[Mpls] This Week in The Minneapolis Observer

[craig]

T H E M I N N E A P O L I S O B S E R V E R
Vol. 1, No. 7
September 24, 2001

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THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER:
* Black Political Fortunes Rising
* A Social Services 'Ghetto' in Phillips?
* Hard Times Fights Back
* City Ranks High as Kid-Friendly Town
* Take a Web tour of the City
* New Economic Development Center on the North side
* Plus: Ten years of airport rumblings, unions choose up sides, fighting crime on Hennepin, and throwing chairs in church.

(This is a special preview edition of The Observer. To subscribe to the weekly full-text edition, e-mail your request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscriptions are $12 for 48 issues.)

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AFTER HERRONGATE, BLACK POLITICAL FORTUNES RISING
Amid a campaign season when the City Council's lone African American member was forced to resign and Minneapolis' first black mayor is struggling for her political life, September's primary results were surprisingly upbeat for black political activists.

PHILLIPS HOUSING PROJECT UNDER ATTACK
A planned 20-unit, 64-bedroom transitional housing project for "at risk" African American families in the Phillips Neighborhood has come under attack by nearby homeowners who fear it will bring more trouble into the the already struggling neighborhood.

WEST BANK CAFE SCORES COURT VICTORY IN BATTLE AGAINST CITY
The City Council will have to turn over to a Hennepin County District Court all documents and correspondence, including e-mails, connected to its decision to revoke the license of the Hard Times Cafe, according to a district court ruling last week. The ruling is seen as a victory for the popular West Bank hang-out, which has been under attack by the City Council since a January 2000 raid uncovered alleged drug activity.

NORTH SIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER OPENS
The Glover-Sudduth Center for Economic Development and Urban Affairs opened its doors on Plymouth Avenue last weekend, and as Clarence Hightower, president and CEO of the Minneapolis Urban League, put it in Insight News, it marks a watershed for North side development-and Urban League strategies.

MINNEAPOLIS SCORES HIGH AS A 'KID-FRIENDLY' CITY
The top 10, kid-friendly cities in the U.S., according to Zero Population Growth:
1. Portland, Oregon
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Minneapolis
4. New York, New York
5. San Francisco, California
6. Boston, Massachusetts
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Fort Worth, Texas
9. Houston, Texas
10. San Diego, California

UNIONS CHOOSE UP SIDES IN THE MAYORAL RACE
The Minnesota State United Auto Workers Community Action Program on Friday endorsed Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton for re-election. "We believe she is the future of the city," said Dan St. Clair, program chair. Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Professional Employees Association endorsed R.T. Rybak.

VISIT MINNEAPOLIS VIA THE WEB
Linden Hills photographer Chris Gregerson has spent the last couple of years busily capturing Minneapolis on film-and making it available to anyone who visits his Web site, www.phototourminneapolis.mn.us.

DOWNTOWN 'CLEAN SWEEP' CLEANS UP HENNEPIN, PUSHES CRIME SOUTH
A major anti-street crime initiative has helped to clean up Hennepin Avenue downtown, reports David Brauer in Skyway News (www.skywaynews.net), but critics worry that trouble is simply moving down the avenue.

POLICE BLOTTER
Harrison Neighborhood:
Since July, five robberies of persons along Glenwood between Humboldt Ave. and Morgan Ave. N. These robberies have occurred primarily between 1 and 8 p.m. and between 12 and 2 a.m. Some victims have been robbed at gunpoint. No suspects have been identified.

Bottineau, Holland, Logan park, and Marshall Terrace:
Within the last week there has been an increase in auto thefts in these neighborhoods. No suspects have been identified.

East Isles and Lowry Hill East:
Numerous thefts from vehicles and vehicle thefts since the beginning of the school year. These have occurred mostly around the Mall and Lagoon Ave. from Calhoun Dr. to Hennepin in the East Isles and Lowry Hill East neighborhoods. Most incidents have occurred during the late afternoon and early evening hours, though many have occurred at night. No suspects have been identified.

BACK IN THE DAY
"No one wants his front lawn used as a dog's rest room, especially if he uses a power mower on it. The parks are just as bad. "
-Ninth Ward Alderman Zollie Green, introducing a dog litter law ordinance
Minneapolis Tribune
September 27, 1971

IT'S JUST MY OPINION, BUT . . .
Sunday's Star Tribune poll on the mayor's race, succinctly addresses the current weirdness in local politics. About 6 in 10 surveyed like what the mayor has done and believe the city is moving in the right direction, but only about 4 in 10 say they will vote for her. R.T. Rybak, who's based much of his political resume on attacking airport noise (read: Northwest Airlines) and criticizing the Target tax subsidy, is widely favored by Republicans and conservatives. What gives?


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The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2001 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription.

Editor: Craig Cox
Associate Editor: Sharon Parker
Contributing writers: Mark Engebretson, Leo Mezzrow.
Research assistance: Martin and Nora Cox
Thanks to: Steve Brandt, Jeremy Iggers, Jana Metge, and Michael Welch.

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