BULLETIN! 14th Av. @ alleynews.org Greenway Housing MTG!! Of, By, and For its Nov. 19-6:30 PM Readers Since 1976 P2 & 12 VOL. 44, NUMBER 11 ©2019 Alley Communications, Inc. NOVEMBER 2019 @alleynewspaper CONNECTING Beat@MIAC | EM | P7 P9 Porch | MH | P11 Dwali@MGM | P13 Depot | BP | P5 Diahann | P14 I-Food | EM | P7 Tales | TM | P3 R Word | FPP | P4 Luke Longstreet Sullivan | P4 Scalp! | FPP | P5 Peace | CH-B | P12 Joker | P14 Wellness | P16 Transit | P2 Clean Sweep | P10 2 Of, by and for its readers since 1976 alleynews.org • November 2019 The Alley P.O. Box 7006 Mpls., MN 55407 612-990-4022 [email protected] www.alleynews.org twitter.com/alleynewspaper Archives:1976 thru 2011 http://bit.ly/2GaYHIU Phillips West Neighborhood Events: www.phillipswest.info Alley Communications, a 501C-3, Not-for-Profit Corp. publishes The Alley Newspaper BY CRYSTAL WINDSCHITL and other media. Thursday, November 7th, 6-7 PM “When the great newspapers Phillips West Monthly don’t say much, see what the Community Meeting! little independent ones say.” Join your neighbors and other – Wendell Phillips (1811-1884) Community Partners for updates Donations: needed, welcome, from Local City Government and Tax Deductible. and Minneapolis Police! Meeting Publication Coordination: will take place at the Center for Alley Editorial Leadership Changing Lives Building in the Committee, Default Engagement Centrum Room (2400 Park Coordinator Harvey Winje Avenue). Free parking is avail- able in the rear of building off of Volunteers of this issue but not limited to: Oakland Avenue. Free Jakeeno’s American Swedish Institute, Pizza Dinner will be provided! If BackYard Health Hub, you would like more information Roberta Barnes, Bart Buch, or would like to get involved in Patrick Cabello Hansel, Gary Cox, the neighborhood please contact Cultural Wellness Center, Dream for Wild Health, Crystal at 612-879-5383 or email Kelly Drummer, Frank Erickson, her at [email protected] EPIC, Lindsey Fenner, J. Marie Fieger, First Person THE ALLEY NEWSPAPER IS A MEMBER OF Productions, Susan Gust, Linnea Hadaway, Beth Hart, Mike Hazard, Dwight Hobbes, Michelle Howard, Sue Hunter Weir, Indigenous Food Network, Lee Leichentritt, Rose Lobley, Marti Maltby, Emily Matson, Timothy McCall, Howard McQuitter, Binesikwe Means, Jana Metge, Midtown Global Market, MPNIA, Migizi, Jonathan Miller, Peter Molenaar, Dave Moore, Nieman-Fieger, Karen Nelson, Leon Oman, Brad Pass, Carol Pass, Tyra Payer, Peace House Community, PWNO, Rand Retterrath, Julie Robinson, Sunny Sevigny, V. J. Smith, Neely Snyder, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on 15th Av., Luke Longstreet Sullivan, John Charles Wilson, to the new Orange Line which will by the Metropolitan Council in the Metro Transit, also meets twice Crystal Windshitl run on I-35W starting in 2021. mid-1990s.) The Metro Council per month, on the 2nd and 4th itself has two full meetings Mondays, also at 4PM. These Delivery: To every Phillips house These forums will be held: per month, on the 2nd and 4th meetings are open to the pub- by Jeff Matson Delivery; to 170 businesses, places of Wednesdays at 4:00 PM. The lic though not advertised and worship, institutions in Phillips Wednesday, November 6 Transportation Committee, which very few people go. Maybe you and adjacent neighborhoods by 4:00-6:00 PM is the most direct overseer of should! Peter Molenaar Woodlake Nature Center Interim Board of Directors: 6710 Lake Shore Dr. S., Cathy Strobel-Ayres, Pres.; Richfield, near bus lines 4, Leon Oman, Treas.; 515, and 558. Thorbjorn Adam, Steve Dreyer, Lee Leichentritt, Frances Mendenhall, Thursday, November 7 Gabriel Pass, Steve Sandberg 4:00-6:00 PM Martin Luther King Recreation Monthly Board: 6:30 PM 1st Thursday at Ventura Village Center Meeting Room. 4055 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis, Correspondence to Alley on bus line 18. Communications and/or its Ed. Transit become the property of AC, Inc. Thursday, November 14 dba The Alley Newspaper and ‘Tis the 4:30-6:30 PM may be published. Volunteers Enlisted to Assist Publication Coordinators: Season – People (VEAP) Web & hard copy graphics: 9600 Aldrich Ave. S., Melissa Schmitt Bloomington, near bus lines Julie Robinson, VV News Pg 4; Brad For New Pass, EPIC News pg 8; 18 and 535. Sunny Sevigny, MPNIA News pg 8; Projects! Susan Ann Gust, BYHH pg 12; Please consider coming to one of Pages 1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10,11; BY JOHN CHARLES WILSON these forums if you have the time ELC and Harvey Winje If you go to the Mall of and interest. [email protected] America by bus or light rail, you 612-990-4022 either know or soon will know A friend of mine recently “Let me make the newspaper and that the new Mall of America asked if Metro Transit has regu- I care not who makes the religion Transit Center is now open. A lar public meetings. The answer and the laws.” – Wendell Phillips Grand Opening celebration will is complex. Metro Transit itself be held in November 2019. Check is a service provided by the https://www.metrotransit.org for Metropolitan Council; it is not Dec/Jan Deadline more details. in and of itself a political entity. December 1st In other news, Metro Transit is (Historically, it was, when it was holding public forums to discuss called the Metropolitan Transit plans for connecting bus service Commission, but it was absorbed alleynews.org • November 2019 Of, by and for its readers since 1976 3 Unregulated, ill-equipped, unfunded “Baby Farms” filled a void for poor women Tales from Coffin who died on February business should not have been 26, 1895, more than 20 years granted a license because “… Pioneers and Soldiers before Mary Briggs. And May it is not adequately equipped to Memorial Cemetery was only one of 31 children who cope with such an emergency as By SUE HUNTER WEIR died at the baby farm located at the one now existing.” Forster th 171ST IN A SERIES 1432 5 Street Northeast. The added that it was unlikely that owner was Hannah Lund who any of the baby farms in the city was well known to police and were adequately prepared to take Mary Briggs, dies after 21 social services in Minneapolis care of seriously ill children but days of life but who nevertheless managed that if the city pulled all of their Mary Briggs was only 21 days to stay in business. No matter licenses, “wildcat farms,” operat- old when she died from diph- how appalling the care provided ing under even worse conditions, theria on February 13, 1916. As by the baby farms, the need for would open for business. The tiny as she was, her death had the services that they provided need would not go away. long-lasting consequences for the was great, especially by young Change did not occur imme- City of Minneapolis, especially women with little money and diately following Mary’s death for babies born to mothers living nowhere else to go. but before the year was out 300 in poverty. babies were being cared for in Mary died at 3614 Grand Mary’s death is catalyst for 13 licensed facilities. There were Avenue in what was known modest reform seven private maternity hospi- as a “baby farm,” a privately Two days after Mary’s death, tals, where women could receive owned boardinghouse for unmar- the Humane Society (the city’s pre- and postnatal care, that were ried women and their babies. In department of social services) subject to the same regulations addition to providing homes for announced that Miss Caroline as other hospitals. The Humane “erring mothers” and “incorri- Forster, one of their staff, was Society opened a new department, gible girls” who were waiting being assigned to the City Health the Children’s Protection Society, to give birth, some baby farms Department to monitor the condi- which focused specifically on the served as adoption agencies. One tions in what the city estimated needs of the city’s children. In woman advertised her business as to be 20 baby farms. Each newly the month of November 1916 a “private home for ladies before admitted or recently born child the department’s staff made 30 and through confinement.” She would need to be registered and inspections. also advertised babies who were given a physical. Adoptions and Although Miss Kaufmann was available for adoption—“Two transfers had to be recorded. initially absolved of any responsi- pretty baby girls and a boy.” Although inspections were rare, bility for Mary’s death, it wasn’t A few farms cared for children owners sometimes got word that long before Miss Kaufmann’s whose parents (usually mothers) an inspector was on his way and name was in the news again. On had no one to care for their child this comprehensive system of May 10th, Kaufmann was denied while they worked. record keeping was intended to a license to operate a second baby The city had a number of prevent the owners of baby farms farm at 3108 17th Avenue South, ordinances that were intended to from shifting babies around an address where seven infants ensure the quality of care that “whenever trouble [seemed] to had died earlier. The reason given the babies received but provided be in the air.” for denying Kaufmann’s license little in the way of resources, was her careless handling of a so inspections were rare and “The need would not go away!” number of diphtheria cases at enforcement of existing laws was Miss Forster absolved every- 3614 Grand. One of those cases virtually nonexistent. one involved in Mary’s care was baby Mary Briggs. with any responsibility for her 75+ Baby Farm babies buried death.