Ramsey County ransoming Political Hostages for $85,000

by Mark Connor

Eight members of the Welfare Rights Committee were arrested last Thursday, May 3, after occupying the steps outside the chambers of the Minnesota State House of Representatives for roughly half an hour. As the Nokomis edition of Southside Pride went to press all eight activists were still being held, and seven were facing gross misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, for which bail is $12,000. One of the seven, Joanne Gonzales, is being held for an additional $1,000 for criminal damage to property. The only man arrested, Joel Schwartz, was expected to be released without charges last Friday, according to Ramsey County Adult Detention Center staff.
The Welfare Rights activists were protesting legislative efforts by House Republicans to redirect Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits to other programs and to cut a large number of families from benefits for life.
“The House Republicans are stealing 62 million dollars from the TANF fund,” complained Kim Defranco of the Welfare Rights Committee. “They’re taking it away from poor people’s programs and funneling it into state funds so they can talk about this great surplus and the tax rebate that they want to give back to the people. So, basically, they’re stealing money from the poor.”
Defranco explained that activists first held a rally at the Capital, after which time a number went up to the House Chambers, attempting to lobby their respective Representatives. “Then we had eight people who were doing civil disobedience,” she said. “They went to the steps of the House Chambers and sat down and refused to move in order to heighten the social costs of pushing these welfare cuts through. This was also to put the House Republicans on notice that we know what they’re doing.”
The other activists who were arrested are Maria Anderson of Oakdale, Elizabeth Wirtz and Debbie Pflepsen of St. Paul, and Kim Hosmer, Deb Konechne and Jessica Sundin of Minneapolis.