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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEC Agenda Packet_6.21.21CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the Falcon Heights - Community Engagement Commission City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue AGENDA June 21, 2021 at 7:00 P.M. Note: This meeting will be held by web conference.* A. CALL TO ORDER: B. ROLL CALL: Larrabee ___ Cooley-Kistler ___ LaDouceur ___ Ebbesen ___ Dumbacher ___ Locke ___ Campbell ___ COUNCIL LIAISON: Gustafson ___ STAFF PRESENT: Walter ___ C. PRESENTATION: D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. May 17, 2021 E. DISCUSSION: 1. Ice Cream Social – Thursday, July 22, 5-7:00pm, Community Park a. Commissioner updates on resource fair contacts b. Staff updates c. Assign remaining tasks 2. Redlining & Racial Covenants Discussion F. INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENTS: G. ADJOURNMENT: Next Meeting: July 19, 2021 * To join the Webinar, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82355169009, or dial +1 301 715 8592 and enter the Webinar ID: 823 5516 9009. CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the Falcon Heights - Community Engagement Commission City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES May 17, 2021 at 7:00 P.M. Note: This meeting was held by web conference. A. CALL TO ORDER: 7:05pm B. ROLL CALL: Larrabee _X__ Cooley-Kistler _X__ LaDouceur _X__ Ebbesen _X__ Dumbacher ___ Locke _X__ Campbell _X__ COUNCIL LIAISON: Gustafson _X__ STAFF PRESENT: Walter _X__ C. PRESENTATION: D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. April 19, 2021 Karen motioned to approved the minutes; Motion approved, 4-0. E. DISCUSSION: 1. Welcome & Introduction to New Members 2. Discuss 2021 Events - Dena explained that the goal would be to have a rolling plan for annual events and projects - Some upcoming events could include parking lot ice cream or freeze pop social at apartments to engage renters; winter frolic event during the winter months; resource fair; history of falcon heights column in the newsletter; Human Rights Day (continuing event); ice cream social - Events that would be delayed are the garden crawl, beer and food truck event - The City will be gradually reopening and the ice cream social will be happening this summer on July 22. The CEC may play a role in organizing a resource fair, helping with event outreach, etc. - The ice cream social would be a good pairing for the resource fair to make it more inviting - Marking of catalytic converters to prevent theft has been a recent offering by local law enforcement entities; this could be a resource the CEC organizes in the future. - Ashleigh will talk with Vandara about ways the Park & Rec commission will be involved for games & activities for kids - Julie will reach out to Ramsey County Health and Wellness & Workforce Solutions as well as the Dance School in Falcon Crossings - Karen will reach out to Keystone Food Shelf & Como Zoo & Conservatory and Gibbs Farm - The outreach at the apartment buildings could be done in June - In the past, outreach has included a literature drop at the apartments. Randy explained that in the past, the property owner has worked with the city to allow volunteers to go door to door with information. The goal would be to converse with renters on how the City can better serve them. - Ashleigh will work with Julie to email property owners of a few apartment buildings. Outreach could happen in June to promote the Ice Cream Social event in July. - Karen said she could help distribute door hangers or literature inside apartments. - Lions Club, The Good Acre, Solar Energy, Ramsey County Master Gardeners would be organizations that could also be engaged - Randy will reach out to Capital Region Watershed District - Neighborhood Liaisons has fallen off the radar in recent years; it should be discussed whether it is worth putting more energy into this program. - Randy explained that currently, the Neighborhood Liaisons program is within the CEC’s responsibility to operate. The handbook and list are still on the website for the public to view. - Julie said that she would be happy to share ideas for the History of Falcon Heights column in the newsletter. - Laure said it would be interesting to interview residents to write profiles to include in the e-newsletter - Julie said for the next meeting members could come up with ideas for what the column could include. - Andrea suggested pulling content from the Old Falcon Heights Facebook page, the contact person is Sue Majerus. - Andrea said she would post on the Falcon Heights Facebook page to try to connect with interested people. - Julie suggested that people bring facts and interesting content to the next meeting. - Ashleigh will lean on Julie and Dena as contacts for the CEC’s involvement in the ice cream social/resource fair. F. INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENTS: - The City will follow the CDC, State, and County advice regarding masking guidance - The City is looking at reopening to the public after the 4th of July, and that would involve a return to in-person meetings sometime after that. G. ADJOURNMENT: 8:33PM Next Meeting: June 21, 2021 ITEM FOR DISCUSSION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item Ice Cream Social Description At the meeting in May, the CEC generated a list of organizations that could be tapped to attend/participate in the resource fair. Staff have confirmation from the following: -Ramsey County Public Health- Child & Teen Checkups (Randy) -Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office (Randy) -Bell Museum -Saint Anthony Park Healthy Seniors -UMN Bee Squad (Karen) -Keystone Food Shelf (Karen) -Gibbs Farm (Karen) -Out on a Limb Dance Theatre & School (Julie) -Ramsey County Public Health- distributing COVID-19 vaccines -Falcon Heights/Lauderdale Lions- providing tents -Tentative: Ramsey County Master Gardeners Staff are looking for updates from CEC members on the following organizations: -Capital Region Watershed District -Como Park Block Nurse Program -International Institute -Minnesota State Fair -MN Housing Agency/RentHelpMN -NineNorth Community Television -Northeast Youth & Family Services -Ramsey County Public Works- Cleveland Avenue Project -Ramsey County Workforce Solutions -Solar Energy Resources -The Good Acre -University of Minnesota Community Services Meeting Date June 22, 2021 Agenda Item E1 Attachment Poster Submitted By Ashleigh Walter, Administrative & Communications Coordinator Staff are looking to assign remaining tasks: -Resource Fair contacts (see list above) -Apartment outreach (Julie?) -Other outreach ideas -Greeters/CEC reps – sign-up link coming in July Budget Impact NA Attachment(s) Event Poster Action(s) Requested Update on tasks; assign remaining items F R E E IC E C REA M & H O T D O G S K I DS G A M E S & C R A F T S I N F LA TA B L E O B S TA C LE C O UR S E LIV E MU S I C LEA RN A B O U T L O C AL O RG S A N D S E R V I C E S A T T HE R E S O U R CE F AI R N E W T H I S Y E A R : L I M I T E D N U M B E R O F P F I ZE R COV I D -1 9 V A C C I NE S W I L L B E O F F E R E D ! ICE CREAM SOCIAL T HU R S DAY , J U L Y 2 2 @ 5 :0 0 -7 :0 0 P M C OM M U N I TY PA RK | 2 05 0 R O S E L A W N A VE C I T Y O F F A L C O N H E I G H T S Th a nk s to the following part n er s: This is a free event; Non-perishable food donations accepted for Keystone Food Shelf www.falconheights.org City of Falcon Heights ITEM FOR DISCUSSION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item Redlining & Racial Covenants Description Staff have received input from residents expressing interest in the topic of racial covenants and redlining. Human Rights Day is on Friday, December 10 this year. Staff are looking for input from the commission on whether this topic is something the CEC would like to pursue/promote for this year’s theme. Also up for discussion is other ways the City might get involved with this issue and the work being done by organizations such as Mapping Prejudice and the Just Deeds Project. For further information: Mapping Prejudice- https://mappingprejudice.umn.edu/ Just Deeds Project- https://justdeeds.org/ Jim Crow of the North - https://www.pbs.org/video/jim-crow-of-the-north- stijws/ Budget Impact NA Attachment(s) Mapping Prejudice action guide Action(s) Requested Discuss topic & brainstorm ways to get involved. Meeting Date June 22, 2021 Agenda Item E2 Attachment Mapping Prejudice action guide Submitted By Ashleigh Walter, Administrative & Communications Coordinator The Mapping Prejudice Project at the University of Minnesota Libraries is mobilizing volunteers to map racial covenants, legal clauses embedded in property deeds that were used to bar people who were not white from owning or occupying property. One common restriction embedded in Hennepin County property deeds declared that the “premises shall not at any time be conveyed, mortgaged or leased to any person or persons of Chinese, Japanese, Moorish, Turkish, Negro, Mongolian or African blood or descent.” Before the Minnesota legislature banned these restrictions in 1962, and the federal government followed suit in 1968, developers inserted these legal clauses into millions of property deeds across the United States. Mapping Prejudice finished mapping covenants in Hennepin County at the end of 2019. The project is now working with the “Welcoming the Dear Neighbor?” group at St. Catherine University to engage community members to identify covenants in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Here’s why we need to know about these restrictions today: • Racial covenants were used to deliberately reserve huge swaths of land for the exclusive use of white people. They show the “racism behind the racial disparities” in American communities today. • Racial restrictions like covenants depressed homeownership rates for Blacks. This has intergenerational consequences. Today the Twin Cities metropolitan area has the lowest African American homeownership rate in the country. • Obstacles to property ownership made it hard for Black families to amass wealth. Today the average white household in the United States has ten times as much wealth as the average Black household. • Racial covenants provide tangible examples of structural racism. These deeds and the map of covenants helps white people who have not personally experienced discrimination “see” structural racism, which is different from personal bias. RECKONING WITH RACISM The Mapping Prejudice Project A brief guide to taking meaningful action © 2020 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator. To receive this information in alternative formats, contact Kirsten Delegard at deleg008@umn.edu. 1. Watch “Jim Crow of the North”: This one-hour documentary uses the history of racial covenants in Minneapolis to explore the complex history of discriminatory housing policies and their contemporary legacies. This Emmy award-winning film explains why mapping racial covenants is so important. 2. Reflect on the connections between the past and the present. Read one of the articles written in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. How does this history help us understand his death and the protests that followed? 3. Create a blueprint for action. Start by looking into your own backyard. What have the housing practices and policies been in your community? What have the historical barriers for homeownership been? What is the situation now? What organizations are working on housing justice? How can you support this work? What’s one action you can take? What’s one action an organization you belong to can take? What’s one action your community can take? How can you educate others about housing injustice? Will you talk to family members? Write a letter to the editor or contact your elected officials? How are the children in your community being educated around this history? 4. Make a donation to support this work. 1 hour 1. Watch “Jim Crow of the North.” (see above) 2. Complete our pre-volunteer survey. This survey helps us to understand the impact that this work is having on our community. 3. Follow these steps to register and get started transcribing. If you do not have a chance to attend one of our guided volunteer sessions, we ask that you start by reading deeds in our “training set.” Once you become proficient with these documents, you can move to the “live” workflow.4. Tell us what you learned. 5. Create a blueprint for action. (see intructions above) 6. Make a donation to support this work. 2 hours 1. Watch “Jim Crow of the North.” (see above) 2. Attend one of our weekly online training sessions to learn how to transcribe deeds. 3. Complete our pre-volunteer survey. This survey helps us to understand the impact that this work is having on our community.4. Follow these steps to register and get started transcribing deeds from Ramsey County.5. Tell us what you learned. 6. Reflect on the connections between the past and the present. Read one of the articles written in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. How does this history help us understand his death and the protests that followed? 7. Create a blueprint for action. (see intructions above)8. Make a donation to support this work. DO more