The Untold Stories of Lake and Minnehaha

By Alexandra McLaughlin ’16

“People and events don’t exist in a vacuum, and this project holds space for the complexity of individual identity and the history of the neighborhood,” says Barroso.

A look into the intersection’s past reveals ongoing struggles over who “belongs” in public space and to whom public space belongs.

The 2020 uprising following the police murder of George Floyd brought national attention to the intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, where the Third Precinct burned. But the history of this place runs much deeper. “The Long Fire at Lake and Minnehaha” is a public history project that explores the intersection’s connections to police violence, colonialism, racial capitalism, and transphobia.

Francesca Barroso ’27 (Madison, Wis.), assistant researcher, was drawn to the project because of its deep roots in the communities of south Minneapolis. 

“This project challenges the notion of singularity that occurs when we talk about the 2020 uprising,” Barroso said. “People and events don’t exist in a vacuum, and this project holds space for the complexity of individual identity and the history of the neighborhood.”

The intersection has a long history of activism. In the 1980s, an anti-porn campaign shaped local discussions on sex work, safety, and public space. A 1998 encampment protesting highway expansion through sacred Dakota land was met with a massive police presence. A decade later, near the Third Precinct, a brutal attack on a Black trans woman sparked a national solidarity campaign.

This summer, under the leadership of Dr. Myrl Beam, associate professor and chair of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, the research team plunged into the archives at the Hennepin County Central Library. They sifted through police records, urban renewal reports, and neighborhood histories to piece together a broader context. One significant focus of the project is settler colonialism. 

“Settler colonialism fundamentally involves which bodies get to occupy what land,” Prof. Beam said. “We’re examining contemporary conflicts over encampments and encampment policing as part of this longer history. Why are so many Native people homeless in Minneapolis? They’re homeless by design—that’s a product of settler colonialism.”

The project also includes a community oral history component, supported by the Tretter Trans Oral History Project. In the fall, community members will participate in a paid eight-week oral history training and then conduct oral histories with friends, neighbors, elders, and activists, adding personal narratives to the archival research. The goal is to create a digital mapping exhibit that layers these voices and histories, allowing viewers to explore the intersection’s past and present in an interactive way. 

As Minneapolis debates the future of the Third Precinct site, “The Long Fire at Lake and Minnehaha” seeks to provide a more comprehensive history that informs current conversations about the true meaning of “public safety.” 

For students interested in research, Barroso offered advice: “It’s always worth connecting with a professor because they might have an opportunity for you.”

The project is funded by Macalester’s Collaborative Summer Research Program and Wallace Scholarly Activities grant and by a Hub Residency through the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota.