Thanks to Jim Mork for the post. If Jim Mork thinks he was stunned to find that Phillips only allocated 44% of its NRP to housing, think how bludgeoned the Phillips residents were. This, and other financial improprieties, was the impetus to kill the old POP organization. Social Services and the non-profits had allied to take most of the money. Other than the Indian NRP, most of the dollars had flown away without "Revitalizing" much neighborhood. This was not the fault of the residents of the area; it was because downtown politicians had assisted the non-profits and foundations to seize the funds with the old POP Organization. An organization where each and every employee of over three hundred social service agencies, "serving" the neighborhood, had the same vote on where money was spent as the residents living there. It usually got spent on the social service needs.
Robert Miller from NRP greatly assisted the "Regions" of Phillips to freeze the remaining dollars for actual revitalization. Without his help all the money would have been "helped" into other hands. Jim Mork and readers please check on the percentages after the break-up of Phillips. The Ventura Village Neighborhood, (once the Region 2 of Phillips), has allocated over 90% of its NRP to housing. It is easy to see the impact of those well-invested dollars. Robert Miller helped the residents to stop the pilfering and once again assert Neighborhood control. That did not make some politicians at the time happy, but thank you Bob. When the residents got organized and started to show up to decide what happened to NRP dollars you should have heard the non-profits squeal. They were furious and even accused me of that most heinous of all crimes, "Stacking neighborhood meetings with residents". Some social service types, (porcine aviators), even suggested that neighborhood residents should not be able to vote on NRP dollars, because the residents might benefit from the program. They thought "outside " experts should be brought in to more wisely allocate the dollars. They of course would happily administer those dollars for our benefit. Yeh, right! Just wondering, anyone see any pigs flying lately? Even though it may sometimes appear so, I do not mean this as a blanket indictment of non-profits. Some non-profits have always acted in the interest of, and supported, the residents. They have been a valuable "part of" and resource for the community. American Indian Housing and Augustana's CES program come easily to mind. GMMHC is another that, though not part of the community, has always tried to assist and support the neighborhood. Not "use" it. We thank these wonderful organizations, specifically John Bohnsack, Carolyn Olson, and Gordon Thayer for their true friendship. If Jim Mork, Vicki, and other "watch dogs" want to really get excited look up the allocation of CDBG Dollars on the City of Minneapolis Site. The defined purpose of the CDBG Federal Program is almost exactly that of NRP's defined purpose. But where do the Federal dollars go? You will find that those same politicians use the CDBG dollars as if it were a private slush fund to finance "admin" types of things such as planning and MCDA among other things. What percentage of those dollars is used for housing and actual development and what part are used for "Admin" and supporting favored developers? I know a very small part goes for "Neighborhood Involvement". Perhaps more of NRP should be funded from CDBG dollars, since it sounds like that is the purpose of the Federal dollars? Perhaps the Neighborhoods now spend their NRP dollars even more wisely than the powers spend CDBG dollars? An interesting concept, don't you think? Do not hold your breath about that happening; remember those pigs! I heard a distressing rumor yesterday, which perhaps some List member could shed some light on. I heard that the present powers intend to use Center for Neighborhoods as a shill organization to give the appearance of "Neighborhood" support for attacking NRP. I am astounded that anyone could believe that Center for Neighborhoods actually represents any neighborhood other than perhaps some of Seward. Even David Faye could not believe anyone would take such a representation as anything but a joke, (and a very bad one at that). Heck, of late Center for Neighborhoods has seemed to define neighborhoods as the "Enemy". Remember the attack on neighborhoods for wanting to create an affordable homeownership program? Sounds like some of the treaties the Federal Government used on Indians. Just get one, anyone, doesn't matter who they are, and say they are the representatives of the whole people. Minority people have a lot of experience with such shill representatives being used against them, but even white people are not dumb enough to have that one run again. Of course they have trotted out that old pig successfully so many times they just don't realize people can see its wings are papier-mache. This was rumor, but rumor seems to have a hint of truth sometimes. Can any List member tell me what neighborhoods Center for Neighborhoods might purport to represent? Also what exactly does this organization do? I know it hosted a sustainable resource conference and once attempted to stick its nose into the People of Phillips (POP) fiasco when POP was in its death spasms, but other than that I have no knowledge of it. With an organization having such a pretentious name, someone must know something about it. Again this is possibly just a ridiculous rumor. Next thing you know the downtown powers will be saying neighborhoods should only be advisory. Say that Neighborhoods need a special appointed "Board" to look after their interests. Maybe call it the BIA, Bureau of Inter-Neighborhood Affairs. Neighborhoods should maybe use Indian People as a sad example of how "help" can work. Hold on to anything you hold dear before you get "Helped" out of even having it! Jim Graham, Ventura Village >"Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it may be recalled and perhaps remedied." - Pearl S. Buck TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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
