John Penny’s Jazz Vault opened for sharing MORE ON PAGE 10
aesthetically speaking
Insight News December 7 - December 13, 2015
Vol. 42 No. 49 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
West Broadway looking for artists to design significant public realm amenities By Shaina Brassard, West Broadway Business and Area Coalition
Photos: West Broadway Coalition
The West Broadway Improvement District installed street banners and holiday decorations this year.
The West Broadway Coalition calls for artists to propose custom amenities to complement the avenue’s existing public art.
Since January of this year, West Broadway Avenue in North Minneapolis has received special attention, and people are taking notice. The new West Broadway Improvement District (WBID) has collected over 1000 pounds of litter with crews out three times per week, installed decorative street pole banners, holiday decorations- and that’s just the beginning. After working with the city of Minneapolis and the Northside Funders Group on upgrades to the electrical infrastructure, the WBID will be turning on holiday lights on
BROADWAY TURN TO 5
Police raid 4th Precinct compound, ‘evict’ protesters By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer In the wee hours of the morning this past Thursday (Dec. 3), Minneapolis Police raided the occupation of Plymouth Avenue outside the department’s 4th Precinct headquarters; serving eviction notices and arresting eight. The 4 a.m. raid came on the 18th day of protest following the Nov. 15 killing of 24-yearold Jamar Clark, an unarmed African-American shot in the head by police. Clark was the subject of a domestic abuse call, but witnesses say Clark was subdued on the pavement at the time of the shooting. Police maintain Clark got control of an officer’s gun when he was shot. Protesters set up camp outside the north Minneapolis police precinct vowing to remain until surveillance footage from the Elks Lodge was released. The killing took place just across the street from the business, but
PROTESTS TURN TO 8
Harry Colbert, Jr.
Protest at the 4th Precinct on November 24th
Chris Gardner: The man behind “The Pursuit of Happyness”
Chris Gardner
Last month AARP Minnesota hosted Chris Gardner, subject of the hit movie The Pursuit of Happyness for a discussion event at the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights. After enduring many hardships with his young son – including homelessness – Chris created a successful career for himself. He went on to spend 30 years in the brokerage business, 25 of which running his own firm. Gardner, who was raised in poverty by a single mother in Milwaukee, recounted an early childhood moment when his mother who told him that he could be a millionaire. That discussion
became what he described as his “spiritual IQ.” A belief that in spite of his circumstances he could be anything he wanted if he worked hard enough. A diverse group of more than 100 attendees enjoyed Gardner’s 90-minute presentation that followed his life story. In addition to his “spiritual IQ,” Gardner’s life was driven by a commitment to be present in his children’s life no matter what happened. He told the audience that of all his struggles which included being a single parent, broke and homeless his biggest struggle was child care. In fact
caregiving, both for his children and later in life for his wife, was as much of the focus of his remarks as perseverance and financial management. After retiring from financial services work, Gardner now focuses on helping others achieve their full potential through his speaking engagements and media projects. He is a passionate philanthropist committed to organizations combating violence against women, homelessness, financial illiteracy and providing access to medical care and treatment.
Education
Commentary
Interview
Lifestyle
The key to leadership success: Develop your leadership mantra
Strategic power of the Black Press in 2016
From sexy to sophisticated: The evolution of Meagan Good
Relationship fundamentals 101
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