BY GAIL RAJALA HAYDEN
The 6th Ward race for City Council promises to be a lively and interesting competition for the hearts and minds of South Minneapolis 6th Ward voters. Indeed, the caucusing at the precinct level on April 4 was large enough to require the fire department to close the building because of overcrowding. The 6th Ward candidate forum on Wednesday, April 19, at the Brian Coyle Center, brought the three DFL candidates together with the one Republican candidate to discuss issues significantly important to the West Bank and Phillips. The 6th Ward DFL Endorsing Convention will be this Saturday, May 6, at St. Mary’s University Center, 2540 Park Ave. S.
Abdi Warsame and Mohamud Noor both spoke about the slumlord practices and predatory lending by banking institutions that have plagued Southside residents for years. Tiffini Flynn Forslund addressed this issue as well, and touched upon the inherent systemic racism surrounding both issues.
The name of one slumlord in particular, with an especially poor track record, was brought up over and over. Speakers wondered why his decades-long practice of preying on vulnerable new immigrants in the city was allowed to continue. Why did it seem the City Council was complicit in allowing it to go on? A young Somali woman told me that his buildings have nice facades, but when you get behind the closed doors, the condition of the apartments’ interiors exhibited old pipes with poor water quality, rotting wood door frames, mold and mildew, and insufficient parking spaces. The backlog of inspection led to slow response to complaints. In her words, nothing changed, nothing got fixed.
Ms. Fadumo Yusuf, the lone Republican running for the office, was less inclined to dwell on the big bank accused of the predatory lending practices and thought the efforts could be better employed by resolving the housing affordability crisis. When asked if she felt any barriers running as a Somali woman, she said not as much as when she identified herself as a Republican running in the heavily DFL-dominated ward. Polished and soft-spoken, she listened carefully to the questions, stating she was actively preparing for other forums to come.
The election on Nov. 7 will not feature a primary and general election, but rather rank-choice voting, which combines the two. This has confused many voters. The voters will vote for a first choice, second choice, and third choice. A candidate must receive 50% + 1 vote of the votes cast to win.
Environment and ecology goals in the 6th Ward were also brought up at the meeting. One attendee acknowledged that in the DFL party, the sub-caucus involving ecology, environment and health was the largest in the party. Abdi Warsame, who spent time in London getting his education, both undergraduate and master’s, said that the green of London was beautiful, but was second to the green in Minneapolis, owing to the city’s plan to continue planting trees to replace those that had died or been cut down. Mr. Noor, educated at Metro State University, and long an admirer of Minneapolis’ urban greenery, expressed relief that the city had not had the large loss of trees due to the emerald ash borer disease. The clean air effects of having our beautiful trees, he stated, benefited everyone. Tiffini Flynn Forslund agreed. Ms. Yusuf said this was one of the issues she was studying as she proceeded forward in her campaign, in order to be fully informed.
The evening’s event was heavily attended, with over 60 people, the majority of them being of East African descent. Although lively, the discourse was civil. The weather outside, plus the two-hour time limit for the meeting, ended the meeting on time with the promise of more forums to come.
Minneapolis has the largest diaspora of East African immigrants outside of East Africa. Past media coverage of young Somali men joining ISIL, and the new media coverage surrounding the female genital cutting of two young Somali girls who were brought by their parents to a doctor in Livonia, Mich., has kept the East African community mindful of what is written about their beliefs and customs. The very recent headlines about the outbreak of measles affecting primarily Somali children, some of whom were not vaccinated, has opened up further dialogue.
Bottom line: The 6th Ward does not want for political activists, community enthusiasts or passionate orators. It is a vibrant part of our city. Its residents know it, and they are proud of it.
