List: I think in Dyna's last post, she nailed one of the issues on the head: lack of police. But, where are we going to get the money to expand the police department, when the city has folks like the Target Center and Gaviidae bailing on their bills? It's all cyclical...and the Mayor is going to have to be one heck of a creative Cirque du Soleil type to figure out the solutions.
I grew up on the North side. I lived on 42nd and Thomas for several years before moving to NE Minneapolis. I went to Patrick Henry High School. There seems to be an invisible divind line between the Near North Side and the Camden area. North Minneapolis has some of the roughest neighborhoods and some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city. I believe that much of the reason for the concentration of poverty in the near Northside (and in the Phillips community on the Southside) has to do with the urban renewal and gentrification process we went through in the 90's. For example, the North Loop just outside of downtown experienced a surge in building beautiful lofts and apartment buildings for middle to upper class folks. This, of course, excluded any low income folks from the area (although I don't know how many were there in the first place). The Camden area revitalized and began pushing down on poor folks, pushing them into the Near North side area, which has been a low income/rough area for years. The same thing has happened in South Minneapolis. The Powderhorn area revitalized and pushed many low income folks across into Phillips, the Lyn-Lake area revitalized and began pushing poor folks east down Lake Street (with Powderhorn and Corocoran pushing North and West). The area in between has been a low-income area of the city for the past twenty years and our neighborhood revitalization only increased the concentrations of poverty in those areas. The question then becomes how do we build a culture of community ownership in those traditionally depressed (and now more highly concentrated) areas? How do we bring the urban revitalization that has positively impacted so much of the rest of the city to the Near North Side, Phillips, etc. If we can't figure out the answers to these questions (and I expect our City Council and Mayor to do so), then we will have what I call the Washington DC effect. We will have beautiful historic neighborhoods and then one will cross the street (literally) and be in bombed out blocks full of crime, drugs, and the homeless. -Brandon Lacy Campos -Powderhorn Park >From: "Shawn Lewis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [Mpls] Conditions in North Minneapolis/Help me understand >Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:03:04 -0500 > >Although I live on the southside of Minneapolis >and a life long resident of the city, I don't want >to see the northside of the city to fall apart, >Dyna, please keep reminding us not to forget about you and your neighbors >who want to stay there. > >First, what are the assets that exist on the >northside? Clearly, there must be some! Secondly, >who are the key people that can effect change in the >conditions in North Minneapolis? As citizens, what >can other neighbors do to help northside residents? >Next, what has been the role of mass media about this >area of Minneapolis? Finally, I do believe that the >conditions in North Minneapolis can get better. Why? >we have no other choice. > >Shawn Lewis, Field Neighorhood > >P.S. cc to Mayor RT Rybak >-- >__________________________________________________________ >Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com >http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup > > >"Free price comparison tool gives you the best prices and cash back!" >http://www.bestbuyfinder.com/download.htm > >_______________________________________ > >Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
