Category Archives: Intentional Communities

In December of 1994 I was walking with a group of people to the French Quarter when a kid stopped us, clearly sized me up as a tourist in my dusty-rose, suburban-Western snap-front shirt, and said, For five bucks I can tell you where you got your shoes.

Being ridiculously smarter than anyone else on that fey and bacchanal street, I said to this young fella, Go ahead. Tell me. Youll never get this. How could you, living in New Orleans, have seen me hungrily roaming the orange and tan aisles of the Payless Shoe Source in downtown Boston? The boy said, quickly, with a straight-ahead grin, You got your shoes on your feet and your feet on the street.

I hope he used that fiver to buy himself a beignet and a nice rosary.

Members of the Society of Jesus have been called in recent years to see as mission territory not just our works out in the world, but the very communities in which we live. The vineyard, we are told, is not simply the refugee center, retreat house, painter's studio, communion line. It is more than the dun tiled walls of a slouchy geometry classroom; it is the homes we live in, the meals we share, the liturgies we celebrate. We are sent to one another.

This means, in part, shifting the measure of our lives away from only seeking success in our work. It calls us to bring a sharp apostolic game to dinner, faith sharing, preprandials (a recharche way of saying gin); those seemingly mundane things a Jesuit tends to want to finish so as to be able to rush off to pray with the JV basketball team before tipoff. . .

The call instead is to notice where we live, who we live with, and actually live there. To pay real attention, in other words, to where we got our shoes when our shoes are at home.

This new (though not really new) angle on Jesuit life is intended to aid us in giving witness to that which we exhort others to do. If we live together with at least some measure of esprit de corps (even if you have to fake it until you make it), if we engrain in ourselves some kind of ecological awareness, if we live in solidarity with the poor, we will authenticate what we proclaim, as one decree from our General Congregation 35 puts it. If we are living it, we can better preach it.

Jesuit leaders point us to the time the ten First Companions spent in Venice in 1537. Ignatius, Xavier, Faber, Lainez. They had taken vows together in Paris but were thwarted from going to the Holy Land. Finding themselves in Venice, they decided to work where they were. They were priests and academics but chose to minister directly to the sick, cleaning wounds, emptying slop buckets, hacking graves out of the soil. They piously licked sores and slept next to lepers. They ventured into other cities, going into town squares, yelling and waving their arms to gather people to be preached at.

As the documents of the Jesuit General Congregation 36 put it, During their time in Venice, the companions were not always together.nevertheless, it was at that time that they shared the experience of constituting a single group, united in following Christ, in the midst of the diversity of their activities.

Being intentional as Jesuits in here apparently seeded and fueled their mission out there, and vice versa.

Gerard Manley Hopkins writes:

Honour is flashed off exploit, so we say,And those strokes once that gashed flesh or galled shieldShould tongue that time now, trumpet that fieldBut be the war within, the brand we wieldUnseen, the heroic breast not outward-steeled,Earth hears no hurtle then from fiercest fray.

Ahhh, the war within! It is one thing to be in solidarity only with the poor out there, to flush out sin and ignorance in the vasty fields of France; it is often more elusive and even uncomfortable to also be in solidarity with the poor in our own houses: the guy whose mother is fading into incomprehension and what do you say; the brother who everyone says is a fantastic teacher but, assuming hes already stuffed to the gills with accolades, few of us praise; the one who lives astride a burning wire of low-grade resentment that is never dealt with.

Being present for those men, can be a far less romantic solidarity, but still solidarity; creating a vital organic community in here as enthusiastically as we would create a vital organic community garden out there. Thinking globally and acting very locally.

This is not an internal memo just for Jesuits. Nearly any passionate, good-hearted Christian who wants to serve the world with everything theyve got, and also has obligations domesticallychildren, spouse, parents, housematesmight find themselves in this tension. Can you actually serve well both inside and outside?

In the Society, how can we in good faith spend a generous portion of time and energy attending to other men in our homes who seem to have so much already? Who already have been taught to run through with alacrity the five steps of the examen; who have already studied and worked their way into (pretty much) secure and (mostly) fulfilling jobs; who have long since read at leastthe first hundred pages of Ulysses and can swiftly translate Buck Mulligans opening lines to Dedaulus? Why spend our time working in fields that have already reaped their harvest?

Shouldnt a Jesuit communityor the residence of any world-embracing Christian soldierbe pretty much just a flight attendants apartment? A place shared by three gals outside OHare where they briefly stay in between their jaunts around the airborne world, a kind of timeshare we visit for a hot second and then rush off into the mission fields to shepherd a waiting flock through the great journeys of their lives. Isnt that more fitting for us?

There is that somewhat eye-rolling spiritual line found in retreat houses and spirituality centers, about the nature of the human creature. You know the one: stitched Amishly into a framed yellow cloth resting on a quivering end table in a small overheated mauve prayer room, it proclaims: You are a human being, not a human doing.

It is a spiritual axiom that, once you see it, you cannot get out of your mind. Because it makes a piercing claim: that people, no matter how much we do the opposite, are not simply doers of things; not even of the most socially just, pastorally beautiful, academically groundbreaking things. These words make the case that, no matter how vital those things are to our mission, the ultimate work of a Jesuit, and of anyone, is not work; that when it all comes down to it, every Christian, every person is called like St. Ignatius was, to lay down before the Black Madonna the sword of our labors and just simply be alive; be alive, and be with each other, and with our God.

Is that really true? That ultimately were just sort of supposed to sit around andexist? Or is that the case only for the type of people who have time to stitch aphorisms into fabric?

There was a moment, once, in the dim sacristy of a chapel with five other Jesuits before the wedding of a mutual friend. The Jesuits were priests I had studied or worked with over the years. Some were friends, some just friends in the Lord. One I knew only distantly. They were vesting to celebrate the Mass, putting on albs and stoles and chasubles. Quiet tones, not the typical banter; the congregation a stones throw away outside the door, the main presider paging through the sacramentary, placing ribbons in the right places.

I would be serving the Mass and was putting on my cream-colored cassock, one of those kinds that has a thin braided rope that ties around the waista cincture. I didnt know how to tie up the cincture of my cassock correctly, how to make the rope go just right. I felt, just for a moment, that way you feel when you are an adult and do not know how to do something it seems like you should know how to do. Ever so faintly stricken.

One of the priests, a former youth rancher who knew well the cinching of cassocks, came over and gently tied it for me. He showed me how the rope goes, over here and under there and down this way, a couple of the other guys coming over and watching his deft work. He got it to just the right length, trailing smartly down the waist and it looked just very good.

One of those moments on a Saturday afternoon in the back of a Marian chapel at a small northeastern women's college. If it seems very small, insignificant, if it seems like not the kind of heroic thing you give everything up to join religious life for, you are probably right. It probably does not matter that much.

But then why do I remember it so distinctly? And why is it a catch in time that I slip back into every so often as the years pass, the cincture, the ribbons, candles flickering just outside the door, the pre-liturgy quiet. A man is fixing, so to speak, the black bowtie of a fellow groomsman. The world doesnt know and doesnt care. A simple moment with a few men who were all trained basically the same waydiscernment of spirits, bedpans, Aristotle, El Salvador, meretricious sophomoresand appear to have liked it; a moment with these guys that was wildly unproductive for the common good and later you realize is the common good.

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For Jesuits (and everyone else), the people you live with can be the hardest to serve. But that's what we're called to do. - America Magazine

TRENTON Governor Phil Murphy today announced Mark Dinglasan as Director of the Office of the FoodSecurity Advocate. In September 2021, Governor Murphy reaffirmed his commitment to ending hunger in New Jersey by signing a comprehensive legislation package aimed at combatting food insecurity and establishing the Office of the Food Security Advocate.

Ensuring access to proper nutrition is essential to solidifying New Jersey as the best state to raise a family, for every family,said Governor Murphy.Today, I am excited to announce Mark Dinglasan as the Director of the Office of the Food Security Advocate. I am confident that under Marks leadership, we will make great strides in our ongoing commitment to end food insecurity by strengthening food assistance and providing support to communities across the state.

The Office of the Food Security Advocate will coordinate the administration of the States food insecurity programs, advocate for the food insecure, and develop new policy initiatives to combat hunger and facilitate greater access to food relief programs.

I am truly delighted by the appointment of Mark Dinglasan as New Jersey and the nations first ever state-level Food Security Advocate,said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin.We were very intentional in crafting this office to oversee statewide anti-hunger efforts, break down silos, and facilitate partnerships across all levels of government and organizations working in the food security space. Leading CUMAC as its Executive Director for the last five years, Mark brings deep knowledge about New Jerseys food landscape and a unique skillset focused on food justice that together make him highly equipped to step into the role. I will look forward to meeting with him in the coming weeks as he builds out the vision for the office and to partnering in the future to ensure everyone can have their most basic food needs met.

Im extremely humbled and excited for the opportunity to serve the state of New Jersey as as Director of the Office of the Food Security Advocate,said Mark Dinglasan.Ending hunger has nothing to do with giving people food and have everything to do with advocating for food security. New Jersey has the leadership, the systems, and the change agents that we can partner with to pursue that advocacy.

Mark Dinglasan is currently the executive director of CUMAC, the largest anti-hunger organization in Passaic County. As Executive Director, Dinglasan led CUMACs mission to fight hunger and its root causes through a holistic, trauma-informed approach that provides groceries and basic necessities to families and individuals in need. With more than 15 years of experience in corporate and nonprofit sectors, Dinglasan has led teams in program management, youth development, sales, & strategic planning. He received his MBA from DePaul Universitys Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Monmouth University.

For a picture of Mark Dinglasan, clickhere [t.e2ma.net].

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Governor Murphy Announces Mark Dinglasan as Director of the Office of the Food Security Advocate - InsiderNJ

Statistics Canada released itsCrime Severity Index(CSI) data on Tuesday, outlining the amount ofcrime reportedacross Canada for 2021, as well as the severity of the crimes reported.

The higher the number, the more crime is happening in a municipality, and the more severe those crimes are.

The city of North Battleford is ranked at the top of the index for communities with a population of 10,000 or more. It has responded to the report.

Despite this ranking, in a statement the city said there is some good news. The CSI shows that in 2021, violent crimes in the city dropped nearly 7.5 percent, despite increasing provincially.

The citys partners with provincial resources like Community Safety Officers, Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN), which monitors and reports suspected drug and prostitution houses, and RCMP units like the Gang Task Force and the Crime Reduction Team.

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Provincially in 2021, crime rates were trending upward, with an overall increase in crime at 2.9%, a 3.7% increase in violent crime, and a 2.5% in non-violent crimes.

The escalation in non-violent crimes is concerning and it is something that weve heard over the past year at our quarterly reports from local RCMP at Council meetings, Mayor David Gillan said in the release.

While the City is pleased to see its intentional efforts at reduction of violent crimes is paying off, the increase in crimes of opportunity is troubling. As residents, we can all do our part to ensure that thecrimes of opportunity are lessened.

Lock your house doors, do not store items in your vehicles, and remove your keys from your vehicles. It is important to be vigilant as we strive to continue improving the general safety and security of the City.

To report a non-emergency matter or unsightly properties, contact Community Safety Officers/Bylaw Enforcement at 306-445-1775. To report a suspected drug den for further observation, contact SCAN at 1-855-933-6411 or file a report here. To contact the Battlefords RCMP for non-emergencies, call 306-446-1720. For an emergency, dial 9-1-1.

2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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North Battleford, Sask. comments on crime severity index ranking - Global News

In June of this year, when we sold and said goodbye to our blue-shingled bungalow-style house of nine years and left Maryland for California, my family and I hadnt stepped foot inside the Oakland, California, rental we were about to move into. But it didnt matter that our living situation was about to change drastically, or that we were about to move across the countrybecause I was going home.

My husband and I started our family on the West Coast, more specifically in Southern California, where he and I met, and where I and my two daughters, who are now 10 and 12, were born. Ill forever love its tangled freeways, sherbet sunsets, and strip-mall sushi restaurants. My husband never did, and likely never will, and since Id been conditioned to believe in the American dreammarriage, children, a single-family home in the suburbsI agreed to go east, where the prescribed lifestyle wouldnt put us in debt.

We bought our standalone in 2013 and spent our days watching the kids run barefoot through our grassy yard and chase fireflies. They swung on the porch swing eating ice cream, climbed the Japanese maple in the front yard, and, during the winter, built snowmen and snow forts in the backyard.

At Quimper Village in Washington, cottage-cluster residents benefit from the workshop and consensus-driven process practiced by McCamant & Durrett and other cohousing architects.

But as they grew older, they didnt stay outside as long in the winter. My husband bemoaned having to shovel snow, and I dreaded having to wake up in the dark to de-ice the car before school drop-offs. Fall and spring were temperate and undeniably magnificent, but spring was often short-lived, giving way to brutally hot and humid summers. Playing or even sitting outside was difficult, the mosquitos merciless. I dreaded summer the most.

More troubling was that as the years wore on, the promises of homeownership started to wear thin. Demanding work weeks gave way to weekends spent in full maintaining our yard. Paychecks would go straight to repairs. Walking around the house some mornings, Id stare at paint cracks in the ceiling, a leaky washing machine, and windows that needed replacing, and feel so overwhelmed that Id want to crawl back into bed. I longed to be able to call a landlord.

Thats about the time my escapist tendencies took over. It was 2020, and I would scour Zillow for single-family homes in Oakland, where my husbands company headquarters were (and where hed be paid more), where we had family and friends, and where a multicultural population would better suit our family (my husband is Afro-Caribbean and Im of Mexican, Scottish, and Danish descent). Everything about it was inviting except for the price tags. Purchasing or renting a standalone in any highly rated public-school district was more than we wanted to pay, and a higher mortgage would mean more work, more stress, and less free time, putting us right back where we started.

Designed by Richard Renner, this coastal cohousing project in Maine consists of three connected homes with shared amenities intended for six individuals. Its small by cohousing standards but remains an effective unit for analysis.

Multifamily rentals, however, were a different story. Options on Zillow still looked relatively expensivein some cases double our Maryland mortgage. But they were cheaper than a California one, and, as renters, if a repair were needed? We could call the landlord.

It got me thinking about my familys needs and preferences for housing, and how they might figure into one of the more dense and expensive areas of California. We knew we wanted all of our interior living spaces to be private, but were happy to share the rest, like yard space, or storage areas. There was even more to gain by moving to a city setting: grocery stores, restaurants, and coffee shops within walking distance, a public transit system that granted more immediate access to museums and music venues, and, with temperate weather year round, a more outdoorsy lifestyle.

"As the years wore on, the promises of homeownership started to wear thin."

The multifamily rental we found was the top level of Victorian-style house thatd recently been remodeled and converted from a single-family residence into two units. While still living in Maryland, the landlord gave us a tour over FaceTime, explaining that a single dad and his five-year-old son live on the lower level in a two-bedroom, and that four UC Berkeley graduate students occupied the four-bedroom ADU at the rear of the backyard, which is shared by all residents. He showed us the laundry room, also shared, which was located in the main houses sizable garage, where every tenant stored things. The day after the tour, we signed a lease. I was in love.

As someone who traded in a standalone in the burbs for a unit on a multifamily property, it was validating to learn about others who are choosing to share aspects of their lives, too. In architectural historian William Richardss new book, Together by Design: The Art and Architecture of Communal Livingfrom Princeton Architectural Press, he covers nearly every corner of community-oriented lifestyles, from cottage clusters in Washington state to an eco-village in Sweden that practices permaculture farming. Richards describes co-living specifically as a "community of unaffiliated individuals renting in a non-ownership position who seek out and utilize shared amenities designed to facilitate sociability." Who knew that would be us, in our new Oakland rental.

From its start in a farmhouse and barn, Suderbyn Permaculture Ecovillage on the Swedish Island of Gotland has grown to a small village of several new and rehabilitated structures and spaces, including a greenhouse for the winter garden and an expansive plot for the summer garden.

After seven weeks here weve grilled and spent time in the yard with our downstairs neighbors, the father and son. Our landlord harvested golden plums from a backyard tree and passed them out to all the residents. Our dog regularly meanders the yard off-leash, wandering through the open back door of the downstairs unit where hes a welcome visitor.

Everyone takes turns wheeling the trash and recycling containers to the curb on pickup day, and recently, my husband and I were on work calls when we heard our downstairs neighbor pleading with parking enforcement not to ticket our car when street sweeping was scheduled. Another neighbor knocked on the front door with my keys after Id unknowingly left them on my car roof. Where Richards writes that living together "can create solutions-oriented structures of mutual support" and "proffer solutions on the front lines of our everyday lives," this, at least in part, must be what hes talking about.

Our new three-address multifamily home facilitates a couple of concepts Richards outlines that werent present in Maryland: selective sharing, and a balance of privacy and togetherness. As a unit, my family has the separation from our neighbors it needs to bond, rest, and recharge, which, as minorities, is especially important to us given the current socio-political climate. We can engage as much or as little as we like while easily contributing to our little community.

When I walk our new neighborhood, I see a significant number of multifamily dwellings that were once single-family houses. And if I walk about three blocks to the east, theres a small "edible park," formerly the site of Merritt College (and where Bobby Seale and Huey Newton met in 1966 and formed the Black Panther Party.) The park, maintained by neighbors and Phat Beets Produce, features numerous fruit trees and a huge vegetable garden that include figs, pomegranates, artichokes, berries, tomatoes, kale, and fava beans, all free to anyone whod like to pick them. Again it brought me back to Richardss book, where he mentions that eco-village in Sweden.

Unsurprisingly, Americans are slower to embrace shared amenities and a community-minded ethos when compared to our European counterparts. Says Richards, "The Cohousing Association of America tracks nearly two hundred cohousing communities in the United States. Globally, that number is much higher, with more examples in every European country (including cohousings origin, Denmark, where an estimated seven hundred communities have formed since the early 1990s), as well as Australia, Canada, China, and New Zealand."

Like the rest of restad, Bjarke Ingels Groups 8 House is far outside of central Copenhagen. The southern half of the neighborhood occupies a borderland between new residential housing and a nature preserve, and the airport and the old city.

The numbers abroad are impressive, but the figures he cites there and in the States dont paint a complete picture, which, I understand, is by design. The communities listed by organizations like the Cohousing Association are formally arranged, making them easier to track. But that doesnt make my familys new arrangement or anyone elses who chooses to live in a similar way any less intentional when it comes to our desire to share amenities or the support systems we benefit from.

Like my family, our downstairs and backyard neighbors made a choice to be where they are. They chose not to commute from a suburb to their places of work and school, or to live in a traditional apartment building that only shares access, and perhaps laundry. In choosing to live with density and share more aspects of daily life, weve all opted to balance privacy and sociability in the same way. That commonality alone connects us, providing a starting point for growing yet stronger as a community.

"In choosing to live with density and share more aspects of daily life, weve all opted to balance privacy and sociability in the same way. That commonality connects us."

As I look around my neighborhood and more in Berkeley and San Francisco, and when I visit Southern California and drive through the East and West Sides of Los Angeles, I see multifamily properties practically everywhere. Personally, I have friends with children whove opted to share property with other friends and their children. More recently, I met two unmarried millennial couples who share a two-bedroom condo on the coast in Dana Point, California. Its easy to see that choosing to live more closely together is happening at a large scale.

When my family and I first arrived in Oakland, we drove to the Emeryville marina two miles from our new home to escape the heat on one unseasonably warm day. I stared at the bays expanse of water and San Francisco beyond. From that vantage, its towering buildings glittered in the sunlight, taking on the appearance of some sort of promised land. For so long Id convinced myself that contentment was a single-family house in the suburbs. But in that moment I thought to myself, my multifamily residence in Oakland is exactly where I want to be.

With a growing population comes a growing need for innovative, sustainable housing. Together by Design explores the architectural and social benefits of communal living and shared spaces.

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The Unexpected Satisfaction of Leaving Behind the American Dream - Dwell

What is accessibility and digital inclusion?

It means that websites and web tools are appropriately designed to ensure that people with disabilities can use them to complete tasks in the same amount of time and effort as others who do not have a disability. The critical component of accessibility is being intentional about providing an inclusive and more equitable experience. One goal of accessibility is removing barriers for all members of the community and beyond.

In the panel, Kyle pointed out that an accessibility spectrum exists. There is no single definition of accessibility that applies to all user needs and preferences when utilizing digital products.

Penns Digital Accessibility Policy states that the University websites and web applications that are created or undergo significant revisions or redesign after April 1, 2022, are expected to meet The Worldwide Web Consortiums Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, according to Penns Accessibility website.

Why is it important to have these conversations in the workplace?

Accessibility is a component of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, so it is important to have these conversations because web accessibility is a shared, continuous professional responsibility for members of the Penn community. We are all involved in developing, creating, publishing, or sharing digital resources. Its our collective responsibility to bring awareness and take action, to increase inclusion and decrease exclusion.

As Kara pointed out in the discussion, accessibility doesnt just stop at websites and tools; it extends to include our emails, registration forms, and all other methods of digital communications. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in every four adults in the United States has a disability. Members of the panel further drove that point home during the discussion, mentioning we run the risk of excluding roughly 20 percent of the adult population from participating in and consuming digital content if we dont work to make digital spaces accessible.

What did the panel reveal about barriers for people with physical disabilities?

The panel revealed a range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities, which should be taken into account when implementing accessibility measures.

The panelists also pointed out that physical disabilities can be temporary, permanent, or situational. An example is if someone suffers from a car accident or sports injury, this may temporarily impact their mobility to use a mouse, hindering their ability to navigate digital spaces. Even aging can play a factor in our ability to interact with websites and web tools. Many of our web tools, computers, and mobile devices have built-in accessibility features that allow those with mobility issues to navigate the digital world without using a mouse.

What were the obstacles in digital spaces that were addressed during the panel discussion?

The panel discussed issues for people using assistive technology such as screen readers. People using screen readers can encounter obstacles in understanding the image content on the page that does not have alt text. When images do not contain ALT text, a person who is blind will not be able to see the image, and the screen reader will tell them it is there with no further context or explanation. The ALT text attribute of an on-page picture will be read aloud to people who use screen readers; this helps them understand the value and context of images on the page. Another obstacle mentioned during this panel was how using flashing objects, transitions, and other effects might harm our community members who suffer from epilepsy. These effects should be used sparingly and should contain a content warning or be avoided. These are examples of technological obstacles that impede users ability to engage with the content and have a similar experience as someone who does not have a disability.

Why does representation matter?

Representation matters because we all have a role to play in creating a more inclusive community and working towards normalizing conversations that address systemic issues that further marginalize people. Representation in digital accessibility can offer affirmation and support to the underrepresented members of our communities and provide an equitable experience for all. It fosters an inclusive culture and creates a sense of belonging.

What were some ways to improve digital inclusion and accessibility?

Awareness is essential and will help members of the Penn community work closely with and utilize the accessibility guidance and resources that Penn offers. Ask a question, schedule a consultation, or get help from Penns Web Accessibility Team.

We received sound advice from the panel; during the panel discussion, one tip was to be mindful the next time you create content, email, registration forms, etc., and think about accessibility first. Consider organizing your content differently and in different formats, using captions, text-based transcripts, descriptive labels in form fields, and especially images. Provide multiple ways users can consume your content. An example from the panel was if you are presenting something visual, be sure to use ALT text, and you can also audibly describe images, charts, and tables.

Anything to add?

To help foster digital inclusivity here at Penn, there are four things you can do to get started:

And lastly:

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How to improve accessibility and digital inclusion | Penn Today - Penn Today

Minneapolis, MN As the Twin Cities metro area becomes more diverse, the city of Minneapolis trails behind the regions growth in diversity, with a population trending disproportionately whiter, wealthier, and, consequently more conservative in the past decade. This article demonstrates the intentionality behind this shift and the various tools at the citys disposal to turnover undesirable neighborhoods, and challenges the notion that upzoning on its face will create a more equitable city.

What has replaced the dialogue on urban problems is a public discourse that indicates active antagonism towards the poor.

Minneapolis has experienced a real estate boom since the economic crash of 2008 which was triggered when lenders gave out millions of discriminatory home loans with adjustable interest rates to mostly Black and brown families causing a massive nationwide mortgage default.

In the past decade, the city added over 20,000 new units to its housing stock, with the overwhelming majority being rental units. With increased housing supply, Minneapolis added 60,000 new residents, according to the 2020 census. In recent years, the City of Minneapolis has attempted to codify upzoning, a practice where multi-family housing stock is increased citywide, with its 2040 plan that banned the new construction of single family homes throughout the city.

Despite the massive increase in housing stock, recent data suggests that the vast majority of new residents are white and of higher income. In 2010, Minneapolis was still a homeowner majority city but today it is a majority renter city with renters making up 53% of housing occupants.

At the same time, the median household income has skyrocketed by 42%, from $46,508 in 2010 to $66,068 in 2020. That suggests that its not just a construction boom but rather a luxury apartment rental boom targeted at a higher income demographic.

A former Minneapolis police officer told Unicorn Riot that the city used the war on drugs as the pretext to remove Black and brown communities from targeted areas to help make way for the population boom.

Sarah Saarela, a former cop turned vocal critic after officers from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) murdered Jamar Clark, said Weed and Seed was a federally funded war-on-drugs-era program MPD used to police certain parts of the city. The Central neighborhood was targeted heavily by MPD in the 2000s to arrest and remove the Bloods, referring to the notorious street gang that made their homebase in Central.

George Floyd was murdered by officer Derek Chauvin on the border of the Central neighborhood. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue where Floyd was killed, is still home to the Bloods. That corner has been a prime target of MPD for decades, according to Saarela. However, it didnt start and end with the Bloods. The whole Black community was swept up in overzealous policing, as demonstrated by Floyds murder. It was all about arresting people for livability crimes, which really was just white people calling the cops on Black people for anything, Saarela said.

Livability offenses stem from post slavery vagrancy policies, also known as Black Codes, which were codified into law at the beginning of the Jim Crow era in order to criminalize Black men for petty issues in efforts to re-enslave them.

The Central neighborhood is part of Minneapolis historic Black Southside. Due to past racist housing policies such as redlining, where banks would systematically deny loans in Black communities after labeling them risky for investing, and racially restrictive housing covenants, it was one of few neighborhoods in South Minneapolis where Black families could live and put down roots.

However, in the past decade, the white population of Central has increased over sixty percent, growing from 21% of the neighborhood in 2010 to 34% today. Conversely, the Black population has halved in past decades, going from 46% of the community in 1990 to just 24% percent today. These trends are part of a bigger agenda, according to the former cop. Weed and Seed was designed to displace Black and brown people and make way for gentrification, Saarela said.

Downtown Minneapolis has some of the most expensive real estate in Minnesota. According to the Star Tribune, the increase in downtown Minneapolis residents alone accounts for more than one third of the citys population boom. Downtown increased by more than 22,000 people, growing from 34,000 residents in 2010 to 56,077 residents in 2021, largely due to its massive increase in luxury rental units.

Throughout this series, Unicorn Riot has reported on the SafeZone surveillance program in downtown Minneapolis. Target Corporation, downtowns largest employer, in partnership with the city and county, created the SafeZone in efforts to rid the citys center of undesired populations including unhoused people and transform downtown into a playground for young corporate professionals.

A former Target insider who wishes to remain unidentified recently told Unicorn Riot that former CEO Robert Ulrich is a staunch racist and constantly complained about Black men hanging outside Targets flagship downtown store. Target and local authorities created the sweeping surveillance program to deliberately target Black men with state-of-the-art surveillance cameras, livability crime arrests, and a vast network of law enforcement partners.

Target explicitly worked to suburbanize downtown. One Target executive said candidly in an interview from 2012, [T]he guest demographic we seek is very much a woman with childrenwe want to be a lot more like Disney World and a lot less like a flea market. Targets stake in downtown Minneapolis is more like that of a real estate investor than a big box retail corporation because of its massive headquarters located there, according to sociologist Dr. Michael McQuarrie.

The geographic restriction policy, which has been detailed in this series by Unicorn Riot, is a commonly activated tool used by SafeZone authorities to make downtown more livable for new, wealthier residents. A judge could geographically restrict someone from being downtown after theyve acquired a number of livability offenses and it has been determined by the judge that they refuse to follow conditions outlined by the court.

The overwhelming majority of people on the downtown geo-restriction list are Black. Geo-restrictions, which critics say resembles Jim Crow segregation, were struck down as unconstitutional by a grand jury years ago. But as previously reported, thanks to legal loopholes the practice continues today as prosecutors and judges found ways to work around it and placate corporate backers.

Dr. Edward Goetz, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs professor and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, has written extensively about the tools the City of Minneapolis has at its disposal to remove poor people from the city, primarily the war on drugs. What has replaced the dialogue on urban problems is a public discourse, that he says, indicate[s] active antagonism towards the urban poor.

CODEFOR, which is short for Computer Optimized Deployment Focused on Results, was the citys first predictive data analytics program that tracked arrests and mapped crime hotspots in efforts to predict future crime trends, also known as predictive policing.

In his book Clearing the Way: Deconcentrating the Poor in Urban America, Dr. Goetz wrote about the controversy the program caused. Shortly after its rollout, The program became a flashpoint in the African American community, which regarded CODEFOR as simply an institutional form of harassment. The NAACPcalled the program an unchecked abuse of police power aimed at people of color, Goetz wrote. They labeled this technology racially discriminatory because of its focus on minor offenses committed by Black men in core urban neighborhoods, including downtown, while ignoring those of white men occuring in wealthier parts of town.

Saarela remembers using CODEFOR when she was on the force. At roll call the sergeant would tell us we needed to get our numbers up, Saarela told Unicorn Riot, referring to livability crime arrests. They would tell us what neighborhoods we needed to target more. Saarela said they never used any racist language but it was implied.

CODEFOR had adverse effects on real estate in targeted communities. By using data to identify crime hotspots, this drove down demand as real estate agents steered people away from communities labeled high crime. But in communities that were being gentrified, realtors used racial undertones to assure clients that the neighborhood was turning over, according to Saarela, whose parents were Twin Cities realtors for two decades.

Many activists believe that crime data in communities of color is intentionally inflated to harm those communities making them more vulnerable to real estate investors and predatory lenders. The inflation of crime data hurts communities by driving down home values thus decreasing the already struggling communitys wealth, even when those neighborhoods are not particularly unsafe.

Former Minneapolis Ward 2 City Council member Cam Gordon told Unicorn Riot that he too believes CODEFOR crime data was inflated in communities of color but cannot prove it. Even we [council members] encouraged people to call 911 over any little thing. Former officer Sarah Saarela confirmed to Unicorn Riot that MPD absolutely inflated crime data in communities of color using CODEFOR.

Gordon said CODEFOR data was public and the City of Minneapolis gave it to lenders and realtors regularly. Leading up to the Great Recession, data indicates that lenders including Wells Fargo and Countywide sold Black and brown families riskier home mortgages. With sophisticated technology, similar to CODEFOR, and numerous sources of publicly available data to identify potential customers, predatory lenders turn towards those very same neighborhoods police deem hotspots to market their products.

Big banks target communities with predatory loans where they believe the customers are financially unsophisticated or vulnerable, and therefore most likely to accept highly unfavorable loan terms, according to the federally sponsored lending corporation, Fannie Mae. In turn, this leads to increased mortgage defaults, home foreclosures, homelessness, and incarceration, thus completing the cycle of removal and achieving the desired outcomes of public and private interests.

Urban policy is less about revitalizing cities and neighborhoods, and combating the disinvestment of capital, and it is more and more about controlling the dangerous classes.

Through heavy-handed policing and predatory lending public and private interests converge, resulting in the loss of wealth, greater criminalization, continued discrimination and increased state violence against communities of color.

Although Minnesota ranks above all other states and Washington, D.C., for how well its residents are doing collectively, it ranks as the fourth most segregated state in the country. The gap between white and Black households in Minneapolis is one of the most pronounced in the U.S.

The Minneapolis metro has the lowest homeownership rate for Black people and the largest homeownership gap in the nation with a 51% gap between white and Black residents.

The median income for white households in Minneapolis is almost $74,000, while Black households earn slightly over $23,000 today, amounting to a $51,000 pay gap on average, which is the second worst in the nation following Milwaukee.

Democratic political strategist Kendal Killian, who formerly worked in city hall and currently serves as senior advisor to Congresswoman Ilhan Omars reelection campaign, recently tweeted that this conservative shift in the city is not a natural one but one that was intentional by city leaders. Our politics have shifted, and the very people we sought to attract are voting in their own self-interest. This is the city we deliberately sought to create.

In a phone interview with Unicorn Riot, Killian said that the City of Minneapolis fate is not inevitable. The way it trended whiter and more conservative in the past decade, it can also trend the opposite over this decade, if there was political will for it.

Coming out of the 2008 recession, the mayor at the time, R.T. Rybak, used loud dog whistles and talked about attracting a certain demographic of young corporate professionals to the city with promises of breweries, boutique eateries, dog parks, grocery coops and farmers markets. Importantly, critics point out that behind the mayors rhetoric were draconian policies that displaced poor residents of color.

Recent data presented in this article demonstrates that the practice of upzoning alone wont ensure population diversity or racial equity when authorities have at their disposal a number of policies to deconcentrate communities of color that they have deemed problematic.

Dr. Goetz believes such policies are little more than the authorities way to target communities they consider threatening. Urban policy is less about revitalizing cities and neighborhoods, and combating the disinvestment of capital, he wrote, and it is more and more about controlling the dangerous classes.

About the author: Marjaan Sirdar is a South Minneapolis based freelance writer and host of the People Power Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @peoplepowerpod1.

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Clearing the Way for a Whiter, Wealthier Tax Base in Minneapolis - UNICORN RIOT - Unicorn Riot

In April, the North Star Civic Foundation, a good-government think tank, received results of a poll it had commissioned a month earlier to gauge public sentiment about charter reform to change the city of Portlands form of government. Less than two months later, the 20-member Charter Commission would send its reform package to the November ballot on a 17-3 vote.

The survey asked 500 respondentswith an intentional overrepresentation of BIPOC Portlanderssuch broad questions as whether they wanted a big overhaul of City Hall or only minor tweaks; what voters top concerns were regarding government effectiveness; and whether people felt represented by City Hall.

It listed three major reforms the Charter Commission was poised to recommend: ranked-choice voting, multimember geographic districts, and a city administrator form of government.

It asked another question of respondents, one that now appears freshly relevant: Would you prefer to vote on charter reform as separate ballot questions or combined into one measure?

Charter Chart

The groups most in favor of separate proposals are young women, voters in North Portland, and lower-income voters, pollsters wrote.

The polls findings appear to fly in the face of the measure placed on the November ballot by the Charter Commission, which voted overwhelmingly to bundle all three reforms into a single ballot question. Charter commissioners have said the reforms they proposeda city administrator, ranked-choice voting, and multimember districtsare too interdependent to separate.

The Portland Business Alliance has challenged the single-question measure in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Aug. 11.

The PBA was among the funders of the North Star poll, along with Oregon Smart Growth, the Metropolitan Association of Realtors, and the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland. That was back when the citys chamber of commerce and its leading business interests were eager to see charter reformbut in a much different form than its now taken.

What now appears peculiar is why the complete poll results werent presented to charter commissioners in April.

On June 15, Charter Commission project manager Julia Meier sent an email to all Portland City Council chiefs of staff. It linked to three public opinion polls that Meier said were presented to the commission.

The Lake Research poll commissioned by North Star was one of the three listed. But it was a truncated version. That 72% of respondents said they wanted separate ballot questions did not appear in the version sent to City Council offices.

This week, WW obtained the full survey that included that particular questionwhich was never presented to charter commissioners and never provided to the public.

Caitlin Baggott Davis, executive director of North Star, says the omission was not intentional, but rather her group wanted to focus on the core takeaways from the poll so it could message appropriately when promoting charter reform: Our focus in the March poll was to understand if voters feel represented by Portland city government, and if they feel that services are being provided well. They dont. We focused the presentation on that.

Its also important to contextualize the period in which the poll was taken: It was before anyone knew that the issue of separate questions versus a combined question would so badly splinter interest groups on charter reform.

Four charter commissioners tell WW they never saw the poll, nor the shorter version.

Commissioner Robin Ye says seeing this question doesnt change anything for him: Theres an overwhelming sense of support for big structural change, and the policy proposal from the commission is best and only can be presented in a single package, because thats how the reform policy works together, in tandem.

(Sofia lvarez-Castro, communications coordinator for the Charter Commission, says the truncated version was publicly available but not formally presented to charter commissioners.)

The full Lake Research poll raises a number of questions. Perhaps the biggest one is about transparency: Why was an important question in a public opinion poll not shared with charter commissioners?

Meanwhile, results of another poll presented to charter commissioners in April asked a similar question.

Commissioned by Building Power for Communities of Color, which now leads the campaign to promote the reform measure, and Represent.Us, a nonprofit that advocates ranked-choice voting, the poll asked respondents which of two statements they agreed with more: Portland government is such a mess that we need to pass this whole package of reforms or We should only focus on changing Portlands form of government. Fifty-seven percent of respondents chose the former statement, and 31% chose the latter.

A slide from a March GBAO poll about charter reform. (GBAO Strategies)

(Another poll by FM3 Research, commissioned and funded by North Star and BPCC and presented to charter commissioners in March, asked about combining two of the three proposals. In that poll, adding more than one reform to the ballot question did not hurt, or help, the favorability of either reform.)

North Star, which commissioned the poll that showed voters had doubts, is now joining the campaign to pass the full charter reform package.

The campaign tells WW its raised $200,000 so far.

Link:

A Polling Result Never Seen by the City's Charter Commission Shows Portlanders Overwhelmingly Favored Placing Three Reforms on the Ballot Separately -...

Teen pregnancy can upend a students life and educational career and can set families back for generations. For Miami-Dade County School Board Member Steve Gallon, the issue is a personal one: his first child Kastevia Gallon-Martin was born when he was just 16 years old.

He talked about his experience as a teenage father at a recent school board meeting during a debate over whether the district should adopt two comprehensive health textbooks and teach sex education in the fall.

I look at it based on my journey that started in 1985, as a product of this or lack thereof. A former teenage father while a student at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Gallon said. So it is personal for me.

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Miami-Dade County Public Schools will be offering sex ed in the fall after the school board reversed its previous vote to throw out the two textbooks. The decision to reject the books, and effectively opt out the entire district from receiving sex education, drew public outcry and national attention.

WLRN education reporter Kate Payne spoke with Gallon about his experience as a teen dad raising his daughter Kastevia, and the importance of sex ed for him and for students in the district.

The following is an excerpt of their conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Courtesy of Steve Gallon

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Courtesy of Steve Gallon

GALLON: At that particular time I was 16 years old. The mother was 16 years old. We were high school students and we found ourselves in that situation. Fortunately, we had resources. We had information on how to navigate our way through that particular challenging time.

All fathers are not as responsible as I was at a very young age, because I really accepted that obligation and fulfilled it with fidelity and integrity. But let's face it: life would have been different had I not had to have that additional responsibility. Tremendously blessed with my children. Would not have had it any other way. It was part of God's plan. But obviously, it was not intentional.

I've been tremendously blessed, graduating from high school, attending college, earning a master's and a doctoral degree. But I know that I'm the exception, not the rule. And obviously many of our young people are shackled. Teenage parenthood can become an albatross for the rest of their lives.

Once you drop out of school, you're compounding many of the challenges in life. And information is power. And what we cannot do in any educational scenario is deny children an opportunity to be powerful in their decision making.

WLRN: What was that time like in your life? How did you experience that in the moment, as far as trying to stay on the path of education and graduating high school?

GALLON: Very difficult. But again, I had tremendous support that did not simply come from my home. Educators, counselors, administrators, members in the community, wrapped their arms around me, gave me some guidance, gave me some support.

But again, never would say it was easy. We have legions of young people that fall to the wayside educationally because of decisions they make at a very young age. Find themselves terminally on the margins of our society. And that's something that education should try to mitigate as much as possible.

WLRN: Youre a product of Miami-Dade public schools. What did you learn in middle school and high school about sex? Could that have put you on a different trajectory if you had more information during that critical time in your life?

GALLON: Yeah, absolutely. It could have. I graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School. My parents once again did not have the talk. But it's not that I was not able to have access to the information. Could it have been amplified a little more?

But at the end of the day, it comes down to individual decisions that we all make. I think our children and our youth need to be equipped with as much information to make the best decisions possible.

WLRN: For teen mothers, only half of them will go on to graduate high school. Their children are more likely to struggle in school, to drop out and to be incarcerated. What more can the district do to support teen parents?

GALLON: I think the district has been a leader. In my last position in this district, I was [in charge of] alternative education. I was over the schools that served young mothers and teenage parents.

I want to say mothers and teenage parents, because fathers, they can get the resources, they can access additional information and guidance. Our district does provide these particular programs.

Can we do more? Absolutely. And as you indicated through those particular data points, those issues show up not simply in our schools. They show up in our communities, they show up throughout the state, and quite frankly, they show up in underserved, underperforming and under-resourced communities. It often leads, specifically for young African American or Hispanic males, to a pathway toward prison, poverty or an early death.

And we have an obligation, we have a responsibility both professionally and morally to make sure that we equip students with the lifelong skills that they're going to need. And some people believe that that's not our role, that's not our responsibility. But our parents, our families many of them are depending on us.

WLRN Senior Editor For News Jessica Bakeman contributed to this story.

Excerpt from:

This Miami-Dade school board member was a teen father. That shaped his views on sex ed - WLRN

Loren Taylor, a third-generation Oakland resident, has a background in biomedical engineering and management consulting. He joined the City Council as the District 6 representative, defeating incumbent Desley Brooks in 2018.

In an interview with The Oaklandside, Taylor looked back on his first term and discussed the major issues facing District 6 and Oakland, from public safety to the Oakland As Howard Terminal ballpark project, which he views more as a real estate deal than a stadium proposal. He also addressed the fact that hes a landlord, his association with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and expressed a desire to get more community members involved in City Council meetings.

This is part of our series of Q&As with councilmembers. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

You are nearly done with your first term. Looking back over the past three years, what are some moments you are most proud of?

Weve had a number of accomplishments. Weve transformed the work and the feel of District 6 and the opportunities that exist there. Examples include the creation of Liberation Park in partnership with the Black Cultural Zone collaborative, more than 30 community organizations, my office having been at the center of envisioning what could be, and supporting and guiding that development. It was an eyesore and a blight on the community and now its an urban oasis, with an outdoor roller-skating rink, turf field, recurring farmers market, and healing place. All of that is indicative of what weve done partnering with the community to transform spaces into positivity.

Another thing Im extremely proud of and grateful for is the establishment of the ESO Ventures Entrepreneurship program, where we partnered with Merritt College to create an entrepreneurship accelerator. Weve got four cohorts who have graduated through that. We are talking about businesses and entrepreneurs anchored to East Oakland tapping into their own innovation, to create value and giving the tools, competence, confidence, and the capital to do so. And going as far to get $8 million from the state budget to invest in Oakland businesses who traditionally struggled to get capital.

When it comes to public safety, I am proud of standing up for a deliberate process of reimaging public safety to make sure we not only redesign and transform the system we have around public safety and criminal justice but do so in a way that protects folks, ensures their continued safety, and that we uphold the need for strong support for residents who call 911 looking for help.

How do you strike that balance when it comes to the question of how many officers are needed to patrol Oakland vs. the communitys call for a non-police response, such as MACRO?

I am connected to the communities that have the highest amounts of crime, violence, and calls for service. Those who are making those calls say absolutely we need to reimagine and transform, and they say if we take away police right now without an alternative in place we know what will happen. It will cost lives. That will disproportionately impact Black and brown communities.

The way to move forward is to acknowledge that what weve had is framing that its either police and enforcement or violence prevention and focuses on root causes. It has to be both. I often describe the analogy of its just like when we built the eastern span of the Bay Bridge. We didnt annihilate and get rid of the old bridge before the new bridge was up, running, tested, and demonstrated to be effective. That new bridge we know had some faults that needed to be worked on and fixed, like the cracks in bolts and suspension cables. Just like as we move from one bridge to the next one, we have to have a transition and keep the old one in place as a backup and sustain the need it serves we have to do the same with public safety.

That means our current public safety system is the solution when it comes to violent crimes, calls for services, investigations, community policing, partnership, and that is exactly what we need to maintain while we also build up the alternative models as we deploy the violence prevention efforts that we all are hoping will set us up for a reimagined state of less punitive, more intervention root cause investment.

I asked about some of your proudest moments. Are there any moments you regret? Anything you havent been able to get done?

I dont know necessarily if I have regrets. I stand with all the decisions Ive made. I think I engage and approach policy and decision-making very deliberately with intentional analysis, community engagement, and that has been reflected in the decisions Ive made. There are some areas I wish I could have gone further. There is a next step to advance when you look at some of the economic opportunities and challenges.

One thing my district has been yearning for is an additional grocery store. Right now, we only have two grocery stores and they are smaller, family-owned grocers. We are still a food desert in District 6. We dont have a single bank for 64,000 residents. Its great we were able to get some additional ATM service stations, but that is something when you look at the lack of amenities in District 6 we are building the groundwork to get there, its something we havent been able to close on yet.

There are still significant infrastructure gaps and disparities that exist when you go into East Oakland versus other parts of the city versus other neighboring cities. When you look at the blight, illegal dumping, and litter. We have done a yeomans job of responding and creating some alternative investments adding programs like the Beautification Council to put our unhoused residents to work, helping to clean our streets and our areas. We have invested in surveillance technology and brought in more environmental enforcement officers to keep people from dumping in our city. There is still a way to go. You see the disparity.

One of the things I pushed for when I got in was to push for transparency and a true performance management system in the city. While that was one of my first resolutions I pushed for on the council, we still havent gotten a response from the administration. I lay that at the mayor and city administrators feet. Its fundamental for us to have performance dashboards for every department, having transparency to where we can all be held accountable.

On an eight-person council, its important to build consensus. In what ways do you think the council has found consensus to accomplish its goals?

When I look at the council, where we are able to make progress and alignment, in general theres alignment on values where we wanna go. The issue comes in when you talk about the execution of the path to get there. Where we align is around some of the investments. We agree we have got to be able to prioritize more investments toward homelessness and housing, to more alternative solutions to a gun and a badge response where its not needed and not as effective. I dont think the misalignment is on where we are going, it is on how we get there.

On public safety, it seems you have a number of folks who want to move more aggressively without taking into account the safety concerns that many if not the majority of Oakland residents have. With housing and homelessness, we all agree we want to get people housed and stop people from becoming unhoused. The dichotomy that is happening is when it comes to how much we invest in the ultimate solution of getting people into housing. And how much of those dollars we take away from long-term housing in order to make the unfortunate reality of those living on the streets invest there. You see that coming into play in terms of creating a kitchen or commissary in encampments versus should those dollars be invested into creating long-term solutions. The challenge is when we dont come together and talk in substance about these differences and at least call the question so we can call the vote and move forward. Instead, we talk around each other and above each other.

If you could change one big thing about the way Oakland government works, what would it be. Dont be afraid to take a big swing here.

What we are missing is we have a small fraction of people who have the time, the resources, and some are professionally paid or incentivized to come to council meetings to advocate. That voice crowds out others. Their voice has a disproportionate weight and impact on decision-making.

What I would change is creating a better representative voice at these critical decision-making moments. Obviously, its on each of us as councilmembers to be in touch with the breadth of our constituency and not simply react to the louder voices in the room. But Ive seen that occur to what I believe is the detriment of the collective voice of Oaklanders are wanting and needing.

The other thing is I think we have to come back in person to having at least the councilmembers together. Having the interaction between elected officials where we have to look each other in the eye, where we have to come together, it can force us to get out of our echo chambers, and engage each other as people and counterparts. I see the benefit of being in closer proximity.

When was the last time the full council was in the same room together?

Before the pandemic. Because of the Brown Act, the only time we come together is in a public meeting and we havent had an in-person public meeting. We have two councilmembers who are new and have never been in an in-person meeting with the full council. In my experience on the council, prior to the pandemic, theres the humanity of seeing your colleagues in person and having coffee and seeing each other at the water cooler.

Youre running for mayor. How do you feel about the fact that a lot of people associate you with Mayor Schaaf, seeing your candidacy as a continuation of her legacy?

That is a naivety of lazy analysis and not really paying attention to facts and activities on the ground. Anybody who sees my record knows I have been driving an agenda that I have established based on the engagement with my constituents. When you look at my major accomplishments none of them have to do with Mayor Schaaf. When you look at the policy positions that Ive had, they are independently driven and at times opposite of the mayors. When you look at the decision to not support Measure AA revenue collection until the courts ruled, that was a clear stance on the opposite side of the mayor.

My push to establish City Hall East, which still hasnt happened, but I am pushing for it because I do think we have to have a satellite presence of City Hall in East Oakland, thats something the mayor is not supportive of but I am extremely passionate about. Look at where I have sided with others on the council on the opposite side. There are folks who simply want to fill their own narrative and arent actually paying attention to whats happening. Its unfortunate thats a narrative thats been adopted since Ive been on council but when presented with facts folks dont have much to say or counter. The only way that I can counter that is with what is actually happening and those who pay attention will see and acknowledge that, and those are the ones who are supporting me.

How would you define your existing base of support? And who are you working to convince next?

I am not a typical politician. We have Sheng Thao who grew up as an intern staffer and chief of staff, career politician and corporate ladder politics. Treva Reid is also running for mayor and the majority of her career has been working in and around government, as a staffer to legislators and as a lobbyist. I am a kid from Oakland, born and raised here, who has been successful outside in corporate America as an engineer, as a management consultant, and as an entrepreneur. If you see something that is broken in your town you have a responsibility to extend the blessings and experiences youve had to benefit others. And that is what draws me here. I am making decisions for Oakland first and not for career growth. When I look at the opportunities to serve and what Oakland needs now, Oakland needs someone who is going to be all in.

Howard Terminal. What commitments from the As do you need to feel comfortable approving a deal and community benefits package?

I see Howard Terminal as a real estate transaction deal. Only 10% has to do with a baseball stadium. I am looking to get out of this deal the best possible options for the city of Oakland. When I look at an investment opportunity, I am looking at what we are putting in and asking, are we going to get significant multiples of value in return? If Im looking at getting 10 times the return that we as a city invest from the public, then we should be looking at how all of the value that comes back to us aggregates to that. That includes affordable housing. We have already established a 35% affordable housing target for whats expected in the deal. Job creation.

It has to do with additional revenue created, year over year, moving from less than $100,000 in property taxes moving to tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue per year. It has to do with the workforce development opportunities, with cultural arts, investments into our aging infrastructure.

All of those benefits have to be added up in a way that shows we are getting 10 times what we are investing. In that situation, we are getting a win, even when the party on the other side of the table also gets a benefit. I dont see why just because the other side of the table is benefiting that we have to say, no we are against the project, because we are not worried about their financials, we are worried about ours. In most cases, you need to have a win-win in order to make that work. I know I am working hard to make sure the city gets that win and I know that the As are working on their side to do the same. I see light at the end of the tunnel to create that win-win that sets Oakland up for greater success and more revenues to invest in the problems we face.

You are a landlord, correct?

Yes.

As a landlord, do you see any conflict on issues that either help or hurt landlords? Where do you draw the line?

There is absolutely no conflict. I think its important to acknowledge that property ownership is the primary vehicle that wealth has been created in the Black community and other underserved communities over the past couple of generations. It is not something to shy away from or feel as though its a negative. We have been at a deficit since slavery and when you talk about creating inter-generational wealth opportunities in the Black community, real estate ownership has been a vehicle for that.

So I dont see a conflict of interest with someone who understands all sides of the real estate equation. I see that as a huge benefit that is missing with a lot of the decision-making thats occurring. I have been a property owner, I have been a renter, and I am a current homeowner. Understanding all three of those vantage points is important to make sure we strike the right balance in whats needed with respect to our policies. Its lopsided perspectives that set us up for longer-term frustration, pain, and challenges. I do believe that when you are looking for the sweet spot in policy, where you are supporting all sides in a way that ensures longterm effectiveness, youve gotta make sure that rental property owners are incentivized to keep properties on the market, to be positive members of the community.

When policies swing too far and disproportionately put a heavier burden on property owners, the property owners who suffer are the Black, brown, low-income property owners who have had this as a pathway to actually moving from lower class to middle class and building some inter-generational wealth. Black communities still have, I think, somewhere on the order of 10 to 20% of the wealth in terms of asset value in their families as their white counterparts. Equity means we have to look at everyone.

This whole thing about a conflict of interest is an issue that we need to get around. Theres no conflict of interest just by being a property owner and having that perspective. A lot of the policies being created push us small mom-and-pop landlords out and who buys it? Its investors who no longer live in the community and treat it more corporate and therefore as less lenient and less understanding and more value extracting as opposed to community building. So the downside of having weighted policies is we end up creating more of a divide between the property owners and the community and that makes things worse for everybody. I think its better to support local mom-and-pop property owners like me and many West Oakland, East Oakland residents who care without being required to do so.

Is there anything else you wish I had asked?

You didnt ask about the fact that I am from Oakland, born and raised here. When you look at the other mayoral candidates they came here as adults, at least the ones who are frontrunners. I think that has a huge impact on the ability to represent and the connectivity within the community. My grandparents, when I was growing up, lived in North Oakland, 65th Street and Shattuck. I grew up and went to Joaquin Miller Elementary and Montera Middle School in District 4.

My first job was on San Leandro Street in East Oakland at a glass packing factory where I earned enough to pay for my own drivers ed. My mom was a bilingual teacher in Oakland Unified and taught in the Fruitvale District. When you talk about the connection to different communities that is something that has a strong value and benefit as we move forward and make sure we are pulling together different communities. That is a perspective that is necessary in order to help solve the challenges we have as a city.

Continued here:

Oakland City Hall in conversation: Loren Taylor - The Oaklandside

Wisconsin Public Education Network announced Jennifer Black as its 2022 Changemaker of the Year during the 8th Annual Summer Summit on July 21.

Jennifer Black is a parent and advocate for public schools in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, a small city in Lincoln County situated between Wausau and Rhinelander. As her home school districts budget tightened and two referendum efforts narrowly failed, Jen founded and chaired a community advisory committee, the Champions of Tomahawk School District, to support a remarkable referendum effort in the spring of 2022. By engaging with her local community, local businesses, educators union members, school administrators, professionals and board members, Jen was able to educate her community, rally them to support their public schools, and pass the latest referendum with Tomahawks largest-ever voter turnout in a non-presidential election. The effort, under Jens leadership, was an incredible show of support for public schools in rural Wisconsin.

There is no dollar amount that can be placed on the efforts and value of Jen Blacks advocacy for our public schools, our kids and our community, said Deb Velleux, a Tomahawk School Board member. Jen has the uncanny ability to reach all types of mindsets and viewpoints and arrive at a mutual understanding of the needs of our school district and students. Not only is the School District of Tomahawk blessed to have the advocacy efforts of Jen Black, but the community as well.

Jen Black said: Despite many obstacles, our focus remained on the children of our community and the fact that we can all agree that all children should have access to a safe, quality education with exceptional teachers and staff in a well maintained school. And when schools are successful, communities thrive.

Wisconsin Public Education Networks Northeast Regional Organizer, Denise Gaumer Hutchison, who has closely followed Champions of Tomahawk Public Schools work, praised the 2022 Changemaker of the Year selection: Jennifer Black fully represents what community organizing and support for public education looks like. She did not shy away from hard conversations and was willing to discuss the importance of supporting strong public schools with every faction of the community.

Black added: [One] thing Im most proud of, and that I believe that other champions across Wisconsin can do in achieving similar goals, is to continue to focus on the nonpartisan nature of education. Our children should not be pawns or transactions in political warfare.

Jennifer Black is the fourth recipient of this annual award recognizing local advocates who make a transformative impact for students and their public schools. Past recipients are Chris Hambuch-Boyle (2019, Eau Claire), Tara LeRoy (2020, Palmyra-Eagle), and Martha Siravo (2021, Madison).

Jennifer Black was selected from a group of nine finalists working courageously to support students across the state. Read about our other finalists in these paraphrased excerpts from their nominators below:

Diana Delbecchi, Green Bay

Community Schools Coordinator, Green Bay Area Public School District

Diana works tirelessly for the children and families in her school including writing grants, coordinating student community projects, and building community partnerships.She spends hours working to provide kids with experiences that would otherwise be impossible for their families.

Andrea Gumbel, Sun Prairie

Educator, Sun Prairie Area School District

Andrea strives to make her classroom a welcome space for ALL students. She is intentional in all she does to support diversity, inclusion, equity, and social-emotional learning. Andrea participates on her schools equity team, personalizes her curriculum to meet the needs of her students, stays abreast of best practices, and makes meaningful connections with her students and families.

Mike Jones, Madison

President, Madison Teachers Incorporated

Mike has played an active role in supporting students, teachers, and the community, going above and beyond to unify and uplift folks. He has worked to bring together various community groups to work collectively to support equity in education. All that he does uplifts and works to create real change.

Christopher Jorgenson, Eau Claire

Director, UW-Eau Claire Gender and Sexuality Resource Center

Chris has provided powerful insights and instruction for Eau Claire Area School District staff on issues of equity and diversity that have both challenged and strengthened teachers practices. He has courageously supported teachers through a challenging year, as they work to support their students.

Ray Mendez, Madison

Disability Advocate and Madison Metropolitan School District Parent

Ray has a passion for bringing issues concerning special education into a public space and networking with leaders and community members. He is working to shift the language in Madison to Equity, Access, and Inclusion, and is an innovative advocate for the community.

Megan Miller, Beloit

Vice President, Beloit School Board

Megan is in her second term on the School District of Beloit School Board. She is a lifelong advocate for public education as a teacher, parent, and board member. Megan continues to be a positive, pro-public school, pro-student, and pro-educator voice in the face of powerful challenges and opposition.

Tim Nordin, Eau Claire

President, Eau Claire Area School Board

Tim has served as president of the Eau Claire School District School Board through challenging times and continues to provide leadership to best serve all students. Tim leads equity work with board members, including the development and adoption of district-wide equity policy. Tim is committed to serving each and every child in the ECASD.

Cendi Tena, Milwaukee

Co-Executive Director, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT)

Cendi has been a strong advocate for public education for years. As the Director of Organizing at Leaders Igniting Transformation, Cendi led LIT organizers and chapters of Milwaukee Public High School students to shift MPS culture and redefine safety. Her efforts were significant steps towards ending the school-to-prison / deportation pipeline, divesting from failed practices, and investing in making public schools a place for all students to thrive and feel supported.

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Wisconsin Public Education Network: Jennifer Black announced as 2022 Changemaker of the Year - WisPolitics.com