MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota will open a new Safety Center below Annie's Parlour next month in the heart of Dinkytown, with university police and community groups working together under one roof in a first-of-its-kind arrangement.
According to documents, the university signed a five-year lease with the Annie's owner, Deacon Flats, LLC, to rent the bottom floor of their building on 14th Avenue Southeast, where the bar and music venue Kitty Cat Club operated for nearly two decades before shutting down due to COVID. The university's rent will increase from $116,000 to $139,770 annually over the life of the deal.
Nicholas Juarez, who leads community engagement for the university's Department of Public Safety, said this is the first time the school has ever attempted to create a public safety presence off-campus.
It's the latest effort by the U of M to respond to violent crime in Dinkytown, which has drawn persistent concerns in recent years and even led to the establishment of a nonprofit Campus Safety Coalition.
"This is a commitment from the university," Juarez said, "that we are bringing resources off of campus to meet the needs out here."
Scheduled to open in early September when students return to classes after Labor Day, the Safety Center will have a law enforcement presence from UMPD. Students can file police reports at the center or check on the status of ongoing investigations. Juarez also said Minneapolis Police will have space for office hours at the Safety Center, building on an expanded mutual aid agreement between UMPD and MPD that began earlier this year.
Equally as important, Juarez said, is the fact that the Safety Center will also host a range of community groups, including Somali Youth Link and the Block by Block neighborhood safety ambassadors. The facility will also have areas for students to study as well as additional resources such as self-defense classes.
"We're in this together. How can we improve Dinkytown?" Juarez said. "We want to do what we can to reduce the opportunity for as much crime as we can, but also build a stronger Dinkytown area, Marcy Holmes East area where people do feel safe."
Located directly across from campus, the former Kitty Cat Club is a familiar location for many students, particularly those who graduated before the venue closed in March 2020.
Earlier this summer, Juarez gave KARE 11 a tour of the space as construction crews worked on renovations. The university will attempt to preserve the character of the Kitty Cat Club by keeping the original brickwork, ceilings, and even the old bar and chandelier. (Annie's Parlour, which reopened with fanfare earlier this year, will continue operating on the second floor.)
"We want to create an informal place for people to come and feel relaxed," Juarez said.
The Safety Center concept has received an enthusiastic reception from the Campus Safety Coalition, a group that includes many parents of current and former U of M students.
"I believe it will help to have a Safety Center in Dinkytown," said Richard Painter, a U of M law professor and director on the coalition. "If areas surrounding campus are not safe, students are not going to want to come here."
Although UMPD Chief Matt Clark has mentioned the Safety Center during multiple Board of Regents meetings, the news has not spread widely to the student body yet. The university is planning a grand opening on Sept. 6.
Kaitlyn Tucker, who graduated from the U of M last year, said she has been wondering for months about the future of the former Kitty Cat Club site.
"The older students were waiting for it to open, and the younger students were like, 'what is the Kitty Cat Club?'" Tucker said. "It was just sitting closed most of the time."
When Tucker learned about plans for the Safety Center, she said it sounded like a "great use for the space."
"Many times, I had to walk 30 minutes to my dorm," Tucker said, "and I would probably feel better with a little extra security, to be honest."