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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes September 28, 2021 Page 3 1 2 Motion carried 4-0. 3 4 IV.PUBLIC HEARING – NONE. 5 6 V.REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF – NONE. 7 8 VI.GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL. 9 A.10 Resolution 21-068 – A Resolution Condemning the use of Discriminatory Covenants and 11 Approving Participation in the Just Deeds Project Participation. 12 13 Mr. Yunker reviewed the Just Deeds project is a coalition of organizations whose mission is to 14 acknowledge, educate, and work to address systemic racism in housing in Minnesota. Coalition 15 members provide free assistance to homeowners to discharge discriminatory covenants from 16 property titles. 17 18 Racial or discriminatory covenants were a common tool used from the early 1900s until the 19 1960s to prevent Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and non-Christians from buying property 20 and living in residential neighborhoods across the country. While deemed illegal in 1968, the 21 discriminatory practice had a far-reaching impact on the development of the Twin Cities and 22 communities of color, resulting in racially segregation and creating severe inequities still present 23 today. 24 25 The Mapping Prejudice Project, a map of the racial covenants that exist in the region identifies 26 about 400 parcels in the City that contain some form of racial covenant on the property deed. 27 Joining the Just Deeds Project will offer residents assistance in renouncing these covenants on 28 their property. 29 30 City Staff is asked to accept the applications from property owners and verify that the address 31 has a restrictive covenant. The process Staff will follow is: 32 1.33 Application is received by St. Anthony Staff. 2.34 Staff checks the address on the application to the Mapping Prejudice map. a.35 If the property is identified on the Mapping Prejudice map, the application is 36 passed along to Just Deeds staff to work with the property owner. b.37 If the address is not identified on the map, the property owner will be advised to 38 contact a title company to check for restrictive covenants. i.39 If the title company finds a covenant in the property’s title history, staff 40 will pass along to Just Deeds staff to work with the property owner. 41 42 If the resolution is adopted, Staff will notify Just Deeds Project staff that the City is officially 43 participating and coordinate with them as applications are received. Staff will make the 44 application available on the City website and include information on the resources available in 45 the City’s subsequent newsletter, through social media channels and on the City website. Staff 46 has sent information to the City Attorney to check for racially or otherwise restrictive language