>> Cathy: THE ANNUAL ST. PAUL ART CRAWL RETURNS TO THE CITY’S LOWERTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD TONIGHT, BUT THIS YEAR’S OPENER IS SHADOWED BY TRAGEDY.

LAST WEEK, A MEMBER OF THE LOWERTOWN LOFTS ARTIST COOPERATIVE WAS SHOT AND KILLED WHILE PAINTING A MURAL FOR THE ART CRAWL, A SEEMINGLY RANDOM -ACT OF VIOLENCE ACCORDING TO POLICE INVESTIGATIONS.

STATE REP. MARIA ISA PEREZ-VEGA, WHOSE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT INCLUDES LOWERTOWN, WAS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE SHOOTING.

SHE ALSO ATTENDED A COMMUNITY GATHERING LAST WEEKEND AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

>> HOLDING UP.

YOU KNOW, DAY BY DAY.

AND CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OF LOWERTOWN, OUR ST. PAUL RESIDENTS.

CONSTITUENTS.

CHECKING IN ON EACH OTHER.

SO THROUGH THIS TRAGEDY, THERE'S LIGHT THAT ARTISTS BRING IN A SPACE AND PARTICULARLY THROUGH THE ARTS WITH HEALING.

AND SO BEING THAT I'M AN ARTIST, OUR FIRST SENSIBILITY WHEN THIS TRAGEDY HAPPENED AND OCCURRED WAS TO CONTINUE THE ART, TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS OF HOW WE CAN HEAL TOGETHER IN LOWERTOWN.

>> Eric: IS THIS ISOLATED OR IS THIS A QUESTION OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LOWERTOWN?

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?

>> I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE KIND OF SEEN ME GROW UP AROUND LOWERTOWN AS AN ARTIST AND WE'VE SEEN THE CHANGES, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SOMEONE WHO LIVES OR WORKS IN LOWERTOWN TO SEE THIS.

CHANGES ARE TREMENDOUS.

FOLKS CAN SAY IT'S COVID AND PANDEMIC AFTERMATH BUT WE'VE SEEN PRE-COVID THAT THERE'S CONCERNS WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND DISPLACEMENT AND HOUSING.

WE CAN'T JUST TALK ABOUT ONE SECTOR OF POLICY NOW COMING IN AS A LEGISLATOR OF THIS DISTRICT TO BRING AWARENESS OF, YES, GUN VIOLENCE.

BUT ALL OF THESE INITIATIVES ARE BRAIDED TOGETHER TO SAY WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND BE CONSISTENT WITH THIS, AND THIS IS GOING TO TAKE ACTION FROM STATE TO CITY AND LOCAL AND IMPLEMENTATION THAT THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC THAT'S HAPPENING IN EVERY DOWNTOWN, RIGHT?

BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TOGETHER SO WE'RE NOT A REPLICA.

>> Cathy: I WONDER, TONIGHT IS FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE CRAWL STARTS TODAY, TONIGHT.

WE'RE NOT MORE THAN, WHAT, TWO BLOCKS AWAY AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO GO OVER YET TONIGHT, YOU WILL I'M SURE.

ANY SENSE AS TO HOW PEOPLE, WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT?

I KNOW THERE'S A HEIGHTENED POLICE PRESENCE DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW.

IN DOWNTOWN.

BUT, I DON'T KNOW, WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING TO YOU?

>> PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT WE NEED TO CELEBRATE THE ARTISTRY THAT CARRIE'S LEGACY IS GOING TO BE CONTINUED.

>> Cathy: CARRIE KWOK THE ARTIST.

>> THAT'S RIGHT, WHO WAS TRAGICALLY MURDERED.

AND WHO WAS NEW TO LOWERTOWN BUT BECAME ENGAGED RIGHT AWAY.

I WAS ABLE TO HOLD A COUPLE CONVERSATIONS OVER A C CUP OF COFFEE WITH CARRIE AT LOST FOX, JUST HAVING A BEER OR COFFEE, HOW SHE CAN HELP AND BECOME CIVICALLY ENGAGED IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SHE WAS NEW BUT SHE WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT LOWERTOWN, SHE LOVED THE ARTS AND THE IMPACT THAT ARTS HAD IN EVERY SECTOR.

SO THERE'S FOLKS LIKE THE GODFATHER OF LOWERTOWN TEKUMBA AKIN WHO LIVES IN THE SAME RESIDENCY, COMPLEX AS CARRIE.

THEY'RE HOLDING VIGIL WITH THE CANVASS BECAUSE THAT IS THE RENAISSANCE THAT WE UTILIZE TO RESISTANCE OF PEACE.

AND THAT'S WHAT THE ART CRAWL IS INFLUENCING.

I THINK IT'S A VIBRATION THAT IS BEING CANVASSED FROM LOWERTOWN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY OF ST. PAUL.

>> Eric: AS A STATE REP I WONDER IF YOU SEE THIS AS LEGISLATION CAN BE EFFECTIVE OR IS THIS A CULTURAL THING THAT IS GROUND LAWMAKERS?

>> NO, THIS IS DEFINITELY AN IMPACT FOR THE LAWMAKERS.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING HARD IN MY FIRST TERM TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE, DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LOST OR CONTINUE TO LIVE THROUGH THIS TRAUMA OF EXPERIENCING WHAT GUN VIOLENCE DOES TO OUR COMMUNITIES, TO OUR SCHOOLS, TO OUR KIDS AND THE FUTURE.

I THINK ABOUT THE HARD WORK THAT REPRESENTATIVE, MY COLLEAGUE REPRESENTATIVE AELA BERG HAS DONE, AND THAT THESE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT SHOULD BE NONPARTISAN.

THESE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS SAFETY SO THESE TRAGEDIES DON'T CONTINUE TO HAPPEN DAILY.

>> Cathy: DO YOU THINK NEXT SESSION BECAUSE THE SUSPECT WHO HAS BEEN SHOT AND KILLED BY POLICE EVIDENTLY WAS A FELON AND HAD A GUN, WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE A GUN.

DO YOU SEE MAYBE NEXT SESSION TIGHTENING RESTRICTIONS?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: AND PENALTIES.

>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING SOMEONE TO BE VOCAL ABOUT THAT AS WELL.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.

>> Eric: VERY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS AND CONTINUE ON WORKING ON THESE ISSUES IN OWERTOWN.

>> THANK YOU FOR ADDRESS, LOWERTOWN IS A BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE HOLD