June 8, 2017

EPIC Community Meeting Minutes 06 - 08


06-08-2017, 6:30 – 8:50
Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S.
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) -280-8418

Board Roster: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Tom Harris, Linda Vermillion, Cassandra Holmes, .
Board Members Present: Carol Pass, Linda Leonard, Laura Dale, Tom Harris , Cassandra Holmes, Rosie Cruz, Linda Vermillion, Mary Gonsior
Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo,
Members: Brad Pass, Michael Green, Lance Lamont, Carol Hill George Kennedy Margaret Kirkpatrick Sophia Hernandez  (ernandezHH intern Little Earth); Child Care center owner and employee, Karen Townsend, Rep. Karen Clark, Tiimothy Blighton, Carol Hill-Kennedy, George Kennedy, Michael Green, Maria Gali, Carlos Contreras (Child Care center owner and employee)
Guests: Shirley Heyer, Tim and Skylor; Mahamed Cali, Brett Nyman, Tanya McCaleb, 

6:30     Social Time/ Greetings and Introductions

Meeting called to order at 6:45 pm

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6:45                 Approval of Proposed June 8th Agenda:. Laura and Cassie to approve agenda;  motion approved
Approval of General Membership Draft Minutes from May 11th 13th
Rosie and Laura with the motion to approve minutes.  Motion passed.

 

6:55     Announcements:

o   Summer Festival, Sunday, June 25, 2017,  Tammy needs volunteers; She can be contacted through the park here or Brad Pass at 612 916-8478. The flyer has more information and contact numbers. The sign in sheet is a place people can indicate they want to volunteer. Tammy will also take names of people who want to perform.

o  Next EPIC Board Meeting, July 8th 10:00 am-noon, East Phillips Park

o  Next EPIC Community Meeting, July 13th 6:30 - 8:45, East Phillips Park

 Banyan has breakfast 8:30-10:00 am this Saturday on E 26th and 13th Ave S. Parking available.

7:10   Crime Prevention and Safety  Solutions with CPS Brett Nyman.  We will spend some time on this. Bring your
          Concerns. More Speed Bumps? Hire Security?
          East Phillips Safety Patrol–Lance Lamont

Lance has experience and would be happy to include the broader community to beautify the community and pick up garbage including sharps; deter crime; present outreach resources; engage people with dignity and provide light snacks and beverages; Sophia Hernandez talked about crime prevention programming and how it could benefit the community; She mentioned funding and talked about being role models and giving young adults positive programming. A lot happens at night with gunfire and gang activity. The idea is to stipend young adults.

Linda mentioned that the Ambassador program already has vests and handbook of the streets and other resources. Lance suggested ten pm to 2 am. There are certain times of the month at the first and 15th . Younger people would be during daylight perhaps. Hiawatha to Franklin to Bloomington to Lake Street.

Carol reported the outcome of three years of citizen patrol and reports to the legislature which resulted in over 3 million dollars for the current East Phillips Park Cennter

Cassie asked about training and working with the police doing certification through the city of Minneapolis. Lance has worked with Inspector Sullivan.

Michael Green talked about win/win about youth funding and crime control. He suggested a pilot program and discussion of not requiring the 4:1 match.

Lance asked about having some other people involved as former patrol members.
Cassie asked about contact with each other like phones and walkie/talkies.
Tom spoke about his son who is 14 and the cameras on his business. He has seen a woman assaulted under the bridge in daylight.  He suggested approaching businesses for partnership and financing.

Action: Referred Lance to work out details with the Board.

7:27 We paused for introductions.

7:29 Brett.
Linda asked Brett to explain trespass process. The police have an affidavit you sign and will give a trespass sign; you give the police a trespass notice to serve on the people who are trespassing.  We should call police and tell them someone is there that we don’t want there. The signs have to be posted appropriately. After they have been served they can be served again and arrested. Geographic trespass is complicated and pertained to an area.  
Rosie talked about a neighbor who did verbal trespass and has been threatened by people for that.
Linda talked about how a property owner has to fill out the form and the police will serve the form.

Mary Gonsiour asked about locking the back gate and Brad said the building codes might be a challenge if there are yard gate locks. Brett said whatever we can do for security is great.  Michael asked Brett to bring information about number of calls/responses/no ability to service because the culprit was gone; Brett said goa: gone on arrival.

Brett said video is helpful.

Rosie talked about Salvation Army providing meals and that’s why so many people hang on Lake and Bloomington. The bus stop is scary. Carol spoke about the effect of putting locks on the fence near SA and how it keeps people out and makes tenants safer. She spoke about a neighborhood that put up high fences and locks and it really turned down the crime.

Mary talked about running into a deal taking place as she comes home and the same people are involved very often. She asked how the police respond if we call about obvious dealing.  Brett said there are undercover surveillance teams that do watch SA but they NEED reasonable suspicion to stop someone. Then they can have a reason to stop someone. Resources are allocated for where the calls come from. “ If you don’t call it never happened.”

The child care center can’t do their drills and take kids out amid the prostitutes and dealers.

Cassie talked about making lots of calls from Little Earth and now they have the “data”. Six habitual arrestees that are 25% of the arrests. What you say is put in a machine model to prioritize calls. Key words are important.

Mary asked about data and fundraising. Cassie said they got funding $850,000 through grants. She spoke of changing relationships between the police and Native peoples including training.  Cassie said a missing piece is knowing how the police feel about coming into the Native community.

What is the crime prevention plan? Is a question for Brett.
PPL rep said they had 911 calls explained and how the police resources are distributed and then rerouted.

Carol suggested that Brett do a training for how to best make 911 calls.
Comments were made about “Night Wolf” and their success in how they treat people. They were helping people and established rapport.
Comments about school buses racing up and down 16th and 18th and parking poor places. There should probably be calls and letters sent out to schools and bus companies.

Carol said we should probably demand speed bumps and signage about kids at play and push the city and county for assistance.

Shirley spoke about the speed of water works trucks, school buses, and garbage service….we should all take notes of the license numbers

8:10   Karen Clark, Urban Agriculture Bill
She explained the Special Session and the Governor’s concerns and requirements. The drivers’ licenses for undocumented people is hung up with special session and salary threats from the governor. The governor has 4 major concerns. One of the laws in the education bill is raising tuition and allowing unlicensed teachers in classrooms.

The good news: 1. The Roof depot site neighborhood concerns and the city interaction with Cano resulted in $319,000 with EPIC as fiscal agent.  Brad and Carol went with Karen and documentation to get the funding.  This gives leverage with the city! Dean Dovolis of DJR did the convincing drawings and gave testimony. Tammy Skinaway and a relative of Carol Hill and others testified. Karen and Alondra will help guide the next steps. We’ve been working on this three years.
            2. The crime bill was bad but had funding for trafficking and geographic trespassing. Margurita gave good testimony with Alondra.

Karen will host an open house at the Capitol in about three weeks with Susan Allen and Jeff Hayden.
An environmental impact statement is being heard right now. It goes through the best wild rice district.

8:25    EPIC/KALY Radio Station Programming Partnership for 2017.
He has information from police reports that go out asap and has established a tip line announcement.
He is asking about us recording meetings to translate and broadcast. He offered to include Spanish as well.
“This meeting can go nowhere but we can take it everywhere.”
There were comments about including Spanish translation.
Brad asked about time to introduce Tammy and Jean from the Park  Board to announce the talent show. Mohamed invited Tammy and Lance to come to the radio to broadcast live. The radio will broadcast live from the Summerfest. He wants to be able to edit a lot of the broadcasts so it is professional.

8:32 Tammy said she has a volunteer list sign up for moon walk; parking attendant; set up and take down; etc.
           Talent show is 3 day training program at the park. There is ages 5-8 and ??
            Four vendors; 7 info tables; the Bike Patrol will come with ice cream; canine; firetruck; mounted police.
           She asked Mohamed to try to recruit Somali talent.
8:48   29 Street Improvement Project, What is a Woonerf ? “shared street”
           There is a planning process that everyone is invited to which includes four different language groups. One is Monday June 19.

8:45   Roof Depot Site – Hiawatha Public Works Expansion: Community Input   
          Cassie and Brad and Carol went to a meeting about the Roof Depot and public works informed a                committee and included contractors and employees for a conversation about their ideas about                     plans.  It  seems there is no point in putting anything “green” on the site because of  asbestos and 
          soil contamination and the cost of 2 million dollars to clean up the site. They want a parking ramp             on site.

          Karen was in a state of shock to learn about this meeting of which she wasn’t even informed.                      Cassie  reported They talked about the 319,000 or 150,000 to focus on community special task force.          They will contact Hope community and others but not EPIC and not Little Earth.  People seemed               unhappy.

         Brad was in the back and reported that they seem to want three different community plans  and          Brad would like to see one plan that serves everyone and brings unity so they can’t say the                          community can’t agree”.

        Greg G in charge of public works and Alondra should be called.  The staff apparently                           recommended  that the outer wall mjght be kept. They claimed the building won’t support solar.     The  old building has to come down.

         Karen would like to be included in the next steering committee meeting hopefully and she   offered to  host a meeting.

8:50  Celebrating SummerFest, Sunday, June 25th, Starts 1:00 pm, EPIC Needs Volunteers to help
8:55   Adjournment