I was going to write a very stern piece against the city of Minneapolis, Catalyst Community Partners and the Ackerberg Group – but after talking to several older businessmen around the United States, I have to say “congratulations” to the city and Mr. Stu Ackerberg for throwing pennies out in the street and watching poverty pimps, clergy and gadfly’s jump for the opportunity to line their pockets. The catastrophic failure of Black business in Minneapolis has grown arms, legs, and a head with no new ideas. Yes, even I understand, people that haven’t run a shoeshine shop don’t have any business in north Minneapolis as leaders. How can you not do right when you were a pass-through for $6 million dollars in concrete?

Fast Tube by Casper

by Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief, IBNN NEWS and Black Politics in Minneapolis

"Heritage Park - the saga continues in 2011"

Minneapolis, MN (IBNN NEWS/Black Business-OpEd/December 13, 2011) “We are also looking for those 120 units that were supposed to come from the $7.5 million loan from Sun America. So what is the number of occupied units, now, in Holmann/Heritage Park? Has it reached 100 yet? We’d like to see some statistical data, at some point. In fact, maybe we can have a public meeting and the civil rights department and the MCDA and the MPHA can come in with figures they would be prepared to place upon the table, and have it examined by a respectable auditing firm. I don’t think that will happen in our life time, but hey, stay tuned.” In 2003 Ronald A. Edwards warned the Black community in Minneapolis about the pending dishonest deals going on in Heritage Park. Edwards was the housing chair for the NAACP. In 2008, IBNN NEWS covered the creation of Heritage Park starting with the Hollman vs. Cisneros lawsuit that was filed on July 29, 1992 by public housing and Section 8 families and the NAACP alleging historical patterns of segregation in the location and administration of the city’s family public housing and Section 8 programs.

If you remember, the lawsuit was filed against the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA), the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Community Development Agency (MCDA), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Metropolitan Council. (Read:Hollman 10 Year Update)

We (Edwards/Allen) continue to warn the Black community of impending disaster – but are still marginalized, excluded. If you don’t understand the game, the game will understand you. In the case of Heritage Park, the game was played – Negros fell for it, now there’s nothing. Not even a Black president could save your ass.

At Tuesdays Minneapolis city council meeting, the lots and the housing that Thor/Richard Copeland owned are being foreclosed on by the City of Minneapolis. This might take up to a year – but now, the Black community must look at why this has happened to one of the most prominent Black businessmen in Minnesota.

The objective of owning lots in Heritage Park was to sell them.

Nobody expected the housing market to implode – but it did, catching a lot of unrented, unsold and un-leased properties worth next to nothing and underwater with no way of escaping.

Was the living so good that the future was never considered?

Was there “freak” houses in Heritage Park?

Did Black leadership think that the City of Minneapolis was going to play nice when they have an aggressive businessman by the name of Stu Ackerberg building relationships with the right people while Black, stiff, intellectuals with their noses in the air minimizing people and belittling the things they don’t understand? Well, that turn into opportunity for several White investors who purchased multiple properties right after the tornado – check the records.

Ask yourself, where was the Black Chamber of Commerce? Why weren’t they involved in the selling, marketing and public relations with the city of Minneapolis to avoid this epic fail? I guess playing around with $300,000.00 that Target Stores left when they moved out takes up a lot of time. (This leads to another question; what has the chamber done this year? Golf Tourney, Dinner? Where are the new businesses?)

The Black community needs to hit the reset button on local leadership.

Stay tuned…