Here is a little light for you, Becky Olson. I just copied this off of the February, 2002 minutes of the SAB meeting, posted at www.pnn.org , add it to your spotlight.
>>>Shelter/Supportive Housing Lawsuits Tom Fulton stated that there were several other projects, besides Lydia House and Love Power, which were also facing lawsuits. Previously neighborhood resistance was enough to effectively kill a project. Now elected officials see the need for affordable housing and have approved projects based on the need. The first line of defense is to have sufficient resources to mount a vigorous defense. The city needs to eliminate any restrictive codes and ordinances that provide a hook for people to sue. The board discussed a concern that the neighborhood review process may result in discrimination against protected classes. The board indicated a desire to talk to the city about this<<< (JG) Tom Fulton seems to have a knack for saying what the purpose of this group is and how they have feelings that neighborhoods and residents are the "Enemy". The question is which elected officials is Tom Fulton speaking about? They must have been talking to him. My question is where have the RT Rybak and Council we elected on neighborhood "Empowerment" and "Input" issues gone? If they have been truly participating in this effort? What Mr. Fulton seems to have no knowledge of, or even worse, no consideration for, is the fact that the Neighborhoods who he is so willing to have "sufficient resources" to fight are the very ones who made affordable housing the central issue in the last election. It is truly sad, Fulton and his group are now treating those neighborhoods as "Enemies". A question for Fulton and for RT and the Council is where exactly you think you are going to build affordable housing if you so alienate your friendly neighborhoods. You folks cannot possibly be so lacking of development acumen as to feel you can stuff this down NIMBY "Fortress Neighborhood" throats without allies can you? No, that's why you pick on poor neighborhoods with high percentages of minority people. Oh that's right, I forgot, you folks are so self righteous you don't have to consider what poor people think, if they were as smart as you they wouldn't be poor. Which poor neighborhood does Mr. Fulton say he lives in? Next question for Fulton and politician cronies: After seeing how you reward FRIENDLY neighborhoods for their hard work to create affordable housing, you don't really think "Fortress Neighborhoods" are going to be willing to accept EVEN affordable housing, do you? I can think of no action taken in the last 20 years that has been so destructive and detrimental to the interests of creating affordable housing than these actions by the people who were charged with creating affordable housing. Continuing a pattern of discrimination against poor minority "impacted" neighborhoods is hardly the way to create a willingness to create affordable housing. As one of the people who worked for years to sensitize people, neighborhoods, and politicians to the need for more affordable housing, I personally resent the highjacking of the issue, which the Supportive Housing advocacy groups have resorted to. If affordable housing dies as a viable issue it will be on these folk's heads, for having so discounted and alienated the neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that could have been their allies. Everyone should go to that site, www.pnn.org , and read the minutes. Maybe I am just overreacting, but when I hear about the Mayor's staff going to bring this out for action this month, without public input, and combine that information with their "Sound of Silence", I get suspicious. I am waiting, and would love for Tom Fulton and the Mayor to come out and say it is just a terrible misunderstanding, and they want affordable housing, and for the good of Minneapolis and the residents of those projects, and they want to de-concentrate Supportive Housing . But I am not going to hold my breath, and I am not going to believe, until they prove "it just aint so". The Mayor, the Council, and even Fulton can have such an opportunity at the "Neighborhoods Forum On Concentrated Supportive Housing". I asked for such a meeting of Neighborhoods several weeks ago on this "List". I hope it comes off. Jim Graham, Ventura Village Everyone together now, one time for Becky, This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! _______________________________________ 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
