Peace House offers hope

In the neighborhood of Franklin & Portland Avenues, corners of abandoned gas stations, vacant lots and boarded-up housing, there is a place that offers hope and warmth. Peace House has existed for 20 years offering a refuge—a drop-in center for the homeless, the poor and people who care.

Peace House (at 510 E. Franklin) was founded by Sister Rose Tillemans of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Her Order and others contribute to keeping the doors open daily (Monday through Friday), with free lunch for 30 to 50 people.

The doors open at 10 a.m., and people trickle in: young, old, black, white, Native American and Hispanic. One frail woman in her 80s, a resident of public housing, never misses a day that is full of companionship, conversation and nourishment.
The doors are locked at 11:30 a.m. and then the daily program begins. People sit in chairs in a large circle. Each day someone from the group shares a topic for conversation. My first visit, the discussion was the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams. Williams was the former Los Angeles gang leader who renounced the past and gave hope to a younger generation of African-Americans raised in the ghettoes.

One man said “the government should not be in the business of killing people.” Another man doubted that Williams was guilty of killing four people.
On my second visit, the discussion was about an op-ed column in the Star Tribune by a retired cop. The writer said Hennepin Avenue was controlled by thieves and drug dealers and that stores like Best Buy would be foolish to locate there.
This brought a torrent of responses at Peace House. One man said, “People buying drugs downtown, crack, cocaine and other stuff, work in those fancy skyscrapers. People on Franklin Avenue do not travel downtown to buy drugs” he said with a laugh. Another man said, “People who sell drugs do not bother you if you are not interested in buying drugs.” Another man: “They are law-crazed in this state.” This author mentioned a Doug Growe column about a man arrested for dancing on the street.

Peace House has been under a lot of surveillance by the police. People go behind the building to smoke in a fenced-in area. The cops come by and think people are dealing drugs, though Peace House prohibits any such behavior. Then a man mentioned Wendy’s Restaurant was building a store across the freeway at Franklin & Clinton Avenue. “The drug dealers are going to love Wendy’s. Any place open late with lots of traffic is right up their alley,” he said.

Following the discussion are announcements. One of the coordinators will “write down the names of people who are in jail or are in treatment so we can send them Christmas cards.” A prayer is then offered and through the room people call out those who are sick or in jail. This is followed by a song: “Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the animals and the vegetables. Thank you for the cooks who make it possible.”

Then people line up for a cooked lunch which is very good. Bakeries donate cakes and pies. People break into discussion among themselves. Many of the volunteers like Ward and Maxine sport buttons that read “Women Against Military Madness” and “Veterans for Peace.” One day they protest at Alliant Tech in Hopkins, but they always come back to Peace House where the political is personal. You can send donations of cash and food to: Peace House, 510 E. Franklin Ave., Mpls, MN 55404. Anyone is welcome to drop by for lunch.