In the MinnPost, an op-ed on the struggle in Phillips from SVEP member Matt Plummer:
As the parent of a 10-month-old, it’s been a joy to watch our daughter grow, babble and learn to crawl. It has also been a chaotic scramble to anchor furniture, secure dangerous chemicals and more. We all do our best to keep our kids safe. But some dangers are not so easily prepared for by parents alone.
Recently, I watched in horror as the Minneapolis City Council approved the demolition of the Roof Depot site, moving one step closer to the expansion of a public works facility not far from our home in Seward. The project would, among other things, build a new diesel refueling station and add 1,800 more vehicle trips per day to East Phillips, a neighborhood with 71% people of color that has long been the dumping ground for polluting industries.
Facing years-long opposition from community and environmental groups, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has offered some compromises. However, the mayor has been unwilling to budge on the demolition, nor on another issue important to many Minneapolis parents – his plan to consolidate the public works fleet into Phillips, dramatically increasing pollution in the area. Read the entire op-ed here.