About Field Regina Northrop Neighborhood Group

The Field Regina Northrop Neighborhood Group, Inc.(established in 1965)
1620 E. 46th St. (Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church) Minneapolis, MN, 55407
FRN Info Line: 721-5424 • Fax: 721- 4539 • E-mail: frnng@mtn.org

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with Photos(PDF)
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About Field Regina Northrop Neighborhood Group

The Field Regina Northrop Neighborhood Group (FRNNG) is composed of neighborhood residents, businesses and property owners and led by an elected Board of Directors. Elections are held annually, and officers are elected for one or two-year terms depending on the position. The Board also includes the chairs of the Business, Communications, Community and Safety, and Housing committees.

The Board, its Executive Committee and most committees meet on a monthly basis. See the "FRNNG Calendar" for a list of upcoming meetings. For information on recent Board, Executive Committee and committee
activities, go to our newsletter page.

For more information on FRNNG or becoming involved, contact FRNNG. To join FRNNG (no charge), go to "Become a Member." For a map of neighborhood boundaries , click here.

FRNNG Mission Statement
To strengthen our community, foster good personal relations among the people of our neighborhood and promote an informed citizenry, we will function as a non-sectarian community-action group to create a common space where diverse residents and stakeholders can come together to improve the economic, educational, interracial, and residential life of our entire neighborhood.

FRNNG Board of Directors 2002-2003

President-Willie Bridges wbkn@att.net	Business Co-Chair- Meredith Fox meredith.fox@state.mn.us
1st Vice President- Kathleen Fluegel	Business Co-Chair- Mike Zabel mike.zabel@state mn.us
2nd Vice President--Paulette Wilson paulette.wilson@usa.xerox.com	Communications Chair- Gary Johnson garyjoh@attglobal.net
Treasurer- Patrick Aylward patalyward@earthlink.net	Community and Safety Chair- Herb Gysler hgysler4264@msn.com
Secretary - Sully Gilbert	Housing Chair- Stearline Rucker srucker@visi.com
Field Neighborhood Rep- Rod Taylor rtaylor@carlson.com	Education Chair- Gerry Sell
Regina Neighborhood Rep- Nancy Kaiser nkaiser@mtn.org	Parks Chair- John Steadland jsteadland@hotmail.com
Northrop Neighborhood Rep- Karen Pratt krpratt@aol.com	Program Chair- Open Position

Association History
The Field Regina Northrop Neighborhood Group has its initial roots in the creation in April 1965 of the Field Neighborhood Group (FNG), which quickly evolved into the Field Regina Neighborhood Group (FRNG) later that year. FRNG's mission was to promote racial harmony and to maintain quality housing in the neighborhood. As the first continuous neighborhood association in Minneapolis, FRNG paved the way for other groups and joined in founding the umbrella Council of Community Councils.

From the 1960s through the early 1980s, FRNG pioneered efforts to improve urban life through: establishing mid-block residential lighting; working with a national effort that helped end red-lining practices of banks and realtors in Minneapolis; organizing the removal of a porn theater from the community; protecting Minnehaha Creek and Parkway from poorly planned redesign efforts; opening the first branch bank in a Minneapolis neighborhood; and fighting for safety fencing on freeway overpasses to protect our children going to school.

Around the issue of education, FRNG encouraged parents to be actively involved with the Minneapolis School's desegregation efforts since our neighborhoods and Field Elementary School had a higher number of children of color than communities to the south, east and west. As a solution, neighborhood residents organized from 1969-71 to have the Field Elementary School paired with the nearby Hale School (in a higher income neighborhood)- to the benefit of the schools, the children and the neighborhoods.

In 1983, FRNG expanded to include the Northrop neighborhood and the Field Regina Northrop Neighborhood Group (FRNNG) was incorporated.

FRNNG Efforts in the 1990s
In the early 1990s, our volunteers began to deal more proactively with the encroachment of urban decay, including an increase in crime. Beginning its NRP organizing efforts in 1992, FRNNG created and distributed a survey to all 4,000 households in the fall of 1993 to which over 800 persons
responded. Crime and safety was one of the biggest concerns of residents. Neighborhood volunteers, working with the Minneapolis Police Department, then worked to identify a block leader on nearly every block to mobilize neighbors to reduce crime.

In 1995, the FRN Neighborhood Action Plan was approved representing two years of research and neighborhood organizing. Task forces were established in the areas of Housing, Communications, Business, Community and Safety, Senior Citizens, Youth, Parks and Education.

Today, because of these and more recent efforts, over 64% of FRNN blocks are organized and active; there are standing and adhoc committees for Housing, Communications, Business, Community and Safety, Senior Issues, Street Renovation, Youth, Tutoring, Block Leaders, Walking Groups, and Annual Events with nearly 300 active volunteers contributing their time and energy. In addition, FRNNG annually collaborates with several neighborhoods to implement the Southside Housing Fair and the Teen Job and Oppportunity Fair.