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Minnesota's largest city is both awesome and divided. That was the assessment Tuesday of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges as she delivered her third annual State of the City address.


Hodges stressed that while the city's economy and cultural scenes are booming, not everyone is enjoying the same level of prosperity.


She also wasted little time in addressing the hottest of hot button issues: crime, cops and race. So far this year, 95 people have been shot and wounded in north Minneapolis, a significant increase over the same time last year. Hodges told residents of those neighborhoods that help is on the way.


"To the people of north Minneapolis, especially those most affected by this gun violence, I say: I hear you and your city hears you," she said.


Police Chief Janee Harteau has already announced that she started sending more officers to patrol the north side. Hodges said the number of city officers should reach the authorized capacity of 860 by mid-summer. 


Crime on the north side is not the only source of unrest among some residents. Hodges addressed the heightened tensions between police and particularly African-American community members following the Nov. 15 police shooting death of Jamar Clark.


"It is true that police-community relationships have been in need of transformation since long before Nov. 15, especially in and for communities of color. Perhaps on no other issue are we so divided from one another. It is also true that Minneapolis is leading the country on reforming and transforming policing and police-community relations." 


Hodges reiterated that Minneapolis is one of six U.S. cities enrolled in a Department of Justice program designed to foster impartial policing and improve community relations.


The mayor's speech also touched on issues that have drawn criticism from the business sector. Hodges once again voiced her support for an ordinance that would mandate that most part time workers earn paid sick time from their employers. Last year, the mayor pulled back from a fair scheduling proposal which was strongly opposed by the city's chamber of commerce and other business leaders. 


Hodges was bullish about the city's economy. But she warned that if unchecked, racial disparities in education, training and job opportunities stand to reverse that progress in the near future.


"We have been warned over and over again by everyone — from racial-equity advocates to academics to corporate CEOs — that if we do not close our race-based gaps in skills and employment, our thriving economy will stall, then decline. We cannot say we do not know."


Minneapolis Urban League Chair Clinton Collins Jr. attended the address. A long-time resident of the city's north side, Collins said he thinks the mayor is sincere in her desire to help north siders but that it's going to take a lot more than good intentions to revitalize north Minneapolis. 


"If we can get this crime piece under control and then get people to view north Minneapolis as a viable community to raise their kids, that will be the key. And what I look for every summer is to see more young families in North Commons [Park]. That's kind of my personal barometer."


If people don't feel safe, they won't move to north Minneapolis and businesses won't move there either, Collins added.


Hodges concluded her speech by coming back to the challenge of unifying city residents of different background to work towards improving conditions in the city for everyone. She quoted Minneapolis poet Kirk Washington, who was recently killed in a car accident. Washington described the coming together as, "a unified breath that electrocutes fear and misunderstanding."

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Minnesota's largest city is both awesome and divided. That was the assessment Tuesday of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges as she delivered her third annual State of the City address.


Hodges: Help on the way to stem north Minneapolis violence

Tom Baker for MPR News

The State of the City address in Minneapolis

Hodges: Help on the way to stem north Minneapolis violence

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