Red Lake to the Rescue on Homeless Camp and Other News

In this blog:

• Red Lake Nation Key to Relocating the Growing Homeless Encampment Along Hiawatha
• Native American candidates on the rise nationally
• Tribal Nations leading on sustainability work

Red Lake Nation Key to Relocating the Growing Homeless Encampment Along Hiawatha

Weekend reads (Image credit.)

A homeless encampment along the busy Hiawatha Corridor — near the heart of Minneapolis’ American Indian community — has swelled to more than 300 people. The camp poses health and safety concerns, more so with cold weather approaching. The city has been struggling to find a solution.

The Red Lake Nation has steeped up to offer temporary use of a piece of land it owns nearby, according to an MPR story. The Nation purchased the land to build a low-income apartment complex, something it still plans to do. In the meantime, it will work with the city to put temporary housing trailers on the land.

There’s a hitch. The site Red Lake is offering will require demolition of old buildings first. “Sam Strong with the Red Lake Nation said if demolition of the buildings begins soon, encampment residents could relocate there in about six weeks,” the story said.

Click on the link above for more details.

Native American Candidates on the Rise Nationally, including Minnesota

This is a big year for Native Americans running for elected office. In Minnesota, the Lt. Governor candidates for both major parties are Anishinaabe. DFL gubernatorial candidate Tim Walz is running with state Rep. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Nation. GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson is running with Donna Bergstrom of the Red Lake Nation.

Mark Trahant, editor of the website IndianZ, recently wrote a story headlined: More Native women are running for office than men. It said:

There are 10 [Native American] candidates for Congress. A dozen running for statewide offices, including three for governor and another five for lieutenant governor. There are 78 Native Americans running for state legislatures across the country. …

Then this election has so many firsts, such as three Native candidates for governor. There have been a few candidates over the years that have sought that office, such as Larry EchoHawk in 1994 and Byron Mallott four years ago, but not two. Let alone three.

Click on the link above for more details.

Tribal Nations Leading on Sustainability Work

The Great Plains Institute ran a guest blog headlined: Tribal Nations Leading on Sustainability Join Unique Pilot Program., Here’s the key takeaways:

• Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe developed the nation’s first community solar garden that is designated for recipients of Minnesota’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, installed by Leech Lake Tribal College graduates (view this PBS video to learn more about Leech Lakes Green Step involvement).
• Red Lake Nation is focusing actions on economic development and job training opportunities for their members, largely associated with the sustainability field, like community gardening and food preparation.
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa created a Tribal Community-Based Social Marketing Training Guide to increase adoption of sustainable behaviors within the community.

Click on the links above for more details.