I received a call from Steve Cramer late Monday afternoon informing me that PPL would be starting construction of the PPL-owned Collaborative Village Initiative the next day (Sept. 23). For those who are not aware of it, this is the highly controversial "supportive housing" project that intends to move recovering drug addicts into a concentrated area at Chicago and Franklin Avenues.
I had challenged Steve Cramer to find (as part of his new duties as head of PPL) a more suitable site for CVI rather than to continue his organization's un-winnable struggle against the opposition of the entire community. Steve replied at the time that this might be impossible due to the requirements of his "funders". On Monday, Steve informed me that he had checked with those funders and they do indeed require that the project be located in our neighborhood and at the stipulated site. Now, generally speaking, we in the neighborhood have no reason to trust anything coming from a representative of PPL, but Steve has seemed to be forthright and honest in his past dealings with us. Which introduces a deeply disturbing question: Are our own public dollars being used to create "containment zones" to institutionally discriminate against poor communities of color and handicapped people? I warned Steve Crammer that starting construction might be risky, might be a poor investment, and would be costly if a Federal Court ruled against PPL and the City of Minneapolis. Steve said PPL's funders are not worried and that they have competent legal advice. Since they can afford Dorsey & Whitney I would assume they are getting such advice. I am amazed at the arrogance of both the "public dollar" funders and the non-profits that they would risk so much. Then again it is taxpayer dollars and NOT their own that they so arrogantly risk. Their arrogance might come home to bite them! Some of us actually have faith in the Federal Courts of this land to provide justice. We look forward to the Judge's decision to provide the community and other Minneapolis Neighborhoods with that justice Steve Cramer should know about City of Minneapolis and MCDA financing. He was director of MCDA when MCDA "guaranteed funds for the CVI project wherever it was built" (the quote is from PPL representatives Jim Schiebel and Ron Price). In other words, guaranteed funding was extended to a project Steve himself is reported to have co-initiated. Minnesota Housing Finance (MHFA) has a stated policy that they will not fund projects opposed by significant numbers of community residents. MHFA was very aware that community opposition to CVI was overwhelming; indeed, they were notified of it by Ventura Village's lawyers at the outset of our lawsuit against CVI. It seems to me that in this case, our state representatives and senators should look into possible MHFA deceptions and violations of its own policies. Hennepin County is also supposed to have a policy of not funding projects where there is significant community opposition. And it, too, is very aware of the degree of community opposition to CVI and of the fact that the project violates City ordinances. In a surprising twist, however, Hennepin County may not give a damn. I have recently learned that it is REQUIRING by contract that transitional and supportive housing to be sited in "Impacted Areas". The concentration area that the County is now aiming at contains the Hawthorne-Jordan neighborhoods (this after having already funded similar concentrations in Phillips and Ventura Village). Both the South Minneapolis and North Minneapolis areas are specifically named in the Hollman Decree. Hennepin County is also party to it; hence they, along with the City of Minneapolis, are in clear violation of the intent of the decree. Another of CVI's funders is LISC. LISC's national charter precludes the funding of discriminatory practices and intends that the organization should SUPPORT the development of communities (rather than discriminating and fighting against them). Perhaps LISC's national office should look at the case. Other possible funders are the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, the Metropolitan Council, and HUD. Both HUD and the Met Council are parties to Hollman Decree. Yet both are parties to this institutional pattern of discrimination. It is time, I think, for our elected representatives to urge HUD Secretary Martinez to begin an investigation into these clear violations of federal law. I ask Congressman Sabo, Senator Dayton, and in particular Senator Coleman to start such an investigation. Jim Graham, Ventura Village >"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. - Martin Luther King, Jr. REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ 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
