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THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934
PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
November 7-13, 2019 Vol. 86 No. 14 www.spokesman-recorder.com
SANDERS CALLS FOR RACIAL UNITY “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights,” sang New Power Generation before the candidate appeared. The rally was a bit raucous, resembling more a revival than a political event, with Sanders doing the preaching, New Power Generation leading the
to implement that progressive agenda that Paul spent his life fighting for,” he said. Across the street, a mix of Trump supporters and far right groups, including a conservative Christian group that shouted “Rebellion is the
“We are going to bring our people together around an agenda that works for us all, not just the one percent” singing, and the audience doing a bit of call and response. He even gave a nod to former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, promising to pick up where the deceased congressman left off. “We are going
product of witchcraft,” tried to get the attention of Sanders’ supporters as they waited to file into the auditorium after being hi-fived by passionate Sanders volunteers. ■ See SanderS on page 8
He and Rep. Omar ‘share a common link’ as children of immigrants his speech at a nearly packed house in Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus “He [Trump] is trying to divide us Sunday night, November 3. “What we are building is a multiup. We are going to bring our people together—Black and White and racial, multi-generational, workingLatino, Native American and Asian class movement,” Sanders told the American, gay and straight, native crowd. “We are all in this together, born and immigrant. We are going to and we must all be prepared to fight bring our people together around an for everyone who is struggling,” he agenda that works for us all, not just said. “We must be willing to fight for the one percent!” shouted Democrat- the 50% of American families who ic Party presidential candidate and live paycheck to paycheck.” The Vermont liberal touched on Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in By Mel Reeves and Micah McKinney Contributing writers
practically every progressive talking point, including student debt cancellation, ending homelessness, raising wages, taxing the rich, Medicare For All, and creating a less phobic and more tolerant America. “We are going to pass the most comprehensive housing bill in the history of this country,” Sanders said. “We will build up to 10 million new housing units. We will eliminate homelessness. We will fight gentrifi- Children of refugees: Senator Bernie Sanders (D) Vermont and US Rep MN cation. We will create a national rent District 5 (DFL) Omar Ilhan bask in the adoration of supporters as they exit control standard.” the stage of the Minneapolis rally on Sunday night Submitted photos
ImmIgrants’ fear of government could skew 2020 census At stake are vital federal resources
been considered a ‘sanctuary city.’ We hear this term in the national media and from the federal government.” Then she asked Michelle Rivero just what that is. Rivero responded, “[It’s] a municipality where law enforcement functions are decoupled from immigration enforcement. That is the essential definer. We’ve gone beyond that in decoupling and providing support to immigrant and refugee communities.” This includes OIRA serving as “a one-stop shop for community to access the City and understand what resources exist.” Andrea Jenkins By Dwight Hobbes Contributing writer If you think immigration concerns are only for immigrants and the census is moot, Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins’ weekly gathering of community voices, which convened last Friday, November 1, offered reasons to think again. “Afternoons with Andrea: Immigration and Census 2020 Update” illuminated the issue’s far-reaching impact and how keeping track of the country’s population can be exploited to target segments of that population. And what can be done about it. Jenkins was joined by City’s Complete Count Coordinator Alberder Gillespie; director of Immigrant Refugee Affairs (OIRA) Michelle Rivero; Black Immigrant Collective’s Julia Nekessa Opoti; and The City’s Creative City Making on the Census 2020 partners Rox Anderson and Anna Meyer. Jenkins is the lead member of the city council for census work. “Minneapolis,” she noted, “has
“Black immigrants are hyper-surveilled, just as any Black person in the U.S. is.” There are, of course, ways around the law, something of a common practice in this presidential administration. Gillespie commented, “[The census] is a federal operation. The City can’t prevent ICE pretending to be enumerators. That’s a very real concern.” For instance, while it’s illegal for a citizen to impersonate a census taker, ICE is allowed to do so. Accordingly, she noted the creation of “trusted spaces and places,” what amounts to a network of safe-houses. “We’re partnering with churches to have Census Sundays, partnering with mosques and [community] centers where people can come in and ■ See ImmIgrantS on page 8
(l-r) Council VP Jenkins, Nekessa Opoti, Rox Anderson, Anna Meyer, Michelle Rivero and Alberder Gillespie Photos by BFRESH Productions
Minneapolis expands renter protections New ordinance intended to remove needless barriers By Aleezeh Hasan Contributing writer Minneapolis Fifth Ward City Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison spoke at a community information session on November 4 hosted by the Heritage Park Neighborhood Association on the newly passed rental ordinance authored by him and Ward 10 Councilmember Lisa Bender. While acknowl-
sure people weren’t being excluded unnecessarily,” said Ellison. “We have lots of evidence to show that renters in our community, low-income renters in our community and renters of color, are being exploited in our market,” said Councilmember Lisa Bender before the council passed the ordinance unanimously at a meeting in September.
Jeremiah Ellison at the November 4 community information session at the Heritage Park Neighborhood Association Photo by Aleezeh Hasan edging that affordable housing will likely continue to present challenges to tenants in Minneapolis, its supporters hope this ordinance will help bridge the gap in disparities. The ordinance aims to further protect tenant rights in the city. In the past, landlords have been able to turn away renters due to low credit scores, a history of evictions, or a criminal record. Some believe that this has led to the unjust exclusion of many from local neighborhoods. “We tried to make an ordinance that would make
The ordinance sought to eliminate some barriers to renting that are borderline discriminatory. The ordinance prevents landlords from turning away potential tenants who have a misdemeanor that is older than three years or a felony that is older than seven. For some more serious crimes, 10 or more years must have passed. The ordinance will also prevent landlords from denying applicants based on their eviction history. The intent is to prevent past ■ See renterS on page 8
National
NEWS Spotlights
Black Buffalo Wild Wings customers asked to move Two men said they were with a group celebrating a birthday last weekend at Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville, Illinois when they were asked to move because another customer did not want to sit near Black people, reported the Chicago Tribune They said that multiple Wild Wings staff people tried to get them to move, and at one point they claimed that the tables had been reserved. The group left. Buffalo Wild Wings wrote an apology to the offended family and, according to a Washington Post article, fired some of the staff that were involved.
Jet Blue worker mocking homeless Puerto Ricans draws outrage from the island NBC news reported that a Jet Blue employee showed up to work on Halloween dressed as a homeless person from the Caribbean. “Not sure if they know, but thousands of people lost everything due to Hurricane Maria, and for this JetBlue employee to think it’s OK to joke about the epidemic of homelessness in Puerto Rico and the U.S. is sickening and completely unacceptable,” someone tweeted.