‘Commentary’ Archives
Letter to the community: Don”™t go down the path of ugliness
I am a former 13-year resident of Phillips, during which time I was an activist and sometime-contributor to the Alley. When I saw “The Rand Report” I thought: Another interesting column. On reading further, I was saddened. The piece is a classic rant, full of angry statements backed up by unsubstantiated or non-existent evidence. (Sound familiar these days?) For example: “The Irish, as indentured servants, were worked to death with greater frequency than slaves.” Since at the time, Africans were counted as 4/5 of a person, it would be hard to calculate this even if there were any figures.  I have all good feeling for Irish people and Irish culture, and know they were badly mistreated by people who had immigrated to America before them, but were there any Irish chattel slaves (meaning that they and their offspring were property of the master)? Any Irish-aimed Jim Crow laws? Any laws written to discriminate against the Irish in banking, [...]
The Rand Report: Join neighborhood board
By Rand Retterath Rand Retterrath I invite all of you to participate in your neighborhood organizations. For me it is Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Association Inc. Others in the area include East Phillips Improvement Coalition (EPIC), Phillips West Neighborhood Organization (PWNO), Ventura Village, and Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO). MPNAI is a volunteer-based community organization advocating for a vibrant, safe, and healthy neighborhood. MPNAI partners with 7 local neighborhood non-profits to implement a variety of projects We also partner with CANDO, EPIC and PWNO. Our annual events include Phillips Clean Sweep, National Night Out, Midtown Festival at Open Streets, and an Annual Community Meeting and Dinner. MPNAI has financially supported KRSM Radio, MadDads, New American Youth Soccer Club, Somali TV, St Paul Arts, Phillips Aquatics Centerand others. Currently, we are working on a traffic flow analysis. MPNAI [...]
