October 29, 2020 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

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THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934 October 29—November 4, 2020 Vol. 87 No. 13

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Many young Blacks highly disillusioned with politics and voting But Trump-supporting rappers represent few or none By Sam Fullwood III The Conversation

Ilhan Omar

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Lacy Johnson

Courtesy of LacyJohnson.com

Lacy Johnson (IR) and incumbent Ilhan Omar (DFL) square off in 5th Congressional District The MSR wanted to give readers an opportunity to hear one more time from the candidates. We asked questions we thought were of utmost importance to the Black community and other Communities of Color. MSR: What is your proposal for helping the District, especially its Black constituents, cope with the expected fallout from COVID (for example joblessness, homelessness, evictions, loss of small businesses)? Johnson: I support a response where, first and foremost, the elderly and most vulnerable are protected. I support a response where the economy and job development is a focus. If we help bring in new sustainable jobs, many things such as homelessness and joblessness will despair. I support an extension of flexible rent payments to decrease homelessness as we roll out new jobs. I strongly support additional funding for small businesses. Omar: In Minneapolis, the effects of the pandemic haven’t been felt equally—19% of people of color have filed for unemployment compared to 9.5% of White workers. Black people are dying at nearly triple the rate of other folks. COVID-19 has exposed glar-

ing racial disparities that have long existed in our state and in our country. And I think we have an opportunity to create policies that remake our system in a more equal way. That means fighting to tear down all the systems of oppression that keep our society unequal. In criminal justice, in health care, in education and housing and employment and in the very air we breathe. I think if anything positive will come from this crisis, I hope it is that policies me and my colleagues have been advocating for—like Medicare for All, like universal cash assistance, like student debt cancellation—will be seen as reasonable and necessary. MSR: What will you do to address the issue of police violence? Omar: After George Floyd’s tragic death, I and other House Democrats moved swiftly to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in order to establish new standards of policing, ban the use of chokeholds, stop noknock warrants, prohibit racial profiling and end qualified immunity for police, among many other reforms. I also introduced a package of bills to reform law enforcement at the federal level, including one which criminalizes police

violence against demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights, and another to establish a federal agency responsible for investigating all nationwide deaths occurring in police custody or police shootings. Johnson: I do not see a way for our communities to be safe without public safety. I am not in favor of defunding the police, but instead shifting some funds around to focus more on neighborhood psychological and community involvement training. Our officers nowadays live in different neighborhoods and often have great intentions, but rarely genuinely understand each neighborhood’s inner workings. MSR: In the wake of the increase in crime during the pandemic, what will you do to ensure that people feel safe in their homes? Johnson: I will always support our policemen and women because I believe our communities should still rely on public safety officials. However, when reviewing the world news and the nonstop #OromoProtests that I see in Minnesota against the Oromo people’s mass killing by the Ethiopian government, I am grateful that we have the Second Amendment in America. I will continue to advocate for it because Americans should

always have the right to protect themselves from anyone if they are in danger. Omar: Most problems arising from substance use disorders, mental health diagnoses, and poverty require medical professionals and social workers—not criminal enforcement or armed officers. Getting people the care and services they need is public safety. This is crime prevention. A new vision of what “first responders” look like will reflect that reality. We can balance the need for protection from violent crimes with the need to address our policing system. A new system will allow our community to do the work that is needed—and employ the skills needed—to solve our most serious crimes and address some of the scariest situations that our communities can face. MSR: Lots of people are struggling. They don’t have jobs or have limited income. What will you do to help? Omar: A new stimulus bill which includes additional unemployment assistance and direct cash payouts, for starters. We also have to move to cancel rent and mortgage payments to make sure people aren’t just kept in their homes, but are able to survive once the pandemic is over. Further, increasing the ■See 5th District on page 5

Judging from the brief but furious flurry of recent news and social media reports and rumors about the 2020 presidential campaign, the fate of the election may very well be decided by a previously undetected groundswell of support for President Donald Trump by young Black men. In the closing days of the campaign, a pair of hip hop art-

Rappers 50 Cent (l) and Ice Cube ists—50 Cent and Ice Cube— drew widespread political attention by expressing support for Trump, or at least a willingness to work with him in a second term. Specifically, 50 Cent—born Curtis James Jackson III—endorsed Trump’s reelection in a Twitter post, saying he feared Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would raise his taxes. “Yeah, I don’t want to be 20 cent,” he wrote, noting that higher taxes on the rich “is a very, very, bad idea. I don’t like it.” For his part, Ice Cube—born O'Shea Jackson—didn’t exactly endorse Trump. He acknowledged in interviews that he had talked with Trump campaign officials about their interest in his “Contract with Black America.” Ice Cube revealed his 13-point contract in July as a response to the public protests surrounding the police shooting of George Floyd, describing it as “a blueprint to achieve racial economic justice” with proposals addressing financial, police, criminal jus-

tice and education reforms. By entertaining a conversation with the campaign concerning his proposals, Ice Cube provided the opening for an advisor to the president’s re-election campaign to tweet that the rapper was on board with Team Trump, overstating the reality of the situation. There is no real objective empirical evidence that 50 Cent and Ice Cube represent widespread Black political thought, or a hidden pocket of pro-Trump activ-

Courtesy of MGN ism among Black men. Quite the contrary, they are outliers within the larger Black voting community—which includes young Black men—and they are unlikely to sway a considerable number of Black voters away from the Democratic candidate in the November 3 election. A study conducted earlier this summer by American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and School of Communications found that Trump is exceedingly unpopular

“Don’t believe the hype.” among Black Americans. For example, among all of the 1,215 Black American respondents surveyed during early July in six key swing states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida), only 7% said they intended to vote for Trump and 66% said they planned to vote for Biden. ■See Rappers on page 5

Rally calls for Myon Burrell’s release has expressed doubt about his guilt. Burrell, now 33, was 15 when On Sunday, October 25 a few he was sent to prison for life in hundred people gathered at the 2003 for killing 11-year-old Tyesha George Floyd Square on one of the Edwards in South Minneapolis in coldest October days in Twin Cit- 2002. Klobuchar had come under ies history to demand the release fire for the conviction after conof Myon Burrell, who has been in tinuously bragging about putting prison for 18 years for a crime that Burrell in jail for the murder as she By MSR News Service

he insists he did not commit. Even campaigned for the Democratic Hennepin County’s then-prosecu- presidential nomination. Several speakers addressed the tor, now Senator Amy Klobuchar,

crowd, including family members and a few well-known activists. The rally took place directly across the street from Cup Foods, the store Burrell told police he was in at the time of the accidental shooting of Edwards. The tapes that he said would have backed his alibi have mysteriously disappeared. “The people who worked in the store [Cup Foods] never came and said what happened when the police came and took the videotape,” explained Michael Toussaint, Burrell’s father, at the gathering of supporters. This is the same Cup Foods where George Floyd was arrested and killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day this year. “My son was convicted of something he didn’t do. I watched as the judge turn his back during my Amariana Burrell (niece) and Myron Burrell, Jr. Photos by King Demetrius Pendleton son’s trial. He fell asleep twice. The justice system is rigged. The system “It wasn’t that she cared about char. “She cared about her politi- boots on the ground. And he is are the same people who make the laws, but they break them too,” my child’s life,” he said, referring cal career. Please don’t stop fight- not the only one in there who is to then-prosecutor Amy Klobu- ing for my child. We got to keep innocent.” said Toussaint. ■See Burrell on page 5

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October 29—November 4, 2020

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity commits to racial justice Hires director of equity and inclusion Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has named Shoreé Ingram as its first director of equity and inclusion starting November 9. “I am grateful to join the great team at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and consider it an honor to work toward this important mission,” said Ingram. “Becoming part of an organization working to dismantle racism and promoting equity and inclu- Shoreé Ingram sion is a gift in itself," she continSubmitted photo

ued, "but I am equally looking forward to doing the work that matters—closing gaps in housing, serving and supporting our employees and communities, and ensuring equity and inclusion are core to the Habitat For Humanity experience.” Ingram will champion Twin Cities Habitat’s anti-racism and equity work. She will serve as a leader and guide in helping the organization promote racial eq-

uity and increase diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency. Ingram will work directly with president and CEO Chris Coleman and will be a member of the organization’s senior leadership team. “I’m thrilled to welcome Shoreé to the Habitat team, and I know she’ll hit the ground running,” said Coleman. “She’s the right leader at the right time to make Twin Cities Habitat a

leading voice on racial justice in the Twin Cities.” Most recently, Ingram served the Hennepin County community as District Court’s first-ever diversity and outreach specialist. She began her career with the courts in 2013 in education and organization development and has led community outreach and education initiatives to advance inclusion and ensure access to

justice. She uses her strengths as a positive, passionate, and people-centered thinker to lead internal training and development for leaders and employees on topics of diversity, inclusion and providing excellent service. Information provided by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

October 29—November 4, 2020

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For health equity we must abolish structural racism

By Tamiko Foster, MD, MPH Guest contributor We’ve been hearing a lot about “underlying health issues” and “chronic medical conditions” as a primary explanation for the disparate impact of COVID-19 on African American and other racial and ethnic communities. Chronic medical diseases are defined as medical conditions that persist over time (usually one year or more) and require ongoing medical treatment. Conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and lung diseases such as asthma, which are more prevalent in these communities, increase the risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Population differences in COVID-19 Recent data showed that African Americans and Latinos have been three times more likely to contract COVID-19 than Whites and nearly twice as likely to die from it. In some

areas in the U.S., these differences between population groups have been even greater, such as New Mexico, where American Indians make up about 11 percent of the population yet account for more than half of COVID-19 cases. American Indians also have the highest prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. Overall, people who have chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or lung disease who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are six times more likely to be admitted to the hospital and 12 times more likely to die compared to those with no underlying medical condition. What has been missing from the broader conversation was the root cause of this. The pandemic forced society to face what researchers, medical providers, and public health officials have known for years. The conversation has finally shifted from the What to the Why. Why do certain population groups, such as African Americans, or American Descendants of Slavery more specifically, have such a higher prevalence of chronic disease to begin with? These discussions have mostly been done on an academic level; however, it is vital for the community to be involved in this conversation. Digging up roots For decades we had been inundated with statistics about how bad the health of Blacks is compared to Whites with

little explanation concerning the root cause. The data was often presented in a way that placed blame on marginalized groups for their condition with little accountability for the role that systems and institutions played in individuals having the opportunity to achieve their highest level of health. Historical trauma, discrimination, and medical experimentation fertilized distrust of systems that crossed generations. When we dig up what lies underneath these underlying health conditions, we find avoidable and unjust differences rooted in structural racism. Inequalities in employment, income and wealth, housing, education, food security, violence, environmental conditions (i.e. pollution), healthcare access and quality, all play a vital role in the health and resiliency of a community, especially during a pandemic. When we consider the racial wealth gap alone in the U.S., White households own 85% of the national wealth, Blacks 4%, and Hispanics 3%. However, even when we adjust for access and means, the differences in health outcomes in populations still exists. This underscores the importance of abolishing structural racism as a key determinant for health equity.

long-term consequences of chronic and toxic stress that negatively impacts mental, emotional and physical health for communities of color. This started with chattel slavery, extended through Jim Crow, redlining, mass incarceration, welfare rules, police violence, and ongoing discrimination. This cumulative exposure to repeated socioeconomic disadvantage causes early deterioration of the body. The body’s stress response, also known as fight or flight, triggers the body’s brain, immune, and hormonal systems to respond to these threats by releasing hormones and chemicals, mainly adrenaline and cortisol, From Post-traumatic Slave which can cause inflammation Syndrome to toxic stress Living in an unjust and op- and specific damage to organs pressive society has produced when the exposure is ongoing.

Courtesy of Pixabay This is particularly important in childhood when the brain is still developing. Research has found that traumatic stress leaves a chemical mark on a person’s genes that can be passed down to future generations. The turning on or off of specific genes contributes to the development of chronic medical conditions. In addition, chronic stress and cortisol contribute to the breakdown of the protective casing at the end of DNA strands, known as telomeres, which contributes to early cell death and inflammation in the body. When you consider how prevalent conditions such as high blood pressure and asthma are in the African American community, understand-

ing the roots of illness gives a deeper understanding of what needs to be done to make us whole. To heal, we must destroy it from the roots. Tamiko Foster, MD, MPH, is a board-certified pediatrician, medical director at a national health plan, and former Minority Health Policy Fellow at Harvard. Her work has primarily focused on health equity, and caring for medically and socially high-risk populations. She previously worked at HCMC, Northpoint Health & Wellness, and Hennepin Health as their chief medical officer. She is an author and founder of the health and wellness company 2 E.D.I.F.Y., LLC. Contact @ 2edifyllc.com.

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October 29—November 4, 2020

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) welcomes and values commentary and feedback from the community. The articles found here are edited for clarity and/or space, but the opinions are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of the MSR.

Wealth inequality in the U.S. is far beyond extreme By Bob Lord

What does the rise of online begging say about the U.S. safety net? By Jenna Drenton A college student pleading for grocery money. A driver in need of an unexpected car repair. A worker out of a job because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A single mom who needs to pay the internet bill to support her kids’ distance learning. In all of these cases, people turned to Twitter to ask for financial support during the pandemic. Not thousands of dollars. Just a few bucks or whatever online followers could spare. There has been an uptick in these requests on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, which are made possible by the growing popularity of peer-to-peer payment platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle. This diverges from traditional crowdfunding in which official online campaigns are set up for lofty fundraising goals. And it isn’t the same as asking a friend to cover the tab.

backsliding through the decades. People in need are often forced to turn to churches, family, and the generosity of strangers. The internet, however, ushered in new ways of asking for money, particularly with the rise of crowdfunding, the practice of pooling donations from a large number of individuals. The first known online crowdfunding campaign launched in 1997 and dedicated crowdfunding platforms cropped up online throughout the 2000s. Through crowdfunding, people who may not have had access to financial resources can raise money for health care treatments, adoptions, college tuition, racial justice, and other causes. Peer-to-peer payment platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App and Zelle have made it even easier to ask for and receive cash assistance. Over 60% of American millennials report using at least one

“The reliance on digital handouts is a microcosm of the financial uncertainty facing Americans.” Digital handouts on social media that help people make everyday ends meet point to the power and generosity of online communities. At the same time, they represent yet another sign that there are deep holes in America’s social safety net. Brother, can you spare a dime … online? In America, asking strangers for money has long been stigmatized. In England, during the 16th and 17th centuries, the begging poor were criminalized, with poverty portrayed as a moral failing caused by lack of industriousness. In reality, the ruling class wanted to control the labor market and discouraged government-funded welfare. These ideals of industriousness were shipped to the United States and repackaged as the credo that anyone with pluck can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The subtext? If you can’t, it’s your own fault. For these reasons, the stitching together of a social safety net has been a fraught political enterprise, with starts, stops, and

of these payment platforms, and a new survey from Zelle suggests Gen X and baby boomers are overcoming their skepticism of digital cash transfers. But these apps have also given rise to a growing cultural trend: asking complete strangers for money via social media. The process is simple. Write a social media post about a financial need. Include details for your preferred peer-to-peer payment platform: a $Cashtag on Cash App, a username for Venmo, a custom PayPal.me link. Share the post. Within a few clicks, a stranger can stumble upon your post and complete the requested cash transfer. By design, peer-to-peer payment platforms remove fees incurred through credit card donations or more formal crowdfunding websites. The full donation goes directly and instantly to the person in need. Social media-based requests for money are shaped more like a web: many potential donors contributing to many recipients in one-off transactions. There’s no website to visit to track the progress of a fundraiser, and fewer safeguards are in place to

protect donors from scams. Social media-based solicitations allow for smaller, one-time requests, like covering a utility bill. It’s akin to spotting a stranger a few bucks. Living Venmo to Venmo But as these requests for money become more popular, what does it say about the lack of public resources for individuals struggling to pay for needs like rent, tuition or surprise medical bills? During the coronavirus outbreak, people flocked to traditional crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe to try to save their businesses or cover health care costs. Most of these campaigns, however, fail to meet their goals. Both types of requests—large and small—reflect a systemic failure to protect citizens facing financial hardship. Government programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and food stamps provide muchneeded resources to help people make ends meet. But research suggests many of the people most in need are often disconnected from the social safety net, as individual eligibility varies, and states implement these programs differently. For many, living paycheck to paycheck has been transformed into living Venmo to Venmo. It would be easy to classify the rise in requests for digital handouts on social media as just another iteration of the “begging poor”—bringing to mind all of the morality myths and stigmas surrounding poverty. But it’s bigger than that. The pandemic has revealed gaps in the social safety net, and the reliance on digital handouts is a microcosm of the financial uncertainty facing Americans. Donating to strangers and asking for digital handouts is not a bad thing. But the ad hoc willingness of individual Americans to support one another financially should not act as a substitute for more permanent, systemic solutions. Jenna Drenton is an associate professor of marketing, Loyola University Chicago. This commentary initially appeared in TheConversation.com.

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We’ve all seen the stats on America’s extreme inequality. Over 20% of our nation’s income flows to the top 1%. The top 1% share of our country’s wealth is approaching 40%. Our top 0.1% hold roughly the same share of our wealth as our bottom 90%. All eye-popping numbers to be sure. But don’t be fooled. These numbers understate our problem. And not by just a little. Let’s consider, for a moment, what our income and wealth numbers are really telling us. Statistics on how we share our wealth right now tell us where things stand, but not how we ended up where we stand, or where we’re heading. Stats on how we share our income don’t tell us anything about how we’re sharing in wealth’s accumulation. Take, for instance, the value of the Jeff Bezos Amazon fortune. If this value doubles, the increase doesn’t register anywhere as “income” for Bezos until he sells his Amazon stock. And the resulting income numbers don’t reflect what living expenses and taxes consume. So our conventional measures of income and wealth don’t tell the whole story. We need to know more about how our society is sharing the real wealth we create, more about what remains from the fruits of our collective efforts after we take into account all the costs involved and after adjusting for inflation and population growth. Through that lens, we see a rather gruesome picture. Of America’s inflation and population-adjusted increase in wealth between 2006 and 2018, over 87% went to the top 10%. Over 60% went to the top 1%.

The top .01%, a baseball-parksized group of just 32,669 Americans, grabbed over 23% of the country’s increase in wealth. And nearly 10% of that increase went to the 400 wealthiest Americans. The 290 million or so unlucky souls who make up the so-called

2006 nation held $68.310 million in household wealth. The inflation- and population-adjusted increase in America’s wealth between 2006 and 2018 turns out to bring us from $74.791 trillion to $88.662 trillion, a difference of $13.871 trillion. Now applying the Saez

Our top 0.1% hold roughly the same share of our wealth as our bottom 90%. bottom 90%, meanwhile, saw just 13% of the nation’s wealth gains between 2006 and 2018, not much over half of what went to the top .01%. Our bottom 50% actually lost wealth over that 2006-2018 period. Some may call this level of inequality extreme. Obscene would be more appropriate. I calculated these wealth-gain shares from data compiled by Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, two leading economists now at the University of California-Berkeley. Other data sets—the Federal Reserve’s triennial Survey of Consumer Finances, for one—let us calculate much the same basic story. In 2018, according to the Saez and Zucman figures, U.S. household wealth stood at $88.662 trillion, up from $68.310 trillion in 2006, with both figures in 2018 dollars. Between 2006 and 2018, our U.S. population increased by 9.5 percent, to 326.69 million. To create a true, apples-to-apples comparison, I increased the SaezZucman 2006 household wealth figure to $74.791 trillion. That total amounts to the household wealth a country of 326.69 million people would need to have to be equivalent, on a per-person basis, to the nation of 298.38 million people we had in 2006. That

and Zucman wealth-share percentages to this inflation and population-adjusted increase in America’s wealth, of that $13.871-trillion increase in inflation and population-adjusted household wealth, $12.078 trillion went to the nation’s wealthiest 10%, leaving just $1.793 trillion to the bottom 90%. Within that $12.078 trillion for the top 10%, $8.537 trillion went to the top 1%, $5.519 trillion to the top 0.1%, and $3.201 trillion to the top 0.01%. And the 400 wealthiest Americans pulled down $1.314 trillion of the increase. Unfortunately, this obscene inequality appears likely to get worse. As the 2006-to-2018 period ended—and after our top 1% had already grabbed an appallingly outsized portion of the wealth created during those dozen years—the Trump tax act enacted at the end of 2017 went into effect, a giant giveaway to the top 1%. This is insanity. Tax the rich. Now! Bob Lord is an Institute for Policy Studies associate fellow. This commentary initially appeared on Inequality.org.

Letter to the Editor Fighting racism with solidarity from the George Floyd Square The tragedy that occurred on May 25 once again revealed the 400-year-old truth of State oppression. The police exist solely to uphold White Supremacy, colonization, and private property. But the response to that violence from the masses in the streets proved another competing truth: Where there is repression, there is resistance. May 25, and the events that followed, have served to further radicalize millions of people. The undeniable and visceral murder of George Floyd enraged working-class Black, Brown, Asian Indigenous— and yes, some White communities—across the Twin Cities, but also empowered them. In defiance of economic injustice and state terror, the youth-led movement took direct action in opposing police terror, some even expropriating chain businesses. These upsurges have created a consciousness to outlast the smoldering of the buildings and act as a means to rebuild and heal by ways of solidarity. George Perry Floyd was not the first to be killed on 38th and Chicago, and he wouldn’t be the last to fall victim to police violence before the summer had ended. The difference is the newfound popular consciousness to speak up about the treatment of Brown, Black, Asian and Indigenous people and mourn the losses together in support of the

common understanding of the State’s role in every murder and suicide. Yet the intuition of the community and the organizers within and outside of George Floyd Square are grossly underestimated as they continue the rebuilding process through mutual aid, solidarity, and cooperation across demographics. The Speedway, reclaimed and repainted as the Peoples’way, represents a dignified selfdetermination by means of collective ownership and coalition. Meals are served every night, clothing distributed via clothing drives in a repurposed metro bus shelter, and community assemblies gather every morning and evening to uphold the revolutionary concepts of collectivization and cooperation. Every Tuesday evening, the George Floyd Square peoples’ autonomous zone community organizes political education. This includes screenings of films portraying revolutionary events and figures and past movements to advance human rights in the U.S. and abroad, followed by dialogue and discussion. It is necessary to interact with historical movements to empower this one in appreciation and understanding of the struggles of our elders. An organic community defense team has taken shape, composed of people from

within and outside of the community who all see cops for what they are: a force of violent repression tasked with upholding private property rights, unequal economic relations, the prison-industrial complex, and White Supremacy. As we work towards abolition of the forces that oppress us, we trust in the people to step up and care for one another. As Black Panther Afeni Shakur once said, “We will rule ourselves, make our own progress, our own mistakes, our own friends, and our own enemies. We will judge our own.” We organize with a common enemy in mind and common goals for uplifting the neighborhood. We intend to show that this kind of collective autonomy, which values protection and safety and community over punishment and individualism, is possible in other communities. We organize with the understanding that Black liberation is everyone’s liberation. To paraphrase Fred Hampton, “We’re not going to fight racism with racism, we’re going to fight racism with solidarity.” From the Community of George Floyd Square

October 29—November 4, 2020

RappeRs Continued from page 1 Among just Black men, 10% said they preferred Trump, a figure that is only slightly higher than the overall support among Black Americans, but far smaller than the 60% of Black men who said they preferred Biden. Almost a third, 29%, of the Black men said they would vote for someone else or didn’t know whom they would support. The findings are consistent with historical Black voting patterns. Indeed, since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Republican presidential candidates have reaped no more than 13% of the African American vote. According to figures collected and analyzed by the Pew Research Center, Trump collected 8% of the votes cast by Black Americans in 2016, which was slightly better than the 6% that went to GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012. Black support for Democratic nominee Barack Obama was unprecedented. He had a 91-point advantage in 2008 and an 87-point advantage in 2012. More contemporary polling suggests that Trump’s support among Black Americans will fall in line with historical precedents. As a recent Gallup report noted, it’s “highly unlikely” that this pattern of voting by Black Americans will change during this election. A recent Sept. 13-16 Wall Street

Journal/NBC News poll found Biden leading Trump among Black voters by 90% to 5%. Gallup’s aggregated data from polls conducted July 30-Aug. 12 and Aug. 31-Sept. 13 show Trump approval—a rough surrogate for likelihood to vote for Trump—at 11% among Black Americans, with disapproval at 87%. And according to a new CBSBET poll released on October 25, only 8% of likely voters who are Black say they will vote for Trump. Yet, according to the CBS News report on the poll, “Half of Black seniors say they’re supporting Biden mainly because they like him, but that [support] drops to 28% among Black Biden voters under 30.” Rather than a wholesale swing of voter support to Trump or the GOP following 50 Cent and Ice Cube, research suggests many younger African Americans—with millennial-aged Black men leading the way—are so disillusioned by politics they may opt out of participating in the election at all. Many Black Americans who are first-timers or relatively new to voting told us in focus group settings that they don’t see the point of choosing between the lesser of two evils. Unlike their parents and grandparents who lived through racial segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and a racial transformation of American society, young Black people who have come of age in the past 30 years said in focus groups that they have little to nothing that

they can cite as examples of progress that can be attributed directly to politics or voting. It is likely that much of what they have experienced in their lifetimes has been the negative consequences of political stalemate in Washington. These include persistent economic inequality and widening health disparities afflicting their communities. Crushing student loan debt makes building wealth with the purchase of a home and establishment of savings almost impossible. Perhaps most deadly and dramatic are the resurgent waves of racism and police violence directed at them and their loved ones. Little wonder, therefore, that some Black men—especially those who desperately want to engage in politics to improve conditions for themselves and their communities—might seek alternatives to the status quo of politics. It is into that chasm of despair and disillusionment that the Trump campaign seems to be seeking a foothold by making it appear that young Black men are falling in formation with its campaign. Nothing could be further from the truth. Or as the rappers like to say, “Don’t believe the hype.”

5th DistRict Continued from page 1 federal minimum wage and protecting labor unions will help make sure that working people don’t have to struggle to make ends meet. Johnson: My signature plan involves bringing over 50,000 high-paying jobs to Congressional District 5. My job plan involves three areas: new job development from entrepreneurship, existing job development through the use of opportunities zones, and rapid hiring while also eliminating job discrimination through my Jumpstart initiative.

isting conditions so that we can protect those in need. I am advocating for Individual options so people can choose what’s best for them; price transparency, so people know the actual price of care; increased competition in health care insurance across state lines; and decreasing the costs of prescriptions. Omar: I believe health care is a human right. This pandemic is personal to me. I lost my own father to the coronavirus. And I know if we had Medicare for All, many lives would have been saved. I am not only a supporter of Medicare for All, I am helping to make it a reality. As the vice-chair of Medicare for All Caucus, I helped secure the first-ever committee hearing of the Medicare for All Act. We have organized to the point that we now have over half the caucus’s support. It is unacceptable that millions of people are unable to seek care because they live without or cannot afford insurance.

MSR: Inequities and the limitations of health care in the U.S. have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. What is your plan to make sure people have access to adequate health care in the future? Johnson: I favor a free-enterprise-based health care system MSR: Why should people where every American has access to affordable health care. My vote for you to represent them in plan involves covering pre-ex- Congress?

BuRRell

difficult to get out. We incarcerate more people than anybody else in the world. What does that say Continued from page 1 about the U.S.? Monique Cullars-Doty point“As a kid, other kids’ dreams were they wanted to be a movie ed out that Myon is not free bestar or rapper or something,” said cause “to free him would unravel 19-year-old Myon Burrell Jr. “My the system.” She said, “What happened to Myon is on film,” dream was to have my dad.” “Lots of Black and Brown pointing out that the police inpeople are locked up in the U.S., vestigator said, “Give me a name” and they are put there by politi- to an alleged source and offered cians,” said Jaylani Hussein of him $250, then $500, “and that’s Minnesota CAIR. “The system is how we lost Myon Burrell.” Burrell was able to address the so corrupt that once you get in its

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Omar: Since I was elected I've made investing and supporting Black Minnesotans a core priority of mine. Last summer, I brought leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus to Minneapolis to talk to business owners on the North Side about what support they need. Black Minnesotans have been hit particularly hard by the three crises we face simultaneously—a public health pandemic, an economic crisis, and the crisis of systemic racism. I visited North Side businesses in the wake of George Floyd's protest to make sure they were protected. I joined the community in protest on a daily basis. In Congress, I have led the fight for justice. I will never stop fighting for you and I hope you never stop fighting alongside me. Johnson: I am running for U.S. Congress because I care from the bottom of my heart. I’ve lived in this district for over 35 years, and I know the people better than my opponent. I will never be one-sided, but instead bipartisan, and will work hard to bring measurable results.

rally by phone, calling in from Stillwater Prison. “I appreciate y’all and what y’all are doing from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “God willing, the truth will come out and I will be home sooner or later. Y’all keep on applying pressure. You are my voice. I am confined to these four walls and they try to shut me up, but y’all are my voice.”

6 Ocober 29-November 4, 2020

Regal Cinemas’ closure just the latest blow to an industry on life support By Matthew Jordan Contributing writer Cineworld Group, the owner of Regal Cinemas, announced that it would suspend operations at all of its locations in the U.S. and U.K. as crowded theaters continue to be seen as petri dishes for a virus that shows no sign of abating. Studios are in no better shape. Familiar blockbuster franchises that Hollywood banks on to balance ledgers have been delayed, including the 25th James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” “Mission: Impossible 7,” and Marvel Universe’s “Black Widow” and “Wonder Woman 1984.” The billions of dollars invested in producing and marketing these films alone are sums that could make or break the studios. Meanwhile, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV have capitalized on the trend of people’s spending more time in their homes. The motion picture industry has endured pandemics and the threat of home viewing before. But in each instance, the existing way of doing things was upended. During the current crisis, it seems that shifts in the industry that have been going on for some time are accelerating. While the movie theater will likely survive, moviegoers can expect a change in what they can see on the big screen.

The first time‘flu bans’ upended the industry Before World War I, the American motion picture industry was a loose collection of independent film producers, distributors and approximately 20,000 theater owners. In the fall of 1918, the industry was rocked by the emergence of the Spanish flu. As wave after wave of influenza deaths spread across the country, between 80% and 90% of theaters were closed off and on for months by public health decrees, described across the country as “flu bans.” Theaters that needed ticket sales to recoup advanced rental fees fought to stay open using strategies that are eerily familiar to our COVID-19 moment. Industry leaders lobbied governments to let them reopen. Theater owners denounced “flu hysteria” and handed out gauze masks to patrons. Some ejected sneezers or used staggered seating to socially distance audiences. The industry ran national public relations campaigns promoting hygiene and promising theater cleanings and new ventilation systems to help calm patrons’ fears of sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone who might cough. Even after “flu bans” were lifted, it took about a year and a half for skittish audiences to venture back. As the pandemic ravaged the country, consolidation fever

consumed the industry. Opportunists took advantage of the real victims of the flu bans: independent theaters. The big chains, armed with capital, bought out their hobbled competitors while bigger distribution companies gobbled up smaller ones. A new Hollywood studio system dominated by money and profits slowly started to

their pandemic losses traded their independence to be a part of the post-pandemic Hollywood, an oligopoly of vertically integrated companies that only distributed and screened the films they produced. Audiences previously comfortable watching all variety of shorts quickly developed a taste for the studio system’s expensive,

Courtesy of MGN take shape. Trailblazer Adolph Zukor used Wall Street financing to take control of the reeling Famous Players-Lasky company and merged it with Paramount distribution, creating a studio that cranked out films with Fordlike efficiency. With its soaring profits, it continued turning independent theaters into exclusive Paramount exhibitors across the country to monopolize access to audiences. Other companies followed suit. Loews theaters, Metro pictures, and Goldwyn distribution consolidated into MGM. Industry players desperate to recoup

feature-length formulaic films. TV threatens the oligopoly In the 1950s, Hollywood faced a second destructive event of the 21st century: television, a new technology that could broadcast content directly into American homes. On the television, the motion picture form shifted from standard feature-length films to serialized content similar to what people listened to on the radio. The studio system felt the crunch. People who once went out to the movies multiple times a week now stayed home to watch TV. By 1954, there were 233 commercial stations and 26 million homes with TVs, and studio profits dramatically declined. Yet Hollywood was able to adapt. The industry responded

to the small-screen home viewing threat by going big. Aspect ratios jumped from 1.34:1 to a wider 1.85:1 or 2.25:1, and film studios added Technicolor and high-fidelity directional audio to their sensational features. Big-budget epics like MGM’s “Quo Vadis,” musicals like 20th Century Fox’s “Annie Get Your Gun” and animated spectacles like Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” ensured that theaters could provide an unrivaled experience, one that made watching TV seemed paltry by comparison. In the end, home viewing and theatrical release managed to coexist.

simply too much potential for return on investment in past, present, and future blockbusters, and studios see the risk-reward ratio of theatrical release as a way to attract shareholders and keep them happy. Audiences will still go out to be thrilled by big, CGI-driven spectacles with gut-rumbling surround sound. They’ve got a taste for it. At the same time, major studios will likely continue to use their economic leverage to push into streaming in an attempt to maximize their potential for profit and control both modes of distribution. It’s also possible that—with the winds of antitrust sentiment starting to blow—the industry will return to a theatrical distribution model more akin to the pre-Spanish flu era, when independent theaters could make deals with different distributors to show more than just blockbusters and use this flexibility to cultivate new or niche audiences. If the lessons of the post-pandemic 1920s prove prophetic, we could be gearing up for a roaring decade with a rich diversity of films— in form, style, and content—emerging to fit different modes of distribution. Think new series formats or even mini “character universes” that rival Marvel’s on the small screen. Seen this way, the 2020s could be a glorious period of experimentation and innovation.

The worst of times, the best of times In many ways, the current pandemic has been a tale of two movie industries. With theaters closed, streaming services have been cashing in. Netflix, which has been laying the groundwork for a direct-tostreaming world since 2015, has added more than 10 million subscribers since March. Alarmed by the billions of dollars stuck in pandemic purgatory, some studios have started to change tacks. Tom Hanks’ new submarine film, “Greyhound,” steered its $50 million budget directly to port on Apple TV+. Apple let financial markets know that the film’s opening, in terms of the number of people who watched, rivaled the best opening weekends. Thirty percent Matthew Jordan is the associate of those viewers were new sub- professor of media studies at Penn scribers. State. Yet rather than being extinguished, the theater model will likely continue to evolve. There is

October 29—November 4, 2020

MN offers blind voters accessible absentee voting Celebrating 100 years of advocacy for the blind, the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota praises the Secretary of State’s introduction of a system by which blind Minnesotans can accessibly, safely and privately mark their absentee ballots in time for the November 2020 election. This system is a direct result of years of advocacy from the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota—an affiliate of the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans— in partnership with the Brown, Goldstein and Levy law firm, Disability Law Center and members of the Secretary of State’s disability advisory committee. Without this system, blind voters would have been forced to either vote absentee with assistance, revealing their choices to another person and hoping that person correctly records their vote, or risk COVID-19 infection

by travelling to the polls to vote in person. No voter should be faced with this untenable choice in order to exercise their right to vote. “The ability to cast a secret ballot has only recently become an option for blind Minnesotans, and today marks the next, right step in our decades of advocacy that increases access to voting,” said Ryan Strunk, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota. “We applaud these measures to ensure that blind Minnesotans can protect both our safety and our privacy in this election. We look forward to continuing our longstanding, nonpartisan partnership with the Secretary of State to make this system even better in the future." Those wishing to cast an accessible absentee ballot must first request a standard absentee ballot at www.mnvotes.org/absentee. Voters with disabilities must

7

Mail-in ballots and how they’re counted

then request an accommodation Many voters who want under the Americans with Dis- to participate in the election abilities Act through the office of by mail are concerned about the county auditor. For assistance when they’ll receive their balfinding a specific county, call 612- lot and whether it will get 872-9363. back in time to be counted. After receiving a paper balThe pandemic has caused lot in the mail, voters will be interest in mail-in voting to emailed a link to the tool, where surge to record numbers this they can complete and print the presidential election. ballot. The printed ballot must At the same time, recent then be returned in the envelopes changes at the U.S. Postal Serthat were sent with the original standard paper ballot. Only the printed ballot should be sent; the standard paper ballot should be shredded. While some assistance is still needed to sign the ballot envelope, blind voters at least WHAT: With just one week to have the option of keeping their go before the Nov. 3 election, City choices secret for the upcoming Clerk Casey Carl announces the election. opening of two additional Early Vote Centers for Minneapolis Information provided by the Na- voters. tional Federation of the Blind of Minnesota WHEN: 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27

vice have caused slowdowns in mail delivery. The Postal Service itself has warned states that ballots mailed by election officials close to Election Day may not reach voters in time. A federal court has issued a nationwide order giving election-related mail priority in Postal Service processing. A federal judge in Minne-

sota earlier this month upheld a seven-day deadline extension for counting mail-in ballots after it was challenged by a pair of Republicans. An agreement reached with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon allowed ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within seven days.

Two new Early Vote Centers open in Minneapolis

WHERE: North Early Vote Center Urban League Twin Cities, polling places on the day of the 2100 Plymouth Ave. N. Watch a livestream on the election. City’s Facebook page. Minneapolis voters can vote MORE: Early Vote Centers early at the Early Vote Center, make early in-person voting 980 E. Hennepin Ave., and at the more convenient for Minne- Hennepin County Government apolis voters. They are especially Center, 300 6th St. S. Starting tohelpful to people who need lan- morrow, two additional Early guage support or other special Vote Centers will open: accommodations, such as curb· The North Early Vote Center side voting. And during the pandemic, voting early can help at Urban League Twin Cities, people avoid lines and crowds at 2100 Plymouth Ave. N.

Courtesy of MGN · The South Early Vote Center at Longfellow Park Recreation Center, 3435 36th Ave. S. More information on early inperson voting is available on the Elections & Voter Services website: vote.minneapolismn.gov/ voters/vote-early-in-person.

8 October 29—November 4, 2020

October 29—November 4, 2020

9

10

October 29—November 4, 2020

November election will help shape future congressional districts make the new electoral maps. That means the 2020 election will potentially affect the balance of power and the degree When voters cast their bal- of partisan conflict in the lots in November, they won’t House of Representatives for just decide who will be presi- the next decade. dent in 2021—they will also have a voice in determining Legislators often draw the partisan makeup of Con- biased lines gress until 2030. Following In drawing new boundareach census, which happens every 10 years, states are ies, state legislators usually required to adjust their con- have very few constraints. gressional district boundaries The U.S. Constitution reto keep district populations quires that each congressional district should represent equal. District boundaries can a roughly equal number of profoundly shape election people—except in states with results—most notably when too few people to have multhey are drawn in ways that tiple districts—Alaska, Delabenefit one political party or ware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont the other. In the 2011 redistricting and Wyoming. They all get after the 2010 census, for ex- at least one representative in ample, Pennsylvania’s Re- Congress. But other than that, state publican-led legislature drew up districts that significantly lawmakers make their own disadvantaged Democrats. In rules. So it’s not surprising the state’s 2012 congressional that congressional district elections, Democrats won lines tend to unfairly advana majority of the votes, but tage the party whose memRepublicans won two-thirds bers are a majority of the of the state’s 18 seats in Con- group drawing the lines. In the seven small, singlegress. Our research has found that similarly biased redis- district states and the Districting—called partisan ger- trict of Columbia, this isn’t rymandering—is common a problem because the state boundaries are also those of across the country. Most states give the power the congressional district. In to draw new boundaries to five others – Hawaii, Idaho, their legislatures. So when Maine, New Hampshire and voters in November pick Rhode Island – there are only among the candidates for enough people to warrant state legislatures, they are two congressional districts, choosing the people who will making it statistically imposBy Robin Best and Steve Lem From The Conversation

sible to manipulate district boundaries to advantage one party. But of the remaining 38 states, our analysis found that 22 created gerrymandered districts that benefited one party or the other. Other political scientists have come to similar conclusions after

Republican Party. That is because Republicans won control of many state legislatures in the 2010 elections, and then delivered congressional districts in their favor. The bias from partisan gerrymandering was so high after the 2010 round of redistricting, particularly

votes nationwide. The 2020 state legislative elections will be similarly decisive of who will control the redistricting process, and what congressional elections will look like for the next decade. There are efforts to fix the redistricting process. In 2019, the Supreme Court effectively barred federal courts from considering whether partisan gerrymanders are constitutional, so reformers must look elsewhere for a solution. Reform movements are working to take control of district boundaries out of the hands of legislators.

their own analyses. This is true despite the natural, nongerrymandered tendency for like-minded people, especially Democrats, to live near each other. Most of the partisan gerrymandering created after the 2010 census benefited the

in seven states—Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Virginia and Florida—that the 2012 elections produced a House of Representatives controlled by the Republican Party even though Democratic congressional candidates won more

Several states have pioneered ways to draw their congressional boundaries more fairly. In New York, for instance, there is a commission that will advise lawmakers on potential maps that avoid partisan advantages. In Arizona and California, independent commissions have complete control over the district boundaries. In New Jersey and Hawaii, commissions made up of politicians and political appointees draw the boundaries. And in three states—Connecticut, Indiana and Ohio—the legislature gets a first attempt to draw the boundaries, but must relinquish power to an independent commission if

lawmakers can’t agree. In some states, citizens have created independent redistricting commissions by popular referendum— through ballot propositions or initiatives—when legislators didn’t want to strip themselves of this key power. Colorado, Michigan and Utah all did this in 2018. Voters in Virginia will be given an option in the 2020 election to hand redistricting authority over to an independent commission. Our research and others’ has found that commissions of all types tend to produce maps that are less biased than legislative ones. However, redistricting reforms in some states are now facing a backlash from state lawmakers who are attempting to reclaim power over the redistricting process through legislation, lawsuits or ballot measures of their own. In presidential election years, the public is obviously focused on the race for the White House, but the decisions voters make in state legislative races affect the partisan composition of Congress for years to come. Without changes in who draws district lines, the U.S. is likely to enter another decade in which congressional elections are shaped not by everyday voters but by those who hold the power.

October 29—November 4, 2020

Legals

Employment Notice of Auctions:

Notice is hereby given that Beyond Self Storage at: 3100 Courthouse Lane Eagan, MN 55121 will sell at public auction, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below: Date: November 9, 2020 Time: 10:00 AM CST John Anderson 0065 Household, Doug Sowokinos 1116 Household, Jeremy Simenson 2077 Household, Deb Hagen 2142 Household, Timothy Crockett 3018 Household, Elizabeth Cruz-Cortes 3050 Household Notice is hereby given that Beyond Self Storage at 1315 Cope Ave East Maplewood, MN 55109 will sell at public auction, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below: Date: November 9, 2020 Time: 10:00 AM CST Margaret Curry 1063 & 1132 Household, Sheila Beverly 1045 Household, Willie Enlow 1080 Household, Johnell Moore 1145 Household, Christine Todora 1151 Household, Mark Thompson 2040 & 2277 household, Michael Malm 2053 Household, Jacques Muse 2070 Household, Heidi White 2078 Household, Jennifer Sherley 2106 Household, Brandy Bausch 2125 Household, Mong Yang 2130 Household, Jordan Tuhy 2132 Household, Jennifer Rishavy 2149 Household, Darin Mckinley 2161 Household, Spencer Anderson 2163 Household, Crystal Thompson 2223 Household, Tamika Anthony 3004 Household, Will Kemp 3148 Household, Jessica Hamilton 3166 Household, Pauline Thompson Smith 3174 Household, Tammy Brown 3215 Household, Larryana Belton 3262 Household, Angela Eder 1008 Household Notice is hereby given that Beyond Self Storage at: 345 Industrial Blvd NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 will sell at public auction, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below: Date: November 9, 2020 Time: 10:00 AM CST Danielle Bauman 1009 Household, Spencer Beseman 1138 Household, Ahmad McGruder 1172 Household, Dan Champagne 2031 Household The auctions above will be listed and advertised on www. storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Beyond Self Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Certificate of AssumedFrom Name Display Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 333

STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF HENNEPIN

DISTRICT COURT FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT CASE TYPE: REAL ESTATE

Robert Derek Burgess, Plaintiff, v. Jerry Williams and Clarence Champion, Defendants. SUMMONS Court File No. 27-CV-20-3516 THIS SUMMONS IS DIRECTED TO : JERRY WILLIAMS 1.YOU ARE BEING SUED. The Plaintiff has started a lawsuit against you. The Plaintiff's Complaint against you is on file in the Hennepin County District Court and has been mailed to you. Do not throw these papers away. They are official papers that affect your rights. You must respond to this lawsuit even though it may not yet be filed with the Court and there may be no court file number on this summons.

attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment.

fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by FOR 2 WEEKS $1428.00 signing this documentTOTAL I am subject to the penalties of=perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath. Ellie Vilendrer None Provided sharon@rmgaccess.com

SIGNED BY: MAILING ADDRESS: EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES:

Please proof, respond email5,confirmaMinnesota Spokesman-Recorder October 29with & November 2020 tion todisplay@spokesman-recorder.com.

Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Certificate of Assumed Name Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 333 Conscious Age 3312 16th Ave S Suite 1 Minneapolis MN 55407 USA

ASSUMED NAME: PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS: NAMEHOLDER(S): Name: Jonathan Beller

3312 16th Ave S Suite 1 Minneapolis MN 55407 USA If you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment. Address:

By typing my name, I, the undersigned, certify that I am signing this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all required fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by signing this document I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath. SIGNED BY: MAILING ADDRESS: EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES:

Jonathan Beller 3312 16th Ave S Suite 1 Minneapolis MN 55407 jonathan@beller.com

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder October 29 & November 5, 2020

5.LEGAL ASSISTANCE. You may wish to get legal help from a lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer, the Court Administrator may have information about places where you can get legal assistance. Even if you cannot get legal help, you must still provide a written Answer to protect your rights or you may lose the case.

Those schools over the years selOn defense, Michigan de ASSUMED dom, if ever, loseNAME to Minnesota livered some pain. They sacked FLAT $150.00 when theyRATE do play. Gophers QB Tanner Morgan five 2 WEEK RUN The Little Brown Jug, which times, twice by big Kwity Paye the two schools have played who also had three tackles for a for since the last U.S. pandemic loss and a touchdown. Rashon Please proof, respond with email confirmation to display@ in 1918, again stays with MichiBateman had nine catches for 101 spokesman-recorder.com gan. They have had it since 2014, yards for the Gophers. when Jerry Kill's Gophers upset The Gophers paid a special the Wolverines in the Big House tribute in the game to veteran that Saturday before 114,000 Star Tribune/WCCO journalist fans. Sid Hartman, who died at age Michigan was more physi- 100 a week ago. Hartman truly cal and had better team speed loved the Gophers; he covered this time. The Wolverines have the program with passion virtu From Classified carte blanche when they come ally his entire life. The Gophers (0 Department/MN to Minnesota. They have won 1) now hit the Big Ten road with Spokesman-Recorder 17 straight versus the Gophers both Maryland and Illinois next. PHONE: 612-827-4021 in Dinkytown and the land of FOR BILLING 10,000 lakes. Larry Fitzgerald is a longstand INQUIRIES The Gophers did some good ing contributing columnist at the & TEARSHEETS things—they blocked a punt Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder PLEASE CONTACT that led to their first touchdown, He can be heard weekday mornings ACCOUNTING DEPT and they forced Michigan to on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 miss three field goals. How- am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday ASSUMED NAME ever, Michigan had no problem and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www FLAT RATE $150.00 moving the ball up and down Gamedaygold.com. He also com 2 WEEK RUN the field led by talented quarter- mentates on sports 7-8 pm on “Al back 6’-5” Joe Milton. manac” (TPT channel 2). Follow The junior QB from Florida him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry Please proof, respond with email confirmation to was terrific. He threw for 225 welcomes reader responses to info@ display@spokesman-recorder.com yards, completed 15-22 passes, larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www ran for 52 yards and had two Larry-Fitzgerald.com. touchdowns. Tom Brady could not have played better. Michigan had their way with the

SOE

adding that asking to do more than is assigned works won ders in seeking a future HC Continued from page 12 position. league that also has one Black As the first college basket women’s HC. He said Blacks too ball season under a pandemic often aren’t seen as whole people soon begins, complete with all when it comes to coaching. “I the uncertainties, there’s one don’t want to be categorized as a re- constant that seemingly won’t cruiter, because nine out of 10 times change. Until college athletic that’s the hole we are pigeoned into.” directors see Blacks as serious “I’ve learned the power of HC candidates and hire them my voice,” added Ivey. “Every the unicorn tag will remain ac year as an assistant I wanted curate. to get better. That was a personal drive of mine.” Charles Hallman welcomes reader Said Brooks, “You can’t responses to challman@spokesman be happy with what you are recorder.com. given as an assistant coach,”

From Classified Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder PHONE: 612-827-4021 FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS PLEASE CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT SUMMONS FLAT RATE $200

PrEP Continued from page 12

Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Worship Mount Olivet Missionary Baptist Church

Bethesda Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Billy G. Russell, Sr. Pastor

6.ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION. The parties may agree to or be ordered to participate in an alternative dispute resolution process under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. You must still send your written response to the Complaint even if you expect to use alternative means of resolving this dispute.

Rev. Arthur Agnew, Pastor

THIS LAWSUIT MAY AFFECT OR BRING INTO QUESTION TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY located in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota, legally described as follows: [ East view Heights addition to Minneapolis Block None - Lot(s) 014 meetbounds West 75 83over 100 feet] Street address, 4201 10th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407. The object of this action is to clear the title to the above property. LAW OFFICES OF LARRY E. REED Larry E. Reed #155883 PO Box 43596 Minneapolis, MN 55443 (612) 529-3322 Direct 612-384-0076 Fax (612) 529-5229 lereed@twincitylawyers.com /s/ Larry E. Reed

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder October 15, 22, and 29, 2020

is also one of the state’s top basketball prospects after averaging 17.1 and 9.1 rebounds last season, leading his team to a 19-8 record.

Townley has become a big contributor to the Polars’ football Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonteam as a tight end and defensive ald welcomes reader responses to end, but the 6’7” senior forward mcdeezy05@gmail.com.

LAW OFFICES OF LARRY E. REED Larry E. Reed #155883 PO Box 43596 Minneapolis, MN 55443 (612) 529-3322 Direct 612-384-0076

4.YOU WILL LOSE YOUR CASE IF YOU DO NOT SEND A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINT TO THE PERSON WHO SIGNED THIS SUMMONS. If you do not Answer within 20 days, you will lose this case. You will not get to tell your side of the story, and the Court may decide against you and award the Plaintiff everything asked for in the complaint. If you do not want to contest the claims stated in the complaint, you do not need to respond. A default judgment can then be entered against you for the relief requested in the complaint.

F

EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY By typing my name, I,SIZE: the undersigned, I am signing 2 COL Xcertify 8.5 that INCHES = 17this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signaRATE $42.00 PER COL. INCH ture would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her SUB TOTAL: $714.00 behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all required

2.YOU MUST REPLY WITHIN 20 DAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. You must give or mail to the person who signed this summons a written response called an Answer within 20 days of the date on which you received this Summons. You must send a copy of your Answer to the person who signed this summons located at:

3.YOU MUST RESPOND TO EACH CLAIM. The Answer is your written response to the Plaintiff's Complaint. In your Answer you must state whether you agree or disagree with each paragraph of the Complaint. If you believe the Plaintiff should not be given everything asked for in the Complaint, you must say so in your Answer.

Client Facilitator – Temp./FT FromIn-Office Classified Department/MN Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. Details at Spokesman-Recorder www.mylegalaid.org/employment PHONE: 612-827-4021 FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS itz Gophers: 478 yards total offense PLEASE CONTACT and great balance running and Continued from page 12DEPT ACCOUNTING throwing.

Ad Department/MN ASSUMED NAME: Spokesman-Recorder People of Color Careers 612-827-4021 PRINCIPAL PLACE PHONE: OF BUSINESS: 1150 Hennepin Ave., H2008 Minneapolis MN 55403 USA FOR BILLING INQUIRIES NAMEHOLDER(S): the rae mackenzie group, inc. & TEARSHEETS 1150 Hennepin Ave., H2008 Minneapolis MN 55403 USA PLEASE CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT If you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder October 22 & 29, 2020

Dated: October 7, 2020.

11

Rev. James C. Thomas, Pastor

451 West Central

St. Paul, MN 55103 651-227-4444

Church School 9:30 am Morning Worship 8:00 & 10:45 am Prayer Service:

Wednesday 7 pm "Welcome to

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church"

At the Old Landmark 1118 So. 8th Street

2600 E. 38th Street Minneapolis, MN 55408 www.greatfriend.org Phone: 612.827.7928 Fax: 612.827.3587 info@greatfriend.org

Mpls., MN 55404 612-332-5904 www.bethesdamnonline.com bethesdamn@prodigy.net

Sundays 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service

Sunday Service Times: Early Morning Service 9 am Sunday School 10 am

The Friendly Church Where Everybody Is Somebody

Sunday Worship 11:30 am

Wednesday Prayer Meeting, 6 pm Adult Bible Class 7 pm Children's Bible Class 7 pm

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Doctor Charles Gill 732 W. Central Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 Sunday Worship Service: 9:45 AM Sunday School: 8:45 AM

12

October 29—November 4, 2020

Tucker Center’s all-sistahs panel talks sports and rage

Michigan dominates Gophers 49-24

Fitz Beat

S

Larry FitzgeraLd

o you want to play football during a pandemic? The Big Ten is the fourth Big Five Conference to try playing during a pandemic with limited fans and extreme cold. We are off and running! After a competitive start to the first quarter, the Wolverines slowly but surely pulled away from P.J. Fleck's Gophers before the smallest handful of fans this reporter has ever witnessed in my 41 years of covering the Gophers.

Last season in 2019 the Gophers were 11-2 champions of the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. They played on New Year’s Day; it was the best season of football in this town since 1962, when I was in diapers and five Gophers were drafted into the NFL. Despite the obstacles and a canceled season in August by the Big Ten, they decided let’s do this. When you win during a pandemic you hear no excuses. When you lose, you hear about how difficult it is to play, who's hurt, who left, who's positive and negative and how cold it is. Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh in his sixth season makes $7 million a year. He has never beaten Ohio State (0-5), and in Michigan and the college football world that's all that matters. The Gophers, despite the great 2019 season, did not have to play Ohio State or Michigan. ■ See Fitz on page 11

MSR photographer Travis Lee photographed with Sid Hartman at a 1993 Twins game. Photo courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

First of three parts

T

here is a growing community of Black female academia types in the sport sciences, and the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport recently brought several of them together virtually. Since 1991, the Tucker Center’s panel discussions and lectures have been a regular source for this paper’s longtime women’s sports reporter, and for most of its existence we were the only local media in attendance at these free on-campus events. But with very few exceptions, the participants were White. “Black Women in Sport: Voices of Resistance & Athlete Activism,” recorded October 19, was the Center’s first-ever virtual event because of the continued coronavirus. The second historic footnote was that it was an all-sistah scholar panel. “That’s great,” said one of the panelists, San Jose State Associate Professor Akilah Carter-Francique, when the MSR told her of her part in local history. Tucker Center Director Nicole LaVoi pointed out during her introductory remarks how too often Black women’s and Black female athletes’ voices are erased, silenced and marginalized compared to White of both sexes. She said last week’s “multidisciplinary panel” composed of five Black women would speak on “the power, importance and voices of resistance of Black women in the fight for so-

Gyasmine George-Williams

Nefertiti Walker

Akilah Carter-Francique

Nikki Franke

Photos courtesy of U of M Tucker Center cial justice in society in general, and sport in particular.” “I appreciate Nicole creating that space,” said UMass Amherst Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity

passed the “baton” to the next in line after completing their allotted presentation time. Carter-Francique started off with her presentation on “Black

“We have been taught to hide our emotions, to shield our hurt.” and Inclusion Nefertiti Walker in an MSR post-event phone interview. “She picked five Black women from across the spectrum. “To have five is a lot, but she [LaVoi] learned that we needed a moderator like Dr. [Nikki] Franke. We were able to create something that was authentic,” Walker said. Each panelist gave separate presentations expertly in a virtual relay race, explained Dr. CarterFrancique, a former college track athlete. “We each were running a leg of a race” as each woman

rage,” which featured a short video clip of Lauren Hill’s song of the same title. “Black rage and anger is based on racism,” she stressed, adding that Black women aren’t given the freedom to express it, but if they do, are unfortunately tagged as the Angry Black Woman. “We have been taught to hide our emotions, to shield our hurt,” she noted. University of Houston Assistant Professor Joyce Olushola Ogunrinde reiterated that Black women athletes and their activism

Joyce Olushola Ogunrinde are often marginized: “We need to trust Black women who have been doing the work…as agent of change,” said Dr. O. “There’s been a clash of consciousness that COVID-19 brought upon a flood of…emotions, guilt and rage that is really compelling people to act and speak,” said Assistant Professor Gyasmine George-Williams of the University of La Verne [CA]. The virus outbreak only added to what she termed a “multiple pandemic” that Blacks have historically faced—COVID-19, police brutality, racism, among so many others.” Walker, who also teaches sport management, discussed how Black women must deal with “multiple marginalized identities” and how racism and sexism, among other “isms,” are a constant in Black females’ lives. Dr. Nikki Franke, the moderator, recalled how Black women were often ignored during athlete protests in the 1960s. “Racism and sexism made Black women athletes invisible.” The next two View columns will continue coverage of the Tucker Center’s first all-sistahs panel. Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Prep action updates Black head coaches in college hoops rare as unicorns The journey to becoming a college basketball head coach if you are Black can be like a Beatles song—long and winding. “You have to be above and beyond and great,” declared Notre

Dame WBB HC Niele Ivey, who embarks on her first season as the school’s first Black female head coach. “I have to go beyond my [White] peers and [be] excellent in every way.”

Ivey was hired this spring after a season as a Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach in the NBA, but prior to that she was an Irish assistant for seven years. Ed Cooley won the 2014 Big East title three years after Providence hired him as MBB head coach. It is his second such job after five seasons as Fairfield HC (2006-11), then a combined 10 seasons as an assistant coach at two different schools (1994-2006). “I had a really good training ground with Coach Skinner,” recalled Cooley of former Black head coach Al Skinner at Rhode Island and Boston College. “I saw what Coach did. I am some-

“I’ve learned the power of my voice.”

Notre Dame Head Coach Niele Ivey as a player for the Indiana Fever Photo courtesy of Twitter

one who learned by looking, listening, and not saying a word. I said, “You know what, I can do that.” “Definitely [there are] obstacles as I pursue my passion,” admitted Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks. He remembered an athletic director telling him, when he was contemplating seeking a head coaching position, “A university is not going to hire two Black head coaches.” Brooks begins his fifth season as Tech’s women’s basketball

head coach after 14 years as women’s HC at James Madison. He started his coaching career after graduating from there as a part-time men’s assistant coach (1993-94), then full time assistant at VMI (1994-98) before returning to his alma mater as men’s assistant (1998-2002), then hired as the school’s women’s team HC in 2002. These three coaches’ stories, told to ESPN’s LaChina Robinson during a WBCA virtual webinar in August, more than likely can be echoed by other coaches of color, either as HC or getting hired as one. “All three of us are at predominately White institutions,” Brooks pointed out. Coaching, like most professions in this country, practices the “diversity quota”—“You get one POC and we’re good, we have diversity,” Robinson pointed out. “I feel that in my field. If you saw two Black women on one show, that was like the unicorn.” Black coaches sadly are unicorns: There are only eight Black head basketball coaches in the Power Five conferences. The Big Ten has only two (C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers, and Juwan Howard at Michigan). Cooley is one of five Black men’s hoops HCs in the 10team Big East, a non-Power Five league that also has one Black women’s HC. He said ■ See SOE on page 11

Central in both sports. He was a 12-time NSIC champion on the track. Graduating in 2004, Ruffin was one of the state’s top wide receivers during his prep career at Wayzata High School before setting the record for most receiving yards at Concordia-St. PreP Scene Paul with 2,930, along with beDr. Mitchell ing a two-time all NSIC pick. He PalMer McDonalD graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009 and Master This week’s column features of Arts in 2012. three metro-area hall-of-famers, an early commit to the Universi- Holloway commits early ty of Minnesota, a football team to U of M Eden Prairie High School not missing a beat, and a twojunior Nia Holloway, a 6’1” forsport prep prospect. ward who is among the state’s top girls’ basketball players, has Bacon, Perryman, Ruffin in recently committed via social athletic hall of fame Former metro prep super- media that she will attend the stars Kawaskii Bacon, Adrian University of Minnesota as part Perryman and Tyrone Ruffin of Head Coach Lindsay Whawere inducted into the Con- len’s recruiting class of 2022. cordia-St. Paul Athletic Hall of Whalen was a former Gopher point guard and WNBA legend. Fame this past summer. Bacon starred collegiately for the Golden Bears as a sprinter in Minneapolis North track and field after an outstand- continues to roll Head Coach Charles Adams ing prep career at Minneapolis Edison that included outstand- has Minneapolis North’s footing play in football as well. Af- ball team picking up where they ter graduating from Edison in left off with the team sporting a 2004, Bacon went on to become 3-0 record. The team is led on ofa 15-time All-Northern Sun In- fense by quarterback and North tercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Carolina A&T commit Zach selection and eight-time NCIS Yeager, running back Terance champion in track and field be- Kamara and receiver Mario fore earning his business admin- Sanders, along with a defensive unit led by linebacker Dave Wyistration degree in 2009. Perryman, who graduated lie, cornerback Jaheim Abdulwith a Bachelor of Arts degree lah and defensive end Kesh’on in communication studies (2007) Walker. and a Master’s degree in strategic communication manage- Townley one of ment (2018), excelled in football the state’s best Minneapolis North’s Davon and track and field after an outstanding career at St. Paul ■ See Prep on page 11