Grant Terrell, above. Below: Part of the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul (Photos by Jeff Cowan)
In February 2009, Grant Terrell, 56, a longtime employee of the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul, was let go because of his decades-old felonies. Terrell, a Brooklyn Park resident, had been the property manager at the center in charge of tracking campus equipment, a position he held since 1994.
Demonstrators gathered July 6, 2009, at Mpls City Hall to show support for the Complaints Investigations Unit, which they said needs to stay in Minneapolis to continue serving disenfranchised people.
Last month, the Minneapolis City Council narrowly defeated a proposal to temporarily shift to the state the Complaints Investigations Unit (CIU) of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (MDCR). While the vote preserves the unit for now, some people worry that it could still be displaced in the future.
St. Paul resident Metric Giles, 55, knew at a young age what it meant to be a Giles.
"In Chicago," where his family is from originally, "being a Giles carries weight," he said, adding that they're a proud clan, passing on lessons about responsibility, accountability and self-sufficiency. Those values underlie his community service: "I try to be for something instead of against something," said Giles.
As the executive director for St. Paul's Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC), which runs social, economic housing and commercial development programs, Nieeta Presley strives to empower people to effect social change. Her work, which ranges from helping people find economic independence through home ownership to rallying for additional light rail stops in the neighborhood, happens mainly behind-the-scenes. Presley, 59, is accomplished in her field, but her greatest priority remains her family. Balancing both is a challenge, she admits, but her faith carries her through it all. Below, Presley, whose life has taken some unexpected twists, discusses how she got to where she is today, her values and future ambitions.
Minneapolis City Council Candidates (L to R) Roger Smithrud, Lennie Chism, Kenya McKnight [speaking] and Natalie Johnson Lee answer constituent questions during a Ward 5 candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis on October 13, 2009. Thanks to Tony Webster for photo.
A handful of years ago, Minneapolis Councilman Don Samuels had no intention of running for office. He worked from home designing toys, but neighbors pressed him, saying, "We're not getting any attention. The community is falling apart, with gunshots every night. This is crazy. Don't they care? Please go to City Hall and try to make a difference," he told the audience at the recent city council debate in North Minneapolis's Fifth Ward.
In a rare move by the city, Kenneth Brown, who helmed the commission that provides oversight to the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), was recently turned down for another term. So was fellow commissioner Allen Kathir.
The city of St. Paul is trying to "manage growth and change" that is expected to arise from the future Central Corridor Light Rail transit line, Nancy Homans, policy director to Mayor Coleman, told a group that gathered as part of a monthly discussion series hosted by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota on Friday, September 18.
Maintaining affordable housing along the nearly $1 billion line that will link Minneapolis and St. Paul is a priority, but opinions on how to do so vary, Homans said. Some people advocate for a hands-off approach, she explained, adding that they theorize that "public investment is enough and the market will do the rest," she said.
Artist Damian Jackman fashioned Urgie the sturgeon out of millions of pounds of debris that volunteers had helped remove from local waterways.
Even though I'm not a hardcore state fair-tripper, my visit on opening day was fun, filled with curiosities ranging from a life-like singing and dancing robot to a 1,186-pound pumpkin.
“It’s a deeply disappointing and disturbing story, in which the bad actions overshadow the good actions,” James Nobles, the legislative auditor who blew the whistle on the now-defunct Metro Gang Strike Force told a legislative hearing Wednesday. MGSF, a multijurisdictional unit that formed in 2005, was shut down in June following a report from Nobles, detailing problems in the way the unit accounted for seized and forfeited property. He and other speakers at the August 26 hearing at the state capitol underscored the need for greater oversight to combat gang and drug activity and to protect citizens’ rights.
Find out about reporting for us on our Story Page, click on the "Quick hits" Google doc for ideas, or email a pitch to editor [at] tcdailyplanet [dot] net
“It’s a deeply disappointing and disturbing story, in which the bad actions overshadow the good actions,” James Nobles, the legislative auditor who blew the whistle on the now-defunct Metro Gang Strike Force told a legislative hearing Wednesday. MGSF, a multijurisdictional unit that formed in 2005, was shut down in June following a report from Nobles, detailing problems in the way the unit accounted for seized and forfeited property. He and other speakers at the August 26 hearing at the state capitol underscored the need for greater oversight to combat gang and drug activity and to protect citizens’ rights.
We're people-powered journalism! 
• Minneapolis Somali photographer 
