The usual Eagles Club location: East 25th street and South 25th avenue.
God as Nonprofiteer
The Lydia House/Neighborhood Residents' pleas/Suburban
Church Fronters Fees
Expect the unexpected as Whittier and Phillips neighborhood residents explain
how they were forced to activism by a Coven of Nonprofiteering interests
fronted by Plymouth Church.
Would God abuse a neighborhood for $500,000 in development fees. "WWJD?" if
offered $5.2 million to cram more of the city's most vulnerable citizens into
one more halfway house in a community awash in drug, alcohol, and criminal
rehab. already. Does God know that Suburban do-gooders and meddlers won't
even allow "affordable housing" to be built near them? But will higher Faeger
and Benson Law Firm to bump-up to Federal court, a humble grass roots legal
effort to stop redlining in and concentrating poverty and social dysfunction
in a local neighborhood.
From WWW.TheLydiahouse.com website I reprint the following compelling
info:
Is Minneapolis One Of The Most Segregated
Cities In Minneapolis?
On MplsForum, email list to discuss Minneapolis city issues, Mr. Gregory Luce
lauded the recent City Council action to approve another supportive housing
project in Phillips, CVI. This new effort by PPL, headed by former St. Paul
mayor Jim Schibel will tear down affordable housing at Franklin and Eliot,
adding 128 units of affordable/ supportive housing.
In response to Mr. Luce, John Cevette wrote:
As well, I am impressed that Minneapolis, one of most segregated cities in
North America, marches so steadily to tune of discrimination, segregation,
re-institutionalization, and redlining of its most vulnerable populations
into the neighborhoods Phillips, Stevens Square and Whittier. With more than
320 social service agencies, and 57 supportive housing projects these three
neighborhoods have hyper-concentration more severe than exists anywhere in
Minnesota.
Too strong to call Minneapolis segregated? Quick, think of where you find
concentrations of African Americans, people of the Jewish faith, Asian
Americans or the poor living in Minneapolis? If you're honest and you have
lived in Minneapolis more than few months, you came up instantaneously with
the neighborhoods.
More insidious are the forgotten populations of the mentally ill, chemically
dependent and developmentally disabled. They mostly live among neighbors like
me, in Whittier, Stevens Square and Phillips. Stevens Square with
nearly 30% of its population needing support services is the very model of
segregation. Yet the City Council recently approved "Lydia House " in
Stevens Square, the 34th facility within 1/4 mile.
For 30 years concentrating residential facilities into social service
enclaves has been well-recognized as discriminatory, and contrary to the
important national health policy of de-institutionalization. Concentration
serves neither the disabled client nor the neighborhood, who every right to
live where they want.
The Minneapolis Zoning Law requires 1/4 mile between supportive housing
facilities for the precise reason it promotes integration to help these
populations live throughout Minneapolis.
This spacing law cannot be waived, varied or ignored without resorting to a
convoluted reading the federal Fair Housing Act. This federal housing law
is designed to open up closed neighborhoods, not to jam facilities into
neighborhoods hyper-concentrated already.
The proponents argue federal law trumps local law, so local law should be
ignored. It's a clever way to discriminate; while you're doing it argue that
you aren't.
However, while this policy discriminates against populations who need
supportive services, it does serve the financial well-being of non-profit
corporation executives who treat these three neighborhoods as their "free
trade zone" to ply their trade of extracting millions in taxpayer money.
Mr. Luce (North Phillips - Work) lauds the Committee's commitment to
openness, fairness, and full participation. Full participation? Really? I
didn't see the full participation of the people who will use supportive
housing being asked if they prefer to live in the highest crime area of the
city, in part because it is inundated with vulnerable people who need
support. Rather I saw the over participation of those who draw financial
gain from these enterprises.
The neighbors in Whittier have filed a lawsuit against the City and Plymouth
Church over Lydia House (www.TheLydiaHouse.com).
Their request to the
Court: Enforce the spacing law, promote integration and stop discrimination.
The neighbors in Ventura Village will file suit shortly against the City on
the same grounds.
If the Courts do what the City Council lacked the courage to do: just say
"no" to the supportive housing industrial complex to more projects in these
neighborhoods, like Mr. Luce, I get a sense of good things to come.
John Cevette
Mike Freeman, Former Hennepin County Attorney, Brings Seasoned Counsel To
Neighbors As The Lawsuit Moves To Federal Court.
Lydia House: Facility to house 40 mentally ill and chemically dependent.
Opening this facility will result in a neighborhood where 31% of the
population requires social service support, with more than 57 facilities in 4
neighborhoods. Support The Neighbors. Support The Litigation To Enforce The
Law.
DO NOT MISS this important and exciting meeting.
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