‘Letters to the Editor’ Archives
A Correction to Last Month’s Article on Air Quality
30 Seconds at State Legislature Stopped Promised 5.7 M LETTER TO THE EDITOR Thank you to Kaylee Miron and Maddie Young for last month’s excellent article about air quality in Phillips Neighborhood. However, although as stated in the last paragraph, EPNI and the City of Minneapolis did agree in Sept. 2024 to a one year extension to the purchase agreement for the Roof Depot site, the need for the extension was not that activists failed to raise their $3.7 million portion of the agreement. It was the $5.7 million that the state legislature had agreed to provide that failed to pass when the vote on the bill containing our funding went 30 seconds beyond the constitutionally mandated midnight deadline at the chaotic end of the 2024 State Legislative session. That is what necessitated the extension. EPNI is working with the Minneapolis delegation to secure the necessary funding in the upcoming 2025 session.Thank you to the alley and journalists for covering these issues for our [...]
Letter to the Editor – Dec. ’23
In Response to the City’s Survey on the Future of Throne Plaza My name is Edric Knight and I’ve lived on the southside since 1990. I was here when Throne Plaza was constructed and supported Rafala Green through my company donating used office equipment, chairs, typewriters, food and furniture for her art center.At the time I lived in an apartment just around the corner. The art center had opened, and out of curiosity I walked in to see scores of children and teens being taught to appreciate their cultures through dance, music, art and education. That’s where I met Rafala, and I was hooked. For some children this was the only food they may have had during the day. The typewriters were used to teach office skills. Remediation classes were taught by other volunteers. The young people shined with pride.Rafala was recognized and celebrated but it wasn’t without resistance. What I did observe is how the children of the community responded to Rafala and the programs at the center. [...]
