Yesterday two friends contacted me about a statement of mine that they found hurtful. It was the term "Poverty Pimp". Each of these people is in leadership positions with non-profit housing organizations that serve poor people. I explained that the term was not supposed to include them and other ethical organizations like themselves who are attempting to actually serve and empower poor people. Even so they felt that the broad sweeping nature of the term included them by implication and therefore found it hurtful. I was reminded that even "Cousin Jimmy's" Habitat was one of them.
With this in mind I wish to humbly apologize to any person or organization that is legitimately working to improve the lives and empower poor people to rise out of that condition to a better life and was hurt by my statement. I apologize to the legitimate organizations that always come to the neighborhood first, and do not attempt to force your own projects and success onto Neighborhoods and communities. I regret if any word I wrote seemed to imply that I have anything less than the highest respect for what you do. I admire you for your efforts and welcome you into my neighborhood family and my heart. I, however, DO NOT apologize or regret the accuracy of the term when applied to those rogue organizations who look upon poverty as a "market" and means of furthering their own organizational goals. By association I include any organization that is trying to "help" maintain people in poverty, rather than helping people out of poverty. I do not in anyway apologize to the predatory organizations who concentrate "supportive housing" into small areas of the City to further the organization's own economic interests without any regard for the harm they do to both the "impacted neighborhood" or to the poor souls who have NO other reasonable choice in finding accommodation than to use these services. In being forced to make that "only choice" the poor person therefore becomes the prey of such ruthless predatory organizations. These powerful predatory "social service" organizations are the despicable bottom feeders of society. They are like the lion or leopard that waits by the only waterhole during a drought, knowing the small animal has no other choice but to chose to come or die. In Minnesota the winter inevitably comes and the helpless poor person, when cold enough, must come to the predator for some kind of housing or die. So they wait! Isn't it time the poor had some choices? And isn't it time that enough of us cared enough to make those choices happen? --------------------------------------------- On another subject: During lunch yesterday I had an interesting housing conversation with Alan Arthur of CCHT. We were talking about the different needs of our community in housing --homeownership, senior housing, mixed-use rental, etc.--. Alan suggested that one tool of using housing to help people out of poverty was "transferable equity". After all, the "true" mortgage payer on rental apartments is the tenant in most cases. He suggested that poor person might start out in a cooperative apartment, with an equity interest, then move to a condo apartment carrying the equity value with them, then if they desire carry the more enhanced equity to a townhouse, and even to a single family house. People with resources actually do this after a fashion now. The difference would be to offer it as an option for poor people. I think it is a fabulous idea. I suggested to Alan that CCHT with its varied housing types just might be the perfect vehicle to pull this off. Alan of course pulled back on this idea and said if they were bigger he already would have done it. Now here is where some of those public dollars for affordable housing might just be well spent. Probably not as effectively as individual ownership to start with, but darn close to it. Sort of like a portable "Land Trust". Maybe those housing gurus at the City should take a closer look at some of Alan's ideas. Alan even gave a little pitch at the Empowerment Zone tour and lunch. A comment about the fact that CDC's should ALWAYS go to the neighborhood, and only build the things the neighborhood wants and needs. Pretty smart talk for the director of a CDC. How do we get the other Non-Profit organizations to at least act like they believe the value of such good thinking? CDC's really need to again look upon themselves as community driven and part of a community, rather than separate from and driving the community. It's just smart business. Developers certainly would find it easier to do business and raise money for projects if they have a collaboration with the neighborhood residents and organization; rather than fighting them at the City and in Federal Court. Can and do powerful Non-Profit Corporations use political pull for a short while to force through their projects? Certainly, but they gradually poison the soil for both themselves and other more ethically reputable organizations. Ethical organizations should use their own political power to join with neighborhood groups to stop such rogue organizations. Presently they each look the other way, rather than to address the almost criminal behavior of their "sister" organizations. Sure they have the money and political power to get the City to ignore the Cities own ordinances and law, but it eventually comes back to tarnish every project they do in the future. It takes years and considerable effort to remove that stain from the minds of community residents. Minneapolis has very strong Non-Profit CDC's and because of NRP it is the envy of the nation with its strong Neighborhood Organizations. A strong coalition between CDC's and Neighborhoods would place Minneapolis in the lead in securing funds for the benefit of "OUR" community. Even in these "budget crises" times there is plenty of money out there. We need people who are smart enough, and powerful enough to go get it, rather than waiting for the sick and weak at the waterhole! Jim Graham, Ventura Village >" If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 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, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
