Vol. 90
Inside this Edition...
Holiday and winter resources on page 9 & 10
THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
December 14 - 20, 2023
No. 20
Lt. Gov. Flanagan details state’s efforts to support housing stability By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer t. Governor Peggy Flanagan became a homeowner roughly one month ago, after being a lifelong renter. What she described as a “tremendous undertaking” for her family is a similar journey that many Minnesotans are facing as they begin to navigate the homebuying process. With hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to homeownership programs and rental assistance, state leaders are traveling far and wide to highlight these initiatives aimed at helping individuals secure a home. Flanagan recently toured newly built townhomes in Northfield to highlight the significant housing investments being made in the state. The Spring Creek II project was made possible through investments from the 2019 legislative session and provides project-
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Minnesotans can invest in affordable housing development By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer
Individuals and corpora- ing Commissioner Jennifer tions can contribute $1,000 Ho. “This is a brand new and to $2 million to the fund, and unique opportunity for the innesotans may if eligible, receive a tax credit agency,” she said. “I’m excited be eligible for a tax certificate equaling 85 percent to see how individuals and credit of 85 percent of their total contribution. The companies are taking advanof the amount they contrib- fund will be administered by tage of this new opportunity ute to the Minnesota State Minnesota Housing with tax- to build new revenue units Housing Tax Credit (SHTC) payer contributions being the and homeownership opportuand Contribution Fund, as a only source of funding. nities across the state.” way to help finance affordable “We need as many solutions Developers are still able multifamily and single-family as possible. And this is one of to submit a project to be housing throughout the state. them,” said Minnesota Hous- ■ See MN HOUSING on page 5 The deadline to contribute is December 13. The fund has a limit of $11.6 million for 2023. Earlier this month, a coalition of legislators, affordable housing developers, and contributors came together at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to raise awareness and encourage taxpayers to contribute to Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan Photo by Chris Juhn the fund. Contributions can be made to specific projects or based voucher units for those mentum of housing investment. simply to the general pool, with “As we go into 2024, we funds allocated to various entiwith income restrictions. Referring to the Northfield town- need to continue to build on ties such as cities, developers, homes, Flanagan emphasized each session,” she said. “I think nonprofits, or federally recogthe need to continue the mo■ See FLANAGAN on page 5 nized American Indian tribes. Bimosaedaa rendering Courtesy Beacon Interfaith Housing
City may move elections HQ to former Third Precinct By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer n a snowy Saturday afternoon, a group composed mostly of Third Precinct residents gathered in the lobby of a church in South Minneapolis to discuss the future of public safety. As soon as the news that the city is considering relocating the Elections and Voter Services department from its headquarters in Southeast Minneapolis to the building that formerly housed the Third Precinct head- The current Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services headquarters at 980 E. Hennepin Ave. quarters, the group erupted in a Photos by H. Jiahong Pan collective groan. At a City Council Committee Third Precinct building, which In July, City Council mem- and Minnehaha Avenue. of the Whole meeting on De- was occupied by the Minneapo- bers voted 12-1 to never locate In addition to housing eleccember 5, city staff presented lis Police Department beginning the Third Precinct at that site tions equipment and staff, city their ideas on reusing the build- in 1984, remains vacant after it ever again. In November, coun- officials suggested housing aniing that formerly housed the was abandoned in May 2020, cil members voted 8-5 to locate mal control, an indoor farmers Third Precinct, located at the days after George Floyd was the Third Precinct headquarters market, or one of three public southwest corner of Lake Street murdered by former police of- in the Seward neighborhood, works facilities to address trafand Minnehaha Avenue. The ficer Derek Chauvin. four blocks away at 26th Street fic, water or job training. The
water and training facilities Property Services senior projwere to be built on the Roof ect manager Matt Hanan at the Depot site until state legislators meeting. Hanan added the site and local activists successfully has existing, convenient parkpressured the city to sell the ing and public transportation site to the community earlier access, and that the building this year. still has 25 percent of the site All the repurposed uses for space remaining to accommothe site, except for the election date community use. headquarters, were ruled out because of space constraints. In Lack of community engagement addition, the two parcels that Upon hearing the proposal comprise the Third Precinct site to house the city’s elections prioritize commercial, residen- headquarters at the former tial, institutional, public service, Third Precinct headquarters and “low-impact industrial” use. building, Ward 9 CouncilmemThe city recommended that ber Jason Chavez, who reprethe Third Precinct building be sents the area where the old repurposed as the new election precinct headquarters site was, headquarters, which is currently expressed his disappointment housed in three warehouses at that the community was not 980 E. Hennepin Avenue and engaged in making the decision. leased through 2029. “I think that we need to do en“It would eliminate approxi- gagement—real, authentic enmately $376,000 in annual gagement in this process. Not lease costs,” said Finance and ■ See 3RD PRECINCT on page 5
Smith Foundry under fire for ‘environmental racism’ By Cole Miska Contributing Writer n Saturday afternoon, December 9, around 50 activists gathered outside the Smith Foundry in Minneapolis’s Phillips neighborhood. The group called for the closing of the foundry, citing pollution concerns and the Environmental Control Agency’s (EPA) findings that the Smith Foundry violated the Federal Clean Air Act. The Climate Justice Committee organized the protest, and representatives from multiple local organizations, including labor, healthcare, environmental, and immigrants’ rights groups, showed up to show support. The Smith Foundry, which has been operating since 1923, sits across the street from the Roof Depot, where activists
had a victory earlier this year when they convinced the City of Minneapolis to sell the site to the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute to develop an urban farm. The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute is also part of the coalition fighting to have the Smith Foundry shut down. The Phillips neighborhood surrounding the foundry is racially diverse and is home to many immigrant communities, as well as the Little Earth housing project, a majority Native American community. Montana Hirsch of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Commission said the continued operation of the Smith Foundry in the neighborhood was “environmental racism.” “Many immigrants end up in this country due to forced migrations caused by [United States-backed] imperialist wars,
and it’s shameful that once in the U.S., many immigrants must live in neighborhoods that don’t have clean air and clean water,” Hirsch said. Nicole Mason, an organizer with the American Indian Movement, lives in the area and worries about her and her family’s health. She called a longlasting cough she’s had a “Smith Foundry Cough.” “[Smith Foundry] is putting all of our families in East Phillips and at Little Earth in high danger with their health,” Mason said. “And it’s really scary not to know what the pollution is doing to my family and not to have any control over it for myself.” Doug Gurian-Sherman is a Phillips resident who used to work as a risk assessor for the EPA. Gurian-Sherman was skeptical that any regulatory agencies would step in on their
Signs at a rally to close Smith Foundry
Photos by Chris Juhn
the expense of neighborhoods like East Phillips and Corcoran and all these surrounding neighborhoods.” Peter Molenaar worked at Smith Foundry for 30 years and agrees that the current facility should be shut down due to its location. He said he knows the
health consequences of the facility firsthand. “I’ve had mixed emotions because this place was a source of life. Also, it’s a source of death,” Molenaar said. Molenaar said he and other former foundry workers suffered ■ See FOUNDRY on page 5
own, saying he believed administrators at regulatory agencies were too friendly with manufacturing industries. “It’s not that science isn’t relevant. I think that’s important to understand,” Gurian-Sherman said. “The science is being abused, and it’s being abused at