Turn-About is Fair Play - St Paul City Council Evicted from Office

Every other Wednesday evening, the ST Paul City Council has a scheduled "Open Meeting" that begins at 5:30 PM, chaired by Linda Lantry and at which any resident can bring up issues being considered by the Council. These "Open Meetings" are governed by State law in order to assure the citizenry has not only access to, but redress from, those individuals and committees that are responsible to administer on their behalf. The State takes this right to present at "Open Meetings" very seriously, and if anyone intentionally prevents public presentations, they have forfeited their post on the governing body. That's right. You read that correctly - forfeited their post on the governing body!

In the State of MN the law says:

www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=13D
CHAPTER 13 D - Open Meeting Law 13D.06 CIVIL FINES; FORFEITURE OF OFFICE; OTHER REMEDIES. Subd. 3. Forfeit office if three violations. (a) If a person has been found to have intentionally violated this chapter in three or more actions brought under this chapter involving the same governing body, such person shall forfeit any further right to serve on such governing body or in any other capacity with such public body for a period of time equal to the term of office such person was then serving.

In this video clip video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2889722505597651505 you'll see a third unsuccessful attempt by a member of the public to speak at an Open Meeting chaired by Kathy Lantry of the St Paul City Council. This effort to speak was intended to present an argument against the practice of condemning and foreclosing city dwellings, taking peoples' homes away from them, which have had utilities turned off and are not up to current building code standards.

What is at issue in this effort to be heard is the City's illegal imposition of this eviction process by enforcement of recently declared illegal inspection standards. On May 15, 2008 the MN Supreme Court ruled in Morris v. Sax that no municipality can force current building code standards upon structures that were built satisfactorily to then-current building code standards (issues of dangerous conditions excepted). Morris v. Sax www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/archive/supct/0805/OPA061188-0515.pdf

Even though people are being illegally thrown out of their homes and their property stolen by the city of St Paul, MN, and then try to present an appeal to their City Administrators at a lawfully required forum (State Stature 117.0412 LOCAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC HEARING REQUIREMENTS) they are being stonewalled. What is the remedy? Follow the law (as referenced above) and evict them from Office. Then tell the whole world what you've done and why.

Turn-about is fair play isn't it? They evict you from your home - you evict them from their government post. It's the American way!

With Public Servants Like That, Who Needs Thieves?

The home owner at 1033 Colne in St Paul, MN has been evicted because the previous owner voluntarily disconnected the electricity, which the city of St Paul interpreted as indicating the house was uninhabitable and therefore justified condemnation (for which eviction was ordered). Mrs. Evelyn Wallace, who purchased the house from the previous owner who, like normal prior to closing on the sale of the property, had the electricity turned off and is now out on the street facing all of the fall out of St Paul's condemnation order.

This might not be a noteworthy story and we could chock it up to mistake or bureaucratic folly if this was the only case - even if it was rare . . . however, it isn't. The city files are full of these cases, and perhaps the homeless shelters are too. Read on if you think this is a overly dramatic language.

On June 26, 2008, Judge Lindman of Ramsey County District Court ordered a that Mrs. Wallace could stay in her home until the issue could have a fair hearing in court on the full set of issues. However, the city is continuing on its order of condemnation by sending a crew to board up the windows, apparently ignoring Judge Lindman's order from the bench.

The City purports that because the owner of 1033 Colne had voluntarily suspended the utilities to the house, the house qualified as "unfit for human habitation" and thereby met the criteria as a "vacant building".

The city will allow the home owner to redeem habitable status but requires the building be brought up to current new construction code in order to do so. This municipal requirement is contrary to Morris v. Sax (City of Morris v. Sax Invest-A06-1188-MS16B.62,sub(1)2006, MN Supreme Court ruling), which states that municipalities cannot require retroactive compliance in such cases.

In a recent letter to Judge Lindman, Mrs. Wallace's legal team stated "We are bringing this action as private attorney generals on behalf of 'Other Similarly Situated Persons.' Many, many people have spoken at the St. Paul city council meetings and demanded the City comply with the restraints of Morris v. Sax. But the City refuses and they are throwing people out of their homes by condemnation that does NOT comply with the directives of the state building code.

These 'Other Similarly Situated Persons' need YOUR help.

How many people are out on the streets because of this ordinance? Dozens? Hundreds? Who knows - -the number is significant even if it were only one. It's fortunate for Mrs. Wallace that she has legal help, and that it might look good for her to keep her house. However, for the dozens (hundreds) of others, maybe not so much. This must stop and those responsible for such brutish behavior should be punished. The least we could do is stop calling those from the city of St Paul, MN public servants until this robbery is stopped.

3AM Police Intrusion in Minnesota

The following links will take you to a story about a Lakeville, MN man, Troy Molde, whose home the police came into at 3AM and whose reasons for doing so are full of contradictions. Even more importantly they are seemingly unaware that what they did was illegally intrusive.

News Story

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_9641991?source=rss

Investigative 10 minute video

http://mnchange.org/3-am-reminder-or-4th-amendment-violation

Radio Interview with Troy Molde

http://uncleraisin.com/ur/audio/001 KSTP AM Interview w Troy Molde.mp3

The Fourth Branch of Government - The Grand Jury

We have always been taught there are three branches to our government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. However, there is a fourth (or, if you want to consider we the people, the fifth) branch of government known as the Grand Jury.

The Grand Jury is designed to stand independent, with direct citizen access. In today's world however that independence and access are all but gone. In the 30 minute video clip below, you'll hear Bob Zick and Nancy Lazaryan discuss this issue in a very effective overview at last weekend's National Conference on Media Reform held in Minneapolis, MN.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ba5_1212890364

Another MN Rep signs onto our bill

I received this email from Nancy Lazaryan from MN who is charging forward against a corrupt Judiciary along with her like-minded compatriots. I find it very interesting and the sort of thing that needs to be supported and that should be used to encourage others to do in their States and communities.

UR

After spending ALL week at the state capital filming our giving notices to the legislators, governor and attorney general...and asking for meetings...

We finished the week by having "pink slips" delivered to all the members of the House and the Senate....8 1/2" x 11" red cards that Noticed the Legislators of their violation of their oaths of office... by failing to uphold the state and federal constitutions in their actions of failing to support H.F. 1261 and S.F. 2079.

We also served the Minnesota Supreme court with a Petition for Writ of Mandamus directed to the chief judges of the district court, ordering that we have access to our grand juries.

ALL WEEK LONG, the police were ALL over us when we were filming, telling us to stop, grabbing the microphone and blocking the camera.

WE KEPT FILMING.  The videos from the week are currently being loaded onto the web...We'll get the link to you.

At one point on Friday, while being harassed by the police, the crew and I went into the newsroom of the Pioneer Press newspaper (in the basement of the capital).  Interesting, how the harassment "settled down" when the reporter asked to see all of our film footage.

Today, one of the Justices of the MN Supreme Court left me a voice mail. He had previously agreed to come on our TV program, but felt that it was necessary that all the "issues" surrounding the Board on Judicial Standards "play out" before he comes on the program. 

H.F.1261 and S.F. 2079 demand that the "Judicial Board" be under control of the PEOPLE, not the Supreme Court.

...the judge wants this to "play out"...we're not playing.

THE GOOD NEWS is that one of the Citizens that "went petitioning" with us just got an email from his state representative. 

His rep. signed unto the bill.

More heat coming this week....

Nancy

 

Organized Crime in the Minnesota Judiciary

We are publishing an expose about corruption in the Minnesota courts, and among the collaborating legislature. We are going to discuss specific incidents of this corruption and offer direction to the solution as well. In the process, we are going to make specific claims that some have been wrongly convicted and incarcerated (or censured, fined and otherwise vilified).

The first case we address is a claim of racism (and conniving corruption) against the sitting Chief Judge in Hennepin County Minnesota, Lucy Weiland. You may read it at http://www.uncleraisin.com/UR/MN/MN01.asp. We feel it necessary to clearly, and up front, make our position known regarding racism. First, we are not racists. We do not recognize that color, nationality or creed plays any part in a person's true guilt. If there is a just law and a person violates it, they are guilty, period. If they have not, they are innocent, period.

At the root of racism is the concept of evolution. Evolution, in basic terms, affords the basis of thought that the races come from different evolutionary processes. It is the fundamental belief at UncleRaisin.com that all races descend from a common ancestral origin - Adam and Eve in particular - and were created by divine action. From that premise, we conclude that all people, regardless of ancestral heritage, are brethren and will answer to the same Judge of the universe - Jehovah God.

Please visit and read at http://www.uncleraisin.com/UR/MN/MN01.asp

Best Regards, Uncle Raisin Editor

Why Should We Trust The Police?

Minnesota

My mother's father-in-law was a Minneapolis cop in the 40s through the 60s and, after he retired, spoke to her of a code between policemen. This code required one policeman to help shield another policeman from consequences for wrong actions. Policing the public has become an "us vs. them" proposition, which has bred defensiveness on both sides.

In Bolingbrook, IL there is now a question whether or not the police are (or were) covering for Drew Peterson, who is a suspect in the disappearance (and presumed murder) of his 4^th wife. According to AP writer Don Babwin, "Eighteen times in two years, Bolingbrook police were called to fellow officer Drew Peterson's home because of trouble between husband and wife. But Peterson's wife could never get authorities to arrest him. In fact, she was the only one ever charged." http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071130/D8T7PDKO1.html

Does any thinking person not find it believable that there is "a wink and nod" from one policeman to another? This fraternity of people who face danger and the potential for harm every day; those who must interpose among the most dangerous gangs of our area, and who must be in a heightened state of awareness for every traffic stop, have a bond that few can understand or appreciate. They are brethren; and we all know that their blood is thicker than water as if they were born of the same womb. We are not their brethren, so the tendency is that we become the necessary element to their existence, and not the focus and purpose for it.

I don't want to vilify all cops - certainly not! In fact, it is really only a few, who garner the negative headlines and notoriety, which bring this sense of distrust from the people at large. That notwithstanding, it is and always will be "us vs. them" and, as a consequence, will foster distrust that comes with the authority and power of having a badge and a gun.

Considering the police are the front end of the prosecution of crime, could it be this "us vs. them" attitude spills into the Prosecutor's office and then into the courts? Ideally and in original intent, there is suppose to be a presumption of innocence and neutrality among law enforcement, from police to courts; but is this presumption and neutrality there? That is the question we are fundamentally asking in this series of articles. Is it really unreasonable to suggest the possibility that the police frustration with plea deals, slaps on the wrist punishment, and outright (inexplicable) acquittals, that there is a joining of the ranks of the "us" among prosecutors and judges? Perhaps that takes an accurate peek into the psychology of the situation, but is it relevant? Not really. We expect those sworn to uphold the law to do just that - uphold the law, not make laws to suit their own purposes. The only solution is to be clear and forceful with a call to do what is right, and what is LAWFUL. Until the public makes that clear call, there will be nothing more than what we've come to know - us vs. them.