“By voting on The People’s Money, New Yorkers are not just selecting projects; they are participating in a shared vision for our city’s future.”

CityViews are readers’ opinions, not those of City Limits. Add your voice today!

In the heart of New York City, a vibrant revolution is unfolding. Sunshine-yellow “Sunnies,” small clay sculptures adorned with bright red hearts, are emerging across our beloved city. These figures are not merely art installations; they are symbols of democratic engagement, urging New Yorkers aged 11 and up to participate in “The People’s Money,” our citywide participatory budgeting initiative. The deadline to vote is June 12.

As The People’s Artist at the Civic Engagement Commission (CEC), I envision these Sunnies as more than mere decorations. They are emissaries of hope and reminders of the power of collective action. Each Sunny, crafted with care by immigrant female heads-of-household, embodies the inclusivity and diversity that are the lifeblood of our democracy.

Citywide participatory budgeting, born from a local referendum in 2018, empowers residents to propose and vote on projects that will enrich their communities. This democratic process is a celebration of grassroots involvement, where every voice, regardless of age or immigration status, can make a difference. Strategically placed in schools, parks, libraries, and community centers, the Sunnies invite every New Yorker to engage in this communal endeavor.

Art, at its core, mirrors our society’s values, struggles, and dreams. The Sunnies, with their heart-forward design, represent a vision of empathy and optimism. They encourage us to imagine a future where community needs are met through shared decision-making and mutual respect. By employing and empowering immigrant women to create these figures, we reinforce the message of inclusivity and equity. Each Sunny stands as a testament to the belief that democracy flourishes when it is participatory and inclusive.

The People’s Money initiative exemplifies how art can seamlessly blend with civic processes. These sunshine sentinels are not just charming sculptures; they are tools of engagement, fostering a culture of active participation. In a city renowned for its diversity and dynamism, the Sunnies remind us that democracy is not a spectator sport. It demands the involvement of all citizens, from young teenagers to elders, in shaping the future of their communities.

These Sunnies draw inspiration from beloved New York artworks, such as Tom Otterness’ whimsical sculptures in the subway station at 14th Street and Eighth Avenue. Such public art enriches our urban landscape and invites us to interact with our environment in meaningful ways. Similarly, the Sunnies transform everyday spaces into arenas of democratic action, bridging the gap between art and civic duty.

In a time when civic engagement often seems overshadowed by political polarization and apathy, the Sunnies offer a hopeful counterpoint. They are a visual and tangible reminder that every individual’s voice and vote are vital in the democratic process. By voting on The People’s Money, New Yorkers are not just selecting projects; they are participating in a shared vision for our city’s future.

As the Sunnies continue to appear in new and unexpected locations across New York City, they inspire a sense of community and shared purpose. They invite every resident to join in a democratic journey where care, optimism, and heartfelt action light the way. Through these sunny sentinels, we witness the profound power of art to support and sustain a thriving democracy, one Sunny at a time.

Join us. Embrace participatory democracy. Let the Sunnies guide us towards a future where optimism and heartfelt action define our collective path forward.

Yazmany Arboleda is New York City’s inaugural People’s Artist at the Civic Engagement Commission.

Minnesota United vs. FC Dallas

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: Apple TV Season Pass
Radio: KSTP-AM 1500 ESPN
Weather: 74 degrees, sunny, 8 mph southeast wind
Betting line: MNUFC plus-100; draw plus-260; Dallas plus-235

Form: MNUFC (8-3-4, 28 points) kept a poor Kansas City team down in a dominating 3-1 win last Saturday. The shorthanded Loons will look to do the same against Dallas (3-8-4, 13 points), which is winless in its past four matches.

Flashback: The Loons’ previous MLS Cup Playoff appearance in 2022 was ended by FC Dallas. After a 1-1 draw, MNUFC made four of five penalty kicks (only Wil Trapp failed to score), while Dallas made all five to advance out of the first round.

Absences: MNUFC has an MLS-high nine players away for international duty: Dayne St. Clair and  Tani Oluwaseyi (Canada); Robin Lod and Teemu Pukki (Finland); Kervin Arriaga and Joseph Rosales (Honduras); Zarek Valentin (Puerto Rico); Carlos Harvey (Panama); and Alejandro Bran (Costa Rica). Also, DJ Taylor (hamstring) is out. Micky Tapias (U.S. green card) and Hugo Bacharach (knee) are doubtful. Caden Clark (toe) and Franco Fragapane (leg) are probable.

Given the absences, head coach Eric Ramsay said: “We’ve got almost nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

View: With that slew of missing players, it’s the worst possible time to have Tapias travel to Mexico for an appointment on his immigration paperwork. Why not have him do it next week to spread out the absences? One theory is the club wanted to consolidate the roster pinch primarily into one week.

“That is sort of above my head and the strength of the rationale for that,” Ramsay said. “It was more to do with the greater good (taking Tapias off an international roster spot) in the upcoming (transfer) window. I think it was going to be awkward at any point. Not ideal circumstances, but I think hopefully it’s one over the course of the season that we will be happy to get done sooner rather than later.”

Projected XI: In a 5-2-3 formation, LW Franco Fragapane, CF Jordan Adebayo-Smith, RW Bongi Hlongwane; CM Hassani Dotson, CM Wil Trapp; LB Sang Bin Jeong, CB Devin Padelford, CB Michael Boxall, CB Victor Eriksson, RB Caden Clark; GK Clint Irwin

Possible bench: With more than 10 absences, the Loons will call on some first-team backups and MNUFC2 players. Some candidates include: Kage Romanshyn, Patrick Weah, Alec Smir, Morris Duggan, Molik Jesse Khan, Finn McRobb and Britton Fischer, among others.

“I’m sure there is an opportunity for debuts and minutes where there wouldn’t have been a couple of weeks ago,” Ramsay said.

Context: Ramsay said newly signed attacker Samuel Shashoua has a “strong pedigree” within the Tottenham academy, but the 25-year-old has had an injury history that has held him back in Spain the past few years. He won’t be eligible to play for the Loons until July 20 vs. Seattle.

“He’s a player with a lot of technical quality, who can definitely bring value to the group,” Ramsay said of Shashoua. “If he can find his rhythm, we are hopeful he can spend a month or so training to get himself to a certain level before he comes in with the group. Then we will see where that sort of takes him.”

Positive check-in: Pukki got a desperate dose of confidence with a brace in Finland’s game against Portugal on Tuesday. He hasn’t scored in MLS since March 9.

Negative check-in: St. Clair had some rough moments in Canada’s 4-0 loss to Netherlands on Thursday. He had questionable decision-making to come off his line on a goal and spilled a shot for another goal concession.

Key: Dallas has struggled to score goals this season: third-fewest in MLS (17 in 13 matches). But the team has an estimated six goals on set pieces, so a pieced-together MNUFC lineup will need to be tight in that phase of the game.

Prediction: MNUFC has just too many key players missing to get what otherwise appears to be an easier home win. But there still is something positive in the game for the Loons: a 1-1 draw and plenty of experience for other players.

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG and STEVE KARNOWSKI (Associated Press)

A jury convicted five Minnesota residents but acquitted two others on Friday for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million that was supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. The case received widespread attention after someone tried to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash.

That juror was dismissed before deliberations began, and a second juror who was told about the bribe attempt was also dismissed. An FBI investigation of the attempted bribe continues, with no arrests announced.

The seven defendants are the first of 70 to stand trial in what federal prosecutors have called one of the nation’s largest COVID-19-related frauds, exploiting rules that were kept lax so that the economy wouldn’t crash during the pandemic. More than $250 million in federal funds was taken in the Minnesota scheme overall, with only about $50 million of it recovered, authorities said.

The defendants faced a mix of multiple counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and federal programs bribery. It ended with a split verdict.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff and Hayat Mohamed Nur were found guilty on most of the counts against them.

Said Shafii Farah and Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin were acquitted on all counts they faced.

Defense attorneys argued that the defendants provided real meals to real people.

An Associated Press analysis published last June documented how thieves across the country plundered billions in federal COVID-19 relief dollars. Fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion, while another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represented 10% of the $4.3 trillion the government disbursed by last fall. Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged and about $1.4 billion in stolen pandemic aid has been seized, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The Minnesota case drew attention after the judge and attorneys for both sides learned about the bribe attempt. The judge ordered all seven defendants to surrender their cellphones so that investigators could look for evidence. She also ordered all seven taken into custody, and sequestered the jury.

According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, a woman rang the doorbell at the home of “Juror #52” in the Minneapolis suburb of Spring Lake Park the night before the case went to the jury. The juror wasn’t home, but a relative answered the door. The woman handed the relative a gift bag with a curly ribbon and images of flowers and butterflies and said it was a “present” for the juror.

“The woman told the relative to tell Juror #52 to say not guilty tomorrow and there would be more of that present tomorrow,” the agent wrote. “After the woman left, the relative looked in the gift bag and saw it contained a substantial amount of cash.”

The juror called police right after she got home and gave them the bag, which held stacks of $100, $50 and $20 bills totaling around $120,000. The woman who left the bag knew the juror’s first name, the agent said. Names of the jurors have not been made public, but the list of people with access to it included prosecutors, defense lawyers — and the seven defendants.

“It is highly likely that someone with access to the juror’s personal information was conspiring with, at a minimum, the woman who delivered the $120,000 bribe,” the FBI agent wrote, noting that the alleged fraud conspiracy at the heart of the trial involved electronic communications, including text messages and emails.

Federal charges of bribery of a juror and influencing a juror carry a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison.

The food aid came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was administered by the state, which funneled the meal money through nonprofit organizations and other partners. As rules were eased to speed support to the needy, the defendants allegedly produced invoices for meals never served, ran shell companies, laundered money, indulged in passport fraud and accepted kickbacks.

Federal prosecutors said just a fraction of the money the defendants received through the Feeding our Future nonprofit went to feed low-income kids, while the rest was spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property. The seven collectively stole more than $40 million, they said.

The common thread in the defense arguments was that investigators failed to dig deep enough to see they served real meals to real kids.

Eighteen other defendants pleaded guilty. Among those awaiting trial is Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding our Future. She has maintained her innocence, saying she never stole and saw no evidence of fraud among her subcontractors.

Related Articles

Minnesota AG special unit says man’s 2001 murder conviction should be overturned

‘Without Sgt. Laurie, we might still be wondering,’ says family of missing St. Paul woman found slain in storage unit

Charges: Volunteer with Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office youth program sexually assaulted girl

Man given 25 years for St. Paul execution-style murder of man he didn’t know

Rosemount teen pleads guilty to throwing punch at Harriet Island that killed Vietnam vet

There was an overarching theme this week when star receiver Justin Jefferson talked about signing a 4-year, $140 million extension with the Vikings. Though the historic deal is going to help him set up his family for generations to come, for which Jefferson couldn’t be more grateful, he kept referencing the responsibility that comes with this much money being attached to his name.

As much pride as he took in being voted as a team captain last season, for example, Jefferson isn’t hiding from the fact that he didn’t have to be as vocal in certain situations, with former franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins typically shouldering the load in that department.

That won’t be the case this season now that Jefferson suddenly finds himself as the biggest voice in the locker room.

“I’m going be on everybody,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that I’m the leader of this team.”

That is as authoritative as Jefferson has ever been when talking about his leadership. In that past, he has led mostly by example, letting his play on the field do the talking more often than not. He will have to push himself outside of his comfort zone moving forward as more and more of his teammates start to lean on him for guidance.

Not that it should too difficult for Jefferson to make the adjustment. He already has been carrying himself as the face of the franchise. All he has to do now is simply establish himself as the voice of it, too.

“He naturally emanates through life with positivity and joy, and that does have an impact,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “His focus on being more intentional about his leadership is a bonus.”

A perfect example of Jefferson finding his voice came a couple of months ago. Still locked in contract negotiations with the Vikings at the time, he went out of his way to reach out to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy shortly after the former Michigan star was drafted in the first round.

“I’m going be that main person in his ear trying to teach him and trying to prepare him for what he’s about to go through,” Jefferson said. “I told him that this league is tough. It’s not an easy job to come out here and perform as a rookie. I will be that main person that he can lean on.”

That interaction speaks volumes about the type of person Jefferson is.

“He means the world to that locker room,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He’s a culture changer.”

That’s something new teammates already have noticed in their short time working with Jefferson at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. He’s always full of energy throughout practice, whether he’s making people laugh during stretches, or bringing a swagger to an individual drill.

“He brings the juice,” veteran running back Aaron Jones said. ” He gets the guys going. If he sees somebody doesn’t have it, he’s picking him up. You see what kind of player he is.”

It also helps that Jefferson is awfully good at his position.

“Just throwing to that guy is fun,” said veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, who came to the Vikings this offseason and is still brand-new to the team. “He gets open more times that not.”

That innate ability to get open and catch the ball has helped Jefferson get to this point in his career. The next step for Jefferson is leaning into his leadership as he tries to take the Vikings somewhere they’ve never been.

“We all have to be on the same page,” he said. “It starts with me getting the guys ready.”

Related Articles

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold already showing what he can do in new offense

Check out the new Vikings alternate uniforms aptly dubbed ‘Winter Warrior’

Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard already making his presence felt

Justin Jefferson is the ‘heart and soul’ of the Vikings. That’s why they never considered trading him during their pursuit to extend him.

Some other storylines of Vikings’ mandatory minicamp, now that Justin Jefferson is taken care of