Transform – The Sanctuary

It’s Time to Pray and Act

We are concerned citizens and community leaders who live, work, do business, worship, attend school, and more in proximity to the intersection of West Broadway Avenue & Lyndale Avenue North in North Minneapolis. We are here in North Minneapolis because we have deep affection for this community and want to see it flourish.

Right now, that flourishing is being deeply threatened on the corner of Broadway and Lyndale by the concentration of violence, drug sales, drug use, poverty, and homelessness. These are not isolated issues here, but they are exacerbated by businesses that routinely ignore their responsibility to the community and seem uninterested in running their business in ways that would benefit the community. Merwin Liquor and Winner Gas Station appear to be side-stepping their responsibilities as business operators and their business practices allow for continuous loitering, gambling, open air drug sales & drug use in front of their doors, fights, and much more. Those conditions regularly devolve into gun violence. This year alone, there have been 18 gunshot victims at these two businesses. In the last week, 8 people have been shot outside of these two businesses. That does not even begin to account for the number of other gun incidents, fights, and other disturbances that happen on their watch. This corner is under siege and these businesses are adding to these conditions, profiting while lives are being devastated day in and day out.

This is not the Minneapolis any of us want and it’s definitely not the Minneapolis we deserve.

We are demanding that Mayor Jacob Frey, the Mayor’s office, and the Minneapolis City Council perform an immediate review of the business licenses of both Merwin Liquor and Winner Gas Station. If it is shown that these businesses are operating in ways that are harmful to this community and this city, we demand that the city would revoke their business licenses, removing their ability to make a profit off of the suffering and death of others.

What can YOU do to help bring about transformation at the corner of Lyndale and Broadway?

Pray
Sign and SHARE this online petition.

Email Mayor Jacob Frey, each of our 13 City Council members, Erik Hansen (Director of Economic Policy and Development) and Jared Jeffries (the mayor’s public safety aide).

Suggested content for your email: who you are (Northside resident, work on the Northside, MPLS resident, Sanctuary member, etc.), ask for a revocation of both Merwin Liquors and Winner Gas Station’s operating licenses, and include any stories or details supporting why you care about the community and this corner.