►
Description
A celebration to mark the beginning of construction on Samatar Crossing, a new pedestrian and biking connection between the Cedar-Riverside neighhood and downtown Minneapolis. Samatar Crossing is named in honor of the late Hussein Samatar, a former Minneapolis School Board member and the first Somali-American elected to public office in Minneapolis.
A
Good
afternoon,
everyone
thanks
for
coming
today
we're
here
to
celebrate
a
special
occasion
for
our
community.
My
name
is
councilmember
Abdul,
Sammy
and
I
represent
the
sixth
Ward
and
today
we're
here
to
celebrate
the
groundbreaking
for
summit,
our
crossing
a
new
pedestrian
and
cycling
corridor
that
connects
Cedar
Riverside
to
downtown.
We
have
a
number
of
community
leaders
here,
but
I
would
like
to
you
know.
A
We
have
mayor
Betsy,
Hodges,
former
Mayor
RT
Rybak,
councilmember,
Jacob
Frye,
the
widow
of
Hussein
summit
of
achhamma
Council
member
Kevin
Reich,
and
all
of
these
all
these
individuals
will
be
speaking.
We
also
have
councilmember
kam
Gordon.
We
also
have
school
board
director
Rebecca
Coghlan.
We
have
the
head
of
ADC
in
the
c-booth
severa,
sir
sir,
ever
here
today
and
ABC
or
Africa
Development
Center
was
actually
founded
by
the
late
Hussein
summit.
Our
purse,
a
scimitar,
was
a
pioneer
in
the
East
African
community,
but
you
he
also
was
a
pioneer
in
the
city
of
Minneapolis.
A
B
Well,
hello,
everybody
good
afternoon.
Thank
you
very
much,
councilmember
Warsaw
me.
This
is
a
great
day
to
celebrate
a
brand
new
connection
between
Cedar,
Riverside,
neighborhood
and
downtown
Minneapolis.
When
completed,
neighbors
will
have
a
wide
and
separated
wide
and
separated
cycling
and
walking
paths
to
the
Commons
and
beyond.
There
is
a
beyond
the
Commons,
although
most
of
you
I
think
will
probably
want
to
stop
there,
while
with
lighting
landscaping
and
public
art.
B
They
have
also
separated
the
broader
community
from
appreciating
the
richness
of
what
new
immigrant
communities
have
to
offer,
so
the
opportunities
to
build
bridges
and
physically
reconnect
our
communities
must
be
seized
wherever
possible,
and
we
are
doing
it
just
that
with
this
project.
Just
last
week
we
got
to
celebrate
the
redesign
of
35w
and
a
new
state-of-the-art
transit
station
at
Lake
Street,
which
is
now
beginning
construction,
and
it
can
and
will
help
heal
old
wounds
of
institutional
racism.
B
Still
to
this
day,
I
was
privileged
to
be
able
to
work
with
Hussein
on
big
challenges
like
the
merger
of
our
city
and
county
library.
Boards
and
I
saw
the
qualities
that
made
his
leadership.
Unique
I
saw
his
heart.
I
saw
how
much
he
cared
about
everybody
and
I
saw
how
important
it
was
to
him
to
bring
people
together.
B
I'd
also
like
to
thank
Steven,
hey
from
planning
and
massara
to
Alana
from
engineering
and
design
for
their
hard
work
to
make
this
project
real.
And
finally,
I
would
like
to
thank
mayor
RT
Rybak
for
proposing
this
project
in
his
2014
budget.
His
final
budget
as
mayor,
which
I
was
proud
to
Shepherd
through
to
approval
as
chair
of
our
city's
Budget
Committee
and
I'd,
also
like
to
thank
mayor
Rybak
for
giving
this
project
the
best
name.
It
could
possibly
have
samachar
crossing.
B
A
A
So
that's
one
one
part
of
his
legacy
was
that
he
charted
the
road
for
many
of
us
East
Africans,
who
ran
after
him,
I'd
like
to
welcome
a
good
friend
of
the
Saints,
a
Matar
and
the
man
who
actually
came
with
the
idea
to
have
summit
are
crossing
the
former
mayor
of
the
city
of
Minneapolis.
Please
welcome
mr.
RT
Rybak.
C
Thank
you.
It
is
just
a
tremendous
tremendous
honor
to
be
here
to
kick
off
this
phenomenal
project
for
a
person
who
I,
truly
loved
Hussain
Samet
are
and
I
really
want
to
thank
the
mayor
and
the
council
members
and
the
Public
Works
staff
and
all
the
community
members
who
are
making
a
dream
possible.
That
I
think
is
so
important.
C
It
matters
so
much
because
when
you
think
about
leaving
home
and
leaving
the
country
you
love,
it
means
a
lot,
and
so
in
our
history,
people
have
done
that
they
came
from
poverty
to
hopefully
find
a
better
place.
The
a
very
exotic
names
like
Johnson
and
Anderson
and
the
Bohemians
had
names
like
Rybak
and
they
were
welcomed
by
Minneapolis,
but
they
lived
on
the
west
bank
and
after
World
War
two.
C
There
were
people
from
Eastern
Europe
who
had
seen
horrible
atrocities
and
they
came
to
the
United
States
and
Minneapolis
welcomed
them,
but
the
West
Bank
was
their
home
and
when
you
think
about
the
Vietnam
War
and
the
people
who
bravely
fought
with
us
in
a
very
difficult
time,
Minneapolis
welcomed
them.
But
the
West
Bank
was
their
home
and
when
you
think
about
our
friends
from
the
Horn
of
Africa,
especially
Somalia,
and
you
think
about
the
incredibly
difficult
circumstances
they
came
to
and
you
think
that
Minneapolis
welcomed
them.
But
the
West
Bank
made
it
their
home.
C
This
is
about
Hussein,
Samba
tar,
but
it's
about
the
crossing
of
every
immigrant
and
every
person
who
chooses
to
leave
their
home
and
find
a
new
home
in
a
place
called
Minneapolis,
which
has
been
more
about
the
values
of
the
Statue
of
Liberty
than
almost
any
part
of
the
country,
and
that
matters
now
more
than
ever
and
Hussein
I
believe
would
be
the
first
to
say.
This
is
not
just
about
Hussein,
but
it
is
recognizing
that
a
passage
that
a
person
like
Hussein
had
or
so
many
others
here
today
is
not
an
easy
one.
C
C
Minneapolis
should
welcome
people
from
the
most
important
part
of
this
community,
so
we're
giving
a
grand
connection
that
goes
two
ways
and
it'll
be
about
coming
from
Cedar
Riverside
and
it
will
be
coming
from
a
Viking
game
and
from
the
light,
rail
and
everything
else
all
connected
together
for
the
very
best
of
things.
I
cannot
tell
you
how
happy
I
am
to
see
this
come
forward
and
to
do
it
in
the
name
of
one
of
the
greatest
people.
Every
Minneapolis
is
a
thrill.
So
thank
you.
Thank
you.
Everybody
for
making
this
happen.
A
Thank
You
mayor
RT
Rybak
and
for
the
Scimitar
crossing
there
was
a
lot
of
community
discussion
to
make
sure
that
we
had
the
right
fit
and
that's
the
reason
why
we
chose
to
have
a
pedestrian
and
bicycle
connection
was
because
of
the
community
input.
It
was
our
elders,
our
seniors,
our
mothers,
our
children,
who
said
we
do
not
want
anymore
traffic
coming
into
this
neighborhood.
A
We
do
not
want
any
any
further
vehicle
traffic
and
that's
why
today,
this
connection
is
going
to
be
a
connection
that
emphasizes
that
empowers
pedestrians
and
bicyclists,
and
let
me
welcome
a
great
friend
of
mine
and
a
friend
of
this
community
councilmember
Jacob
fry
who
represents
the
other
side.
I
represent
the
best
end
of
this
connection.
He
represents
the
other
side,
so
welcome
Jacob.
D
Well,
I
was
hoping
to
have
a
grand
entrance
where
a
councilmember
Warsaw
me
would
walk
from
this
side
of
35w
and
I
would
walk
from
the
other
side
and
collectively
we
would
all
kind
of
shake
hands
in
the
middle,
but
but
for
now
this
this
will
have
to
do.
And,
however,
many
years
ago
after
the
railroads
left,
the
stone
arch
bridge
was
a
vacant
area.
D
Nobody
recognized
for
quite
a
long
time
what
it
could
ultimately
be
today,
which
is
a
beautiful
pedestrian
bridge,
a
haven
in
our
city
and
is
emblematic
of
now
everything
that
Minneapolis
is
about
and
similarly
right
now
you
know,
if
you
look
across
this,
this
kind
of
river
of
asphalt
across
35w.
It
doesn't
necessarily
look
like
anything
special,
but
about
four
years
ago
you
know
we
stood
in
City,
Hall
and
I
listened
as
Mayor
RT
Rybak
pitched
a
beautiful
vision.
I
talked
about
the
extraordinary
legacy
of
hussein's
a
Matar
and
talked
about
connecting
to
communities.
D
There
really
should
be
connected.
You
know
every
great
city
has
a
great
downtown,
but
you
don't
have
a
great
downtown
unless
it's
connected
to
the
communities
around
and
right
now,
there's
really
just
one
way
to
get
to
see
the
Riverside
and
that's
Washington.
So
you
got
to
go
all
the
way
down
to
Washington.
You
got
a
crossover
35w.
You
got
to
come
all
the
way
back
up
to
Cedar
Riverside
to
ultimately
get
across.
D
Do
you
have
cars
on
it?
Do
not
do
you
have
bicycles
on
it?
Do
you
not,
in
fact,
RT
Rybak,
even
invited
me
to
a
session
in
the
class
that
he
was
teaching
and
no
I'm
proud
that
this
not
just
going
to
be
a
little
path?
There's
going
to
be
public
art,
there's
going
to
be
improvements
with
additional
greening.
D
This
is
going
to
be
a
space
that
not
only
gets
you
from
here
to
there,
but
a
space
where
you
want
to
linger
and
now
that's
ultimately,
what
makes
a
great
city
and
I'm
really
excited
that
in
this
sense,
and
right
now,
with
Huseyin
summit,
aras
name
in
mind,
we
are
now
becoming
one.
So
thank
you
so
much.
A
Now
I'd
like
to
welcome
Oba
Sharma
and
her
bond
samata
and
Havis
I
Matata
born
is
13
years
old
and
haber
6
years
old,
so
Haber
I
think
this
will
be
a
great
memory
of
his
father
because
he
was
too
young
when
his
father
passed
away
a
couple
years
ago
and
Omaha
Chama.
You
know
I
thank
her
for
for
all
the
for,
for
keeping
Hussein's
legacy
in
mind
for
fighting
for
Hussein's
legacy
and
I'd
like
to
welcome
her
and
the
two
children
to
have
a
few
words.
Thank
you.
E
E
E
We
missed
him
very
much
every
moment
he
was
just
asking
me
and
how
do
you
answer
that
kind
of
questions?
Is
you
just
keep
going
people
told
me
/
you're,
strong,
I
hate
that
word
I'm,
not
strong,
but
Allah
made
me
to
do
what
I'm
need
to
do.
You
have
to
move
on,
although
we
had
we
grave
and
missed
him
dearly.
Yet
we
are
thankful
for
memories
like
this.
E
E
E
E
We
are
here
today
together,
no
matter
what
country,
what
language
you
speak
and
what
kind
of
food
you
eat.
We
are
here
together,
giving
hug
and
it
kisses
each
other.
So
I
just
want
to
say.
Thank
you
so
much
somehow,
my
other
kids
are
around
somewhere,
but
today
is
the
first
day
of
mini
album.
Skool
he's
in
his
way
a
nod.
It's
also
his
way
they're
starting
school
tomorrow.
So
luckily
they
get
ketchup.
Do
you
want
to
say
something?
Hey
BAE.
What
do
you
want
to
say?
What
do
you
say?
Thank
you!
Yes,
gracias!
A
Thank
You
/
thank
you
born
and
havior
and
I'm
gonna
finish
off
by
inviting
kevin
reich
good,
a
good
friend
of
mine
and
the
chair
of
tpw
transportation
of
Public,
Works
and
I
would
like
to
thank
all
the
staff
that
worked
on
this
transportation.
Public
Works
staff,
there's
too
many
of
them
that
work
to
mention
so
I
want
to
collectively
thank
them
and
I
will
give
a
few
moments
to
my
friend
Carrie
Reich,
who
who's
who
helped
us
making
this
day
possible.
Kevin.
F
Well,
I
think
a
lot
of
the
main
themes
have
been
captured,
but
I
will
say
on
behalf
of
the
department,
it's
a
distinct
honor
to
be
able
to
be
a
part
of
something
as
historic
as
this
to
honor
a
true
civic
leader
and
a
great
champion
of
this.
This
community
here
I
know
that
not
every
project
is
imbued
with
such
meaning
and
I
can
speak
on
behalf
the
department
that
this
was
a
pleasure
to
work
with.
F
Oftentimes
public
works
projects
about
movement,
getting
some
concrete,
gets
rebar
and
get
people
moving,
but
as
the
department
is
evolved,
we
know
that
multimodal
is
a
key
thing,
but
even
beyond
that
placemaking,
how
are
we?
The
fabric
of
a
community
is
equally
important,
if
not
more
important
and
that's
when
the
center
stage
shifts
it
shifts
from
the
engineers
and
all
their
skill,
though
that's
a
necessary
prerequisite
to
the
community,
its
vision,
its
commitment,
its
articulation
over
time,
what
needs
to
make
a
place
their
home.
F
A
Thank
you,
everyone,
thank
you
to
all
our
guests
and
to
the
community
and
I
would
like
to
say
bye
in
closing
remarks
in
the
age
of
Trump
and
all
the
hatred
and
the
division.
Today
in
the
city
of
Minneapolis,
in
the
heart
of
Minneapolis,
you
have
a
crossing
that
will
be
named
after
a
an
immigrant,
a
refugee,
a
Somali
immigrant,
a
Muslim
immigrant
who
made
great
strides.
So
this
is
why
Minneapolis
is
our
home.
A
So
thank
you
very
much
to
mayor
Betsy,
Hodges
to
former
Mayor
RT
Rybak
to
councilmember
Jacob
Frye,
to
Oba,
born
in
Haber
Samata,
to
Kevin
Wright
and
to
all
the
members
of
the
community
for
coming
out
today,
and
we
will
continue
fighting
for
the
legacy
of
hussein
summit
our
and
for
given
our
narrative
and
our
story
in
the
city
of
minneapolis.
So
thank
you
very
much.