Jim Mork, you are absolutely correct we should not have to resort to legal actions against the City of Minneapolis. The City Council should be responsive enough to Neighborhoods to not require such actions. Legal action was not swung like a "Bat" in this case. We in the Neighborhood were informed that the City feared a lawsuit by PPL on the 1/4-mile rule and for ONLY that reason the City Council was willing to violate its own ordinances. Since the City of Minneapolis was using such excuses, we decided our only alternative to stop this pattern of discrimination was to take legal action in the courts of our land. Poor neighborhoods of color have traditionally not had the legal resources and sophistication to fight large, RICH, politically powerful, Non-Profit Corporations such as PPL. Rich, politically powerful Corporations could afford to hire a firm such as Dorsey and Whitney and run roughshod over Neighborhood residents.
When informed of the possible cost of several million dollars to the Minneapolis taxpayers for losing such a case in Federal Court, one council member said, "Oh well, we will get some guidelines on where we can put supportive housing". We need political and City leaders who wish to WORK WITH the Neighborhoods to solve Minneapolis' housing problems. We need leaders who want to conserve public tax dollars, so we can get the most public benefit from those dollars. Minneapolis residents have a finite tolerance for tax and waste policies. Politicians just do not seem to realize that poor renters, (who probably pay more property taxes through their rents on non-homesteaded property than middle class residents) and homeowners living in poor neighborhoods also pay taxes, and also want equal treatment under the law. WE elected this City Council and Mayor because they had promised and committed to work WITH neighborhoods on tough issues such as housing and NRP. The key word here is WITH. The City "IS" on the verge of undermining both the spirit of the Holman Decree and the agreement to work "With" the Neighborhoods. Watch for Commissioner Bradley's Holman Decree language to be removed from the revisions to the Minneapolis Comp Plan. Any Council member suggesting or voting to remove or emasculate that language can be viewed as being opposed to neighborhood interests. Neighborhoods need to be very watchful of the next few City Council actions on modifying the City Plan. Whittier, Phillips, Central, Prospect Park, and Northside Neighborhoods need to pay attention. The removal of the Holman language is aimed at YOU. My previous post did address one method of overcoming the institutional pattern of discriminatory behavior engaged in by the City of Minneapolis. I believe the Minnesota State Legislature needs to step in and force Minneapolis to act in a Fiscally responsible way, and to force Minneapolis to stop the pattern of discrimination. In this manner the Neighborhoods of Minneapolis could be freed from the trauma of having to fight their own elected officials, and the City's taxpayers would be relieved from the tax burden associated with such lawsuits. Minneapolis needs to look at the "Spirit of the Law" contained in the Holman Decree, and stop concentrating supportive housing in the same neighborhoods where it concentrates crime and social problems. The City's original 1/4-mile rule was intended to be in the interest of the residents of such housing. Circumventing this rule in an arbitrary and capricious manner, which Minneapolis has done only in poor neighborhoods, is not the way to solve these problems. The spirit of the agreement Minneapolis was a party to, and entered into, was that Minneapolis would not concentrate "public housing" in impacted areas with large percentages of poor and minority residents. With the degree of public tax dollar support going in to build Supportive Housing, and the subsidies and payment of public dollars for resident rents and supportive services, how under the "spirit of the law" are these not public housing. We need our City "Fathers" and "Mothers" to attend to the spirit of the law and the interests and welfare of City residents, instead of just attending to the interests of large powerful political allies. I thank and commend Minneapolis Planning Commissioner Bradley for his firing of the first shot of warning by insisting that no change to the Minneapolis Comp Plan be allowed without inserting the Holman language. Mr. Bradley, your brave action has shown you to be acting in the role of "Public Servant". While I have had many problems with certain votes the Minneapolis Planning Commission has allowed itself to be politically brow beaten into taking, for approving Mr. Bradley's language you have my, and the poor neighborhoods, thanks and gratitude. Jim Graham, Ventura Village _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
