Karmel Mall — Attraction in Minneapolis

The Karmel Mall needs little to no introduction, particularly if you are a Twin Cities local. It is one of the many sociocultural centers of the Somali Diasporic Community in Minnesota. Vast renovations have been made since the mid-2010s. In truth, they were much needed & the mall required a drastic facelift considering the original property was bought at a rather opportune time when the first wave of Somali refugees started arriving in Minneapolis eager to find places to congregate.

With the new construction of high-density housing underway, even greater changes are expected, but more construction is not indicative of systemic fluidity, particularly in the area of spatial organization at Karmel. This will prove to be an ongoing challenge for developers & property managers alike. Some days, especially on weekends, it is chaos provided if you want to brave parking your car in the new ramp.

Believe it or not, it used to be much worse. I personally recommend parking several blocks away from the actual mall & walking the remaining distance. It will save you a great deal of time during hours of peak traffic; this can prove rather difficult if you are there with a family. Hence, time of day is always critical when visiting.

My greatest complaint is this: administrators at Karmel seem to have little to no regard in making the mall ADA accessible. There is no handicap parking or drop off areas anywhere near the mall, at least in its current configuration at the time of writing. The mall is surrounded by public street parking, some metered, some not. Mallgoers using mobility devices such as wheelchairs & scooters arriving on Metro Mobility have no clear drop off point.

Buses are forced to block ramp entrances/exits to drop their riders up to 5 minutes at a time. Is it so hard or unconscionable to consider designating a specific drop/collection area for ADA mallgoers at Karmel? Apparently, disabled persons have been minimally considered in their long-term strategic planning; perhaps some changes will be made once the high-density mixed-use redevelopment is completed?

There is minimal security here. Loss prevention is practically nonexistent. When entering stores, haggling is key. Each aspect forms part of the overall Karmel Mall experience. I am therefore left wondering: at what point will the Somali Diasporic Community come together to build, develop, & commission their own mall run along lines of a co-op via partnerships with established area property developers?

To end on a more positive note, I will say this: it is no easy feat to manage a property like Karmel. The $40 million investment opportunity means the property developers have the right idea by turning something seemingly small & insignificant into a major urban redevelopment project unique to...

Subject: Urgent Action Required: Allegations of Scam and Discrimination in Parking Lot

I am writing to bring to your immediate attention some serious allegations that have been raised regarding the operations of your parking lot. It has come to my attention that there are reports of a potential scam, malfunctioning tickets, and discriminatory behavior towards customers, particularly those of Somali and African descent.

According to several individuals who have contacted me, the tickets issued by your parking lot do not work, leaving customers with no choice but to pay a $25 penalty fee. Furthermore, the staff members responsible for managing the parking lot have been unhelpful and unsupportive when customers encounter issues with their tickets. This lack of assistance and support is causing frustration and financial burden on your patrons.

Additionally, there are specific allegations against a staff member named Chris, who is accused of displaying racist behavior towards Somali and African clients. It has been reported that Chris is rude, dismissive, and has made derogatory remarks suggesting that individuals of East African descent are uneducated. Furthermore, it has been claimed that Chris hung up on a customer and subsequently sent a text message indicating that he had blocked her and wishing her "good luck" with her claim.

These allegations are deeply concerning and require immediate attention. Discrimination and mistreatment of any kind are unacceptable and go against the principles of equality and respect. I urge you to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations and take appropriate disciplinary action against any staff members found to be engaging in discriminatory behavior.

Moreover, it is essential that you address the issues with the malfunctioning tickets and provide a fair and transparent process for customers to dispute penalty fees. Customers should not be unfairly burdened with financial penalties for issues that are beyond their control.

As a company that profits from the Somali community, it is crucial that you prioritize hiring individuals who will treat all patrons with basic human dignity and respect. This includes providing cultural sensitivity training to your staff members to ensure that they understand and appreciate the diverse backgrounds of your customers.

I implore you to take these allegations seriously and take immediate action to rectify the situation. Failure to address these concerns may result in significant reputational damage and loss of trust from your customers.

I look forward to hearing about the steps you will be taking to investigate and address these...

I came in to the mall a few days ago really needing to go to the bathroom, I’d heard a lot of good stuff about the vendors in the mall so I was really looking forward to it but I needed to go before I could do anything. I made it maybe 20 feet into the mall before I noticed one of the security guards behind me following me to the bathroom on his Segway. When I walked in he followed behind me and stopped behind me, the Segway was tall enough he could see over me and had clear view of me using the bathroom and continued to watch me for an inappropriate amount of time. When I walked out he was waiting outside the bathroom. I was embarrassed and caught off guard by what had just happened and my gut reaction was to apologize to him that I didn’t buy anything before I went to the bathroom, and i started to walk to the exit. He followed me back but never said anything. When I started to get close to the door he said something into his radio and another security guard came up and blocked the exit the two men blocked me in from both sides. I didn’t understand what they were doing so I continued to walk out the door but they moved so I was trapped. One of the men asked me if there was a problem and again I told them I just needed to go to the bathroom and I was leaving. Then he moved out of the...