ENDORSEMENT THREATENED.

>> >> Eric: REGULAR VIEWERS OF "ALMANAC" MAY KNOW WE'VE BEEN TAGGING ALONG ITH DANGER BOAT PRODUCTIONS PRODUCTIPRODUCTIONS AND THE MINA HUMANITIES CENTER ALL THIS SUMMER AND THEY'VE BEEN VISITING TOWNS ALL OVER THE STATE PAIRING DEMOCRACY WITH IMPROV COMEDY, PART OF OUR VOICES RISING: STORIES FOR AMERICA'S 250TH NITIATIVE.

TAKE A LOOK AT HOW PHYSICAL SPACES AND DEMOCRACY ARE OVERLAPPING IN ROCHESTER.

>> YES, WE'RE THE THIRD LARGEST CITY IN MINNESOTA BUT OUR DOWNTOWN IS STILL SO WALKABLE.

ONCE OU PARK YOUR CAR YOU CAN FORGET IT, WE'RE DOWNTOWN OF YES, AND.

YOU GO GRAB DINNER BEFORE A SHOW AND GRAB A COCKTAIL AT A LOUNGE THAT'S OPEN 'TIL, I WAS THERE 'TIL 11 LAST NIGHT.

WE TRY AND PROVIDE THAT EXPERIENCE FOR THOSE THAT WANT IT.

>> SHAWN FAGAN IS A SUPER FAN OF DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER.

HE SPORTS A CHATEAU THEATER T-SHIRT WHILE TALKING ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE.

>> WE CONSIDER OURSELVES AN ORGANIZATION TO HELP DRIVE TRAFFIC TO DOWNTOWN TO GET THE 3.2 MILLION VISITORS INTO DOWNTOWN AND DRIVE LOCALS IN THE QUADRANTS INTO DOWNTOWN AS WELL ROCHESTER'S MASSIVE $5 BILLION REDEVELOPMENT PLAN AND CONSTRUCTION THAT COMES WITH IT WERE THE CLEAR THEMES OF THE EVENING AT THE SKETCHES OF ROCHESTER IMPROV COMEDY EVENT.

THE IMPROV TROUPE LISTENED AND COMEDY RESULTED.

>> ALL OF THE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE FACING NOW BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRUCTION, THERE'S A LOT OF SHOPS THAT HAVE CLOSED DOWN IN THELESS YEAR.

>> I'VE LIVED A LOT OF PLACES.

OUR LIBRARY IS -- >> WONDERFUL.

>> WONDERFUL.

>> WE'RE HERE AT THE LIBRARY, THEY HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF THE CONSTRUCTION AREA OUTSIDE!

[ LAUGHTER ] >> WOW, WOW!

>> YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST SIT HERE AND SOAK IT IN.

>> WOW!

>> BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP [ IMITATING CONSTRUCTION TRUCK >> LIKE ALL HOT TOPICS THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT OPINIONS EVEN ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT DOWNTOWN IS THAT THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WORK HARD.

>> THEY DO WORK HARD.

>> SEAN FAGAN KEEPS REMINDING PEOPLE MORE ROADS ARE OPEN THAN CLOSED IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER AND PEACE PLAZA IS PERHAPS THE VERY HEART OF DOWNTOWN.

>> I CONSIDER OUR CITY SQUARE, A VERY LONG RECTANGLE BUT OUR COMMUNITY SQUARE.

PUBLIC SPACES PEOPLE CAN COME TOGETHER I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT IN OUR DEMOCRACY.

>> PEACE PLAZA HAS BECOME A VERY IMPORTANT GATHERING PLACE FOR ALL KINDS OF CELEBRATION AND DEMONSTRATION.

>> NA URA ANDERSON OPERATES THE HISTORIC CHATEAU THEATER WHERE PEOPLE PROTESTED FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR.

>> HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ON SHORT NOTICE CAME TOGETHER TO BE ANGRY, MOURN, SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER, AND HAVING SPACES THAT FEEL SAFE AND WELCOMING IS SO VERY IMPORTANT.

>> PEACE PLAZA IS ALSO THE HOME OF LATINO FEST, AN ANNUAL EVENT THAT DRAWS THOUSANDS TO THE AREA.

>> WE WANT TO INTRODUCE PEOPLE FROM CHILE, PERU, ARGENTINA, AND PUT IT IN A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY THAT IS IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER.

I JUST LOVE THE THAT WE BRING AND DIVERSITY THAT WE BRING, FROM FOOD TO MUSIC TO EVERYTHING.

>> LATINO FEST IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A CELEBRATION, BUT IT'S ALSO A CHANCE FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

>> WE HAVE A NEW SECTION IN LATINO FEST THAT IS CALLED VOICES OF OUR HERITAGE.

WE ARE HOPING THAT WE HAVE MANY PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE GOING TO TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LATINO AND WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT WE BRING TO THE UNITED STATES, THAT IS FOR ME, DEMOCRACY, TO BE ABLE TO TELL WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE THINK, HOW WE FEEL, ET CETERA.

>> THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHT TO EXPRESSION WAS CENTRAL TO THE SKETCHES OF ROCHESTER EVENT TOO.

>> FOR US LATINOS IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THIS IS RECOGNIZED OW, THAT WE HAVE THAT PART OF OUR CULTURE HERE IN ROCHESTER.

>> I LOVE IT.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

I WISH THERE WERE DANCING HERE.

>> WELL IN, DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAY YOU WISH FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN ... [ LAUGHTER ] AND THEN IT HAPPENS!

>> EXCEPT FOR MAYBE THE END OF CONSTRUCTION.

A RECENT CITY COUNCIL VOTE APPROVED PLANS FOR REDEVELOPMENTS OF SEVERAL BUILDINGS IN ROCHESTER'S VIBRANT HISTORIC DISTRICT.

WHILE THE BUILDING FACADES WILL RETAIN HISTORIC CHARM THE BACK ENDS WILL BE REDEVELOPED INTO MULTI STORY HOUSING.

TWO OF THE RESIDENTS ARE THE DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER ALLIANCE AND THRESHOLD ARTS A LOCAL ART GALLERY AND RETAIL SPACE ALSO RUN BY NA URA ANDERSON.

>> IT DOESN'T COME AS A SURPRISE, WHEN WE SIGNED OUR LEASE WITH OUR LANDLORDS WE KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE COMING DOWN THE ROAD.

WE UNDERSTAND AS OUR COMMUNITY GROWS AND DEVELOPS HINGS WILL CHANGE.

WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THAT STILL ALLOWS US TO BE PART OF THIS REALLY VIBRANT PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND THAT WE DON'T LOSE THE HISTORY AND CHARACTER OF THIS SPACE ALONG THE WAY.

>> WHAT I HOPE TO SEE COME FROM IT IS A PLACE OF YES, AND.

IT'S GOING TO BE BUILDING ADDITIONAL HOUSING, AGAIN THAT'S GREAT FOR OUR GROWING DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE LIVING IN OUR DOWNTOWN AND WE NEED TO KEEP THOSE TYPE OF BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE ON THAT MAIN STREET.

WE NEED LOCAL COFFEE SHOPS, WE NEED LOCAL ARTS, WE NEED LOCAL RETAILERS SO HOW DO WE BALANCE OUT THE BOTH IN OUR COMMUNITY.

>> FINDING THAT MIDDLE GROUND WHERE EVERYONE'S A LITTLE UPSET BUT WE CAN ALL LIVE WITH THE RESULTS IS REALLY WHERE WE FIND TRUE COMPROMISE.

>> Eric: NOW, LATINO FEST IS HAPPENING TOMORROW SEPTEMBER 19TH AT PEACE PLAZA IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER.

IN THE INTEREST