on Zoom!

KFNA meets monthly and neighbors are welcome to join the conversation. Community Forum starts each meeting where you can bring up an issue or ask a question, or stay for the entire meeting to learn about neighborhood projects and work that the KFNA Board is doing in the community. This month KFNA is discussing community safety.

In the early 1980’s, Minneapolis neighborhood organizations were initiated, in part, as a “crime prevention” strategy; giving geographic communities autonomy and a bit of funding was seen as a way to stabilize communities and prevent urban flight to the suburbs.  “Fighting crime” by neighborhood groups was largely done by educating neighbors about calling 911 and working with community-focused civilian officers, but the real work of  “building safety” was done by our neighborhood non-profits by helping neighbors form block clubs and focused on grassroots engagement.

KFNA recognizes that personal and property crime is felt to be on the rise by some community members and many neighbors are on edge and some feel unsafe. In our current complicated era, and in part due to our complicated beginnings, KFNA wants to hold a community conversation that is “about crime”, but also focused on the safety of our community and the value of people over property. Our goal is to begin the work of creating a vision of a safe community for all our neighbors that takes into account our organizational commitment to anti-racism and justice, and a toolkit for blocks to utilize to make sure all community members feel safe and supported.

Join the KFNA Board on Wednesday September 9 on Zoom, from 7-9 PM to be part of this initial conversation.  Contact to get the Zoom link for this meeting.

Join us for a socially distanced, public event, to move our We Vote at MLK Park yard signs (Bucket Brigade style!) from The Aliveness Project (where they have been stored!) to Butter Bakery Cafe (where they will be staged for distribution!) Join in anywhere on the west side of Nicollet Avenue between the Aliveness Project (3810) and Butter Bakery (3700) and pass signs to the person on your left! Great GOTV photo op, and also a chance to show our voting pride (and see neighbors you have not seen for a long time!)

More info and let us know you are coming via Facebook!

Masks required, gloves recommended! Up to 175 volunteers welcomed to join us! NOTE: Volunteers will be distributing signs to all interested households starting AFTER this date; this is not an event to pick up a sign for your yard. Sign up here if you are interested in having a Get Out the Vote yard sign delivered to you: https://forms.gle/7kxHfy78VqeFoDNC6

Pre-order dinner from Butter (612.521.7401) before you come, as their kitchen closes at 5 PM, or pick up a snack or beverage from their counter which is open until 6 PM and that is when we will finish up!

All on Zoom (online.) / All events are limited to 25 participants  AND Registration is Required. / Led by Danger Boat Productions; co-hosted and funded by KFNA and LNA. More info and registration here. (Other dates also available from this link.)

Let’s Get Uncomfortable

Racism is everybody’s problem. Yet for too long, many white people have shirked the responsibility of learning about racism and talking about it with their white peers. That has shouldered dismantling racism on communities of color.

It’s past time for white people to do more growing, dismantling, and getting uncomfortable, together and apart. We want to help. We’ve created three kinds of facilitated group experiences to discuss racism and anti-racism, and to practice what we can do (right now, today) to develop ally-ship skills.

Upcoming Conversations

• A Place to Start is a facilitated space to get people (particularly white people) to talk about racism, its consequences, and how we all share the responsibility to do the work for change.

• Now 60% More Uncomfortable dives deeper into exploring racism and being anti-racist. Having attended a previous “Let’s Get Uncomfortable” session is not required to sign up, but attendees should be prepared to talk openly about their own past shortcomings on race, reflect on the ways they benefit from a white-centered society, and what sacrifices or changes they are willing to make to address these issues.

• How To Be A Better Ally is a two-hour training that combines facilitated lecture, interactive group work and team role play. Participants gain tools to identify the racism they see in their communities, to better understand the traits and tactics of a constructive ally, and to practice promoting safe environments for all.

These conversations are financially supported by the neighborhood associations of Kingfield and Lyndale. Please also donate generously to keep this work going and support ongoing, deeper conversations with artists of color, as detailed above.

All donations by attendees are dedicated to Danger Boat’s Productions fund for BIPOC performing artists to develop new work; please donate generously upon registration to keep this work going and support ongoing, deeper conversations with artists of color.