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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · 9d

Pedacito de Tierra is out now! A short story about the Puerto Rican diaspora in Minnesota.

Listen: www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv67...

yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · 12d

Pedacito de Tierra drops October 3. So excited to share!
Pre Save HERE: lnk.fuga.com/anglicanegrn...

@carlyellefsen.com

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · 23d

Add swag to your swagger. Become a monthly donor, support our work & get exclusive merch.

Our Streets @ourstreetsmn.org · 23d

Now through the end of October, we're giving out Our Streets merch for new sustaining donors, starting at just $3 a month! There's no better time to commit to a monthly giving.

www.ourstreetsmn.org/get-involved...

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

County streets should be for people, not parking.

And hierarchy should be inverted in this layout, starting with solidarity for our transit-dependent and climate conscious neighbors.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

District 3 Commissioner @mariongreene.bsky.social and Josh Potter—Hennepin County Transportation Engineer—should hear from you directly.

Ask @ward10.minneapolismn.gov to speak up too.

Don’t let this pass. Don’t let this pattern of incrementalism continue. There is still time to use your voice.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

Provide your feedback but don’t be completely distracted by the storymap.

Even with 43,000 engagement touchpoints, a successful 4:3 pilot, and clear community energy…

This design is what they proposed. Many of our voices discarded.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

What about our opportunity to dream bigger?

Open Streets—put on life support by @mayorfrey.com —showed us.

50k people (well, when @ourstreetsmn.org organized it) on Lyndale. Joyful, car-free, vibrant. Spending, connecting, breathing cleaner air.

Now, the plan is to shrink the program in 2026.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

Dedicated bus lanes improve employee retention and job access.
Buses move far more people using far less space.

We’re in an air quality crisis and this plan shrinks from our responsibility to act.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

People who don’t drive tend to have more disposable income and spend more at local businesses.

Others who don’t drive because they can’t are essential to the corridor’s economy.

Transit riders deserve dignity and dedicated space to travel and thrive.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

From the invisible members of our community who live with a disability, to the able-bodied person who chooses to walk, bike, roll, or take transit— whether out of necessity, climate consciousness, or both.

You benefit.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

That means 24/7 bus lanes throughout, protected bikeways throughout, green space throughout…using space for community centered development that incentivizes more shift and reduces vehicle miles traveled.

And we know who benefits.

Mode shift means improved access and accessibility for everyone.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

This is part of a larger pattern that @mayorfrey.com and @mariongreene.bsky.social continue to uphold on Lyndale and across MPLS: class hierarchy based design over universal access.

We know what works. Traffic improves and evaporates when modes are accessible and designed to be effective.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

Transit riders are once again pitted against cyclists.

Meanwhile, businesses sit, watch, and eat their fries on their prized parking spots—paid for by you, the person who doesn’t own or drive a car.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 16

Hennepin County’s proposed layout for Lyndale Avenue S. falls short.

It’s not a people-first design. It’s a decorated, street-level parking lot, dusted with the occasional confetti of mode shift virtue signals.

No protected bikeways, 24/7 bus lanes, or green space throughout the entire corridor.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 7

@carlyellefsen.com

yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 7

It took many brilliant collaborators to bring this to life. And some courageous Puerto Ricans here in the Twin Cities. Pedacito de Tierra drops October 3. So excited to share—hope you’ll listen.

Available Oct 3

Album cover showing artwork of Puerto Rico travel lines to the Twin Cities, Minnesota

Streaming services icons: Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube, Apple Music

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

Tell @governorwalz.mn.gov: no more highway rebuilds. Explore boulevard alternatives. Stop cementing in emissions. Support humans. Support at-grade, support health. Clean air is a human right.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

It’s our responsibility to connect the dots: climate-fueled wildfires from Canada and local transportation emissions are colliding, and the state can take decisive action to stop making it worse.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

We can’t survive repeated bouts of toxic skies—and yet @mndot.mn.gov is planning to channel more vehicle emissions into our communities, even as we deal with Canadian wildfire smoke.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

It’s our responsibility to connect the dots: climate-fueled wildfires from Canada and local transportation emissions are colliding, and the state can take decisive action to stop making it worse.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

He should direct MnDOT to restore the at-grade boulevard option in the Rethinking I-94 planning process. As our governor he should prioritize removal, not expansion, and prioritize clean air, equity, and neighborhood safety.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

This is happening as climate chaos worsens air quality statewide. Every additional car trip adds to particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions, compounding the region’s vulnerability during wildfire events.

@governorwalz.mn.gov has the authority to redirect MnDOT.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

MnDOT is doubling down on the reconstruction of I-94, arguing that an at-grade boulevard would worsen traffic congestion and increase emissions near residential areas. In effect, state leadership is choosing concrete and asphalt over community-based alternatives that reduce driving and emissions.

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Aug 2

Minneapolis now ranks 2nd worst in the world for air quality. Unhealthy smoke from massive Canadian wildfires choke our skies and spoil our precious summer months.

But we have to do our part.

Our Streets @ourstreetsmn.org · Jul 31

We need your help in continuing to put pressure on decision-makers to restore the boulevard options for the Rethinking I-94 project. @governorwalz.mn.gov has a say over which project options will move forward.

mn.gov/governor/con...

Take Action

Twin Cities Boulevard
Contact Gov. Walz Directly
Online Contact Form (cursor over button)
Image of 94 near exit 233B

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yeswaydrjose.bsky.social @yeswaydrjose.bsky.social · Jul 16

Traffic cameras may issue fewer tickets—but they still tell the wrong story when our streets remain designed for speed, not safety.

Let’s stop using fear and speak the language of prevention. Not enforcement.

Street design is safety.

Surveillance is not.

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