[Mpls] "Feeling less than empowered in the zone"

[Anne McC]

It's interesting what strikes two people who read the dame article.  Unlike 
Michelle, I was struck by the fact that the two businesses who were noted in 
the article as having trouble meeting their rent, both rent from non-profit 
organizations who claim to support and encourage small minority business.

Now I admit that I am not a business person.  I know enough to know that 
non-profits still have to pay their bills like anyone else.  However, the 
coffee shop mentioned rents it's space from the Urban League. The strip mall 
in which Barbara's Beauty Salon ( and  the late Lucille's Cafe) is owned by 
the Northside Resident's Redevelopment Council.  I found this out from 
Barbara at a Fourth Precinct Advisory Council meeting.  She had been 
complaining that her landlord had refused to add security and other 
suggestions the tenants asked for. When I asked her is she had talked to 
NRRC about getting on the landlord, she laughed and advised me that they are 
her landlord.  Perhaps if NRRC had been more responsive to the needs of 
these two businesses, they would still be in business.  Perhaps not. By the 
way,  I have heard that Booker T. Hodges is a board member of NRRC, although 
I tried to confirm that from the NRRC website and could not find anything 
more current than the  2000 annual report.

 I don't bring this up in defense of the Empowerment Project.  However, we 
should not blame the failure of minority businesses on this one program. 
>From my limited experience it seems that the lack is in the preparation and 
presentation of the proposals.  It seems that here on the Northside. we need 
some pro-bono help from the business and legal community in order to compete 
for our piece of the pie.  Anyone out there willing?????


Anne McCandless
Jordan