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Description
August 23, 2018 City leaders and residents celebrated the opening of Samatar Crossing today — a new connection for people walking and biking between the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and downtown Minneapolis.
A
Hello
good
afternoon,
everyone
we're
gonna
start
our
program.
My
name
is
councilmember
Abdul,
Asami
and
I
represent
the
sixth
Ward,
and
today
is
my
privilege
and
honor
to
introduce
and
welcome
everyone
and
do
the
welcoming
remarks
for
the
summit
are
crossing.
Grand
opening
summit
are
crossing,
which
is
this
beautiful
connection
between
downtown
Minneapolis
and
Cedar.
Riverside
is
named
in
the
honor
of
the
late
great
Hussein
summit.
Our
Jose
summit
was
a
was
an
individual
who
meant
a
lot
to
the
east
african
community,
to
the
immigrant
community
and
to
the
community
of
minneapolis.
A
He
was
the
first
elected
official
from
the
Somali
community
in
the
United
States
and
he
was
a
pioneer,
the
founder
of
the
African
Development
Center,
a
father
community
leader
and
a
mentor
and
an
inspiration
to
many
of
us,
including
myself.
This
crossing
is
a
testament
to
who
Hussein
was
Hussain,
worked
all
his
life
to
connect
people
and
to
bridge
communities,
and
the
fact
that
today
we
are
connecting
Cedar
Riverside
and
the
downtown
Minneapolis
is
a
testament
to
his
work.
A
I
want
to
acknowledge
the
fact
that
we
have
a
number
of
elected
officials
and
community
leaders
here
today.
We
have
Mayor
Jacob
Frye
who's,
gonna
speak
after
me.
We
also
have
County
Commissioner
Peter
McLaughlin.
We
have
council
members,
both
Council
member
Kevin,
Wright
who's
head
of
the
transportation,
Public
Works,
but
also
first-time
Councilman,
first
term
council,
member
Steve
Fletcher,
who
also
represents
the
other
side,
not
the
great
side,
Cedar
Riverside,
but
the
other
side
he's
also
here,
and
we
welcome,
and
we
also
have
County
Commissioner
Peter
McLaughlin
is
here.
A
We
have
school
board
director
Siad
Ali.
Here
we
also
have
a
community
leader.
Who's
just
won
a
first
election
hold
on
Hasan
is
also
here
and
I
will
also
like
to
acknowledge
her.
We
also
have
uber
Sharma,
who
is
the
widow
Hussein,
scimitar
and
I,
saw
some
of
his
children
here
handed
and
and
haroon
as
well
as
I.
Think
her
ball
is
here
as
well,
and
I
would
like
to
welcome
Mayor
Jacob
Frye
to
the
podium
to
add
a
few
words
to
so.
B
Thank
You
councilmember
Warsaw
me
our
fellow
councilmembers
county
commissioners,
school
board,
directors
bujjamma.
We
are
so
proud
to
have
you
here
today.
This
is
a
this
is
a
beautiful
day
and
you
know
it's
been.
It's
been
over
four
years
in
the
making
I
remember
before
I
even
took
office,
Mayor
RT
Rybak,
as
his
last
move
before,
leaving
as
mayor
said
that
one
we
needed
to
honor
hussein
Samet
are
but
two
we
needed
to
honor
his
legacy
and
his
legacy
in
every
way.
Shape
and
form
was
bridge
building.
He
did
it
figuratively
now.
B
B
You
know
Hussein
Samet,
our
was
known
for
taking
on
tough
projects
known
for
standing
up
for
the
community
that
he
represented,
and
this
project
wasn't
easy.
This
is
a
tough
one
to
transfer
something
that
was
previously
and
on
off
ramp
for
motor
vehicles
and
producing
it
into
a
community
minded
and
urban
paradise.
It
ain't
easy
I
want
to
give
also
a
huge
thank
you
to
the
community
groups
that
had
a
very
large
part
in
this
and
to
our
public
works
department
and
everybody
associated
with
this
was
not
an
easy
project.
B
I'll
tell
you
something
else
that
wasn't
easy:
making
the
move
to
say
that
it
wouldn't
be
for
cars.
This
is
not
for
automobiles.
This
is
a
community
centric
and
people
third
project.
Where
you
walk
by
foot
on
one
side,
you
can
walk
by
bicycle
or
I,
guess
now,
some
of
those
scooters,
but
this
is
a
community
centered
project
and
I
think
the
end
result
is
emblematic
of
that
in
every
way.
B
You
know
good
community
minded
design
causes
you
to
linger
a
little
bit,
get
lost,
lose
track
of
time
and
stumble
home
a
little
bit
later
than
you
would
otherwise
and
I
believe
that,
ultimately,
that's
what
this
bridge,
that's,
what
this
project
will
bring,
and
so
I
look
forward
to
biking
and
strolling
along
Samet
are
crossing
with
all
of
you
Ubah
again,
congratulations
we're
so
proud
of
you
and
this
legacy
for
Hussain.
Thank
you
all
for
being
here
to
celebrate
with
us.
This
is
a
really
glorious
day.
A
Thank
You
mayor
Frey,
we
also
have
I
want
to
acknowledge
park
board
superintendent.
Mary
melon
is
here
as
well,
and
some
of
the
park
board
staff
and
I
want
to
reiterate.
Council
mayor
Jacob
fries
comment
regarding
the
the
great
work
that
our
Public
Works
staff
have
done
to
realize.
This
concept
that
we
had
with
regards
to
summit
our
crossing
now
I
want
to
call
up
uber
trauma
summit
summit,
Al's
Widow
to
speak
on
behalf
of
the
family,
but
as
well
as
the
community
over.
C
C
It's
exactly
it's
amazing.
It's
exactly
by
Sunday
on
Sunday,
it's
five
years,
my
beloved
husband
died.
We
missed
him
very
moment
every
moment
in
our
life,
although
we
grieve
and
miss
him
dearly.
Yet
we
are
thankful
for
memories
and
legacy
that
he
has
left
behind
his
positive
energy
dedications
and
such
a
sense
of
helping
others
were
remarkable,
Hussein
loved
this
community.
He
was
passionate
about
uplifting
people
and
connecting
communities.
C
Now
children,
individuals
and
fears
will
be
able
to
bike
walk
in
a
secure,
beautiful
bath
that
is
safe.
Also,
this
bridge
will
connect
to
communities
that
are
usually
separated
due
to
the
highway.
I
want
to
thank
City,
Minneapolis
and
especially
former
mayor,
our
to
ray
back
council,
a
member
of
the
asami
and
our
mayor,
Jake
afraid
for
making
this
legacy
reality.
C
C
Just
want
to
summarize
a
little
bit
in
Somali
language,
Mahana
nakooma
had
Alinea
working
in
a
colleague,
ER
or
uber,
ten
in
at
sheriff
tan,
while
I'll
contra
st.
summit,
our
fallen
Wuhan
in
court
Sonia
in
a
sheriff
Dean
yamaga,
a
Somali
Nima,
Dorton,
Marcus,
aha
Eden,
Khanna,
Nilesh
mania;
well,
hello,
Yuri,
Yamaguchi,
Raheja,
Kaguya
alhamdulillah.
A
D
And
Thank
You
councilmember
Warsaw
me
for
your
leadership
on
this.
It
it's
kind
of
amazing
our
Ward's
border
each
other,
but
that
border
until
today
has
felt
very
wide.
It's
felt
we
haven't
felt
like
neighbors
and
now
I'm
thinking
about
this
and
I
only
live
a
few
blocks
away,
but
walking
down
to
Cedar
Riverside.
D
I
was
very
lucky
to
have
the
opportunity
to
work
with
Hussein
samachar
when
he
was
on
the
school
board
and
I
remember
how
important
his
historic
election
was
and
how
much
it
did
to
make
people
feel
more
connected
to
their
school
board
government
and
that
sense
of
connection
is
really
what's
represented
here
and
what
I
loved
about
working
with
him
and
I
think
symbolically.
What
was
so
important
is
that
he
was
so
important
to
the
Somali
community
and
also
to
everybody
else.
D
And
for
all
of
us,
and
that's
what
this
crossing
is
it's
critical
to
the
Somali
community
and
it
is
a
testament
and
an
honor
to
the
Somali
community
that
we
love
having
in
our
city
and
that's
an
important
part
of
our
city
and
it's
for
all
of
us
and
we're
gonna
use
it
together
and
I'm
thrilled
that
we're
coming
together
and
that
the
border
between
our
wards
just
got
a
lot
narrower.
So
congratulations
to
Public,
Works
and
Tamir
fryin
to
everybody.
Who's
worked
so
hard
to
make
this
happen,
enjoy
the
crossings.
A
How
those
I
lo
so
thank
you.
Thank
you
very
much
Steve
for
those
wonderful
comments.
I'll
also
like
to
acknowledge
council
president
Lisa
bender
is
here
Lisa.
Where
are
you?
Yes,
this
is
right
there.
Thank
you
for
coming.
We
also
wanna
acknowledge
that
the
city
staff
for
the
great
work
that
they
did.
E
Thank
You
councilmember
Warsaw
me
I'm
gonna,
tell
two
quick
stories
and
then
tell
you
a
little
bit
about
what
it
takes
to
build
a
project
like
this
I'm
Robin
Hutchison
on
the
Director
of
Public,
Works
and
I
am
joined
by
so
many
Public
Works
staff.
Today,
and
thank
you
thanks
to
everyone
for
being
here.
The
first
story
is
that
my
I
think
it
was
my
second
week
of
work.
I
had
just
met
former
Mayor
RT
Rybak
in
a
meeting,
and
he
pulled
me
out
of
the
meeting
to
say:
hey.
E
What's
your
name
again,
I
hear
you're
the
new
public
works
director.
What
are
you
doing
about
Samet
R
and
there
can't
be
any
cars
on
it,
so
that
was
one
of
my
introductions
to
the
city
of
Minneapolis.
I
had
a
much
better
introduction
to
the
city
of
Minneapolis
when
I
was
hosted
by
councilmember
Warsaw
me
on
a
field
tour
of
his
ward
and
the
first
place
he
took
me
was
this
neighborhood
Cedar
Riverside
and
we
lingered
here
and
we
looked
at
the
opportunity
center.
E
We
walked
through
the
neighborhood
and
I
observed,
and
I
observed
the
kind
of
neighborhood
that
it
was
and
it's
a
neighborhood
of
walkers
and
it's
a
neighborhood
of
people
who
want
to
be
near
each
other.
It's
a
community,
it's
very,
very
obvious
when
you're
in
it
and
when
you
see
it
and
so
having
been
just
introduced
to
this.
E
A
Matar
project
I
took
note
and
came
back
and
looked
at
our
designs
and
our
plans
and
knew
that
we
had
been
working
on
really
the
right
solution,
not
just
to
make
the
connection
but
to
preserve
the
special
pieces
of
this
neighborhood
in
Cedar
Riverside
by
not
introducing
more
traffic
and
more
cars.
So
it's
twofold.
That
vision
only
becomes
reality
through
really
hard
work
by
a
lot
of
great
professionals
who
are
here
today.
E
Our
work
is
supported
first
and
foremost
by
our
elected
officials,
and
I
would
like
to
recognize
chair
Reich,
the
chair
of
the
Transportation
and
Public
Works
Committee,
who
I
cannot
see
for
helping
us
in
Public
Works,
do
our
work
every
day
and
to
the
leadership
of
the
City
Council
and
of
the
mayor,
because
you
push
us
to
do
projects
like
this
and
you
push
us
to
do
better
in
our
work.
So
thank
you
and
then
I'm
gonna
spend
the
rest
of
time
talking
about
this
amazing
staff
that
we
have
in
Public
Works.
E
This
project
was
built
entirely
with
city
forces.
No
contractors
everything
you
see
here
was
done
by
someone
who's
standing
here
or
someone
else
who
maybe
couldn't
make
it.
This
was
a
project
that
involved
four
different
divisions
coming
together
to
get
the
work
done
from
planning,
so
planning
raise
your
hands
back
there.
Thank
you.
Planning
then
passes
it
off
to
transportation
design.
E
E
We
had
I,
don't
know
over
a
thousand
trucks
of
dirt
that
we
hauled
in
here
to
make
sure
that
we
can
make
a
smooth
connection
to
Street
side
and
a
light
rail
and
then
sometimes
it's
staff
that
you
don't
see
so
new
wind
is
here
he
get
guided
us
on
a
walk
showing
us
some
of
the
work
he's
an
inspector
he's
out
here,
every
single
day
making
sure
what
we
build
is
working.
So
our
city
forces
are
truly
amazing.
Thank
you.
E
So
much
to
everybody
who
worked
on
this
project
I
am
so
proud
to
be
on
your
team.
Thank
you
and,
lastly,
to
all
the
community
members
that
are
here.
We
built
this,
for
you,
I
mean
this
is
designed
for
you,
it's
in
context
with
what
you
want
the
way
you
live,
where
you
want
to
connect,
how
you
want
to
travel
and
I,
think
that
you're
gonna
enjoy
this
every
day
and
and
we
will
too
so.
Thank
you
so
much.
A
Thank
you
very
much.
Robin
Hutchinson
I
want
to
also
acknowledge
hussein's
work
outside
of
being
an
elected
official.
The
same
was
also
the
founder
and
the
director
of
the
African
Development
Center
or
ABC,
and
we
have
a
number
of
ABC
staff
here,
and
we
also
have
the
ABC
director
and
the
C
booster
over
here
and
I
wanted
to
give
a
shout
out
to
the
CBO
and
all
his
staff.
Thank
you
for
coming
and
thank
you.
A
Thank
you
for
all
the
community
members
who
showed
up
today.
This
means
a
lot
to
us.
This
means
a
lot
to
the
legacy
of
Hussein,
but
it
also
means
a
lot
to
the
immigrant
population
that
live
in
Cedar
Riverside,
and
we
took
him
to
account
what
the
community
here
the
community
here
did
not
want
more
cars
and
more
vehicles
that
would
directly
impact
the
only
green
space
that
they
have
in
Curry
Park.
They
wanted
to
connect
to
downtown
but
to
connect
to
downtown
on
their
own
terms,
and
they
said
loud
and
clear.
A
We
want
no
more
traffic
here
and
we
want
more
bicycle
traffic.
We
want
more
pedestrian
traffic
and
I
think
this
shows
the
impact
that
the
community
have
the
voice,
that
they
have
in
the
power
that
they
have,
that
they
drove
this
project
to
become
what
it
is
today.
So
thank
you
very
much
for
the
community.
Thank
you
for
everybody
to
who
came
and
I
think
now
we
have
the
rubble
ribbon-cutting.
So
thank
you.