Four Minneapolis first responder agencies fired up their smokers for the Battle of the Badges & The People's BBQ, a free community cookout and rib cook-off held at North Commons Park on September 7, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event pits deputies, officers, and firefighters against each other for the title of best ribs in the city, with free food, live music, entertainment, bounce houses, games, and prizes rounding out the afternoon.
According to the City of Minneapolis, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, Minneapolis Police Department, Minneapolis Fire Department, and Minneapolis Park Police hosted teams at the 2024 cookout, held at North Commons Park's address on 1801 James Ave. N. Officers, deputies, and firefighters competed directly for bragging rights, continuing a rivalry that has become a fixture of Northside community life.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office enters this year's contest as the reigning champion, having taken the top trophy at the 8th annual event on September 7, 2024, over competing teams from the Minneapolis Police Department, Minneapolis Fire Department, and Minneapolis Park Police, according to the City of Minneapolis. Sheriff Dawanna Witt and her deputies celebrated that win in front of hundreds of Northside residents, per the same bulletin.
A Northside Tradition Rooted in Community Trust
The event is a community cookout centered on a rib cook-off, with available reporting not specifying its origin, early attendance, youth programming, or the role of the Minneapolis Police Activities League.
This year's gathering also arrives amid a broader push for officer recruitment across the city. The City of Minneapolis reported a 45% increase in applications to the Minneapolis Police Department in September 2024 compared to the year before, following a new recruitment campaign, updated labor contracts, and expanded community engagement initiatives, according to the Office of the Mayor of Minneapolis. That uptick, city leaders said, came as officials emphasized boots-on-the-ground outreach across Minneapolis.
Multi-Agency Coordination Behind the Scenes
The four competing agencies now operate under a broader coordination structure. Minneapolis runs an Office of Community Safety that unifies police, fire, emergency management, 911, and neighborhood safety departments under a single leadership structure headed by Commissioner Toddrick Barnette, according to previous Hoodline reporting. The office was designed to foster cross-agency collaboration and provide a coordinated, comprehensive, and equitable approach to safety.
This year's cookout also unfolds against the backdrop of a historic transformation at its host venue. North Commons Park is undergoing a $45 million redevelopment — the largest investment in a neighborhood park in the history of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board — including a new 22,000-square-foot fieldhouse, a rebuilt water park, and a renovated community center, according to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Construction officially broke ground in July 2025, and the project includes new and renovated facilities for Northside youth, the paper reported.
Funding a Flagship Northside Project
Getting the project to this point required a budget shuffle. In August 2024, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approved Resolution 2024-144, reallocating $10.3 million in capital improvement program funds to secure the budget for the North Commons Park transformation while delaying other park capital projects by one year, the board's records show. The move provided funding for the North Commons Park transformation.
The park's overhaul also includes a cultural component. Five site-specific public artworks were commissioned for the transformation, including exterior designs by Northside artists Roger and Chango Cummings for the new fieldhouse and street-level window artwork by Briauna Williams along James Avenue North, according to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. The Minneapolis Parks Foundation has spearheaded a $23.5 million philanthropic campaign to support youth-related goals at the site.
North Commons Park's makeover fits into a citywide equity effort. Under the city's 20-year Neighborhood Park Plan 2036, 46 Minneapolis neighborhood parks had completed capital investment projects and 28 recreation centers had received major repairs by late 2025, the Spokesman-Recorder reported, describing the initiative as a long-term funding arrangement designed to address historic racial and geographic disparities in park investment. The park work also sits within broader citywide planning and investment efforts.
The September 7, 2024, Battle of the Badges & The People's BBQ brought agencies together for a community cookout at North Commons Park.
