Safety on the West Bank

Thank you for your article, “Safety walk: One step for Cedar-Riverside.” Safety is a serious concern for residents, business owners, students and employees living and working in our Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. The University student-led CHANCE (Cedar Humphrey Action for Neighborhood Collaborative Engagement) initiative has been active with the neighborhood safety committee addressing this concern. In fact, CHANCE students researched the best practices related to addressing public safety concerns last spring, which led to the creation of the neighborhood safety walks. Examples of community-based research, including the safety research conducted in partnership with the Cedar-Riverside community, can be found on the CHANCE website. CHANCE students continue to participate in the safety walks with neighborhood residents and business owners, in addition to playing basketball with youth and promoting neighborhood businesses.

West Bank CHANCE is a collaboration of the Carlson School of Management, College of Liberal Arts, Humphrey Institute, Mondale School of Law, Office of Public Engagement, Office of University Relations and Wilson Library. Through collaboration among the University schools, neighborhood organizations, residents and business owners, CHANCE aims to strengthen engagement in our neighborhood and enhance the relationship between the University and Cedar-Riverside communities. In an effort to achieve these goals, all seven collaborating schools and offices have invested in employing me as full-time coordinator of community partnerships.

The future of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and the University of Minnesota are intertwined. CHANCE was formed by students with the belief that we are all part of the same Cedar-Riverside community and want to see it thrive. For more information about CHANCE or to volunteer for the neighborhood safety walks, contact Merrie Benasutti at benas021@umn.edu.

Merrie Benasutti

CHANCE Coordinator