Ty Moore announces candidacy for City Council

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It’s time we raised our expectations. Our city is governed by a one-party political machine whose loyalty lies with the big developers, the big banks and the big corporations who fund them.

My name is Ty Moore and I’m running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 9 to support bottom-up community efforts to win real change.

City officials give lip service to the problems afflicting our communities, such as unemployment, poverty, racism, overcrowded classrooms, and housing insecurity, but their ties to big business prevent the bold initiatives necessary to ensure the quality of life we deserve.

We need an alternative to the Democratic Party machine. We can do better. And each of us has an important part to play. Time and time again, I’ve been humbled by the spirit of resilience and solidarity in this community. When Alejandra Cruz and Bobby Hull asked for support to save their homes from foreclosure, neighbors stood together to defend them against the banks.

And despite city officials using police intimidation on the banks’ behalf, we’ve been winning, thanks to the inspired organizing of groups like Occupy Homes, a movement I helped initiate. It shows that when ordinary people stand together, when we organize, it’s possible to overcome the entrenched power of the 1%. All through history, social progress has been achieved by movements of everyday people challenging those in power. And so our campaign for City Council won’t be narrowly focused on chasing votes. Instead, the central goal of our campaign is to help build, unite and give political voice to the ongoing struggles for justice in our community. If we can achieve that, we will have already won. With my partner, Kelly Bellin, I live near the corner where the Phillips, Central and Powderhorn Park neighborhoods intersect, and we’ve sunk deep roots in this community. My father, stepmother and two sisters live in Corcoran. We are a family that knows what it means to struggle, and we place a high value on social justice. I’ve witnessed the incredible pain that stems from social inequality, and have dedicated my entire adult life to creating a more fair and peaceful world.

I will refuse any corporate donations to my campaign. For many years I’ve worked to change the politics of the city and this country, and if you elect me to City Council I am prepared to be a consistent ally for all working people in this diverse, vibrant community that I love.

Ty Moore was one of 13 demonstrators arrested Wednesday, Feb. 27, at Wells Fargo. The 13 sat in the street to stop traffic to call attention to the emergency that exists in the housing crisis, said Moore. He spent the night in jail.

Photo by Nick Espinosa

Thirteen people were peacefully arrested Wednesday, Feb. 27, after 200 marched on Wells Fargo Home Mortgage on 26th Street, demanding turnover of vacant homes to community control.

They brought 20 bags of trash cleaned up from neglected Wells Fargo properties, and they demanded that Wells Fargo clean up their own mess.

The 13 linked arms and sat in the street when the police tried to disperse the crowd. In Salinas, Ca., the city government is considering using the powers of Eminent Domain to purchase homes that have been foreclosed and sell them back to the homeowners at a fair market value. The City of Minneapolis could be using its powers of Eminent Domain in a similar way to protect homeowners in Minneapolis.