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Occupy Homes MN Press Release: On May 30, 15 community supporters were peacefully arrested at the foreclosed Cruz family home, linking arms and sitting on the front stoop. Though they were originally charged with trespassing, the city decided to escalate the charges. Many of these protesters now face charges of third degree riot, a gross misdemeanor that could lead to a year in prison and a $3,000 fine.
“The use of the word ‘riot’ by prosecutors to describe the Occupy Homes demonstration of May 30th would be laughable if it were not an attempt to delegitimize the most successful efforts to keep Twin Cities victims of the foreclosure crisis in their homes,” stated Rachel E. B. Lang, a local attorney working with the Occupy Homes movement. “The Mayor, Chief of Police and City Attorney are using the coercion of the criminal justice system for political purposes, trying to hide their failure to help families whose homes and savings are being taken by unscrupulous banks. The legal defense team will fight these absurd charges tooth and nail.”
“We’re getting the message: The city of Minneapolis would rather put time and resources toward prosecuting those fighting foreclosure than address the crisis or hold accountable the financial institutions responsible,” added Susan Kikuchi, an organizer with Occupy Homes MN.
Protesters demand that all charges be dropped; that all police who used violence in the course of these evictions, including Chief Tim Dolan, who was photographed stepping on peaceful protesters, be formally disciplined; and that no more public resources be used to carry out evictions.
“Minneapolis public officials have a choice to make about the priorities they display,” said Brother Ali. “We’ve lost our way as a society when wealthy banks face little or no consequences for robbing us of our family homes but everyday people who peacefully stand up to them face outrageous and dishonest charges. The people deserve true and complete democracy. Our souls won’t allow us to settle for anything short of justice for hard working families and the people who stand with them.”
The Occupy movement in Minneapolis reached an important milestone on Monday, July 30, 2012, with the resolution of a case brought against four protesters arrested at a peaceful demonstration on Oct. 20, 2011. Judge Daniel Moreno denied the prosecutor’s attempt to add three additional charges to the original complaint less than two weeks before trial, and prevented the prosecutor from singling out individuals with previous political arrests for harsher treatment. Ultimately, four defendants, Misty Rowan, Katrina Plotz, Ben Egerman and Peter Leeman, agreed to a conviction of one petty misdemeanor each, a non-criminal violation that is basically equivalent to a traffic ticket. Dozens of supporters attended the proceedings in solidarity with the defendants and celebrated the resolution as a victory.
This case and recent arrests of dozens of OccupyHomes MN activists defending the Cruz home in South Minneapolis show that the City of Minneapolis, through the Minneapolis Police Department and City Attorney’s Office are attempting to intimidate activists and shut down the Occupy movement with tough tactics and unreasonable charges.
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Violent crime in our long, hot summer
BY ED FELIEN
This summer there have been reports of shootings on 38th and Chicago, armed robberies south of Powderhorn and, finally, a murder on 38th Street in the 1500 block. When police arrived at the murder scene, at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 18, they found two adult males inside the home with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was taken to HCMC with serious but not life threatening wounds.The 24-year-old man who was shot and killed was likely targeted by an acquaintance, said Gary Schiff...
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Changing street scene in South Mpls
BY ED FELIEN
There are some big plans for changes to some familiar streets for next month.
Hennepin County is thinking about changing Park and Portland Avenues from three lanes to two with a wider bike lane. The speed limit right now is 35 mph, but traffic regularly goes much faster, and the lights are timed for 38 mph. The city would like to reduce the speed, probably reflecting the desires of the residents, but the county seems committed to keeping the speed limit the same, probably reflecting the views of suburban commuters.
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Local art on display:
Greg Lipelt and Lydia Kulesov
BY JANET CONTURSI
Greg Lipelt has some advice for Minnesota painters: Lighten up! This man on a mission is urging artists to use more high-key colors and paint for themselves, rather than for the art market. Greg lives in the Bancroft neighborhood, but as a plein air painter his studio is the great outdoors. He spent most of his working life as a commercial illustrator, focusing on precision drawing and catering to demanding clients. Now nearing retirement, Greg paints what he wants,
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Where have all the humans gone?
BY JOHN KARRIGAN
 As everyone knows, the weather has been very strange for some time now and many creatures of all types are lying low, or whatever they do, just to survive. So who knows what I will write about this month.
I recently noticed that I had not seen much of several neighbors or park walkers that I would often see and talk to. I assume this is because of the weather. Usually I realize this in the middle of winter when I don’t see many people except when shoveling snow or helping a neighbor or stranger get a car unstuck in the street or alley. And that didn’t happen much last winter. So I guess this means I will soon become a complete hermit and only be talking to various small creatures such as toads, birds, butterflies, mice, etc. But for now I will try to write a little bit for my nonexistent readers.
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“Is there a Ford in your future?”
BY ED FELIEN
Probably not, if you mean a new Ford Ranger truck built at the Highland Park Ford Plant in St. Paul.
“Is there a Ford in your future?” was the popular advertising slogan of Ford through much of the last half of the 20th century. It is a bitterly ironic slogan now as United Auto Workers union members contemplate their future without Ford. For 86 years workers in St. Paul and South Minneapolis built Fords. It was good work, and they had good reasons to be proud of what they did.
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The hungry insurgent
BY CHARLEY UNDERWOOD
This past April, when most gardens still looked like dirt, we were already enjoying green salads picked from our yard. The salads were made from the young leaves of a basswood tree, grape vine, a few dandelion leaves, plantain (a common weed) and a few early sprigs of lettuce from a raised bed in my front yard. With a little salad dressing on top, it was a tasty celebration of early spring.
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WRC goes to Ramsey County welfare office to protest grants
BY KIM DEFRANCO, MEMBER OF WELFARE RIGHTS COMMITTEE
On July 26, 2012, the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) held a kickoff campaign to raise the welfare grants. The MN Family Invest Plan (MFIP)’s grants to families have not been raised since 1986. That’s 26 years of families struggling far below the poverty level. That means 26 years of Minnesota politicians deciding to sentence children to poverty and homelessness.
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August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption
BY BARNABY DEVITT
Catholics throughout the world celebrate August 15 as one of six Holy Days of Obligation. They are required to attend Mass under penalty of mortal sin as they celebrate when Mary, the mother of Jesus, was assumed bodily into heaven.
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Tudor Revival meeting in South Minneapolis
BY ED FELIEN
Last month, on July 21, Molly McCartney led a tour of the Nokomis Knoll Historic District, that section of South Minneapolis close to the old streetcar lines where houses were built in the 1920s and ’30s. One of the most interesting and popular styles of that period was the Tudor Revival.
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The Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare: A physician’s perspective
BY ANN SETTGAST
The day the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was upheld by the Supreme Court was ironic for me as a physician. Two of my patients asked me to prescribe medication for uninsured family members: A mother asked me for an inhaler for her adult son with uncontrolled asthma, and another asked me if I could refill her husband’s blood pressure medications for a month or two until he is able to find another job following his lay off. He cannot see his doctor due to his uninsurance.
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August
Phillips Powderhorn Community Calendar
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Native American Somali Peacemakers Project Named Winner of $100,000 Grant
The Native American Somali Peacemakers of The Family Partnership is the winner of a $100,000 grant through the Connect for Health Challenge.
Minnesotans voted and selected the project as the winner out of nearly 400 applicants. The Native American Somali Peacemak-ers Project is an active group in the Cedar Riverside and Phillips neighborhoods of Minneapolis that addresses growing intercultural tension by building community through collaboration. The project builds a healthier community by empowering Native American and Somali youth to develop leadership skills and collaborate together on public safety and crime prevention projects in their communities using traditional cultural conflict resolution methods passed down by respected community elders.
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| Phillips Powderhorn Religious Calendar |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Toothpaste for Refugees
When new refugees arrive to Minnesota, the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services supplies them with basic items for health and well-being. One of those items is toothpaste, and current supplies are quite low. Donations can be brought to the Minnesota Church Center at 122 W. Franklin Ave., Suite 100. Contact Kristin with questions at 612-230-3219 or at rsvolunteers@mnchurches.org.
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August 2012 
