February 7th, 2015, Saturday, 10:00 am
East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center
EPIC
web address: www.eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
The opposite of poverty
is not wealth, the opposite of poverty is justice. -Unknown
Board Roster: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie
Cruz, Mary Gonsior, Jean Howard, Linda
Leonard, Ali Micalin,
Carol
Pass, Cesar Prado, Earl Simms
Present board members: Jennie Bjorgo, Mary Gonsior, Linda leonard, Carol
Pass, Rosie Cruz, Earl Simms,
Absent board members: Jean Howard, Cesar Prado, Ali Micalin
Members: Brad Pass, Michael Green
Guests:
10:00 Introduction:
- Approval of Agenda:
- Approval of the January 3rd EPIC Board Minutes:
10:10 Announcements:
·
February
14th Valentines’ Day Celebration of East Phillips Potluck, Bring
Ethnic Entrees.
·
Next
class Computer Literacy is currently going on. People still can come. Next
Financial Literacy Class in
March and will be in Spanish. These are evening classes.
·
Phillips
IT Hub Meeting, March 27th
·
Some
of us will re-initiate the Ambassadors Program.
10:15 Finances: Updates on Contracts- NCR concern that we
organize and contract our funding.
Completed
contracts- CPP 2014 – 2016, NPP Public Safety
Contract
being written & letter gone out for Swimming Pool Money,
Contract
for EPIC Loan Program- part way thgough transfer from CEE to GMHC
Contract
for New Home Construction- Ready for submission to City
Audit
is complete: Cost was $3,600. City paid.
10:30 Anti-Pollution Task Force Update – Headwaters Grant for
$10,000, Meeting at Maggie’s- passed out jobs, need minutes, went to two
meetings of the MPCA…to discuss strategies for neighborhood more free of
pollution. We will arrange a neighborhood meeting. . EPIC will show the Power
Point to other near by Neighborhoods. See Jan 3 Board minutes.
10:45 25th St. Barrier - Need to address block
Clubs if we are to make this happen. We will ask to meet with them.
10:55 11:30 Grievance
from Lieder’s,
inform the members of the email where Hannah offered to rescind grievances for
$10,000. Inform Community of meeting times.
Update on City’s actions
11;20` EPIC/NCR Meeting: Next steps
We reject Lissa Jones report. Bias,
no objective fact. Discuss EPIC’s issues with NCR. No fact finding.
MOTION: NCR do professional
investigation i.ei fact finding re June
12th Meeting. Organizational
capacity assessment now being imposed on
EPIC does not issues from the June letter and a lot of money is spent on one unsubstantiated claim that we have no
copy. Quality of Report, Wilder Foundation Response,
- The recommendations have nothing to do with the one claim against EPIC
- They have unnecessarily and inappropriately blended the fact of one unsubstantiated complaint with the much broader question of organizational capacity and compliance with NCR expectations. The effect has been bias, punitive actions, and biased the organizational assessment.
- The city should have a standardized and equitable methodology that is consistent for every neighborhood for organizational review.
- The city claimed participation issues and claimed there was due process on TV and claimed a conclusion to the situation before even conducting an investigation.
- Lissa Jones appears contracted to legitimize the bias of NCR and the undue punitive actions.
- There was no separation between organizational assessment and a complaint. There is no way to separate the bias which is adequately reflected in the organizational assessment when questions and references to Little Earth abound
- Relationship to EPIC is unknown (though we do know in the case of five interviewees apparently selected by NCR Staff, who were either not there at all or only casually there one or two times.)
- There is no data of any kind presented in the report.
- No objective data in the report.
- There are no objective conclusions drawn from data to validate them included in the report.
- Lissa Jones did not attend a single EPIC meeting. She may have viewed a small portion of the June 12th meeting, which is the meeting where all of this controversy with the city started.
- EPIC Board responded positively to all requirements of the June 27th Letter. The assessment by Ms. Jones was not one of the requirements.
- EPIC Board positive response to all requirements of the June 27th Letter was never acknowledged by NCR and NCR did not pull back punitive actions as stated would happen if conditions were met in the June 27th letter.
- NCR staff appear to have financial, political and/or personal reasons for fostering complaints against EPIC.
- Blame was placed on EPIC’s board without due process, examination of the facts, or investigation of any kind, before issuing a verdict. NCR staff resisted calls for any objective inquiry.
11:50 Self Evaluation
12:00 Adjourn
