Longfellow Rising

On Memorial Day of 2020, Minneapolis police officers killed a Black man, Mr. George Floyd, kneeling on his neck for minutes after he said he couldn’t breathe.  Floyd’s death galvanized protestors, who gathered on May 27 and 28 where the officers were stationed — the Third Precinct headquarters in the heart of “Downtown Longfellow”.  They were joined by others intent to use the protests as a cover to cause destruction.  Over the course of two nights, Downtown Longfellow lost 19 of its 44 buildings to fire.  Most of these were owner-occupied, and many belonged to people of color.  In addition, 13 businesses were heavily damaged.

Longfellow Rising was formed to help business owners in Downtown Longfellow rebuild their community in a way that is:

• Collaborative. Combining narrow lots to create commercial spaces that would not have been not feasible before.
• Diverse.  Many of the destroyed buildings belonged to persons of color, who will reopen their businesses and continue to attract our diverse community to this district.
• Sustainable. Achieving the highest standards of efficiency in energy, water, and land use.
• Mixed-Use. Buildings that had one story will be rebuilt with residential units above, including affordable housing, bringing new vitality to this commercial district.
• Beautiful. Intentionally artistic in its architecture.

Another key element of the plan is to acquire and develop a new public plaza that will allow the community to gather for cultural celebrations and reflect on the transformative events of 2020 that led to this rebuilt commercial district.  This will also serve as a place of recreation for our added residential community members.

Although much more money than our GiveMN goal will be required to resurrect this community from its ashes, these contributions will leverage additional funds we are seeking from foundations and corporate donors.  What was destroyed in two nights will take years and tens of millions of dollars to replace.  We thank all of our donors for moving us toward a brighter future.