A Shared Commitment to Uptown's Future
A community-led effort focused on safety, dignity, and livability in Uptown Minneapolis.
Who We Are
Uptown United is a growing group of residents, small business owners, and local organizations who believe Uptown can be safer, healthier, and more vibrant. This effort exists to bring people together around clear, constructive actions that can help Uptown live up to its full potential.
Why Uptown United Exists
Uptown United began with a letter written by Minneapolis resident Kevin Norman, expressing care for Uptown and a desire for better outcomes for the neighborhood.Kevin and his wife, Gina, have spent most of their adult lives living and working in Minneapolis and have long valued Uptown for its character, creativity, and sense of community. After moving to Oakland in 2013 and living there for nearly a decade, they saw firsthand how persistent homelessness, open drug use, and declining street conditions can take hold when challenges remain unresolved. Despite good intentions, conditions there continued to worsen, affecting both vulnerable individuals and the surrounding neighborhoods.When they returned to Minneapolis in 2022 and settled in Uptown, they began noticing some of the same challenges emerging closer to home. That recognition, combined with conversations with neighbors and business owners, led to the letter being widely shared and to a broader community response.Uptown United grew out of that response and a shared belief that Uptown can live up to its full potential.
Current Conditions
Uptown is facing visible and ongoing issues that deserve clear attention.These include homelessness that remains unresolved, open drug use in public spaces, accumulating trash and needles, and a growing impact on safety, small businesses, and quality of life. These challenges affect everyone, including those who are struggling the most.Recognizing these conditions is not about blame. It is about being honest so that better outcomes are possible.
What we believe.
People deserve real help that leads to stability and recovery
• Public spaces should be safe, clean, and welcoming
• Compassion and accountability are not opposites
• Public health and public safety must be addressed together
• Neighborhood voices should be part of the solutionThis work is about practical outcomes, not ideology.
What we support.
Uptown United supports approaches that are humane, effective, and measurable.That includes efforts to connect people to shelter, treatment, and housing, addressing open drug use as a public health and safety issue, restoring cleanliness to shared spaces, and improving coordination between city services, service providers, residents, and businesses.Our focus is on solutions that improve conditions for everyone who lives, works, and spends time in Uptown.
Get Involved.
Uptown United is a volunteer-supported, community-led effort focused on improving conditions in Uptown. If you care about the future of the neighborhood and want to stay informed, we share updates and coordinate opportunities to take part in constructive efforts, including our current community letter-writing campaign, which is organized through Action Network.Our focus is on practical, constructive steps that improve conditions for everyone who lives, works, and spends time in Uptown.
Uptown United · A community-led effort in Minneapolis