KFAI-FM: WAVE Project – “Is a Spoonful of Integration enough for the rest of us?” Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 6 p.m.
“By listening and watching local media, you would think that Valentines Day was the only event going on in the month of February. With CNN’s special, featuring Soledad O’Brien’s “Black in America 2,” – a watered down version of what it’s like to be Black America is skewed for a White audience, it misses the mark at every turn. The issues for those who are forward thinkers are jobs, economic development and education. Tune in KFAI on Sunday for the real State of the Union about Black America.”
Minneapolis, MN Feb. 12 / IBNN/ — Tune in Sunday, February 14, 2010 to KFAI-FM Radio at 90.3FM (Minneapolis) & 106.7 (St. Paul), 6 p.m.-7 p.m. to KFAI’s Wave Project. This program will feature Springboard Economic Development Corporation’s CEO Lennie Chism; Don Allen, the editor and chief of The Independent Business News Network and USA Radical Black with along with Kelechi Jaavaid, better known as KJ the comedian, will be live on KFAI to discuss the topic “ Is a Spoonful of Integration enough for the rest of us? That is the remaining 37 Million African Americans in the United States.”
You can also tune in nationally by going to www.kfai.org for the live streaming broadcast.
On Sunday February 14, 2010, from 6-7 p.m. KFAI Radio 90.3 FM (Minneapolis) and 106.7 (St. Paul) will air an exclusive segment on race relations and generational progress produced by Lennie Chism, Executive Director of Springboard Economic Development Corporation. Chism’s program, titled A Spoonful of Integration is Not Enough for the Rest of Us explores the Civil Rights Movement through music pinpointing cultural anthems such as “We Shall Overcome” to Tupac’s “Ghetto Gospel” as indications of change.
Chism says, “My motivation was to get people to critically look at the 1947 integration of baseball and begin to ask whether integration helped. I wanted to show how integration was not as successful as people thought. Thanks to integration, The Negro League was completely dismantled by 1963, blacks went from running leagues and teams to just being players. Jobs and industry were lost because of integration for blacks. Hence, A Spoonful of Integration is Not Enough for the Rest of Us,” Chism explains. Chism adds, “However when you look at the music industry, that has been dominated by African-Americans for years, with absolutely no desire to integrate, there are countless success stories, hip-hop culture did not bow down, sell out nor attempt to assimilate.”
Chism believes the struggle for Civil Rights continues in the current day hip-hop movement. “I chose to end the segment with Tupac because he is one of the greatest street lobbyists ever,” explains Chism. “He spoke of another culture that the establishment would want to see removed. But in reality that culture became an industry that is creating jobs and a new wealthy class of African-Americans.”
Chism hopes multiple generations tune in for the special program, special guests include Donald Allen editor in chief of two international read controversial blogs and Kelechi Jaavid, local comedian to lighten the air.
Donald Allen, a blogger, Republican and outspoken critic of Minneapolis’ political processes and non-profit watchdog as it relates to communities of color and the delivery of services states, “This is an opportunity to mention names, agencies and politicians who for the most part are more celebrity-based then actually making sure the community is healed. This is an opportunity to let America know that agencies like the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minneapolis Urban League and the NAACP have lost their mojo.”
Tune in on Sunday, the revolution continues.
EMERGE corrects mistake – but only after it was brought to their attention. So much for knowing what you are doing.
North Minneapolis: A community that needs the immediate infusion of at least 30,000 jobs to build capacity, wealth and independence continues to suffer with a program that provided a position for 1 person, with 5 more that started training on Monday, December 8, 2009. Concerned community stakeholders need to take a look at other north Minneapolis agencies entrusted to bring jobs to our community. I attest this is not the first time this has happened – but a continuation of bad business practices and administrative bureaucracy.
Minneapolis, MN (IBNNNEWS)…Sources close to IBNN informed us of possible transgression as it pertains to the paying weatherization workers for a program within Emerge. Not only in this matter but other questions like: “Why did Emerge have job fair participants to fill out W-4 forms, with critical social security information – and no jobs available?
Does this denote an investigation?
We say yes.
IBNN sent an email titled, “Emerge was illegally paying weatherization workers less than prevailing wage” asking Emerge to clarify its process in this matter.
The following is the email response from executive director Mike Wynne:
Mr. Allen, Read more
Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Director Michael Jordan, Delayed, Stopped and Re-Buffed with a vote of No Confidence!
On Monday (7/6/09), at Minneapolis City Hall, the Health, Energy and Environment Committee, standing committee of the Minneapolis City Council, met to discuss 6 line items, which included the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights budget and the report back on the Task Force’s analysis.
While Council members Hofstede, Ostrow and Goodman sat uninterested and bland, Council members Lilligren, Benson, Gordon engaged in healthy dialog about the direction of MDCR Task Force and the proposed analysis that was to be presented today.
With the concerns of many community members and true stakeholders the MDCR director Michael Jordan’s “analysis” was put on hold until July 20, 2009, as if to site a vote of “no confidence” for Jordan. The Civil Rights Commission’s Ken Brown, Acting Chairman told IBNN that the report or analysis was one of Mr. Jordan’s own doing and did not represent the community or “true stakeholders,” “It was fussy, incomplete and lacked qualitative and quantitative information that should be a part of any financial or procedural analysis.”
As IBNN reported in an earlier story, director Jordan’s Civil Rights Task Force was comprised of City of Minneapolis employees, and others Jordan had personally invited to be on the task force, like Community Actions Bill Davis, who we allege is one of the players in the fall of the NAACP. Mr. Davis who had a confrontation with Mayoral candidate Al Flowers last year was on the ground in Sabathani Community Center’s parking lot when calling police to report he’d been struck, the dispatcher asked, “Did a car hit you?” (LOL!)
This Task Force was mandated to seek options, but was merely a “smoke screen” created by the suggestion of Minneapolis City Council person Elizabeth Glidden, who “waffled” when informed that Director Jordan had removed several community members from the first meeting by saying, “The is a private meeting.” Glidden did not come down to the meeting after she personally called IBNN and invited us to the meeting.
Council member Lilligren brought up a great point, “Have we investigated other funding options, like contract compliance in the MARQ2 project? Could we find funding by assigning the MDCR to monitor and develop compliance reports on projects like that?
Jordan remained mute…uninterested and stubborn.
Protesters lined the chambers of Minneapolis City Council meetings with signs protesting the Mayors cutting of the Investigative Unit.
Also on hand was Ward 5 City Council candidate Kenya McKnight, who by the way, tore the City Council a “new one” with her comments on the importance of having the MDCR investigators stay put.
Commentary
When will someone come forward and address the systemic failures in our city government? The Minneapolis City Council has failed to take any corrective action in contract compliance; Investigative discrepancies and inter-office “trusts.”
Michael Jordan has failed the minority-ethnic community of Minneapolis through a “tainted” process of checks and balance that have left the community with no accountability from the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, investigative and contract compliance.
The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights is contracted to do the compliance report for the new baseball stadium…where is it? (Not done!) What about all the contractors not in compliance as it pertains to the MDCR Ordinances? Where are the fines?
If Michael Jordan and his team of Contract Compliance folks had been on top of their game, we estimate a total of over $300,000+ in fines and a few disbarments of contractors that have repeatedly not been in compliance – but out of compliance contractors continue to receive City of Minneapolis Contracts.
Furthermore, where is the Council on Black Minnesotans? (Silent) Who is doing public policy and addressing these disparities in the MDCR; where is the voice of Ward 5 Council member Don Samuels?; the Mayor’s office?; and (surprise) Minneapolis Television Network (MTN), where over 90% of programming minority ethnic but the Board is a who’s whom of the White community.
I see a heinous “process” all over!
Back to the MDCR….”How can we trust the judgment of Michael Jordan?”
Michael Jordan has not come up with any alternative funding steams to assist in keeping the MDCR investigators in place. As I type this story, I can think of several alternative funding streams that will allow the MDCR keep its investigative unit in Minneapolis and not transfer to the State – but again, I do business.
These funding streams would not interfere with any project, budget or City of Minneapolis planned or current engagement – but would provide Minneapolis the opportunity to keep the MDCR Investigators right downtown where they belong.
One thing that has to be gone from the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights is director Michael Jordan.
The people of Minneapolis deserve a better Civil Right’s director, not R.T.’s “yes man.”
In closing, we should think about moving out Mayor Rybak too!
Negros not welcomed at Boom Island for the 2009 Juneteenth Celebration – IBNN Exclusive
In breaking news IBNN sources close to the Twin Cities 2009 Juneteenth Celebration say the organization has been rejected from having its event at Boom Island this year as planned. After careful planning by the Twin Cities Juneteenth committee, the City of Minneapolis has rejected the events 2009 planned location.
On Monday, May 4, 2009 a meeting was held with the Minneapolis Park Police, 3rd and 4th Minneapolis Police Precincts and members of the Minneapolis Park Board to inform Juneteenth organizers that this year’s event had been rejected from the inner city location of Boom Island.
Mary Pargo, Executive Director of the Twin Cities Juneteenth Celebration said in an exclusive interview, “We were the last to find out about the decision to not let this celebration take place at Boom Island. We had planned this down to the wire and spent dollars to insure we sent the right message to the Twin Cities community. Now we have to start all over.”
Ms. Pargo says the Juneteenth Celebration will move back to Wirth Park.
Again the City of Minneapolis and political pundits deal the Black community a bad hand by obstructing open community engagement. This is further evidence of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s “Massa-Plan” to dismantle the Black community by strategically blocking community events and reducing funding for these engagements that come too close to the White mainstream in downtown Minneapolis.
If you recall, page 36 of the Minneapolis Mayor’s 2009 Supplemental Budget it states the following: Read more
The Shameful Disenfranchisement of the Minority-Ethnic Workforce by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Director Michael Jordan – Could violations of the R.I.C.O. Act apply?
Economic Exclusions
“With the receipt of documents requested from the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) Contract Compliance Unit from 2005, to 2009 y-t-d, IBNN attests that the City of Minneapolis MDCR, and the Mayor’s office is in violation of the RICO Act as it pertains to city contracts and the alleged criminal procedures and policies which don’t adhere to MDCR ordinances or the law. The current procedures or lack of procedures by the City of Minneapolis and the MDCR obstructs Minneapolis’ minority-ethnic workforce by freezing out trained and available men and women by not notifying or distributing information of availability to General Contractors that participate on city contracts and not holding the GC’s accountable when it comes to compliance and city ordinances.
Furthermore, the continued exclusions on bids for city contracts to include advertising, marketing and public relations along with reduced outreach and contracts awarded by the City of Minneapolis have formed a racketeering process.
What will be the City of Minneapolis’ ‘corrective action’ be for over $400 million in non-compliance contracts?”
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak comments frequently on the involvement of Summit Academy OIC as it pertains to the city’s top-of-mind collaboration with local agencies that train able bodied men and women to work on construction contracts with the City of Minneapolis. Mayor Rybak’s “Obama-Talk” does not reflect the man that was a top supporter of the President and his policies of transparency and collaborations.
Understanding that the best social service program is a JOB, why hasn’t the mayor followed through on his promise to assist in building capacity for the minority-ethnic construction trades and adding to the color scheme of the City of Minneapolis construction workforce?
Which also brings into question, where is Summit Academy/H.I.R.E. Minnesota’s Louis King? (Phone calls to Mr. King have not been returned.)
If Summit Academy OIC’s program has people ready to work, where are they? Read more
Help Wanted: Black Leadership in Minneapolis, we can’t depend on the Minneapolis Urban League for representation anymore
The Urban League created by a White man was never designed to assist the lower third of the community. The Urban League was chartered to assist the middle and upper middle class Blacks in the United States. With this said, “What has happened to an organization that never reaches out to it’s constituency? If the Minneapolis Urban League did more outreach pursuant with their charter, it would be better for everyone – but then again, the agency has become an institution unto itself.
Please read this detailed story from The Minneapolis Story about the de-construction of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights by Michael Jordan and the mayor.
On April 15, 2009 Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights director Michael Jordan held a meeting about the future of the department, also denying access to community members who were told by Minneapolis City Councilwoman Elizabeth Glidden it was an open meeting. (IBNN received a personal call from Glidden)
This brings up serious questions about the organization that says “the Minneapolis Urban League (MUL) is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides human services and advocacy that will enable African Americans and other people of color to cultivate and develop their individual and group potential on a par with all other Minnesotans.” Just for the record, its not happening.
Missing from the meeting yesterday at the MDCR discussion was a representative from the Minneapolis Urban League. The Minneapolis Urban League has not “busted a grape” on any issues such as the questionable killing by police in the Twin Cities area, Health and Wellness, Economic Stimulus, Contract Compliance, Civil Rights, Education, Employment, or new business development.
With the rumor that President Obama will be touring North Minneapolis in the next two weeks with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and city council representatives, this will turn into a photo opportunity and a social event rather than a true concern about the plight of people of color. (Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak doesn’t give a damn about north Minneapolis or Blacks – just check out his 2009 Supplemental Budget, page 34.) Read more
Minneapolis Mayor wants to eliminate Department of Civil Rights, but intent is to eliminate African Americans’ access to city resources and stifle our voices
On Monday, April 6, 2009 a camera crew from Poor-no-More with producers Donald Jackson and Chris Patrick followed NRI”s Ron Edwards and V-Media’s Don Allen to Minneapolis City Hall to obtain information on Contract Compliance and the “activity” report on the Fong Lee case. Of course we were denied the information. In this “breaking news video” a department investigator tells us to look it up on the Internet.
Mayor Rybak:
I use a public platform to contact you about the concerns I have because this way I am assured you will view my messages. In the past, when I communicated with you via e-mail, it seems you and your communications director denied receiving my messages.
The point I wish to make in this message is too important to be ignored.
Community uproar and controversy continues to escalate since your announcement regarding the elimination of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Investigative and Compliance Units. But you don’t hear the community’s cries. I truly think that you have turned a blind eye to what dismantling the two units means to communities of color in Minneapolis. It’s also worth noting that 92 percent of the claims to the department last year came from African Americans and Somalis.
The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights investigates allegations of discrimination against protected classes and complaints of police misconduct, as well as overseeing affirmative action goals on City-funded projects, among other things.
In a previous e-mail message (one that was posted to my blog and neither sent directly to you, nor intended for you), I commented that by dismantling the investigative and compliance units and transferring the work to the state level will create a failed state government: 1). City level issues will overwhelm and backlog state-level government. As a result of the backlog, issues pertinent to Minneapolis residents will be slow to process, will be overlooked or denied the appropriate attention they deserve. 2). A backlogged state government, facing financial shortfalls, will be unable to hire additional staff and investigators, or effectively serve its Minneapolis and St. Paul residents. Low morale eventually will permeate the unit forcing staff and investigators to resign. 3). Once Minneapolis residents realize that state-level government is ineffective at handling civil rights complaints, they will voice their complaints elsewhere, or not at all (which is probably Rybak’s ultimate goal).
I argue that by eliminating the compliance and investigative units of the Department of Civil Rights, you are eliminating the Black community’s access to city resources as well as stifling our voices to claim justice.
In your 2009 Mayor’s Supplemental Budget, p. 34, you suggest that “reductions in the budget areas specified will have the general impact of reducing the level of visibility of the Department of Civil Rights.” Oddly enough, the budget areas specified include the city’s support for African-American businesses and events.
Your supplemental budget points out that there will be a reduction “… at certain annual, community events, such as the Urban League Family Day or Juneteenth. Secondly, participation at such events as the Urban League Annual Meeting, the Minnesota Justice Foundation annual meeting and the Minnesota Bar Association annual meeting, Employment Bar Division, will be reduced. Third, advertising support in community newspapers (e.g. Minnesota Spokesman, Insight News and Asian Papers), which was primarily for the purpose of communicating hiring opportunities will be reduced. Fourth, partnering with community agencies and/or other governmental agencies to conduct training sessions or other community building opportunities would be severally curtailed. An example of such an opportunity would be the recently canceled schedule of activities, hosted by Minneapolis and Hennepin County, for Black History Month. Finally, attendance at national “industry” related events, and the hiring of certain content-specific experts, to enhance the skill/knowledge of our management staff will be reduced, or perhaps eliminated.”
Of the number of activities and events you chose to cut, I question why you did not consider the Aquatennial parade, the Holidazzle parade, the Do-the-Town shopping promomtion, Pride, Cinco de Mayo and Sommerfest?
Notice that all of the events — the events that are not set to experience a reduction in support — are serving the majority, or the (White) population in Minneapolis. Your obvious attack on the Black and minority-ethnic community, services, businesses and events shows that you don’t care, have never cared about the economic success, development and viability of Minneapolis’ communities of color.
I find it humorous that you say that ‘Minneapolis is a city that works.’ How can Minneapolis be a city that works (or functions well) when it has a civil rights department that for years has been in mired in bureaucracy and backlog? How can Minneapolis be a city that works when police barge into the wrong home and are later commended by the chief? How can Minneapolis be a city that works when five high-ranking black officers file a discrimination suit against the city and chief and win? How can Minneapolis be a city that works when the very Departments responsible for investigating civil rights complaints will be eliminated?
Obviously, Minneapolis doesn’t work.
I question whether eliminating the compliance and investigative units will make Minneapolis work better? I don’t think so.
“Any failure in the process set forth by a local city or state government to have ‘seamless’ methodology of true investigation with community engagement is a failure for all people, not just people of color.”
IBNN on BlogTalkRadio Wednesday -April 1, 2009 5 p.m.
This is your chance to chime in on community issues and current events that affect everyone in the Twin Cities. We encourage you to go to www.blogtalkradio.com and setup a “listener’s account.” This service is free of charge and lets you chat live online. Listeners are also able to call in to the show and voice their opinions.
On our upcoming show, we will discuss the current political atmosphere in Minneapolis’ Ward 5 with two very special guests. Also we will talk about the Minneapolis Public Schools and ask the question, “is there a better way to assist the large number of failing African American students in District 1?” Time permitting we will also talk about the role of non-profit, social service agencies as it pertains to local politics and Conflict of Interest and the difference between partisan and non-partisan.
Get ready for some surprising guests and topics to continue weekly. Save the date for one of the most revolutionary radio shows to hit the Twin Cities.
The web address is www.blogtalkradio.com. The Independent Business News Network’s URL can be found here.
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Minnesota Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations Oppose Rybak Budget Proposal Cutting Complaints Investigation Unit
"Yellow, Red, Black or White R.T. wants to ignore the plight"
Submitted by: A Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations
A coalition of prominent Civil Rights Organizations announces their opposition to Rybak’s budget proposal which cuts the entire Complaint Investigation Unit at the City of Minneapolis Civil Rights Department. Rybak is calling it a “transfer” but this proposal is to cut five full time minority attorney investigators, two contract minority attorney investigators and one supervisor, minority law school graduate of Thurgood Marshall Law School, who has been in the unit for over eight years.
Protection of civil rights within the City of Minneapolis can be traced back to an executive order issued by Mayor Hubert M. Humphrey. In 1967 the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance was passed. In 1974 the investigative powers were strengthened with subpoena power, less than 10 cities have this power with such power in the nation. In 1991 a new section was added to provide for Domestic Partner registration at City Clerk.
“Cutting this unit is discarding decades of civil rights history and ignores the growing need to service Minneapolis’ increasingly diverse population,” said George Brandon, from the Council of Black Minnesotans. “We cannot stay quiet; citizens of Minneapolis must rally to have their voices heard by contacting the Mayor’s office and City Council Persons, because cutting this unit means that it will never come back.”
For the first time in the department’s history, they have an all minority attorney staff doing this legal work and have closed 100% more cases in 2008 than in 2007. The Complaint Investigations Unit has seen a backlog of cases from its inception, which is a sign of the amount of discrimination complaints that make it through its doors.
There are over 450 open and active cases and it is highly unlikely that the Minnesota State Department of Human Rights can absorb all of these cases as they face cuts also. Additionally, there are jurisdictional and time limits issues which may make transfer of these cases impossible.
“I truly believe the Department’s role in investigating and adjudicating complaints affords access to justice for people who otherwise feel they have none, “explains Amy Johnson, Executive Directory of OutFront Minnesota who served as an attorney Civil Rights Commissioner.
“Investigators can come and go but at the end of the day, it is the people of Minneapolis who will be disenfranchised and their voices will not be heard because Saint Paul is just not as accessible to citizens of Minneapolis like this department is,” said Toni Newborn, former President of the Black Law Students Association – William Mitchell College of Law chapter.
The Ways and Means Committee Meeting is on March 2, 2009 at 1:30 PM and full City Council meeting is on March 6, 2009 at 9:30 AM.
Civil Rights Coalition includes: Council on Black Minnesotans, Council on American-Islamic Relations – MN Chapter, Jewish Community Action, MN Dakota Conference NAACP, OutFront Minnesota, and the Minneapolis Urban League.
# # #
Contact: Taneeza Islam 651.587.4712 taneeza@yahoo.com; Toni Newborn 205.919.7895 tdnewborn@gmail.com
The “Re-Planting” of North Minneapolis: The City of Minneapolis sends a clear message, “Affirmative Action…who cares?”
The slow death of Black business and organizations in north Minneapolis.
While Black “self-appointed” leaders who have been fighting between one and another over dollars the City of Minneapolis received from the State to address the foreclosure crisis and jocking for position as the “group” or “program” that can take north Minneapolis to the next level, the City of Minneapolis has quietly “removed” the Affirmative-Action requirements from the current round of dollars (demolition contracts) to ensure that while these Negros are fighting between themselves they also will not directly receive any of the dollars tagged for 55411 and 55405 (areas hit the hardest by the housing crisis). Furthermore, the money has already been tagged and the useless uproar by the city’s premiere poverty pimps falls on deaf ears. With the City of Minneapolis setting the goals for Affirmative Action to ZERO (See letter from the City Attorney’s office below), what’s the next move to “re-plant” north Minneapolis with new people that don’t look like us? Secondly, how will “self-appointed” Black leaders “stop, look and listen” – but furthermore, “understand process?” (Chasing “green jobs” will not create wealth for the community.”)
And again we ask, “Where is Congressman Keith Ellison?” If there’s an Israeli flag to burn on the Minnesota State Capitol steps, he’s there! Rep. Ellison, who quietly signed off on $70 Million in earmarks in 2008 with other elected representatives overlooked the fact that no dollars went directly to Black organizations. What about taking care of business in your own back yard? (More to come soon with shocking photos!)
The following email was sent to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak from Springboard Development Foundation’s founder in regards to the City of Minneapolis’ receipt of the $1.7 million dollars and the City’s lack of inclusion as it pertains to the Affirmative Action goals being removed:
Mayor Rybak,
Per information provided by city officials and the Star Tribune, the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC) has been sanctioned as the distributor of millions of dollars provided by the city, state, and federal government to address housing and/or the foreclosure crisis in the city of Minneapolis.
“Is this a Halliburton type relationship?” For example GMHC is the only one deemed qualified so they are awarded contracts without bid.
Does GMHC as a contractor of the city have to follow the same laws as any contractor who does work for the city of Minneapolis?
This relationship appears to be in violation of the R.I.C.O. laws. Government entities are also subject to R.I.C.O.
For example, the demolition contract of $1.7 million was awarded with the stipulations that all city requirements for Affirmative Actions and Sub Contractors were muted. Government entities are also subject to R.I.C.O.
Springboard Economic Development Corporation is asking for inclusion and all funds awarded to GMHC and the demolition contractors for the foreclosure crisis not be taken from the $5.6 million awarded to the city of Minneapolis from the state and or the federal government.” (Email sent by Lennie Chism, Executive Director/Founder of Springboard Development Foundation to Mayor R.T. Rybak, City of Minneapolis)
To further explain the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (commonly referred to as RICO Act or RICO), is described as, a person who is a member of an enterprise that has committed any two of 35 crimes—27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes—within a 10-year period can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $25,000 and/or sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count. In addition, the racketeer must forfeit all ill-gotten gains and interest in any business gained through a pattern of “racketeering activity.” RICO also permits a private individual harmed by the actions of such an enterprise to file a civil suit; if successful, the individual can collect treble damages.
It is alleged that the City of Minneapolis has violated the RICO Act by the handling process of dollars tagged for the foreclosure demolition projects by removing the Affirmative Action requirements that simply refers to policies that take gender, race, or ethnicity into account in an attempt to promote equal opportunity. This affects not only African American business in Minneapolis, but the City’s action also excludes businesses and organizations run by Woman, Hispanics-Latinos, Asians, Hmong’s, Somali and other minority-ethnic groups.
The email to Mayor Rybak’s office sent a clear signal that was answered by the following response from the City Attorney’s office dated January 23, 2009:
Dear Mr. Chism:
I have been asked to respond to your recent inquiries regarding the awarding of bundled demolition contracts by the City of Minneapolis as part of the ongoing initiative to address the foreclosure crisis. To this end, I have consulted with representatives from the Civil Rights and Finance Departments, as well as the Small and Underutilized Business Program. I can relay to you the following information regarding the altogether appropriate awarding of the referenced demolition contracts:
- Late last year the City of Minneapolis received substantial grant funding through The Neighborhood Stabilization Program administered by the United States
- Department of Housing and Urban Development. This funding is contingent upon a number of factors and requires recipients to act rapidly in its utilization.
- Because of the extraordinary number of rush demolitions required to take place according to expedited schedules and mandatory deadlines tied to the provisionof the grant funding, staff made the business decision to bundle numerous demolitions together for bid in order to take advantage of significant economies of scale.
- The nature of the demolition work associated with this funding is such that very few subcontracting opportunities exist in that residential demolition contractors generally perform the entire scope of the required work.
- In accord with the requirements of the Small and Underutilized Business Enterprise Program (see Minneapolis Code of Ordinances Ch. 423), specific program participation goals for the utilization of small, minority and women-owned businesses are set on a contract-by-contract basis. Such goals are based upon the qualifications and availability of certified businesses as we!! As the potential for participatory opportunities, such as identified subcontracting opportunities associated with a given project.
- Based on the above-referenced factors, and because the city may not require contractors to subcontract work that they normally complete themselves, the program goals for the bundled demolition contracts were set at zero.
- The Greater Minneapolis Housing Corporation (GMHC) was not and is not a party to the bundled demolition contracts.
You may contact the city’s Small and Underutilized Business Program at (612) 673-2272 with any further questions. (This letter was the legal response from the City of Minneapolis sent by Assistant City Attorney Joel M. Fussy to Mr. Chism).
The City of Minneapolis has looked into why this has happened and Minneapolis City Council members have been questioned about why this heinous act of exclusion has taken place – one of the best answers from a City Council member that we feel sums up the whole situation was, “I didn’t know.”
This is not an isolated incident. There are other violations of “equal opportunity” as it pertains to the distribution of wealth, education and housing occurring on a daily basis in the City of Minneapolis.
In 2009, several Minneapolis City Council members come up for re-election. The current Mayor of Minneapolis is up for re-election also. The groups of minority-ethnic people of Minneapolis that have been excluded from these opportunities of economic stimuli just happen to be the “Majority.” This is your opportunity to change the faces of Minneapolis government, to elect individuals that actually represent your concerns, actions and the future of your businesses along with the education of your children.
What will you decide? Will tomorrow include you?
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