for the southern half of the block, thus leaving the old brick facade at Lake & Hennepin unchanged. Racket regrets the error, but maintains that the new construction looks terrible.