Posts Tagged ‘Nov 22’
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 Braun Intertec to address the community’s concerns regarding how they would be protected from arsenic and other known contaminants if demolition occurs at the 7.4 acre site. When those in attendance were again refused permission to speak, the Council President abruptly adjourned the meeting when testimony from the floor began. When proceedings reconvened in the afternoon, the 7-4 vote was taken over continued loud testimony from the floor. Now the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) and its allies will host a series of events to stop demolition leading to the expected Council vote to choose a vendor in November. Follow EPNI and it’s actions via social media, join our email list: UrbanFarmMpls@googlegroups.com, and give to Protect East Phillips Go Fund Me.
Restoring George Morrison’s “Turning the Feather Around: A Mural for the Indian”
George Morrion’s mural “Turning the Feather Around” catches the warm autumn sunlight at its current position on the Minneapolis American Indian Center’s southeastern facade. Photo: Ben Heath By TWO RIVERS GALLERY The Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) is pleased to announce an agreement with the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) to deinstall, restore and conserve the architectural façade created by the esteemed Minnesota artist George Morrison. The 17-foot high and 94-foot-wide Western Red Cedar mural, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, was site-specifically designed for the MAIC in 1974. This agreement is aimed to restore the mural, as President of the MAIC Board of Directors, Sam Olbekson, states “keeps with the artist’s intent as an outward public-facing original art piece on the exterior of the building with explicit Native design.” An integral part of this agreement is to incorporate preservation-focused opportunities for Indigenous communities, as MACC will hire two Native American Conservation Technicians for six weeks in the MACC labs. The Technicians will work with staff to learn art handling and conservation and assist with the de-installation preparations. Chief Conservator and Senior Objects Conservator Megan Emery from MACC states, “We are so excited to work with the Technicians on this project! George Morrison is such an influential artist, and this monumental mural is a local treasure we are honored to help protect and preserve for future generations.” MACC is a non-profit organization for preserving and conserving art and artifacts, providing treatment, education, and training for museums, historical societies, libraries, other cultural institutions, artists, and the public. The entire project will be conducted over the next 24 months and part of the MAIC’s renovation expansion of the facility, adding approximately 21,576 square feet of new space. The facility is one of the oldest [...]
Introducing Emmett!
Emmett Bostic. Photo: Indigo Davitt-Liu By MARY ELLEN KALUZA and EMMETT BOSTIC Emmett was recommended for a young artist interview by Steve Dreyer, alley board member and Ventura Village page contributor. Emmett’s name might be familiar to readers - his byline has appeared on the Ventura Village page multiple times as an intern journalist with KRSM Radio, which broadcasts from Waite House Community Center. How old are you? Where did you grow up?Almost 19. I grew up between Otsego and Minneapolis. I’ve lived in every part of Minneapolis but spent most of my years in North and Northeast. What high school did you go to?FAIR High School for Arts Why did you choose that school?It was advertised as very inclusive - and it was. I like the arts. Some of my friends also went there. What was your academic focus?I was really into math. I like algebra. I took PSEO in high school. I didn’t like English, but I like writing essays. I’m more of an informational writer. I didn’t like writing stories. Example of the alley article and the KRSM Zine. Photo: Emmett Bostic Your creative focus?I was into drawing, fell out of it, but I’ve started to get back into it. I like to cross-stitch. I made a diorama during my senior year. I just like to do different crafty things in general. And I have a notebook I maintain with life stuff and video game reviews. It used to be a website/blog thing. I might make it digital again so my hand doesn’t cramp up so much! I’ve also been helping a group of friends on a mod for a video game we all enjoy. How did you end up at Waite House and for how long?Mr. Antar at FAIR invited me to work with him at KRSM on and off (because of the nature of the internships) for over two years. In what roles?I wrote articles - including for the alley, helped curate the Zine, operated the sound board, and mentored new interns. What did you like about it?I didn’t expect I’d like writing but I found a groove with it pretty [...]
Hospitals Ignore Nurses’ Pleas for Security after Strike
By A MINNESOTA NURSE After September’s state-wide nursing strike Minnesota hospitals are still unwilling to have a reasonable discussion about nurses’ labor contract. Nurses are baffled about why hospitals are not playing ball after eight months of negotiations. Since the pandemic began, hospitals have seen a massive influx of violence, including several instances of visitors bringing firearms onto hospital floors. Nurses are concerned for their safety and the safety of their patients, but hospitals refuse to do things like add metal detectors. Metal detectors are found in many schools and grocery stores around the state. Should your hospital be less secure than your Cub? From the start, hospitals have said that they respect their nurses. They were cheerleaders during the pandemic, but when the dust cleared and nurses began demanding better working conditions, they said we were asking for too much. These are the same nurses who risked—and sometimes lost—their lives during the pandemic. Lip service about respect is not cutting it. Nurses need material change.Hospitals have said they are financially unable to meet the nurses’ demands, yet during the strike they openly offered $11,000 or more a week to travel nurses who came in as strikebreakers. And this was just their pay—with agencies taking a cut, hospitals’ costs were even higher. Indeed, if hospitals can pay a travel nurse $3,000 a day, they can afford to pay existing staff $3,000 more a year. During the 2010 strike, hospitals lost an estimated $2 million a day. 15,000 nurses went on strike this time. At the rates hospitals were paying them, you can do the math to estimate how much this cost. It is baffling that this loss is financially preferable to protecting the security of staff and patients, or increasing pay to keep up with inflation. Added to this financial loss is the hundreds of millions of dollars spent by hospitals on expansions and new equipment that does not function [...]
Library News: November 22
By CARZ NELSON All information listed here is accurate as of October 15, 2022. For the most recent information, check out the library website at www.hclib.org FRANKLIN LIBRARY HOURSMonday 9 AM to 5 PM Tuesday 12 PM to 8 PM Wednesday 12 PM to 8 PM Thursday 12 PM to 8 PM Friday 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM Sunday 12 PM to 5 PM STEAM WORKSHOPThe Franklin Library’s Teen Tech Squad leads education and entertainment for kids 8+ on topics in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. Franklin LibraryWednesday November 2, 5-6 PM HOMEWORK HELPBoth Franklin and Hosmer Libraries offer free one-on-one tutoring for K-12 students. Franklin: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-7:30 PM Hosmer: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4-7:30, Saturdays at 1-4 PM CAREER AND JOB ASSISTANCEMeet with a CareerForce employment specialist at Franklin Library for job and career help. Stop by for individual assistance with job searching, resume writing, and more! Franklin LibraryWednesday November 2, 1-3 PM WOMEN OF COLOR AFFINITY GROUPLooking for a space where women of color can come together and share their experiences? Join the Women of Color Affinity Group. Hosmer: Tuesdays at 6:30 PM RESOURCES AND SUPPORTThe Bridge for Youth visits Franklin Library the fourth Wednesday of each month, from 2 to 5 PM. They connect people with resources and provide hygiene items and other supplies. Look for them in their outreach van on the corner of 14th and Franklin Avenues. FREE FOODFranklin and Hosmer Libraries are collaborating with Every Meal to distribute free meal bags. Bags are free for anyone to take, while supplies last. READING SUGGESTIONSLooking for a good book to read? You could ask a librarian. At hclib.org, towards the bottom of the page, you’ll find the link Ask us for reading suggestions. This leads to a form you can fill out about what sorts of books you like, and what sorts you don’t like. Fill in the form and you will get an [...]
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery: Public Health Policy Saves the Lives of Mothers and Babies
Julia Abram died from complications of childbirth on June 1, 1874. She was 22 years old. Her husband remarried and Isabell, his daughter with his second wife, died on August 22, 1877 from inanition. Photo: Tim McCall By SUE HUNTER WEIR Julia Abrams was just 22 years old when she died after giving birth in 1874. Julia is only one of 110 women buried in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery who either died during childbirth or shortly afterward from complications caused by their pregnancies. There are undoubtedly more but since doctors used a variety of words to describe the cause of death, it is hard, if not impossible, to say how many. “Peritonitis” might refer to an infection but it might also refer to something like appendicitis.The women’s ages ranged from 16 to 53. Anna Griffin was the youngest of the women; she was barely 16 years old when she died; her baby died from malnutrition 15 days later. Mary Zustiak was 53 when she died in 1915. The majority of the women were between the ages of 21 and 39—the ages that we typically think of as child-bearing age. According to cemetery records, 82 of the 110 women were immigrants, the majority of them from Norway and Sweden (34 from Norway, 31 from Sweden). A handful were from Denmark, Canada, Germany, England and Austria/Slovakia. Most of the women were working-class. Most of them were undoubtedly poor. Half of the deaths occurred in the 1880s, years that correspond to the large increase in the number of Scandinavian immigrants. The connection between a mother’s health and that of her baby seems clear. Forty-one of the women delivered babies who would not live to see their first birthdays. Eight of their babies were stillborn. Ten of them died from marasmus or inanition, words that have been forgotten or at least are rarely used in the United States any more. Both words refer to some form of malnutrition, and although they are no longer a common cause of death in the United States that [...]
