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Jim Mork writes:
"For starters, I hope a rep comes on here
to
explain RT's reasoning. But, hey, if you have solid evidence of both cases, rich and poor neighborhoods, why not post it here?" Refer to David Brauer's post regarding Prodigal
House in his neighborhood, if you need more evidence Mr. Mork. Pay special
attention to his remarks on City Council, Planning, and MCDA people telling the
Neighborhood that the City Council will not allow such a project to be located
where there is Neighborhood opposition. Now look at the CVI project which PPL
and the City attempted to "Ram down the neighborhoods throat". The neighborhood
voted overwhelmingly to oppose the project on two occasions, and unanimously to
fight the project two other times, yet according to the PPL Executive Director,
MCDA's Steve Crammer had guaranteed funding for the project before it had even
applied for zoning changes and variances. These votes would have killed the
project in more affluent neighborhoods, such as David Brauer's, but apparently
not in a poor south Minneapolis neighborhood. I believe this is what some
"might" call discrimination and describe as failure to give equal treatment
under the law.
Inner-City neighborhoods need to form a mutual
support group or coalition for self protection from large predatory non-profit
developers and discriminatory practices from City Hall. With out doing so,
no individual is able to fight the organized political power and money of
the Non-Profit Developer / Politician Alliance. We need to pool resources to
fight not only in the courts but also to combine our voices to ask the State
Legislature for relief. Make no mistake high handed discriminatory
practices from Minneapolis do not go un-noticed at the Legislature. Some of
the neighborhoods being directly discriminated against by the City were the very
neighborhoods doing the most lobbying for "Affordable Housing". I wonder
how those legislatures would view such neighborhoods now being the target for
"discrimination in housing".
The State Commissioner of Commerce regulates Real
Estate Practices for the State of Minnesota. As such the Commissioner
requires each Agent to take an annual continuing education class on "Fair
Housing". A part of those classes each and every year is the emphasis on
not "Red Lining" neighborhoods. A Realtor can not even tell someone where a
particular group is concentrated because it violates "Fair Housing". How
then can the City of Minneapolis actually take overt actions to in fact
Concentrate handicapped housing. Handicapped people are a protected class, and
as such patterns of behavior to concentrate them into small geographical areas
is a violation of Federal Law.
Prudence about suing one's own City in Federal and
other Courts has been advised. I could not agree more, but after several
years of discrimination by the City there comes a time when stoically enduring
with patience is no longer an option. We are not proposing a revolution, we are
proposing when at wits end to go to the Courts of our land for justice.
This is no trivial action which we undertake and which we request others to join
us in. No person or organization should fear going into a court in this
land and receiving Justice. That is what courts are for in our system.
Knowing the cost of litigation to secure that justice is outside of the
resources of poorer communities the Planning Commission, the City Council and
Wealthy Non-Profit Developers have felt they could discriminate against poor
communities with impunity. One Minneapolis Planning Commissioner even
laughed at the idea of neighborhoods taking such matters to court for justice.
Another document once talked of prudence and
mirrors the suffering that this discrimination has caused poorer
neighborhoods:
>>"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that
Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient
causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more
disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of
abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to
reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to
throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies;"
---
Declaration of Independence<<
We have been patient and used prudence for years!
We elected a "new" government, who promised to listen and champion our
causes! We went through hundreds of hours of community meetings, we gave
due diligence and consideration to the City's actions! We went through the
appeals process, we encouraged the City of Minneapolis to settle this thing with
a reasonable alternative. That prudence and patience has been rewarded with even
greater planned discrimination. Our system of government allows for
"Justice from the Courts" when City action becomes too oppressive. At long
last, that is where we had to take the matter for justice, the Courts. Can
members of the "List" offer a suggestion of how to resolve this matter without
going to court? Can anyone make a suggestion of how we compel the City of
Minneapolis to act responsible and not waste tax payer dollars fighting those
same tax payers when the City is on the wrong side of a social justice issue.
We would still want a public forum for this debate,
so we appreciate Mr. Mork's suggestions and concern. We invite him and
other City residents and voters to call the Mayors Office and call your City
Council Rep and demand answers to these questions. Who knows it may cause
the City to act in a more equitable manner that stops the "Pattern of
Discrimination" which it, has in the past and, is now involved
with.
You are correct Jim Mork, a rep should come on and
explain their position. RT Rybak and City Council members have contributed
to this List on a regular basis, I see no reason they can not explain to the
List their positions on these matters. Earlier on this List I called for
RT to convene a meeting of "Impacted Neighborhoods" to discuss these issues and
the efficacy of a Neighborhood Coalition for Social Justice. That would be a
starting point. Waiting, to try to force through Comp Plan changes, will only
cause further distrust and galvanize greater opposition to "Housing Plans".
Small neighborhood businesses ask for a variance of
a small amount of parking and are turned down. Large politically powerful
non-profits ask for being exempted from Minneapolis Ordinance, and are
arbitrarily granted it. Are PPL and other rich, powerful, Non-Profits
above the law? In Minneapolis, possibly so. That is why it appears that the
residents of Minneapolis must take their own City to Court if they have any hope
of justice.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village and other places in
Minneapolis
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