Minneapolis Open Streets future funding remains uncertain in new city budget
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The future of Open Streets could be in jeopardy after the group behind it says the city has decided not to provide funding.
On Monday, the executive director of Our Streets estimated the nonprofit has served close to a million people, but soon that work may be over.
"It is not too late. This has basically become public as of last Friday, and there has been an outpouring from community members," said Jose Zayas Caban, executive director of Our Streets.
It's clear Caban is feeling like a rug was pulled out from under him after learning the City of Minneapolis plans to back out of its partnership with the nonprofit that puts on these popular street festivals in marginalized communities around the city.
"The decision is not at all final. Community members can still reach out and get involved and express interest for the event series to continue," said Caban.
Open Streets looks to bring the community together and shine a light on often overlooked parts of the city. Just last weekend, they hosted an event in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood, where FOX 9 spoke with an organizer on Sunday.
"We have been really marinating here, continuing our good community work, continuing to build as a neighborhood, and now we have something," said Ryan Basquez, an organizer.
But over the years, Caban says the events were becoming financially unsustainable, and after asking the city for $850,000 in funding earlier this month, now it appears their partnership will instead end in 2024, after a final October event in the Lyndale neighborhood.
For several years, Minneapolis' Public Works Department had helped close streets, coordinate police staffing, and facilitate vendor food permits for the events.
"Even though they might be making it seem like Open Streets can continue; the where, and the how, matter a lot, and without funding Open Street the way it is right now, it would effectively end," said Caban.
Caban first got wind of the news in a newsletter sent out by Ward Two Council Member Robin Wonsley on Friday. She writes in part that these events are an incredibly valuable part of summers in Minneapolis. "I will be working with community partners and city departments to ensure that Open Streets continues to exist and provide a unique welcoming community space for years to come."
The city is committed to supporting the Open Streets program in 2024, as it has in past years, and looks forward to the future of the Open Streets program as it continues to evolve.