Dear Commissioner McLaughlin, under the platform on your campaign website, you stated that you are committed to: “Maintaining [the] existing supply of affordable housing through supporting Glendale Public Housing and addressing deferred maintenance.”
This statement claims that you are in support of Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition’s (DFPHC) campaign. You quote one of our five points from “DGPHC’s Demands to Protect Public Housing & Build More Public Housing” posted on our website. However, we have repeatedly asked for you to take action to stop the privatization of public housing for the last year, and you have ignored our calls and given us no response or action.
You are using our work, our name, and our community to win an election, but when it comes time to stand by your platform and help us save public housing, you are silent. This is a blatant co-optation of this East African women-led resident campaign. This is completely unacceptable and causes harm to our community. Minneapolis has some of the greatest racial disparities in the country and is operated by DFL “progressive” elected officials that perpetuate this crisis and disparities.
For the record, there is not one DFL “progressive” elected official or any DFL “progressive” candidate that is running for office now, that has taken any action or steps to stop the public housing displacement and dismantling crisis that is purposely being created for developers to profit. These DFL “progressive” candidates and elected officials range from attorney general, Congress, state and county commissioners to the mayor of Minneapolis and city council.
You are no different from the rest of these elected officials and candidates that are failing us, except that you went a step further. You used our campaign to address these disparities in housing in order to win an election while doing nothing to protect public housing. Frankly, it is harmful and embarrassing for a public official to behave in such a manner. You must be accountable for your promises and your platform.
We will not accept your attempts to co-opt our work while you ignore thousands of low-income people of color, including Glendale Townhomes, which will be homeless when MPHA displaces residents through the RAD program, starting with Elliot Twins, Glendale, etc. for developers to profit.
Editor’s note: Since distribution of this letter, originally dated October 16, 2018, McLaughlin’s campaign site has removed language mentioned above.