Linda Higgins, Candidate For County Commissioner In District 2, Answers This Blog's Questions About Level Three Sex Offender Concentration In Our Neighborhoods...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

In response to a request by this blog to address the issue of Level Three Sex Offender concentration in our neighborhoods, this morning I received the following response from Linda Higgins, who is a candidate for County Commissioner in District 2...

As Promised Sunday Night: Statement By Blong Yang, Candidate For Hennepin County Commissioner In District 2, On The Topic Of Level Three Sex Offender Concentration In Our Neighborhoods...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff or is it actually a BLONG post?


Last Sunday night Blong Yang, a candidate for Hennepin County Commissioner District 2 who is running against Linda Higgins, responded to this blogger's request for an on-the-record statement about the issue of Level Three Sex Offender concentration in our neighborhoods. 

The statement is as follows, word-for-word...

Blong Yang, Candidate For Hennepin County Commissioner District 2, Issues Statement About Level Three Sex Offender Concentration In Our Neighborhoods (Statement To Be Published Tuesday Morning)

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

In response to a request by this blogger for an on-the-record statement about Level Three sex offender concentration in our neighborhoods, Blong Yang (a candidate for Hennepin County Commissioner in District 2) has issued a written statement about this issue.

"I have two kids," the statement reads in part. "I am very concerned about this issue..."

The full statement will be "auto published" at 11:06 on Tuesday morning.

Remember that election day is November 6 (11/6) and it will be a Tuesday.  Vote as your conscience dictates, but get out and vote. 

JNS Blog Poses Questions To Higgins And Yang About Level Three Sex Offender Concentration In North Minneapolis...

Creative stock photo, somewhere in South Carolina, I think, blog post by John Hoff

Ask this blogger what is the most pressing issue facing North Minneapolis and I will tell you it's the concentration of Level Three Sex Offenders in my neighborhood. The reason this issue ranks so high is because it has the potential to impact the most vulnerable and valuable citizens in my neighborhood; small children whose whole productive life is ahead of them.

Also, unlike some really big issues like crime, or the need to stabilize neighborhoods with more homeowners and not so many slumlords, or any of half a dozen issues, the L3SO concentration issue is relatively easy to tweak. With a few memos, high-ranking public officials could say stuff like, "When a citizen sends an email to a supervisor at the Department of Corrections, asking what the curfew is for Peter 'Spanky Pete' Rickmyer, that citizen deserves a prompt and specific answer, damn it."

Oh, wait. Draft that letter again. Drop "damn it."

That's why these folks get the big public official bucks instead of the small blogger bucks.

Or, perhaps, a few memos could be written saying stuff like...

The Last Of Senator Linda Higgins' VOTE TODAY Signs Makes Its Return...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Every general election, every primary, State Senator Linda Higgins (DFL, District 58) has a party the night before with a big pot of chili and homemade bread. She invites everybody over and asks her guests, when they leave, to grab two or three "VOTE TODAY" signs and place the signs at...


...highly visible locations at major intersections, at locations where it is lawful to place the signs.

Last night, my girlfriend Megan Goodmundson and I were driving by and saw one of the "VOTE TODAY" signs was still out, and had been knocked over. The sign was like a lost sheep which hadn't returned to its flock or, you might say, like one of those electoral races that's still hanging, unresolved, long after election night.

I fetched the sign; my vision illuminated by the flashing lights of a squad car which had somebody detained by the side of the road. The sign made its way back to Higgins' back yard, pictured above, and will no doubt see several years more of service getting out the vote.

Senator Linda Higgins - State Laws Regarding Sex Offender Placement

At the August 30th 'Dessert with Don" community forum the featured topic was sex offenders in North Minneapolis.  In this video our state Senator Linda Higgins speaks a bit about the state law that references the mitigation of concentration of sex offenders in one area. 

As most Johnny Northside readers already know, the state law is too vague and not defined or clear enough to help the northside communities that have become a dumping ground for the bottom of the barrel sex offenders that can't find housing anywhere else.

There is a movement in North Minneapolis to lobby the state legislators and department heads from various angles to get some action taken to rewrite the books to help impacted communities and distribute the burden of housing sex offenders.

Additionally, not on video, Senator Higgins was asked about the State of Minnesota's law regarding publishing, or rather NOT publishing the exact address of sex offenders residence.  Her answer was that years ago the legislators decided that since there was some previous instances of angered mobs attacking sex offenders, or possibly attacking the wrong person due to misinformation, the state decided to NOT publish the exact addresses but only name the block on which they live.

She said she does not see this law changing in Minnesota, despite over half of the 50 states in the country choosing to give the exact address.  Higgins said that it's likely that everyone on the block in which a sex offender lives, knows exactly what house is occupied by the sex offender.  Perhaps the state legislator should consider that choosing to NOT publish the exact address is exactly what leads to misinformation and cases of mistaken identity.

JNS BLOG EDITORIAL: Congratulations, Linda Higgins! (And It's Not Easy Being Green!)

Some stock photo I found on this borrowed computer, blog post by John Hoff

Even while temporarily out of town on business, word reached me that State Senator Linda Higgins beat Troy Parker in the DFL primary by--what? 68 or 69 percent? I was wondering what the vote totals would look like, since I saw a lot of Troy Parker signs, but as one NoMi super citizen put it so well, "Yard signs don't vote" and, furthermore, yard signs at VACANT PROPERTIES count for even less.

As a Green Party Member, I really had no point in showing up at the primary. I would have just been forced to experience...

...the excruciatingly humiliating reality that freakin' Farheen Hakeem is representing my party in the Governor's race, with one of the evil (and ov-er-ly en-nun-ci-ating) Dittman twins runing for lieutenant governor.

I wonder, do Hakeem and Dittman have whimsical little herbal tea parties with stuffed animals, imagining aloud what their hypothetical administration will do? (Put video cameras in every cab, to protect citizens against cab drivers who suddenly, mysteriously transform into the boogeyman?)

To this travesty I say...

THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO ADVANCE GREEN PARTY INTERESTS, which are fairly near the interests of the planet, if we'd concentrate more on true "green" values and quit spinning our wheels on leftover DFL "social justice" issues. We need to be running MORE on "police tape made from biodegradable corn starch" and much, much LESS on "police are just big, bad bullies." (Not in my neighborhood they aren't, and God bless the Fourth Precint or--to be really Green--GODDESS bless the Fourth Precinct)

Yes, we folks with good sense who happen to also be members of the Green Party need moderate, articulate and accomplished individuals who can actually win, folks like Minneapolis City Council Member Cam Gordon. Even when taking a position some would consider extreme (like his proposed circus elephant ban) Cam does it in such a calm, moderate, Minnesota nice kind of way. We need more folks like Cam Gordon running for office in the Green Party, not (for lack of a better phrase) "green-tinged leftovers" like Hakeem/Dittman.

These are the times I have to wonder "why bother?" when it comes to idealistic third party membership, especially with prominent members of my own party (Tom Cleland, cough cough) opportunistically switching back and forth between Green and DFL like City Council Member Diane Hofstede switches staff members. (Sorry, but she does, though it doesn't change the fact Hofstede was the best candidate in Ward 3 by virtue of, oh, I don't know--owning a home like she's actually going to stay a while?)

And, then again, it wasn't like Linda Higgins NEEDED my vote.

Sigh. It's not easy being Green. But it's a bit easier when folks like Linda Higgins can pull off such large margins of victory.

JN-SPAN: UROC Grand Opening!

Post photos, and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

The University of Minnesota held its grand opening ceremonies for its Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center yesterday. Although the pomp and circumstance happened on Wednesday, the facility has been going full steam ahead since opening its doors. Over 9,000 business and community participants have been in the facility since September.

Before getting to the videos, the pictures above show how close I could get when the ribbon was cut, the leftovers of the ribbon, the band providing music, and the main conference room packed to overflowing. The event was so momentous for north Minneapolis that it was almost impossible to get a picture without also capturing several other people looking for their own photos of the day.

Bill English, co-chair of the African American Leadership Summit/Coalition of Black Churches, gave a rousing speech that I did not have a chance to record. He said that at this site, "four years ago, you could buy just about anything illegal that you wanted...now this is a place where community engagement happens." He also emphatically stated that this is not just a case of the University investing in the community. We are part of a true partnership and the community is investing in the U. "The assets of this community will build the University for more years than you can imagine."

All of the speakers were asked to keep their remarks under two minutes, and most of them obliged. Also, I apologize for the shakiness of the camera. My arms were about to fall off after all the hard work I'd put in at the Hawthorne EcoVillage Tree Nursery earlier in the day. The first speaker to appear on this episode of JN-SPAN is...

...Robert J. Jones, Senior Vice President of the University of Minnesota.


Next up is Robert H. Bruininks, President of the University of Minnesota.


Representative Keith Ellison couldn't make it, but recorded this message:


State Senator Linda Higgins is our next speaker.


I've got to hurry up and get this post done before midnight so that I can say it was also a happy birthday present to the next speaker, CM Don Samuels.


And finally, Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein. Why does he always have to speak AFTER someone as energetic as Samuels? Stenglien is actually a rather engaging public speaker, but would serve better as the set-up man for Samuels to bring it all back home.


After the ceremony, I had a chance to wander through the building. It's filled with exciting pieces of art and other historical and cultural contributions. But this was by far my favorite item. First, click on the picture below for a larger view of the description of the project. Then take a look at the pictures and artwork itself.





I should also mention that through our partnership with the University of Minnesota, CURA, and UROC, we have been able to get research assistants to help north Minneapolis neighborhoods track our effectiveness in foreclosure prevention outreach. This groundbreaking research will be brought forward to the community at a formal presentation at UROC in the coming months. Even before the grand opening, they have not only opened their doors for community events, but have also collaborated in very real ways with the community. UROC, welcome to NoMi!

The Real Issue: L3SO CONCENTRATION The Culprit: (dare we say?) THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Photo from wikimedia, blog post by The Walking Drum

Ok we have made some real progress here in identifying the real issue. We all agree that L3SOs are too heavily concentrated in the 55411 and 12 zip codes of Nomi. Now let's capitalize on that. Let's take that same energy that has gone into bashing the STrib (well-deserved bashing, I might add) and apply it to tackling this problem head on. With budget cuts and a recession the Department of Corrections might start making some "judgment calls" that might increase the number of L3SOs coming out on the street. They might become more lenient at parole hearings in favor of not having to pay for one more prison bed. Who knows. These comments are of course conjecture but the fact remains, this problem is not going to go away on its own.

There was a similar mountain to climb in the Eco-village. We had...


....four to five properties that we could see that were a network of drug dealing and prostitution. Tackling the issue independently as individual residents of NoMi, we felt very isolated, alone, unable to accomplish anything. But then we started coordinating our efforts. We started doing repeated targeted 911 calling. Through the neighborhood association we got the attention of the Fourth Precinct, and housing inspections. Pretty soon everyone wanted to make this area a top priority to clean up. After stirring up that coordinated response within 18 months that area was completely "salesman" free and to my knowledge is still relatively free of drug traffic.

You say, Hey I know all of this. Well I'm saying let's take this same "Raising the Shire" approach to the L3SO problem and see what we can dig up. We can't just sit around and wait for these problems to go away. We have got to pick them off one at a time, even if it means taking on the Department of Corrections. Let's get the name of Peter Richard Stephenson's Parole Officer and ask him/her what his decision making process was that led him to believe it was OK to infuse another L3SO into an already L3SO saturated area. Let's ask his/her supervisor the same question. See if they match up and then compare their responses to what the law reads. Can you imagine what would happen if the same 20 commentators on the last blog post did this. What kind of impact it would have on the parole officer. What kind of impact would it have on his supervisor? I guarantee you both of them would think twice before they ever put another L3SO in NoMi.

We might have to ask Linda Higgins what her take is on this whole issue. Maybe she knows something that we should. If we have gotten the attention of Mayor RT Rybak and most of City Council, let's get the attention of Governor Tim Pawlenty and a few senators and representatives. Let's show them how this is important to us and why it needs to be important to them. After all they are only one city away.

Hey, what have we got to lose? At least the parole officers won't torch our vehicles...

JN-SPAN VIDEO: Senator Linda Higgins, Challenger Raymond Dehn Debate On Slummy Landlords...

Video and blog post by John Hoff

Johnny Northside blog--your number one source of Northside news--has provided not only the best coverage of the State Senate District 58 convention--but, actually, apparently it's the ONLY media coverage. (Readers, please comment and leave links if you can find other media coverage of the events at this convention) When DFL staff were sitting at the forlorn, lonely press credentials table, waiting to issue credentials, who were they waiting for? Apparently, just Johnny Northside Dot Com.

More exclusive JN-SPAN video is in the hopper--including an elevator speech by one candidate for governor--but in the meantime here is part of the debate between State Senator Linda Higgins and her challenger, Raymond Dehn. Higgins took the endorsement on the first ballot by 68 to 31 percent.

In this short video segment, Higgins and Dehn debate what I feel is one of the most important and pressing concerns in State Senate District 58: scummy slumlords, many or MOST of which don't actually live in District 58.

JN-SPAN: Senate District 58 DFL Convention, part 2

Post and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Linda Higgins and Raymond Dehn were first asked what their top three issues are. That video is shown above. After that, things got more nitty-gritty as questions were asked around...

Community safety, an issue that is becoming unfortunately more and more pressing.


Problem landlords was the next question. This blog has covered the slumlord issue extensively, so I must say I felt quite a bit of gratification to see it brought forward at the convention.


The candidates were also asked about economic development and entrepreneurs.


Thank goodness both Linda Higgins and Raymond Dehn support the Bottineau corridor coming down Penn and Broadway.


The final question that I shot video for was around housing in general.


Shortly after the Q&A session, Dehn bowed out gracefully by asking for a unanimous endorsement of Linda Higgins.

JN-SPAN: Senate District 58 DFL Convention, part 1

Post and videos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

The highlight of Saturday's Senate District 58 DFL convention was the unanimous endorsement of Linda Higgins (plus a 68-31 vote tally on the first ballot), but plenty of other interesting things happened too. Well, interesting to a policy wonk like myself.

But this was the DFL convention for all of NoMi and part of downtown. It'd be nice if we had enough political diversity where other parties had a shot, but the reality is that the DFL endorsee - especially an incumbent - is pretty well guaranteed to be re-elected. So the day was rather important for our community. And Dehn was commended by Don Samuels, Linda Higgins, and this blog for the classy way he ran his challenge. Put all that together, and these videos deserve a JNS post.

Above, we have the videos of Linda Higgins being introduced and making her opening remarks. After the jump...

is Raymond Dehn's introduction and opening remarks.



Up next, footage from the question and answer session.

JNS Exclusive: Linda Higgins Wins Unanimous Endorsement!

Post, first photo, and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman. Second photo by Megan Goodmundson.

State Senator Linda Higgins, endorsed by this blog, has won the Senate district 58 endorsement by unanimous consent. The tally really was 68.5% to 31.5% after the first ballot. But in a classy move, challenger Raymond Dehn withdrew from contention and made a motion for unanimous consent. That procedure is in the video above. Also shown above, I took the high ground and placed Higgins signs on top of each mound of snow outside the convention at North High.

Although I felt that Linda Higgins has been doing a fine job and no challenger was necessary, I will second her comments and applaud Mr. Dehn for the way he ran his campaign. He consistently contributes to our community and I hope he and others like him continue to be a part of the public discourse.

More videos and commentary to follow, but for now, we celebrate with Linda!
(Do not click "read more." Also, the video may not be immediately available until fully processed by youtube.)

Raymond Dehn State Senate Campaign...Not Doing So Hot?

Image from Raymond Dehn's website, blog post by John Hoff

After getting back last night from the rockin' Linda Higgins campaign party on the Jordan Pond, I did some checking to find out how the party went for her opponent, Raymond Dehn. Dehn threw a party the same night. At this point I don't have much information about how many people attended Dehn's party and who they were, however, one interesting nugget of info came from Facebook.

It turns out...

Raymond or somebody affiliated with his campaign put out an "RSVP" invitation on Facebook. That invitation went out to about 120 people. Of those 120 people, only two replied and indicated they would guests at the party.

If I had to take a guess, I'd say Raymond's campaign is going "not so hot" right now and has an "uphill battle" as one political operative has reportedly put it. Of course, I think to be a genuine "political operative" you have to actually support people who win and be able to win yourself. I'm just saying.

"Dessert With Don" Is Every Fourth Monday, 7 PM At UROC...

Council Member Don Samuels has been sponsoring a "Dessert With Don" forum, every fourth Monday of the month at 7 PM at the amazing new UROC facility. In this video, shot tonight at a party for State Senator Linda Higgins, he extends the dessert invitation to interested citizens.

(Do not click "Read More")

JNS VIDEO: State Senator Linda Higgins Throws A Party, Gives A Speech On The Jordan Pond...

District 58 State Senator Linda Higgins threw a party tonight on the Jordan Pond, click here for more details including a post Linda wrote, herself, on my computer.

In this video, Council Member Don Samuels gives Linda a glowing introduction and then Linda talks about her campaign, including some surprisingly kind words for her opponent.

(Do not click "Read More")

Linda Higgins Throws A Party On The Jordan Pond...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Tonight...well, at this very moment, actually...District 58 State Senator Linda Higgins had/is having a party at 2700 Logan Avenue North, on the lovely-albeit-frozen-right-now Jordan Pond. About 20 people are in attendance, but people have come and gone, so the total attendance at this moment may stand at 30.

So...I've got a crazy idea. I'm just going to hand my computer over to Linda, and let her say something to the readers about her campaign, the pressing issues, that kind of thing.

Here is State Senator Linda Higgins...

Hi Everyone! This is one of the really fun parts of running for office -- having events where you have a chance to talk with people in an informal setting. Our district convention is next Saturday at North High School, and this gives me a chance to answer questions, match names and faces, and generally have a good time.

Kip and Kelly Browne are here with baby Alex, who is charming the socks off everyone. A couple friends from the Second Chance Coalition, Sarah and Mark, have come by as well. Monday is Second Chance Day on the Hill, and they have been organizing for the event. I'll be speaking to the crowd in the Rotunda of the Capitol on Monday morning. 

Thanks to the Yins for hosting this party and to Megan, Kelly and Jackie for doing all the arrangements. Thanks to Dennis Wagner for restocking the beer supply too!

Johnny Northside Blog Endorses Linda Higgins For State Senate In District 58

Photo by Jeff Skrenes, blog post by John Hoff

If history is any guide, Republican or third party candidates won't be able to make any serious challenge in Minnesota State Senate District 58. So it seems better to endorse State Senator Linda Higgins when it matters, right before Tuesday's caucus, rather than waiting for November.

Linda Higgins has been an outstanding state senator, whose long service has given her valuable seniority which--as informed voters know--is a key to getting stuff done in the legislature. She is energetic and involved in the nitty gritty day-to-day happenings in her district, always showing up at the events which matter where stuff gets discussed and decided. I could stop right there but, well, regular readers know I won't.

Linda's challenger, Raymond Dehn, is (for lack of a better word) a non-entity. When Dehn announced he was running against Higgins, this was the first time I'd heard of him. And I like to think I'm pretty informed.

Instead of real issues, Dehn has slogans like...

"The solutions of the past are not going to solve the problems of our future."

Who said this first? Well, it was Raymond Dehn himself. Only one problem with the saying: it's not even remotely true. There are all kinds of solutions that work over and over, past and present and future. Boiled right down to its essence, the saying seems to mean "Try something new for the heck of it, vote for Raymond Dehn even though there's REALLY NOTHING WRONG WITH LINDA HIGGINS." I can't help be reminded of Kenya McKnight's "Why not?" slogan.

And, actually, Raymond Dehn has a little too much in common with Kenya McKnight for my taste. Dehn was the subject of a positive article in Insight News, just like Kenya McKnight, Lennie Chism and Natalie Johnson Lee. This really tells me all I need to know about Raymond Dehn. The Hillside Chronicles blog was also not impressed with Dehn, click here.

At the recent debate with Higgins, Dehn made a point of mentioning his youthful mistakes which caused him to be incarcerated and receive addiction treatment, including a stay at a "halfway house." He talked about how there are crimes which, thirty years ago, weren't even crimes. Well, I think that makes perfect sense since THIRTY YEARS AGO OUR STREETS WERE NOT AWASH IN CRACK COCAINE. Dehn sounds like an ultra-liberal thug-hugger who wants to forgive, forget, and let the criminals out of jail to re-occupy our streets because, oh gee, their lives are so hard and society has been so unfair. There, but for the grace of God and addiction treatment, goes Dehn himself. (I'd like to point out drug/alcohol treatment is a fine example of a "solution of the past" which just keeps working, over and over)

Well, I'm glad Dehn is a productive, contributing member of society instead of somebody whose life has been ruined by addiction, but Dehn's not fit to replace a really great state senator. Vote for Linda Higgins, and don't forget to caucus on Tuesday.

JN-SPAN: Senate District 58 DFL Debates

Guest post, photos, and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

And we continue with another edition of JN-SPAN, the Johnny Northside version of nitty gritty politically detailed video footage. Tonight's episode: the Senate district 58 DFL debates held on Tuesday, January 26th between incumbent Linda Higgins and challenger Raymond Dehn.

I should note that the video included below is not the debate in its entirety. I was working and could not arrive until a few minutes after the event started. Even then, I tried to record questions that seemed pertinent to me, since I don't have a tripod and holding a small camera steady can get tiring after a while. If anyone has a link to the entire debates, please post it here and I'll put it "at the top of the fold."

Finally, I won't hide my personal bias: I support Linda Higgins and I don't expect to change my mind. But every video I post below will include statements from both candidates. If I recorded their answers on separate clips, then I will post both segments here. Also, I'll keep my comments until the end (mostly) so that viewers can go through this with minimal bias from me until my closing analysis.

Without further ado, the first video...

...on jobs and economic development.



Here is a three-part question on jobs, a metro casino (where did that idea come from?) and a Vikings' stadium.



The following question is on ex-offenders' re-entry:


And then there was a question about youth and crime:


Higgins and Dehn were asked about transportation in general on the northside...


...and about the Bottineau line in particular.


You can't really have a political debate in NoMi without bringing up the impact of foreclosures on our community and how to respond.


Here are Raymond Dehn's closing remarks:


And Linda Higgins' closing remarks:


One question that was being addressed just as I was settling in was in regards to the use of federal stimulus dollars (called NSP or Neighborhood Stabilization Programs, NOT to be confused with NRP, Neighborhood Revitalization Programs). Dehn admitted right off the bat that he wasn't very familiar with these funds, and that immediately put him even farther behind in my opinion. I work fairly closely with these programs and in some ways it's almost scary how quickly these federal funds have come down the pike and how quickly the government wants them utilized. Frankly, we're in too critical of a phase to bring in someone who has to be brought up to speed on one of the most rapidly evolving opportunities our community has right now.

On the stadium/casino/economic development question...okay, first of all I have to be very critical of this question in general. I know Pawlenty flirted with the idea of a METRO area casino, which could obviously include Minneapolis, but I'm not aware of any plans that narrowed it down to our fair city. I've looked and looked, and can't come across any links on google searches to that effect either. JNS readers, if you know of any, please share. Even so, rolling essentially three questions into one while trying to limit candidates to two minutes for a response is just bad forum moderation.

Dehn's answer was quite unsatisfactory to me: "...incentivizing programs for employers" is just a string of meaningless words. In fairness, see the above paragraph; the question was poorly worded and Dehn was obviously running out of time when he got to the actual meaningful part of his answer. Higgins at least pointed to a specific bill she'd passed, allowing parents to add their children (if children are unemployed) to their health care coverage up to age 25. But even she was cut short by time constraints.

On the issue of re-entry, Higgins mentioned work she has done in the budget division she chairs, and pointed to the importance of health care for ex-offenders - many of whom need such services as they either suffer from a mental illness or are recovering from chemical dependency. She said that sometimes a community's guidelines about "who can live in a neighborhood" may border on NIMBY-ism. Dehn countered that it IS NIMBY-ism. My take is that at least parts of our community already have their fair share or more of ex-offenders. So I don't see it as NIMBY in NoMi, but rather "N-JIMBY." Not JUST in my backyard. Concentration of poverty or ex-offenders doesn't help anyone; not the poor, not the ex-offenders trying to become productive members of society again, and not the community as a whole.

The rest of Dehn's answer was easily his strongest and most poignant area. He said the best re-entry program is "not incarcerating" people in the first place, and that there are crimes that we didn't incarcerate for 30 years ago, and that's resulting in overflowing prisons now. (Hawkman asks: what crimes are those? And what do we do instead? De-classify certain criminal activity or come up with alternatives to incarceration?) Then Dehn spoke eloquently about a past conviction he has had, and how many of the opportunities he was afforded upon re-entry were likely due to the color of his skin as much as anything else. I may not support Dehn's candidacy, but I certainly support what he stands for in this regard and what we can talk about as a community because of his openness.

I disagree with Dehn's premise on crime in the following question, however, and see that answer as a manipulation of statistics to back up his own opinion or agenda. And Higgins made up some ground regarding the work she has done and the knowledge she has around issues regarding youth and crime.

Higgins really started to pick up steam with the question on transportation in general. Dehn stated that if we called our buses a "community circulator" then more people would ride them than if the buses were known just by their route numbers. If he's right, I certainly don't see that connection. He also said he did not know how to influence the Met Council to make them understand how important transit is to our community. Higgins, on the other hand, jumped right in and said we need to get a governor into office who DOES understand that, and who will then APPOINT Met Council people that truly serve NoMi.

I didn't see significant differences between the two on the Bottineau question. We need to ensure that the line comes through our neighborhood instead of bypassing us via Theo Wirth and 55.

Thanks, Dehn, for mentioning the work of NCRC in preventing foreclosures. I like Dehn's words about the issue of foreclosures, but I'm more impressed by Higgins' actions and accomplishments. While it seems to me Dehn has a good grasp on how our community is impacted, Higgins has a proven track record of accomplishing real change at the legislature.

Dehn's closing remarks...I find it off-putting when a candidate starts out with negatives like "If you want (bad thing #1) don't support me." Other than that, his remarks were strong and well-worded.

If there weren't rules about holding applause until the end, I'd have been clapping throughout much of Higgins' closing remarks. I think she's got a proven track record, connections that serve our neighborhood well, and she's a dedicated, hard worker on behalf of our district.

Ultimately, Dehn did as well as one could expect for a challenger in a first debate; he came in, held his own without any major flubs, and even won a round or two. Granted, my position has already been clearly stated, but I didn't get the sense that he made a strong case for why he deserves the job more or would be better than our current Senator. Dehn came off as likable and competent, and I think he would serve our community well. Right now, I only have one negative thing to say about him: he's running against someone who has been doing a fantastic job and who deserves the continued support of this community.

JN-SPAN: Congressional Field Hearing on Foreclosures and Affordable Housing

Guest post and videos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Falling somewhere in between the venerated C-SPAN network and The Onion's "O-SPAN," Johnny Northside brings you extensive footage of Saturday's Congressional hearing in Minneapolis. We'll call it JN-SPAN.

Let's get the dry stuff out of the way first. This was a Committee on Financial Services meeting, an official hearing of the United States House of Representatives. Its title was "The Impact of the Foreclosure Crisis on Public and Affordable Housing in the Twin Cities," and this was the second time Rep. Keith Ellison has brought such a hearing to Minneapolis.

In the video above, NoMi's state Senator Linda Higgins is speaking about a condemned four-plex near her home...

...that was bought by a consortium of developers from North Dakota (state motto: "Flat but boring"). These developers bought approximately 50 properties in north Minneapolis, and in this property's case, failed the inspection for a certificate of occupancy. The developers lied about being certified asbestos removers, and got caught. But their work on the other houses is reportedly just as shoddy. (Hawkman asks: Can we get a name? Is this a new slumlord or one that we're already aware of?)

Rep. Jim Davnie spoke next.


Davnie has been another leader on predatory lending and foreclosure issues affecting Minneapolis and all of Minnesota. He and Senator Higgins have worked together to create or help pass legislation that curbed predatory lending activities, equity stripping, and abuses by landlords. Both houses of Minnesota's legislature also passed a Subprime Borrowers' Relief Act, which would have provided mediation for borrowers with subprime mortgages - if it hadn't been vetoed by Governor Pawlenty.

Up next was Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman.


Commissioner Dorfman has done great work around foreclosures and vacancies as well, but she references a "14% decline in home values" for north Minneapolis as a result of foreclosures, and that sounds incredibly low. I'd like to see what that number is once it's broken down by neighborhood, if that data is out there. In Hawthorne, I'd bet it's more like 140%. Continuing with numbers, Dorfman states that 55% of foreclosures in Minneapolis are from landlords, and that 10% of the people in homeless shelters in Minneapolis are from these properties.

ADDENDUM: An anonymous commenter on this blog pointed out that in my rebuttal of the inaccurately low percentage of home value decline at least in my area of NoMi, I let hyperbole get in the way of actual mathematics. A 140% decline would mean that the property has a negative value, which only happens in Detroit. Even in the most extreme cases of a fraudulent $300,000 appraised value of a Dream Home, and then a resale in the $30,000 range, the percentage decline would be 90%.

I didn't get video footage of Mr. Dan Bartholomay of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. His content contained very detailed mortgage technicalities, so naturally I was taking notes like a madman. Here's the Reader's Digest version of his speech: The Housing Finance Agency does loans geared towards low- and moderate-income households, and their loan portfolio performed significantly better than the market. However, funding has been difficult because subprime mortgages have given the whole secondary market a bad name. Either nobody trusted these mortgage bonds in general, or they didn't trust the information claiming the stability of such an investment. So now thanks to the subprime meltdown, finding access to funds that actually help poor people AND make money on their own is increasingly difficult.

The highlight of the first panel was CPED Director of Housing Policy and Develpment, Tom Streitz. If you watch no other clip from these videos, at the very least jump to the 1:40 mark of this one.


That's when Tom Streitz discusses one of the biggest victories in NoMi's response to the foreclosure crisis: The successful prosecution of the TJ Waconia fraudsters. When Streitz said that they were in federal prison, the room erupted in applause. Let's hope that the principals from Danna D III (who face federal charges) and maybe a few others will join them.

Streitz also gives some common-sense suggestions about how regulations around NSP dollars could be lifted to make our response to the foreclosure crisis even more effective. I have to agree with those comments, and will likely do a commentary about this at a later time.

Whew! That's about all the excitement I think we can handle for a while, but there was a second panel as well. That panel had some very poignant stories, including one from a tenant whose landlord went into foreclosure. Stay tuned to JN-SPAN.