As an answer in this article in The Minnesota Daily and to again block public housing residents from the right to purchase their homes through TOPA, Council Member Cam Gordon has the audacity to say he wants to “Keep Public Housing Public” which is the name of our city-wide coalition. This article exposes how the City of Minneapolis continues to ignore and marginalize public housing residents. It also exposes Cam Gordon’s lies and contradictions. He never fought for public housing residents at City Hall. Here is a glimpse of his anti-Black, anti-poor, and anti-public housing record as the Council Member of Ward 2. As the chair of the housing committee, Cam Gordon voted and led the campaign to privatize public housing where now MPHA is selling the single-family homes to a nonprofit for $1 through Section 18 Demolition & Disposition which blocked public housing residents from buying the homes. He voted for RAD which allowed the Royal Bank of Canada to buy Elliot Twins, lease the land through tax credits for 99 years, and have access to the city’s affordable housing funds. Since the birth of DG&PHC and before, he never cared about the public housing residents in his ward especially Glendale Townhomes. In 2015, he did not want to stop the RAD vote that would have demolished Glendale Townhomes, instead, Glendale public housing residents stopped the vote, and this is why we are still standing and organizing citywide to keep public housing public and build more. He fought us for 5 1/2 years to block Glendale’s historical designation at City Hall, and now he is facing re-election, he still hasn’t passed it.  His own policy aid sent us a hate letter in 2017 to intimidate residents and to try to stop us from organizing. We have experienced years of neglect and horrible treatment from Cam Gordon. He never defended public housing residents in Ward 2 who complained to him about MPHA’s abuse of power, bullying, and intimidation. Cam Gordon is evil, menace, & a liar. He is a white supremacist, a misogynoir who has been undermining & attacking our movement since the birth of our campaign in 2014 in GlendaleTownhomes. Now, he has the nerve to try to co-opt our name & work for his re-election. #StopCam

https://twitter.com/DefendGlendale/status/135999603253328283

https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1986895568142957

Check out this letter from the global organization Campaign Against Racism – TC Chapter to Minnesota elected officials asking them to hold Minneapolis Public Housing Authority accountable, for MPHA to hold community meetings to explain the massive privatization plans they propose for 2021, to stop the marginalization of public housing residents and abuse of power. 

https://campaignagainstracism.medium.com/protect-public-housing-an-open-letter-to-minnesotas-elected-officials-9fce377a5a26
 

“Protect Public Housing — An Open Letter to Minnesota’s Elected Officials

Equal Health´s Campaign Against Racism9 hours ago·3 min read

To the Offices of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Senator Tina Smith,

On behalf of Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition, The Campaign Against Racism (CAR) Twin Cities Chapter is asking our elected officials to urge the Minnesota Public Housing Association to PAUSE the approval of Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA)’s 2021 Moving-to-Work (MTW) Annual plan until they hold a public meeting. CAR Twin Cities Chapter members are a group of dedicated social medicine clinicians and educators that regard safe, affordable public housing instrumental to health and stability.

MPHA is required to hold at least 2 public meetings to collect comments and conduct a public hearing about the MTW Annual Plan. Instead, MPHA had sent letters to the residents announcing a public hearing on August 26, 2020 which also stated that public comments were due July 27, 2020. The letter further mentioned that ‘this years’ informational presentation would be on the YouTube platform. Residents in this meeting were not given an opportunity to engage or ask questions pertaining to the 2021 MTW plan.

Despite multiple demands from Public housing residents and community members, they have not held a single public meeting regarding their plans, virtual or otherwise last year. This is the only year MPHA has gotten away with withholding MTW public meetings which is required before HUD can approve of the annual MTW plan. Coincidentally, this year their plan introduces an effort to privatize much of Minneapolis’s public housing, including half of all their high-rises.

MPHA has ignored residents and allies’ demands and elected officials have failed to hold them accountable. Instead, MPHA has held one public hearing about their 2021 MTW Annual Plan and refused to accept questions about their plans. They ignored resident voices and submitted the plan to HUD for approval without the required public meetings.

MPHA has been allowed by our elected officials and HUD to display a consistent abuse of power.In 2019, five elderly and disabled public housing residents died in a fire due to MPHA’s negligence and they were not held accountable. Currently, contractors who are completing a RAD conversion (privatization) at Elliot Twins (which is now leased to the Royal Bank of Canada) have refused to wear masks. They refuse to wear masks even though the majority of Elliot Twins residents are elderly and disabled and the fact that at least 3 elderly residents have died of COVID- 19 at Elliot Twins.

We are reaching out to the offices of Honorable Tina Smith & Ilhan Omarto commit in action to this urgent matter. We insist that the Call To Action letters from residents are read and phone-zaps which demand HUD to pause the 2021 MTW annual plan until public meetings are held for the residents. Christopher Golden (HUD Regional MTW Coordinator) needs to be contacted and an immediate request for him to pause the 2021 MTW Annual Plan approval until public meetings are held. Also, MPHA needs to submit all the comments from the residents to Christopher Golden in full transparency. Public housing residents are tired of being disregarded and discriminated against. MPHA must be held accountable.

Sincerely,

Ahmed Issa

Aarti Bhatt

Andrea Westby

Ruth Staus

Anisha Rimal

Ankit Mehta

Nasreen Quadri

Jessica Hane

Amy Finnegan

Michael J. Westerhaus

Hanna Nedrud”

—————————————————————————————

Check the latest infographic and factsheet from Keep Public Housing Public Minneapolis Coalition on the cost of public/ tax dollars for the construction and the building of affordable housing vs public housing in Minneapolis. For this example, we compared Ft. Snelling Upper Post Flats designated as affordable housing vs. Minnehaha Townhomes Public Housing.

BACKGROUND: THE PUBLIC COST OF BUILDING “AFFORDABLE HOUSING” VS PUBLIC HOUSING

The Ft. Snelling Upper Post Flats (Ft. Snelling unorganized territory) is a soon-to-open “affordable” housing complex developed by local for-profit real estate tycoon Dominium. The development involves the renovation of Ft. Snelling’s Upper Post buildings and is located less than a mile from the Ft. Snelling Blue Line Light Rail station. Once open, one- and two-bedroom units at the Upper Post Flats will rent for $1,200 and $1,400 respectively. These rents are considered “affordable” because they are feasible for someone earning 60% of Area Median Income (AMI). However, because AMI is calculated across the entire Twin Cities metro area – including wealthy suburbs – 60% AMI for a family of four equals $62,040. This is well above the average incomes of Black or Native American individuals in the region. Although Dominium will offer “first priority” to lessees who are military veterans, veterans are not guaranteed housing at the Upper Post Flats, especially if they cannot pay the steep monthly rent. The Upper Post Flats are the most expensive development project in Minnesota history, with a total construction cost of about $900,000 per unit.

On November 3^rd, 2020, Dominium secured $88 million in public bonds from Hennepin County. Only three Hennepin County commissioners – Angela Conley, Irene Fernando, and Mike Opat – voted against the bonding. While these bonds will theoretically be paid back in the long term, they were necessary to secure two other crucial public subsidies. First, because building the Upper Post Flats will involve the preservation and renovation of the Ft. Snelling Upper Post buildings, Dominium will be awarded $58 million in state and federal historic preservation tax credits. More egregiously, Dominium is now able to claim a $63 million Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). State and federal regulations require that a development secure local bonding before claiming such credits, meaning that by providing the controversial bonding, Hennepin County Commissioners made it easier for Dominium to claim even more public money. Because corporate tax credits like LIHTC result in reduced government revenue, they are effectively public subsidies. 

Minnehaha Townhomes (Public Housing)  – the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s most recent development – opened in 2019. It is located less than 2 miles from the Ft. Snelling Upper Post-development and is also within a mile of light rail transit (VA Medical Center Blue Line Station). Out of the Townhomes’ 16 units, 4 are reserved for families transitioning into housing from long term homelessness. All units are reserved for people earning under 30% of Area Median Income and all are now occupied by formerly unhoused families, including 50 children. Families pay 30% of their actual income for rent. The average annual income for a family of four living in MPHA properties is $20,656. At a total construction cost of  $5 million, the Minnehaha Townhomes project put a previously vacant lot to use, providing more public housing at a lower taxpayer cost, both in the short and long-term. If we were to build 191 units of public housing (the same number of units as the Upper Post Flats) at the per-unit construction cost of the Minnehaha Townhomes, it would only cost $59,687,500 – half the amount of public money being given to Dominium to build the Upper Post Flats, which will be unaffordable for the unhoused, low-income renters and public housing residents. Public housing is a more sustainable way to ensure equitable and real affordable housing because it doesn’t allow for the government to give handouts to corporate developers like Dominium. 

The next time you talk to an elected official touting their plan for “deeply affordable housing” ask them who it benefits more- low-income residents of their cities or their developer donors!   

Check out the letter our coalition member- Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity sent to U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Ilhan Omar to pause MPHA’s 2021 MTW Annual Plan until MPHA holds public meetings to answer questions and explain the massive privatization plan they introduce for 2021. MDHEQ also demands that MPHA must be held accountable for its abuse of power.

https://twitter.com/md4healthequity/status/1352398863538286595

https://twitter.com/DefendGlendale/status/1352402808859975682

https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1969484606550720

Click this link to send the letter: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/pause-the-approval-of-the-2021-mtw-annual-plan-until-mpha-holds-a-virtual-public-meeting?fbclid

We are asking that you send the above letter to Representative Ilhan Omar, Senator Tina Smith, and HUD’s MTW Regional Coordinator Christopher Golden, demanding that the approval of Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s 2021 MTW Annual is paused until they hold a public meeting. MPHA is required to hold regular meetings to explain and answer questions about the MTW Annual Plan, but despite multiple demands from Public housing residents and community members, they have not held a single public meeting regarding their plans, virtual or otherwise. This is the only year MPHA has gotten away with holding MTW public meetings, and coincidentally, this year their plan introduces an effort to privatize much of Minneapolis’s public housing, including half of all their high-rises.

MPHA has ignored residents and allies’ demands and elected officials have failed to hold them accountable. Instead, MPHA held one public hearing about their 2021 MTW Annual Plan and refused to accept questions about their plans. They ignored resident voices and submitted the plan to HUD for approval without the required public meetings.MPHA has been allowed by our elected officials and HUD to display a consistent abuse of power.  In 2019, five elderly and disabled public housing residents died in a fire due to MPHA’s negligence and they were not held accountable. Currently, contractors who are completing a RAD conversion (privatization) at Elliot Twins (which is now leased to the Royal Bank of Canada) have refused to wear masks. They refuse to wear masks even though the majority of Elliot Twins residents are elderly and disabled and the fact that at least 3 elderly residents have died of COVID- 19 at Elliot Twins. The lives and the rights of public housing residents do not matter to our elected officials.  
We are tired of being disrespected and discriminated against. MPHA must be held accountable.

Please send this letter  https://actionnetwork.org/letters/pause-the-approval-of-the-2021-mtw-annual-plan-until-mpha-holds-a-virtual-public-meeting?fbclidSenator Tina Smith,  Rep. Ilhan Omar, and the Regional MTW Coordinator at HUD Christopher Golden. Tell them to make sure MPHA meets with public housing residents, public housing organizers, and community members in public meetings to explain and answer our questions about the 2021 MTW Annual Plan before HUD approves it. Virtual Community Meetings are not difficult to hold, so ask why MPHA is avoiding to hold community meetings and address the public. Demand that we are listened to, and that our rights are enforced today.  Please ask 10 of your colleagues and friends to send the letter. 

Sources:

MPHA 2021 MTW Annual Plan: https://mk0mphaonlineorajvvy.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MPHA-2021-MTW-Annual-Plan-Submitted-to-HUD.pdf.

MPHA 2021MTW Annual Plan Public Review and Comments: https://tinyurl.com/2021MTW-Public-Review-Comments

Questions MPHA needs to answer regarding 2021 MTW in public meetings:  https://tinyurl.com/Questions-for-MPHA-2021-MTW

https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1940608036105044

https://twitter.com/DefendGlendale/status/1339755640869294081

https://mndaily.com/262294/opinion/opinion-the-mpha-and-city-of-minneapolis-have-shown-a-lack-of-community-engagement/?f

Here are the faces of MPHA Commissioners. They are the agents of privatization and the ending of public housing as a public good in Minneapolis.  When Trump and Carson gave them the green light to end public housing, MPHA, Mayor Frey, and Minneapolis City Council Members lobbied HUD for approval. The Minneapolis City Council Members who wrote letters to HUD and passed a city resolution to end public housing as we know it are; Andrea Jenkins, Jeremiah Ellison, Lisa Bender, Kevin Reich, Alondra Cano, Jeremy Schroeder, Phillip Cunningham, Lisa Goodman, Steve Fletcher, AndrewJohnson, Cam Gordon, and Abdi Warsame who is now the current Executive Director of MPHA.

 Furthermore, the State Senator who led a letter campaign to HUD to let them know it was okay to implement Section 18 to privatize over 740 single-family homes was Kari Dziedzic. Let us not forget that all of the Minneapolis House Representatives and County Commissioners ignored calls to action from the public and stood by watching. The former and current Congress Members who chose to be hostile, dismissive, and complicit to public housing residents who called and met with them to stop the privatization of public housing are Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar. Don’t forget their names; this is what privatization and the end of Minneapolis Public Housing looks like. Public housing residents are over 80% Black, Black Immigrants, and seniors on a fixed income, and people with disabilities.  This is historic as we face the biggest housing and homelessness crisis in recent decades, and the City of Minneapolis declared that racism is a public health crisis.

In the midst of a pandemic, MPHA is completing a RAD conversion which will privatize Elliot Twins, the former public housing buildings in Ward 6. As a result, developers and contractors have been doing construction in and outside of the two buildings during COVID 19. At least five seniors and people with disabilities have died of COVID 19 in the recent months at Elliot Twins. Residents are reporting that the RAD developers and contractors are not wearing masks when they are working in the buildings. When an elder asked them to wear masks because they could die from exposure to COVID19, the contractors and developers told them that they are not required to wear masks. The negligence and malice of MPHA and the City of Minneapolis have placed a RAD Conversion and the comfort of contractors above the lives, needs, and health of vulnerable, elderly, and disabled residents during the worst epidemic in recent history.

Elliot Twins Update; RAD developers and contractors are not wearing! In the midst of a pandemic, @MPLSPubHousing is completing a RAD conversion which will privatize Elliot Twins, the former public housing buildings in Ward 6. As a result, developers & contractors have been doing

— Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition (@DefendGlendale) December 5, 2020

https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1929411160558065

One year ago yesterday was the fire at Cedar’s Public Housing in Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood. It was a fire that killed five residents, most of whom were Somali seniors. This fire was entirely preventable and occurred only because MPHA leadership- made up of mostly white and upper-middle-class people, did not feel the need for decades to install water sprinklers in the public housing high-rises throughout the city. Highrises that house primarily Black American and Black Immigrant elders, and people with disabilities. The staff responsible for this fire are still working at MPHA making decisions on how to privatize public housing high-rises. MPHA has yet to confirm water sprinklers have been installed in the 42 high rises. Instead, in their letter to the community, MPHA thanks Mayor Jacob Frey Abdi Warsame Kari Dziedzic Ilhan Omar, U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Mohamud Noor, Mohamud Noor for House 60B and Amy Klobuchar for being “engaged with the essential conversation about the city’s public housing”. MPHA is giving shout out to all of these DFL elected officials for helping them push the privatization of Minneapolis public housing instead of these elected officials making sure that MPHA is accountable for the deaths of the five Somali and disabled seniors. Has anything changed in Minneapolis? No. If these residents were white and wealthy, this would not happen. We pay our respect for the innocent elders that died in this fire. May the five people who died that day be forever present in our minds, hearts, and memories, may we never stop fighting on their behalves, and may they rest in peace.

Links:

One year ago yesterday was the fire at Cedar's Public Housing in Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood. It was a fire that killed five residents, most of whom were Somali seniors. This fire was entirely preventable and occurred only https://t.co/WpkbN0Jkso

— Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition (@DefendGlendale) November 28, 2020

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/10/27/state-fire-marshal-fire-sprinklers-could-have-saved-lives-of-5-who-died-in-mpls-high-rise-fire/
https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1923341311165050

MPHA plans to privatize 23 out of 42 public housing highrise buildings through RAD without community input. MPHA refuses to hold public meetings where public housing residents and neighborhoods can attend for MPHA to explain the further destruction of public housing. Call your local council member and MPHA, ask why and demand they hold public meetings. Here is a map of the buildings by location, ward, and neighborhood. If you live in these neighborhoods join us to #KeepPublicHousingPublic #StopRAD #StopSection18  

Dear Allies:

The below letter went out to all the scattered-site residents. MPHA Commissioners such as Tessa Wetjen said to allies who asked her to stop Section 18 conversion that nothing is going to change to the 717 public housing single-family homes that have been privatized through Section18 and turned in to Section 8 project-based.   All of the Commissioners and staff of MPHA continued to verbally state to public housing residents that MPHA as a public agency will have full control of ownership and management. But now this letter sent by MPHA says otherwise. This letter threatens scattered-site residents of eviction after December 31,2020, if rents are not paid in full, MPHA has no control over the properties, and they are not owners. MPHA says in this letter that if residents are displaced and evicted, they need to take it up with a new owner, and they sent with the letter a list of sources to get financial help that doesn’t work.

MPHA makes it clear in this letter that the new owner with the support of MPHA is still going to evict scattered-site residents after December 31, 2020, and residents will lose their Section 8 vouchers. MPHA is doing this in a middle of a COVID19 pandemic where many residents have lost income and have increasing utilities due to kids staying home for distance learning, while MPHA blocks residents from getting help from the Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County to pay their heating and electric bills. As MPHA puts on a lobbying and pr campaign as the good guys, they continue to threaten residents with evictions and finally admit that there is a new owner of 717 single-family homes that have been privatized through Section 18.  It is clear that MPHA wants to empty the homes so they can build with their developers and the city the luxury buildings under the guidance of the 2040 plan. For anyone who was doubting MPHA and the City’s plans, this is what Section 18 conversion and displacement looks like.

To MPHA Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Commissioners:

1. Who is the new owner?

2. Explain why you won’t answer questions about this in public meetings or in writing? What are you hiding?

3. Where is the translation for other languages for this letter?

4. How long do you think lying to the public will work?

To the elected officials on this email: 

Who is responsible for MPHA? 

Who will hold MPHA accountable? 

In addition, during the virtual public hearing on November 18, Executive Director Abdi Warsame, Deputy Director Jennifer Keogh, Jeff Horwich, Commissioners Cara Letofsky, James Rosenbaum, Mikkel Beckmen, Tessa Wetjen, and Chair Sharmarke Issa looked like they did not want public housing residents to be there or to speak of the oppression, discrimination, and intimidation from MPHA. Residents and allies were not allowed to ask questions. The Commissioners looked like they were way too fragile to hear the truth and the damage MPHA causes on innocent vulnerable residents. 

https://www.facebook.com/DefendGlendale/posts/1916837118482136

@MPLSPubHousing MPHA sends another letter to Scattered Sites residents threatening eviction! These are 717 public housing single-family homes that MPHA and the City of Mpls privatized thru Section 18. MPHA told residents in this letter to go to the new owner if they don't want

— Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition (@DefendGlendale) November 20, 2020