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<br /> <br /> STAFF REPORT <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of the City Council <br /> <br />FROM: Corrin Wendell, Community Development Director <br /> <br />DATE: April 12, 2023 <br /> <br />RE: Discriminatory Covenants on Deeds & Participation in Just Deeds Coalition <br /> <br /> <br />ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: <br />Motion to pass a resolution condemning the use of discriminatory covenants and approving <br />participation in the Just Deeds Coalition. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />What is Just Deeds? <br /> <br />Just Deeds is a coalition of community stakeholders committed to acknowledging and addressing <br />systemic racism in housing in Minnesota. Coalition members provide free legal and title services to <br />help property owners find discriminatory covenants and remove them from their property titles and <br />will provide the foundation of education and acknowledgement necessary to pursue reconciliation <br />and anti-racist solutions. We represent organizations and entities who share responsibility for <br />creating and correcting systemic racism in housing. We acknowledge the racist systems created and <br />perpetuated within communities, and we will work toward dismantling these systems. Members of <br />the Just Deeds coalition are committed to working toward meaningful and lasting change in <br />Minnesota. Coalition members will achieve this goal by: <br /> <br />• educating Minnesotans about the racist practices perpetrated by developers, real estate agents, <br />lawyers, and local, state, and federal governments to establish segregated housing and keep wealth <br />and opportunity away from communities of color <br />• educating Minnesotans so they understand who has directly and indirectly benefitted from <br />historically racist practices and how those practices have shaped access to property, <br />homeownership, and wealth over time <br />• taking action to dismantle the racist systems that perpetuate inequality and devoting resources to <br />create equity for communities of color <br /> <br />All members of the Just Deeds Coalition recognize the following truths and principles: <br /> <br />• Systemic racism in housing occurs today. Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color <br />continue to face discrimination and lack of access to affordable housing and home ownership. • <br />Continued denial of opportunities to build generational wealth through home ownership <br />perpetuates inequity within our communities. <br />• We will not erase or deny history. We will acknowledge it and learn from it.