Posts in Minneapolis Seward Neighbors Forum

Statement on Recent Law Enforcement Actions Targeting Protest Organizers From: Cam Gordon Date: Sep 01 14:37 UTC Short link

One of the homes raided was in Seward.

Cam



Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:25:38 -0500





Statement on Recent Law Enforcement Actions Targeting Protest Organizers



from Minneapolis Council Members Cam Gordon and Elizabeth Glidden
On Friday August 29th, a large, peaceful Critical Mass bike ride occurred in
Minneapolis where protesters, passersby and police conducted themselves in a
civil and respectful way - a hopeful beginning to the Republican National
Convention and related protest events, marches, and citizen journalism. On
Friday evening and Saturday morning, homes in Minneapolis and a place of
assembly in St Paul were raided by law enforcement; residents were detained and
property seized.  These actions were initiated, to our knowledge, by the Ramsey
County Sheriffs Office.  Although we do not have the information available to
law enforcement, we are concerned that the level of force used during these
raids does not appear to match the alleged threat posed.  The seizure of the
Earth Activist Training Permaculture Demonstration Bus (Permibus), young
activists pulled over in their van at Lake and 11th Ave and detained by law
enforcement with weapons drawn, and other reported events are actions that
appear excessive and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for those
who wish to exercise their first amendment rights.During the challenging days
ahead we urge a focus on creating a secure atmosphere of nonviolence that will
allow and encourage people to participate in political speech.  While violence
and property damage by protesters or others should not be tolerated, neither
should there be a chilling effect on free speech.  We have been contacted by
many who are concerned that their home or meeting place may be at risk because
they are on an email list, attended a workshop or meeting, or helped feed and
house out-of-town activists.  We thank our Minneapolis police and others for
their hard work to prepare for this momentous event and know  as evidenced by
the Critical Mass ride this past Friday  that they are well able to keep the
peace and respect first amendment rights of nonviolent protesters.Let's send
the right message - with a focus on maintaining order and peace while creating
a safe space for free speech and political expression.  We encourage all
residents and visitors to feel safe and welcome to express themselves and hope
that everyone will show up on Labor Day at the State Capital to make their
voices heard.

Cam Gordon
Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
612 296-0579

Elizabeth Glidden
Minneapolis City Council Member, Eighth Ward
612 673-2208



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First theft of a My Yard Our Message sign From: Sheldon Mains Date: Aug 27 22:19 UTC Short link

The Keep off the GXASX (Grass/Gas) sign that Cushman Motors had was stolen
within 24 hours of it going up.

................................
Sheldon Mains Consulting
Technology solutions for nonprofit organizations.
612-618-7149, <email obscured>
http://www.SheldonMains.com/
Blog: http://RandomStuffFromSheldon.blogspot.com/
Twitter.com: sheldonM
2718 East 24th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota  55406
    

No August SNG Board Meeting From: Sheldon Mains Date: Aug 26 13:46 UTC Short link

It is the end of summer, less daylight, winter is coming.

And we don't have any pressing business

So, the August 27 Board meeting of the Seward Neighborhood Group is
cancelled.

See you all on September 24

................................
Sheldon Mains Consulting
Technology solutions for nonprofit organizations.
612-618-7149, <email obscured>
http://www.SheldonMains.com/
Blog: http://RandomStuffFromSheldon.blogspot.com/
Twitter.com: sheldonM
2718 East 24th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota  55406
    

Housing Request from Prospect Park e-list From: Robin Garwood Date: Aug 25 16:39 UTC Short link

The following was in the Prospect Park e-list recently:

LOOKING FOR HOUSING
I happen to know a guy from Austria who is looking for a housemate situation
and loves our neighborhood.  He’s a geologist/geophysicist here on a 7-month
research stay (studying climate change data from stalactites/stalagmites),
well-funded for his stay here, working with a facility at the U of M.  Nice,
friendly, smart guy, speaks several languages, 29 years old, avid reader, also
has a philosophy background, gets around on bicycle.  He has references from
the U, financial statement of his research grant, etc.  (The ONLY reason he
won’t be living at my house is that he’s only here for 7 months, and I
found a housemate who's interested in staying for a year.)  He’s looking for
a place now or Sept. 1.  His name is Ronny, and you can call him at
651-278-7994 or email <email obscured> (posted by Ryan Sheppard; you can
also call me at 612-208-0555 if you want to know more)
    

Latest on health effects of arsenic From: Carol Greenwood Date: Aug 24 23:10 UTC Short link

I know a lot of you have concern about the effects of high levels of
arsenic in soil, particularly west of 31st Ave.
This article was just sent out on a listserv I participate in.  I think
you will find it interesting.  Feel free to
circulate to other interested people.
Carol Greenwood

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Arsenic, a naturally occurring poison and carcinogen
found in
ground water, is strongly linked to adult-onset diabetes, U.S.
researchers said on Tuesday.

Odorless, tasteless, colorless and easily soluble in water or wine,
arsenic has long been a
feared poison. A heavy dose is detectable in a corpse, but researchers
say small amounts
of arsenic may sicken people gradually.

Dr. Ana Navas-Acien and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore found a
"relatively strong" association between commonly found levels of arsenic
in urine and type
2 diabetes in a study of American adults.

"It seems there is may be no safe level of arsenic," Navas-Acien said in
a telephone
interview.

"Worldwide it's a huge problem," she said. "As water becomes a scarce
resource, we need
additional sources."

Arsenic raises the risk for cancers of the bladder, lung, kidney, skin
and, possibly, the
prostate, Navas-Acien said.

The 20 percent of nearly 800 study participants who had the most arsenic
in their bodies,
a tolerable 16.5 micrograms per liter of urine, had 3.6 times the risk
of developing late-
onset diabetes than those in the bottom 20 percent, who had 3 micrograms
per liter.

Levels of arsenic were 26 percent higher in people with late-onset, or
type 2, diabetes
than those without the disease, the study found.

The U.S. government sets a limit for drinking water at 10 micrograms of
arsenic per liter,
which is exceeded in the water consumed by 13 million Americans who
mostly live in rural
areas that rely on wells to bring up ground water, the researchers wrote
in the Journal of
the American Medical Association.

Arsenic contaminates drinking water for millions of people in
Bangladesh, parts of Central
Europe, Chile, Argentina and the western United States, where ground
water is the source
of drinking water and the land has higher concentrations of arsenic.

The U.S. Geological Survey has published maps on its Web site showing
levels of arsenic
contamination of ground water across the United States.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080819/hl_nm/diabetes_arsenic_dc_1

Overall, 7.8 percent of Americans are believed to have diabetes,
although some do not
know it. At least 90 percent of cases are the type 2 variety, in which
the body loses its
ability to use insulin properly.

Navas-Acien said arsenic may play a significant role in diabetes
incidence, but it is
difficult to say how much.

Arsenic can accumulate in the body, and can ruin the body's ability to
use insulin and
perform the vital task of converting blood sugar into energy.

Normally, insulin fits into cells via molecular doorways called
receptors, which in turn
signal the cell to move glucose inside, but arsenic enters the cell and
somehow blocks the
activity.

Seafood is another source of arsenic, but the organic form found in
shellfish and some fish
has a carbon molecule attached and poses no risk to health, she said.

It is difficult to discern the difference between the harmful and benign
forms of arsenic,
though recent laboratory tests allow researchers to detect trace amounts
that may pose
risks to health, Navas-Acien said.
    

Help with My Yard Our Message lawn sign distribution event From: Sheldon Mains Date: Aug 21 20:07 UTC Short link

One of the goals of the current Seward Neighborhood Group board is to again
involve residents as volunteers in the neighborhood(and not just because we
have a very tight budget).

So:

We'll need some volunteer help with the My Yard Our Message lawn sign
distribution this Saturday(see notice below).

A couple people who could come at 8 AM and help set-up and assemble the
signs
A couple people who could help with the logistics starting at 9.
	A person who can take pictures of people with their lawn signs and
post them on Flikr.
	A person to help people enter their address in the Walker's Google
Map mashup.

Please email me off the list if you can help.

Also, we've decided to not reserve any signs for the businesses along
Franklin (that was probably a good idea but we don't have a person who has
time to contact the businesses between now and Saturday)

Sheldon
................................
Sheldon Mains, Chair
Seward Neighborhood Group
http://www.sng.org
612-618-7149, <email obscured>

....Distribution notice.........................................

50 "My Yard Our Message" lawn signs
Free to a good home!*

This Saturday, August 23,
9:00 AM
Matthews Park Hill

* First come, first served. Some may be reserved for Franklin Avenue
Businesses
* Homes (or businesses) must be in Seward Neighborhood and have an outside
area to display the sign during the Republican National Convention.

My Yard our Message is part of larger community initiative called The
UnConvention. A non-partisan collective of citizens and cultural
institutions (The Walker, mnartists.org), The UnConvention provides a forum
for promoting the democratic and free exchange of ideas during and after the
Republican National from September 1-4, 2008. The winning signs are now on
the My Yard Our Message website www.MyYardOurMessage.com

(Seward Neighborhood Partner is the Seward Neighborhood Group)

You can also purchase any one of the 50 winning signs through our store on
CafePress.com, for $20 including shipping. And if you do buy a sign, let us
know where it is by adding it to our signs map.

Sheldon

................................

Sheldon Mains, Chair

Seward Neighborhood Group

http://www.sng.org

612-618-7149, <email obscured>
    

My Yard Our Message signs available this Saturday From: Sheldon Mains Date: Aug 20 17:14 UTC Short link

50 "My Yard Our Message" lawn signs
Free to a good home!*

This Saturday, August 23,
9:00 AM
Matthews Park Hill

* First come, first served. Some may be reserved for Franklin Avenue
Businesses
* Homes (or businesses) must be in Seward Neighborhood and have an outside
  area to display the sign during the Republican National Convention.

My Yard our Message is part of larger community initiative called The
UnConvention. A non-partisan collective of citizens and cultural
institutions (The Walker, mnartists.org), The UnConvention provides a forum
for promoting the democratic and free exchange of ideas during and after the
Republican National from September 1-4, 2008. The winning signs are now on
the My Yard Our Message website www.MyYardOurMessage.com

(Seward Neighborhood Partner is the Seward Neighborhood Group)

You can also purchase any one of the 50 winning signs through our store on
CafePress.com, for $20 including shipping. And if you do buy a sign, let us
know where it is by adding it to our signs map.

Sheldon
................................
Sheldon Mains, Chair
Seward Neighborhood Group
http://www.sng.org
612-618-7149, <email obscured>
    

My Unconvention sign came today From: Sheldon Mains Date: Aug 14 18:47 UTC Short link

We announced before that Seward Neighborhood Group is participating with the
Walker Art Center in the "The My Yard Our Message" lawn signs project (
http://myyardourmessage.com/signs/map/ )Distribution plans are now set:

SNG will distribute lawn signs on  a first-come, first-served basis:

From 9 AM  to 10 AM
Saturday, August 23
At Matthews Park Hill

We will ask you to register your address so the Walker can add it to the
Google map they are maintaining of all signs. We would also like to take a
picture of you with your sign for the Web.

Also, note that we will be reserving a few of the signs for businesses along
Franklin Avenue.

I know that the winning sign was designed by a Seward resident. Are any
others?

Sheldon
................................
Sheldon Mains, Chair
Seward Neighborhood Group
http://www.sng.org
612-618-7149, <email obscured>
    

Environment Committee Meeting, Aug. 18, Monday, 7:00 From: Carol Greenwood Date: Aug 13 18:42 UTC Short link

Are you prepared for the "shocking" winter heating bills, expected by
Xcel and Centerpoint to spike 30 to 50 percent this winter
(7/20 Star Tribune)?  Join us at the Environment committee for a
presentation by Mark Opdahl, from the Minnesota Center for
Energy and Environment, to learn about the benefits of energy audits
and  about how much you can save by following some of
the recommended steps for conservation and efficiency.

This discussion will be among the first items on the agenda.

Carol Greenwood
    

My Unconvention sign came today From: Peter Fleck Date: Aug 13 11:51 UTC Short link

My Unconvention lawn sign finally arrived yesterday after the first
aborted attempt where the sign seemed to have disappeared from the UPS
terminal. All they could find was the packaging. CafePress, where you
can buy the signs, then shipped me a replacement overnight at no extra
charge.

I sent sign announcements out on Twitter and Erica Mauter from MetBlog
picked it up and put in one of my pictures along with links to
Unconvention info.

http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2008/08/12/unconvention-yard-sign-appears/

Seward Neighborhood Group will have a set of signs for distribution. I
don't think we've heard the details for that yet.

Or you can order the signs for $19.99 ($14.99 + $5 shipping). If you
do get a sign, make sure to geolocate on the Sign Map.

http://myyardourmessage.com/signs/map/
    

--
Peter Fleck
Blog: http://www.pfhyper.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pfhyper
<email obscured>