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Small businesses are still reeling from the civil unrest and destruction that followed in the wake of George Floyd's murder nearly two years ago. Where is the public funding?

Imagine watching your business, your family's livelihood, something you'd built and hoped to pass down to your children one day, go up in smoke. Now imagine you must rebuild with little help from anyone.

This has been the harsh reality many Twin Cities small-business owners have had to face since 2020. The civil unrest of that summer caused more than $500 million in collective damage across the metro area, impacting many hundreds of businesses. Many were family-run operations, owned by low-income entrepreneurs, immigrants or families who are Black, Indigenous or people of color.

Insurance has covered anywhere from 0% to 40% of their losses. Often, affected businesses have not had enough equity to secure the financing needed to restore their operations. Meanwhile, there's a very real threat of longtime small businesses being unable to afford their neighborhoods if new buildings are constructed without support to preserve affordability.

This is what many Minnesota business owners have been facing for nearly two years. The question weighing on our minds is: Why hasn't our government responded adequately to meet these needs?

In the days following the civil unrest, we saw some of the best of Minnesota. People drove in from far and wide to sweep up sidewalks and clear debris. They donated food to local food shelves. They made donations large and small to support the neighborhoods and small businesses most impacted.

Our organizations also stepped up, offering more than $12 million in grants to help entrepreneurs rebuild, replace inventory and reopen their doors.

Together, we have been able to accomplish tremendous things. Each cleanup, grant and donation has helped local businesses reopen or, at the very least, pushed them closer to that goal. But the reality is, this alone isn't enough after a crisis so large.

Individuals volunteering or nonprofits offering grants cannot make up for half a billion dollars in damage by themselves. We know this because when other large-scale crises happen — tornadoes, floods, fires — our government responds to help victims recover. That is when communities need their elected leaders the most.

Vital economic and cultural sectors in Minnesota cities have been destroyed and are struggling to revive. Our state has a record-high surplus — helping Minnesota businesses get fully back on their feet so they can reinvest in our economy should be a priority.

Gov. Tim Walz took an important step by increasing investments for struggling businesses, including those on our corridor, in his revised supplemental budget. Now we are calling on legislative leaders to embrace the House workforce omnibus bill (HF 4355), which features several provisions that support small businesses on every street corner in the Twin Cities and across the state.

Democracy works when we come together. During these final days of the legislative session, as leaders convene to reconcile economic development bills, we ask that our elected officials set aside partisanship and work for tangible solutions. It's time to step up for small businesses.

Allison Sharkey is the executive director of the Lake Street Council. Cheryl Jensen is the interim executive director of West Broadway Business and Area Coalition. Chad Kulas is the executive director of Midway Chamber of Commerce.