Posts Tagged ‘East Phillips’
Promises Broken: Minneapolis Advances Plans to Demolish Roof Depot
Urban Farm supporters testify from the floor of an adjourned City Council meeting on September 22, 2022. Only a handful of council members stayed to listen to community members, including CMs Chavez, Johnson, and Wonsley. Photo: Steve Sandberg By STEVE SANDBERG In a 7-4 vote on September 22, the Minneapolis City Council voted to move forward with its request for proposals (RFP) process to select a vendor to demolish the Roof Depot building. Voting 7 in favor, 4 against, 1 abstention, one absent. In favor: Vetaw, Osman, Jenkins, Palmisano, Goodman, Rainville and Koski. Against: Chavez, Wonsley, Payne and Chugtai. Abstained: Johnson. Absent: Ellison. East Phillips residents and urban farm supporters were denied permission to speak at two previous Council meetings concerning requests for proposals (RFP) for the contracted demolition of the Roof Depot. This despite the mayor’s repeated promises dating back to July to schedule a meeting with the city’s environmental consultant [...]
Urban Farm, Not Toxic Harm! City Taking Steps to Demolish the Historic Roof Depot Building
By THE EAST PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD INSTITUTE Negotiations with the city of Minneapolis have failed, and now the city is proceeding with its planned demolition of the historic Roof Depot building at 1860 East 28th Street after walking out of negotiations with East Phillips residents. Now our families, our community and our environment face 888 diesel trucks and toxic arsenic that will further pollute our already overburdened neighborhood. East Phillips is being treated as an industrial wasteland, and it’s making our community members sick! The City Council was scheduled to take a vote on demolishing the Roof Depot building in late September. We can stop this if the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) can raise $200,000 to post bond for a legal injunction. The old Roof Depot site in the East Phillips neighborhood sits atop an arsenic plume where arsenic-based pesticides were produced and stored by a company that once occupied it. The building’s continued presence [...]
