Ventura Village and individual residents have filed a class action in Federal Court against the City of Minneapolis. This action comes after one year of failed negotiations with the City and Project Pride in Living to prevent the construction of Collaborative Village in violation of city ordinances. The aim of the suit is to prevent discrimination against minorities, the handicapped, and the poor of Minneapolis.
Many of the affluent, white "fortress" neighborhoods in the city have succeeded in preventing even one supportive housing unit from being built within their boundaries. By contrast, Ventura Village currently supports more affordable housing programs than any neighborhood in Minneapolis. Examples include (but aren't limited to) American Indian Housing's Many Rivers Project and Pokegama, Portland Village, Central Neighborhood Housing Trust, Hope's Portland-Franklin Gateway Project, Indian Aids Housing, and American Indian Services.
Our legal action is intended to benefit not only the residents of Ventura Village, but also all handicapped and minority residents citywide. Projects such as PPL's Collaborative Village and Prodigal House typically petition first for permission to locate in affluent white neighborhoods. Then, after having tested "all available options" in these neighborhoods and been refused, they turn to poorer neighborhoods where past behavior by the City has given them reason to believe they'll be granted the authorization they require. This pattern of discrimination systematically concentrates supportive housing programs and clients in precisely those neighborhoods where the City also has a demonstrable history of concentrating drug dealers and other criminals. The former are thus set up, whether consciously or not, to be victimized by the latter.
A person who works for Simpson House once asked if Ventura Village would join in an effort to break down the institutionally erected "Iron Curtain" that surrounds affluent white neighborhoods. This request concerned an unavailing attempt to locate a temporary shelter for homeless women in one of these Iron Curtain neighborhoods. Now, after two years, we in Ventura Village intend to tear the Curtain down.
The Ventura Village's credo is: "We measure the quality of our community by the way we provide for our children, our elders, and our handicapped. It is the intent of Ventura Village to build
community by laying a foundation on such principles and to organize its structure to guarantee the safety and happiness of our most vulnerable."
As noted, we intend to fight the legal battle that must now ensue not only on behalf of our own vulnerable residents, but also on behalf of vulnerable people throughout the city. Ventura Village views the struggle as a continuation of the fight against "patterned discrimination" that resulted in the Holman Decree. We believe that Minneapolis should be using its resources to create more supportive housing in "fortress" neighborhoods, rather than seeking to perpetuate a demonstrably illegal (and immoral) pattern of discrimination in neighborhoods that are less affluent, and less white.
One of the most successful and prominent litigation firms in the United States has agreed to argue Ventura Village's case in federal court. Zelle, Hoffmann, Voelbel, Mason & Gette is famous for engaging -- and prevailing -- in actions like the Micro-Soft case. In the present instance, however, we are grateful to note that Zelle, Hoffman will be using its impressive staff pro bono.
Readers who wish to view the legal brief in its entirety, together with a vigorous debate of the CVI issue, should go to the Phillips Neighborhood Network <pnn.org>. Click on http://pnn.org/columns/cvi/cvi.htm
Im
Graham
Ventura
Village
