Opinion

COMMUNITY VOICES | Rock the Garden 2013 at the Walker Art Center: Tweets and photos from the day

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:21 +0000

Staff

TC Daily Planet

Rain or shine, this year's Rock the Garden on Saturday, June 15 made it happen in both. Here's a sampling of tweets from the event.

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Rain or shine, this year's Rock the Garden on Saturday, June 15 made it happen in both. Here's a sampling of tweets from the event.

[If you don't see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.]

COMMUNITY VOICES | Hmong Mississippi River canoe trip

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:32:16 +0000

Jay Clark

TC Daily Planet

On June 14, 20 Hmong refugee students took a canoe trip down the Mississippi river. The trip began at Brooklyn Park’s River park, and ended at Minneapolis’ Boom island.

Hmong canoeists heading towards downtown Minneapolis

Learning how to paddle

Along the way, they saw bald eagles, heron rookeries, and turtles and snakes.

Pushing off

They made a stopoff at North Mississippi Regional Park, where they learned more about the Mississippi river's wildlife and ecology.

Passing under the I-694 bridge over the Mississippi river

Most of the Hmong students came to the United States between 2004 and 2006 from Thailand’s Wat Tam Krabok refugee camp. All the Hmong students live in North Minneapolis, and all play soccer for Farview park. Many had never set foot in a boat before.

Canoeing past the XCel power plant in northeast Minneapolis

The students had a great time, and many said they hoped to take more canoe trips and see more of Minnesota's nature in the future.

Celebrating

The canoe trip was sponsored by the Pohlad Foundation, and guided by Wilderness Inquiry.

On June 14, 20 Hmong refugee students took a canoe trip down the Mississippi river. The trip began at Brooklyn Park’s River park, and ended at Minneapolis’ Boom island.

Hmong canoeists heading towards downtown Minneapolis

Learning how to paddle

Along the way, they saw bald eagles, heron rookeries, and turtles and snakes.

Pushing off

They made a stopoff at North Mississippi Regional Park, where they learned more about the Mississippi river's wildlife and ecology.

Passing under the I-694 bridge over the Mississippi river

Canoeing past the XCel power plant in northeast Minneapolis

The students had a great time, and many said they hoped to take more canoe trips and see more of Minnesota's nature in the future.

Celebrating

The canoe trip was sponsored by the Pohlad Foundation, and guided by Wilderness Inquiry.

COMMUNITY VOICES | One Minneapolis Mayoral Forum: Not sexist, not Minnesota Nice either

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:31:33 +0000

Nekima Levy-Pounds

Community Voices

Recently, I had the privilege of participating in the One Minneapolis Mayoral Forum that was held at Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis. The Forum was designed to carve out a unique space in which candidates for the Minneapolis Mayoral race would be called upon to bring forth specific solutions to address the growing racial disparities in the City. Unlike traditional political forums, the One Minneapolis Forum was organized by youth workers who are routinely forced to confront the harsh realities of poverty, homelessness, and unemployment through the eyes of the young people they serve. In addition to a specific focus on socio-economic disparities, the Forum organizers sought to ensure that racial disparities would for once be front and center in a major mayoral debate, as opposed to a peripheral issue, as is often the case in such forums. For a video replay, see http://www.theuptake.org/2013/06/06/minneapolis-mayoral-candidates-address-race-issues/.

The Forum was Not “Business as Usual”

The Forum attracted hundreds of young voters, concerned citizens, seasoned freedom fighters, and a large number of residents from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The energy in the overflowing auditorium was electrifying and signaled the desire for an end to a “business as usual” paradigm in political forums and ushered in the possibility of a new form of citizen engagement in political arenas.

The organizers of the event decided that the forum would be highly structured in some respects and free-flowing in other respects to allow for audience participation and feedback. The conference organizers, which consisted primarily of three men and two women, along with numerous other volunteers, went to great lengths to ensure that the forum was reflective of the rich diversity within our community, including race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status, to name a few.

Women on the Frontlines in Ensuring the Forum’s Success

In order to ensure inclusiveness and balance, the organizers enlisted several women to pose questions directly to the candidates. This had the effect of giving women in general, and women of color in particular, the opportunity to use their voices in an arena that often feels unfriendly and unwelcoming to women. (The youth voice was also prominently featured as several young people were enlisted to pose questions). In light of the limited representation of women in the political arena, the conference organizers were forward-thinking in specifically recruiting women to play key roles in the forum’s success.

In addition to enlisting young women to pose questions directly to the candidates, the organizers, specifically Henry Jiminez and Marjaan Sirdar, recruited me --an African American woman-- to serve as the moderator of the forum. In so doing, they empowered me with the authority to ask the tough questions and apply the pressure when answers by candidates were vague or needed further elaboration. The goal as I understood it was to get candidates to go beyond mere niceties and pat political answers and to delve more deeply into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory on issues of racial justice, poverty, education, homelessness, criminal justice, unemployment, and the overall lower quality of life that people of color experience in the City of Minneapolis and across the metro area. The women who participated in the forum had meaningful roles and worked tirelessly to ensure that the significant racial and socio-economic disparities facing our community would not be ignored.

Lack of Racial and Gender Diversity Emblematic of Larger Problems

The candidates were briefed ahead of time in preparation for the forum and all in all, eight candidates agreed to participate. There were noticeable differences between the platforms of the various candidates and a stark contrast between seasoned politicians and those who were new to the political arena. Two other factors stood out amongst the candidates; only one of them was a person of color and just two were women. The racial and gender composition of the mayoral candidates is emblematic of larger historical and contemporary problems within the body politic and society related to access to equal opportunity, strong political mentorship, robust political capital, and access to financial resources, to name a few. These critical ingredients are often difficult to attain, not only for white males who run for political office, but arguably even more so for women and people of color, who have historically experienced discrimination and oppression.

Given the deeply entrenched challenges to diverse political representation that existed prior to the forum, it is patently unfair and unrealistic to expect forum organizers, be they male or female, to be able to resolve these problems in less than two hours. The burden to remedy such inequities cannot and should not fall on the shoulders of forum organizers, but must instead be distributed more equitably upon the shoulders of our collective community.

In my estimation, the conference organizers went above and beyond the call of duty by organizing the Forum, inviting and encouraging all of the candidates to participate, and giving them a platform to demonstrate whether each has the capacity to lead Minneapolis into a promising future. Although the female candidates were small in number, I can honestly say that they held their own, and each seemed comfortable talking about racial disparities, how they have tackled such issues in the past, and their ideas for addressing such issues in the future. Of course, it would have been wonderful to allow the female candidates, as well as their male counterparts, more time to speak. However, the greater triumph is to build pathways for unfettered participation by women in the race for mayor as well as other key political races. Our society will benefit by having more diverse representation amongst major decision-makers. Equally as important is having representatives who truly “get it” and who feel comfortable talking openly about race and who are willing to devote the resources to close the gaps that exist.

We Must Stay Focused
In light of the intolerable disparities that communities of color are facing in our state and in our City, we cannot afford to be divided amongst race, class, or gender lines. It is imperative that we stay focused on addressing the issues that relentlessly plague our community. We also have a duty to ensure that the next Mayor of Minneapolis understands that we must work together to tackle the alarming disparities that exist. This approach will ensure the long term viability and sustainability of our entire community--- and especially those without a voice in our society.

Nekima Levy-Pounds is an associate professor of law at the University of St. Thomas Law School and director of the Community Justice Project, an award-winning civil rights legal clinic. Levy-Pounds is an expert on issues at the intersection of race, poverty, and social justice. She may be reached at nvlevypounds [at] stthomas [dot] edu or on Twitter @nvlevy.

Related articles:

One Minneapolis: Mayoral candidates squirm while peppered with questions about racial equity (includes video of full forum) by Allison Herrera and Jacob Wheeler, The Uptake
One Minneapolis mayoral forum: Young Minneapolis puts candidates on the spot by Lauretta Dawolo, TC Daily Planet
Asking the organizers: How did One Minneapolis forum work? by Erin Collins, TC Daily Planet
One Minneapolis forum: What about the Latino community? by Erin Collins, TC Daily Planet
Coloring the vote: Demographics and engagement add up to political power by Vina Kay in Opine Season
Youth workers organize mayoral candidate forum focused on racial disparities in Minneapolis by Siobhan Kierans on KFAI's Morning Blend
COMMUNITY VOICES | Terra Cole: One Minneapolis mayoral forum was sexist to female candidates by Terra Cole, Community Voices

The Forum was Not “Business as Usual”

Women on the Frontlines in Ensuring the Forum’s Success

Lack of Racial and Gender Diversity Emblematic of Larger Problems

Related articles:

One Minneapolis: Mayoral candidates squirm while peppered with questions about racial equity (includes video of full forum) by Allison Herrera and Jacob Wheeler, The Uptake
One Minneapolis mayoral forum: Young Minneapolis puts candidates on the spot by Lauretta Dawolo, TC Daily Planet
Asking the organizers: How did One Minneapolis forum work? by Erin Collins, TC Daily Planet
One Minneapolis forum: What about the Latino community? by Erin Collins, TC Daily Planet
Coloring the vote: Demographics and engagement add up to political power by Vina Kay in Opine Season
Youth workers organize mayoral candidate forum focused on racial disparities in Minneapolis by Siobhan Kierans on KFAI's Morning Blend
COMMUNITY VOICES | Terra Cole: One Minneapolis mayoral forum was sexist to female candidates by Terra Cole, Community Voices

@Nekima Levy-Pounds

One Minneapolis Mayoral Forum

PRM files administrative appeal over NDAA request

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:17:50 +0000

Public Record Media

PRM recently filed an administrative appeal with the Office of Information Policy (OIP) related to our FOIA request for legal opinions about military detention powers under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. OIP handles administrative appeals for the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) - another component of the U.S. Department of Justice.

This is our second administrative appeal in this matter. Our earlier appeal was filed after OLC had failed to provide a response to our FOIA request after more than eight months. Our current appeal seeks a review of OLC’s decision to withhold four documents responsive to our request. OLC withheld the documents under FOIA Exemption 5, which protects documents subject to the “deliberative process privilege.” However, documents that constitute “final determinations of policy” (which we expressly asked for in our request) generally cannot be withheld under Exemption 5 and must be released, since they guide government actions.

View the document (and our previous correspondence) here.

Public Record Media

COMMUNITY VOICES | Stone Arch Bridge Festival, in sun and rain

Storify — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:16:02 +0000

Community Voices

TC Daily Planet staff used Storify to gather some of the images and comments posted by community members at the June June 14-16 Stone Arch Bridge Festival.

[If you don't see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.]

TC Daily Planet staff used Storify to gather some of the images and comments posted by community members at the June June 14-16 Stone Arch Bridge Festival.

[If you don't see the Storify photos and comments below, please refresh your browser window.]

COMMUNITY VOICES | Festivities Begin At Stone Arch Art Festival 2013

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:15:50 +0000

Terry Scott Nie...

Community Voices

The Stone Arch Bridge Art Festival 2013 started off with a large turnout of fest-goers under mostly pleasant skies. People flooded St. Anthony Main to take in the sights and sounds of the art fair; Classic car displays, food-stands, music, and of course arts and crafts. Local musicians played on stages and in the streets as pedestrians mused. The Stone Arch Bridge was packed with people walking, biking, and taking in the majestic beauty of St. Anthony Falls and The Mississippi River below.

Dogs, renaissance characters, artists, sightseers, bicyclists, and musicians, were ubiquitous throughout the crowd. Adults and children alike took in the riverfront streets, historical redbrick roads, games, music, and art.

This year’s crowd was diverse in age; there remains something for all at the fest.

The food-stands are setup, offering interesting and exotic selections, as well as fest favorites for all your foodie needs. Many fest-goers carried cameras, snacks and crafts, which, the latter, were on display and for sale. The classic car show brought an impressive lot of machinery to the forefront-rare, tricked-out, and American Classic Customs shined for onlookers present.

The Stone Arch Bridge Art Festival runs today and tomorrow throughout Father Hennepin Park and historic St. Anthony Main, there is a vast array of art and culture to take in. Make the time this weekend to see what the Stone Arch Art Festival has to offer.

This year’s crowd was diverse in age; there remains something for all at the fest.

Stone Arch Bridge Festival

Obama speech impacts California drone lawsuit

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:19:46 +0000

Public Record Media

Since its earliest days, the Obama administration has been circumspect about officially confirming the existence of its drone-centric counter-terrorism operations. Despite extensive press coverage of the subject (as well as apparently sanctioned leaks and carefully crafted public statements) the administration avoided officially acknowledging its drone program for over four years.

In fact, while Attorney General Holder and other officials made couched references to such an operation, the administration fought off multiple FOIA requests for legal opinions related to the program in federal court. Such requests came from the ACLU, the New York Times, PRM, and the California-based First Amendment Coalition (FAC).

Speech officially confirms drone program

President Obama’s May speech at the National Defense University served as official confirmation of the administration’s drone program, and also changed the landscape for several drone-related lawsuits, including the FOIA suit filed by the FAC.

Like several other requesters, FAC had submitted a FOIA request for legal opinions relating to the lethal force targeting of al-Qeada operative (and American citizen) Anwar al-Awlaki. As with other media organizations, DOJ had provided a “Glomar” response to FAC’s request - neither confirming nor denying the existence of responsive records. For several requesters, the DOJ’s Glomar response proved difficult to overcome in court. For instance, a federal judge ruled against the New York Times and the ACLU in their consolidated FOIA lawsuit to obtain the so-called Awlaki memo.

In the FAC’s case, the government had recently moved for summary judgment, hoping to get the proceedings terminated. On May 22, however, DOJ filed notice that they would be withdrawing their motion for summary judgment, due to the fact that:

“At the direction of the President, the Attorney General officially confirmed that the United States Government targeted Anwar al-Awlaki and conducted an operation that resulted in his death.”

The DOJ’s filing noted that the fact of the operation against Awlaki had been “properly classified,” but that the President had subsequently determined that the same fact could now be publicly revealed. This official acknowledgment eliminated the basis for the government’s Glomar response, and opened the matter of access to the underlying OLC memo.

In the DOJ’s filing, the agency noted that it would provide FAC with a modified FOIA response within thirty days.

Public Record Media

Federal court affirms PRM fee award

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:09:58 +0000

Public Record Media

PRM's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Justice Department (DOJ) has seen additional activity in recent weeks. Earlier this year, Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan awarded attorney's fees to PRM, after PRM sued DOJ in federal court over access to drone-related legal opinions. Find background on the lawsuit here and here.

In the wake of the fee award, DOJ objected to both the award itself, as well as to the amount. Due of the agency’s objections, Chief Judge Michael Davis undertook a review of the magistrate's order.

On May 7, 2013, Judge Davis affirmed PRM's award, and let the original fee amount stand. (Both DOJ and PRM had submitted briefs asking that the fee amount be modified, for differing reasons.) DOJ then asked for reconsideration of the matter - a request that PRM opposed.

On June 7th, Judge Davis issued a subsequent order, noting that he had reviewed PRM’s fee award under a higher “de novo” standard, and upheld it a second time.

Importance of the case to FOIA requesters

While PRM’s case did not result in the disclosure of documents (see our earlier post), its award of fees upholds an important principle of the FOIA - particularly in light of changes that Congress made to the Act in 2007. Those changes expanded the ability of FOIA requesters to obtain costs and fees as a result of litigation over FOIA matters.

Background

In PRM’s original FOIA request, we sought legal opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) related to lethal-force targeting by drones, both inside and outside of the United States. The OLC responded by evading part of our request, and responding in a vague and generalized way about two other remaining items in our request:

“We have identified several documents that are responsive to the remaining items in your request.”

One of those items involved legal memos about lethal-force targeting inside the U.S. - an issue of obvious (and increasing) interest to the public, given the Obama administration’s admitted use of drones against U.S. citizens elsewhere in the world. Both “remaining items” were withheld by OLC.

PRM filed an administrative appeal to contest the OLC’s withholding of records related to domestic drone use, and later sued when DOJ failed to answer the appeal after several months. Once litigation commenced, DOJ reversed its earlier statement that indicated the existence of responsive records, and claimed to hold no records. The agency subsequently backed-up its assertion with a sworn declaration in federal court. Once this declaration was filed, PRM agreed to dismiss the case. PRM then moved to seek fees in the case, since DOJ’s initial response to our FOIA request differed substantially from its later sworn statement.

Under the 2007 amendments to the FOIA, a requester who sues an agency can recover fees in a variety of circumstances, including circumstances where litigation caused the agency to “change position.” Such was the situation in our case, in which DOJ changed its position from indicating that it held responsive documents, to swearing that it did not hold such documents after all.

FOIA principles upheld

The FOIA allows requesters to recover attorney’s fees if they are compelled to engage in costly and time-consuming litigation in order to receive information they are due under the FOIA. In our case, DOJ could have provided clarity about its lack of records much earlier in the process - either in its original response, or during the administrative appeals process (a process during which DOJ did not respond to us at all).

We are pleased that the court has awarded (and now twice affirmed) a fee award in our case. We believe that the award underscores a fundamental principle of open government - that agencies must be forthcoming and clear in their responses to the public.

Public Record Media

Federal court affirms PRM fee award

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:09:57 +0000

Public Record Media

On June 7th, Judge Davis issued a subsequent order, noting that he had reviewed PRM’s fee award under a higher “de novo” standard, and upheld it a second time.

Importance of the case to FOIA requesters

Background

“We have identified several documents that are responsive to the remaining items in your request.”

FOIA principles upheld

Public Record Media

Bottineau Park Bike Rodeo brought bike culture to East African Community

Beth Peloff — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:39:10 +0000

Beth Peloff

TC Daily Planet

WellShare International, SPOKES Bike Walk Connect and Bottineau Recreation Center teamed up to put on a bike rodeo as a part of Bike Walk Week. At this multicultural event, participants learned about how to ride a bicycle, bike repair basics, bike safety, and practiced riding in challenging situations.