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November 7-13, 2019
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problems from interfering with a tenant’s current ability to obtain housing. It also addresses the issue of credit. The ordinance seeks to prevent people being turned away for bad credit. A poor credit score can be caused by falling behind on school loans or medical bills, and it can follow people for decades.
hoods of Minneapolis, noted on their website that “the updated draft [of the ordinance] continues to prohibit consideration of dozens of serious, violent criminal offenses during the rental screening process.” In actuality, the ordinance does not ignore criminal convictions. It does attempt to prevent people from being continually barred from renting years after their conviction. In response to critics of the new ordinance, Ellison stated that their objections
“This is something that will start humanizing people who rent homes.” Ellison pointed out that a bad credit score is not a good indication of whether tenants will pay their rent. He said that according to studies, over one-third of Americans have a bad mark on their credit. “Before they do anything else, people pay their rent, and they pay it on time,” noted Ellison. “Some people have no credit because they pay everything in cash.” Some landlords are vehemently opposed to the new law, saying it will open up their properties and neighborhoods to dangerous people. Minnesota Multi-Housing, the group behind Safe and Affordable Neighbor-
it’s not an option, so I think that there’s a lot more work that needs to be done.” An attendee told the councilmember that he had recently acquired a license to become a landlord and, in his opinion, “It is just too easy to become a landlord and not enough information is provided about tenants and tenants’ rights.” Ellison noted during the meeting that there were two other issues they hoped to address that were not included in the ordinance. He said they were looking to find ways to make sure tenants who were displaced through no fault of their own were not penalized. He also wanted to add to the ordinance a provision that would force landlords to give tenants two weeks to move before they file an eviction so that they do not get Unlawful Detainers, which could further compromise their ability to find housing. The ordinance will go into effect in June 2020. “Enforcement is going to have some challenges,” Ellison said during the Monday night meeting. Within the next few months he plans to create an implementation team to ensure that the ordinance is fully effective.
are “incorrect” based on “the HUD data that we put and cited in the ordinance and the local data that we cited in the ordinance.” Ricardo Perez of the Alliance for Metrostability explained how the ordinance would create positive change. “I think that this is a step in the right direction. This is something that will start humanizing people who rent homes.” While Perez said that the ordinance could bring change and awareness to the Aleezeh Hasan welcomes topic of housing accessibility, he also said that more chang- reader responses to ahasan@ es are needed. “Affordability spokesman-recorder.com. issues still exist. They might get in, but if rent is too high
Celebrating 85 years of MSR’s archives
82 YEARS AGO ... Throughout its 85th year, the MSR is taking a look back through its archives. This week the paper takes a 82-year leap into September 24, 1937.
Bell Kicks True for Gophers
Obituary
Raymond Blanks Jr. August 3, 1957 – October 24, 2019
R
ay’s life journey ended on October 24, 2019. He is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond Sr. and Theoda Blanks. Left behind to
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For current Gopher football and volleyball news see Sports on page 10
This 85th Anniversary historical story is brought to you by sponsorship from The Minneapolis Foundation and Hennepin Healthcare
Affectionately known as Jimmy, Ray moved from Minneapolis to Virginia, MN in 2003. He loved mowing the lawn, working at the car wash, and his shiatsu dog Pepper. Ray’s favorite NFL team was the Green Bay Packers. A graveside service was held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Thursday, October 31. Arrangements with Spielman Mortuary.
cluding three little five-year-old Black girls dressed in pink tutus and pink stockings with blue headscarves. Referring to Omar, Sanders pointed out that no member of Congress “has been subjected to more vitriolic, more hate-filled, more racist attacks from Donald Trump and some of his supporters than this extraordinarily brave congresswoman.” The candidate called for unity throughout his speech and reminded his audience that they have more in common than they think. The venue was decorated with signs declaring, “Not Me, Us.” He also acknowledged that he and the Minneapolis-based congresswoman share similar backgrounds though he is Jewish and she is Somali African and Black. “People say Ilhan and I make an odd political couple, but, in fact, there’s nothing odd about it,” said Sanders. “Ilhan and I share a common link as the descendants of families who fled violence and poverty and who came to this country as immigrants.” Sanders is the child of Jewish refugees. Omar’s family spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya before emigrating to the U.S. While Sanders stumbled when it came to the Black vote in 2016, he seems to have gained some popularity, especially among younger African Americans. According to a recent poll by Morning Consult, the 78-yearold candidate is the favorite of Black millennials.
Representative Ilhan Omar introduced the candidate to rousing cheers. Pushing back on the divisive rhetoric of the Trump campaign, she reminded the audience that “Here in our district, the Hmong community, the Black community, the Jewish community, the Muslim community, and every other live side by side.” Omar had come under criticism recently for sitting out a symbolic U.S. congressional vote that recognized genocide committed between 1915 and 1917 by Turkey against Armenians. But she answered her critics by saying she believes that there should be accountability for “all” genocides and ethnic cleansing, including the Atlantic slave trade and the genocide of Indians in the Americas. She characterized the vote as an effort at “punishing our political foes,” implying that the vote was simply a means to take a dig at Turkey for its invasion of Kurdish-held areas in Northern Syria. “Unlike Trump and his billionaire friends, we do not worship greed, selfishness and corruption,” Sanders said. He promised that through his progressive taxation plan, which he aims to use to fund his progressive policies, he will make sure that the corporate elite and the wealthy will “begin to pay their fair share.” Mel Reeves welcomes reader responses As the Senator listed Trump phobias, call- to mreeves@spokesman-recorder.com Micah ing the president homophobic and xenopho- McKinney welcomes reader responses to bic among other things, the crowd booed. mmckinney@spokesman-recorder.com When he called Trump racist they booed louder yet, even the children in the crowd, in-
ImmIgRants
Horace Bell, big Gopher guard and kicker, places one between the goal posts in a practice session. Two player rush in but fail to block the ball. Lower picture shows the ball sailing in the clear toward the camera.
mourn are his spouse, Rebecca Blanks, and step-son, John, both of Virginia, MN; his brother Leroy, his aunt Bernice and cousin Beverly Williams, all of St. Paul; also a host of relatives and friends. Raymond confessed his faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at an early age and regularly attended church. He was a blessing to his family even as a child. He was always willing to help in any way he could. He always had a smile on his face and loved to laugh.
safely complete census forms.” Since you can list your address as wherever you filled out the form, ICE can’t find your door and come knocking, empowered to haul people off at large with no questions asked. Nekessa Opoti pointed out, “Anytime something happens, the whole country runs to California and the Texas border. Right here in Minnesota are centers holding folks, specifically a lot of Somalians, Liberians and other Africans, Caribbean folks, folks from Haiti.” She added, “Asians, especially Southeast Asians, face the same policing and profiling.” Opoti told MSR, “The census is happening, right? Immigrant folks, particularly those I work with, have fear of the government. So, they don’t trust to open their door for enumerators. “It’s important to address how people get counted. [Their] resources are important, whether they are documented or not.” She underscored the event’s value in confronting selective law enforcement. “Every time we talk about immigration, it’s also important to talk about police accountability and ICE, how they interact with communities. Black immigrants are hyper-surveilled, just as any Black person in the U.S. is. Those interactions impact whether people will engage with government agencies.” In the Q and A session, Beth, a Hennepin County Central Branch librarian, suggested the
public utilize the public library. “With [the concern] of having a safe place to go, gather, and access the internet, it would be the library.” There are 41 branches with banks of computers accessible, she noted, “even you don’t have a card or ID. Information is kept private. Jenkins responded, “That is an awesome opportunity.” Also from the floor came the idea of partying, having a good time doing some good. Gillespie agreed, citing an age-old grassroots institution, the house party, utilized to raise rent or bail money and a viable venue for getting together to go online. “Be creative as you want,” Gillespie said. “It’s about what is going to work for our communities. [They] determine how we do this.” She added that grants are available to do this work. The Department of Commerce Appropriations Act authorizes the U.S. Census Bureau to award cooperative agreements to appropriate entities to aid and promote statistical, research and methodology activities. Jenkins emphasized the importance of being counted. “The stakes are too high. The benefits of having a full count [of one’s community] is to ensure resources for our roads, schools, public housing, jobs, representation.” She brought to light a practice of misrepresentation that has all the earmarks of lawfully rigged, institutionalized racism. “One interesting thing about how the census impacts communities of color [is that] incarcerated people are counted where they live.
Typically, unfortunately, most come from inner-city urban areas, but their census numbers are counted in rural communities where the prisons are. Consequently, Jenkins pointed out, resources that would come to urban areas go to rural communities instead, leaving urban Minnesota, already struggling for social progress, further disenfranchised. Since men, it stands to reason, have as much on the line as women, why was this an allfemale forum? Jenkins told the MSR, “These are the people who are doing the work. It is what it is.” Men weren’t left out. It’s simply that women stepped up, which doesn’t mean men can’t follow these leaders, plugging into activist organizations and networks. What practical difference does she expect this event to make? “Realistically speaking, this raises awareness of the importance of the census [and] creative ways to help immigrants better understand the census.” She referenced WeCount!, which empowers the immigrant communities through leadership development, community education, coalition building, and campaigns for social change. “I think [this event] will lead to some creative opportunities to have a complete census count.” Afternoons with Andrea is held Fridays at Butter Bakery Café, 3700 Nicollet Ave., noon to 1 pm. The public is welcome, free of charge. Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to dhobbes@spokesmanrecorder.com.