Jana Metge wrote regarding Hollman: "I thought I observed Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton adamantly opposing taking homes down before new homes were funded and built. I thought that I also observed the Mpls. City Council not supporting her and taking the votes to move it ahead."
Maura: Warning - this could get long. As the Director of an adjacent neighborhood association from 1996 to 2000, I followed Hollman quite closely. As anyone who tried to follow it knows, the Hollman lawsuit, negotiations, settlement, protests, demolition and displacement, has been a very, very long story with many twists and turns. I believe more than one newspaper article at the time started with the sentence "anyone trying to follow the events surrounding the demolition of public housing in north Minneapolis could justifiably be confused" - or something like that. However, I really have to disagree with an interpretation of events that places the Mayor and the Council majority in anything but agreement on the issues surrounding demolition and indeed, throughout the process. The Hollman lawsuit was settled in 1995. By 1999, the City had demolished the majority of the 770 homes but very little progress had been made on replacement housing. According to the Star Tribune, the count was well over 400 homes demolished and about 50 new ones created. During these years there did not appear to be any internal City tension around this issue or proposals by the Mayor which were voted down by the Council or proposals by the Council which were vetoed by the Mayor or anything of the sort. Out in the community however, the affordable housing crisis was exploding and pressure was really mounting. A group of citizens formed the Northside Neighbors for Justice to fight further demolition of homes in Sumner-Glenwood-Lyndale-Olson (the Hollman site). This mobilization was happening simultaneously with the Minneapolis Affordable Housing Campaign's big push to put affordable housing on the political radar screen. So, hundreds of people were turning out for affordable housing rallies and City council hearings while dozens were meeting every week and door-knocking apartment buildings on the Northside in a desperate attempt to save the remaining Hollman homes. At this time, nearly 300 homes remained on the southern part of the site (called Glenwood-Lindale, on the South side of Olson Memorial Highway). Northside Neighbors for Justice mobilized residents and worked with clergy from North Minneapolis churches. In June of 1999, community activists and clergy were arrested as they blocked bulldozers on the Hollman site. The clergy arrested were some of the most respected African-American pastors in the Twin Cities, leaders of powerful northside churches. Their collective action was historic and in response, the Mayor ordered a temporary halt to the demolition. I do not believe that there was any public criticism of the Mayor's decision by any council members. The Neighbors for Justice became allied with the NAACP, one of the original parties to the suit. Only parties to the suit could re-open the consent decree in court. Following the arrests, the NAACP did just that and the issue was scheduled to go to court in September. The Court asked the parties to negotiate. The mayor then proposed, and the City Council approved 7 to 2, a plan to spend $300,000 to temporarily keep open mosat of the Lyndale apartments, or about 70 of the remaining hundreds of homes. The NAACP, supported by most housing activists, rejected that compromise because it would have saved fewer than 25% of the remaining homes. Given the housing crisis, they did not feel this went far enough. The NAACP made a counter-offer to the City (which was rejected). Two days later, the Mayor and the City Council President co-wrote an editorial in the Star-Tribune criticizing the NAACP for standing in the way of progress. There was no hint of disagreement between the Mayor and the Council President. The parties then went back to court and the judge authorized the City to proceed with demolition of the units, which it did. There's tons more history around Hollman but I guess my point is, although some people felt the Mayor appeared more sympathetic to the cause of the NAACP and the African American church leadership, I can't remember or find any evidence of significant disagreement between the Mayor and the Council President or Council majority. Steve Brandt reported on many of these events at the time. Given that his mind is like a steel trap he should be able to correct any factual inaccuracies contained in this post. Thanks for bearing with me, Maura Brown Harrison _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
