Sparks fly at election circle on proposed Voter ID and Marriage Amendments

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Emotions ran high at times during last month’s TC Daily Planet election circle. The subject of the evening: the proposed constitutional amendments. Everyone attending agreed that the Minnesota Constitution should not be amended to further limit same-sex couples’ freedom to marry. There is already a statute on the books banning marriage between same-sex couples, passed by the legislature in 1997. However, there was difference of opinion over the value and motivations of a voter ID or voter suppression amendment being promoted by Republican legislators.Among the participants on hand to discuss possible changes to the Constitution were:Kathy Bonnifield, executive director of Citizens for Election Integrity MinnesotaRicardo Levins Morales, author of a blog piece, “The Marriage Amendment as decoy and how to fight the real danger,” connecting the two amendments Alan Shilepsky, a former DFL activist, who was active in the Independence and Reform parties before joining the Republican Party. Continue Reading

Connecting around equitable transit and safe, livable communities

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The District Councils Collaborative (DCC) of St. Paul and Minneapolis is all about connecting and engaging members of communities along the Central Corridor, ensuring that residents and business owners’ voices and concerns are heard so that the new light rail green line benefits everyone. At a Twin Cities Media Alliance-sponsored Get Connected! event held on September 18, DCC’s executive director, Carol Swenson, explained that the organization has been active in environmental review processes and the Stops for Us campaign, which added three stops to the line. DCC, which represents the coming together of all St. Continue Reading

Getting connected to raise awareness about mental illness

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The September 22 NAMIWalks, Changing Minds One Step at a Time, has a lofty goal: raising the public’s awareness about mental illness and helping to end the stigma surrounding it. These are objectives the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota works on throughout the year, but the annual walk provides an opportunity for people to come together en masse to call attention to the stigma of mental illness, a stigma which prevents far too many individuals from seeking the treatment they need.Working for a better mental health system requires education, support, heightened awareness, and legislative action, all of which the non-partisan, nonprofit does, according to NAMI Minnesota’s executive director, Sue Abderholden. However, political advocacy, which draws from citizens statewide, is at the heart of NAMI’s mission statement. NAMI Minnesota credits grassroots organizing efforts with stopping tens of millions of dollars in cuts to mental health services last year.During a Twin Cities Media Alliance-sponsored Get Connected! community meeting held on September 8, Abderholden emphasized how important it is for individuals to communicate their own personal stories. Sharing those stories with elected officials, she said, is a top priority.Stigma and lack of information deters treatmentLegislators, like the general public, may not realize how pervasive mental illness is. Continue Reading

Getting connected over deferred action policy

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John Keller and Isabel Duran are accustomed to speaking to large groups about immigrant issues. These days, deferred action events attract hundreds. Typical audiences are comprised of people whose lives are most directly impacted by immigration policies, in other words, immigrants themselves. As a result, Keller, who serves as executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), and Duran, College Connector for NAVIGATE MN, relish opportunities to talk with others who care to learn more. Such was the case at a Twin Cities Media Alliance Get Connected! Continue Reading

NAMI helps people living with mental illness confront profound challenges

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People who struggle with mental illness continue to face barriers at every turn, according to Sue Abderholden, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota. “The current health care system for children and adults living with mental illnesses continues to this day to discriminate against people needing mental health treatment and supports to achieve wellness and recovery.”Abderholden explains that, “If mental health treatment is covered under private insurance, what is covered is variable.” She adds that, “Few private plans cover the model mental health benefit set which is included under MA (Medical Assistance) and MinnesotaCare.” Furthermore, it is not yet clear how components of the Affordable Health Care Act designed to ensure equity and parity will be implemented.Curious to learn more about NAMI and how health care reform and changes in Medical Assistance may impact people with mental illnesses? Want to take action on policies that impact the rights of those living with mental illness? Join the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota (NAMI Minnesota) and Twin Cities Media Alliance this Saturday, Sept. 8, at 1:00 p.m., to find out what you can do. You’ll also discover how to use new media tools, especially Twitter, to connect and advocate more effectively. Continue Reading

Connecting over the proposed voter ID amendment

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The League of Women Voters does not take voting lightly. In fact, the nonpartisan political organization was founded in 1920 during the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, just six months before ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Ratification came after 70-plus years of struggle.Gwen Myers, a former history and government teacher who serves as a board member and volunteer lobbyist for the state organization, spoke on behalf of the League of Women Voters Minneapolis to a group gathered at Cause Spirits & Soundbar for a Get Connected! event on August 22nd.Myers, who has been an election judge for the past ten years, warned that the voter ID amendment being put to Minnesota voters this November is “definitely a threat to people’s voting.” She said that the process of acquiring an acceptable form of photo ID with a current permanent address is a burdensome and costly process for many state residents.Amendment would create unnecessary hurdles The League of Women Voters has come out strongly against photo ID requirements for voters, saying they create hurdles for otherwise eligible voters, are unnecessary for election integrity because no one in Minnesota has ever been convicted of voter impersonation, and would add significant costs to the whole election process.Gwen Myers Among other consequences, Myers observed that the proposed requirements would effectively end election day registration as we know it, something that half-a-million Minnesotans typically take advantage of in presidential elections. Furthermore, those voters would be required to vote provisionally, making it uncertain whether their votes would be counted. Absentee voting as we know it would likely come to an end, too, as would the use of passports, military IDs and student IDs as proof of identity. Continue Reading

Social media helps business owners connect with communities, find customers

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Mary Hamel, Metro Independent Business Alliance’s executive director, described herself as a “late adapter” to social media. It’s not something she would naturally gravitate to, she admitted. However, she’s learned how important it’s been for Metro IBA and its members to make the leap.Hamel was a panel member at a New Normal 2012: Get Connected! community meeting held at Open Arms of Minnesota on July 26. She joined Loren Schirber, Metro IBA’s marketing chair and president of Castle Building and Remodeling, Josh Becerra, cofounder of Monkey Island, Inc., a software development firm, and Marcos Lopez-Carlson, neighborhood engagement coordinator for the Twin Cities Media Alliance. Developing a “social mindset”Building an audience through social media requires a “change in mindset,” said Becerra. Continue Reading