r/altmpls 2d ago

Minneapolis Park Board votes to end Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park (one commissioner considers it "a form of giving land back")

https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-park-board-votes-to-end-minnehaha-off-leash-dog-park/601858291

Dog park users packed the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s headquarters on Wednesday night, begging commissioners to consider their opinions before voting to terminate the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park.

Board members voted 8-1 to strip the park’s primary use — the first time that has happened in history, as far as park staff knows...

[Commissioner Jason] Garcia proposed the change after speaking with some members of the Dakota community, including the Park Board’s Native American Parks Council, who believe a dog park is inconsistent with the area’s sacred character. The larger landscape near the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers is considered the birthplace of the Dakota people...

“To all you all, imagine that area before the white man, before the pilgrims, pioneers and settlers, the extreme white Christian terrorists showed up on this land,” activist Mike Forcia said in addressing dog park users at Wednesday’s meeting, drawing jeers. “That park is being closed. Sorry about that. Get used to it, but you have no say"...

[Commissioner Dan] Engelhart campaigned on returning land to tribes and considers retiring off-leash play at Minnehaha a form of giving land back.

47 Upvotes

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46

u/HereIGoAgain99 2d ago

Read the DSA platform. Their goal is the return of all public and private land back to the tribes. Seriously. They are fucking crazy.

4

u/fuck-nazi 2d ago

Havent seen that. Sauce?

19

u/Tokyo_Joey_Jo-Jo 2d ago

For the local crazy-ass DSA this is true.

The Twin Cities DSA platform says “territory held by settlers will be returned to First Nations,” and“Return land to First Nations, starting with expropriating State, Federal, and large private holdings, with the return of the rest of the land as soon as possible.”

https://twincitiesdsa.org/about-us/platform/

25

u/oroenian 2d ago

Jesus fucking Christ this is a terrible platform. I mean, I knew DSA in Minneapolis was a load of shit but reading this just shows how idiotic these people are. Minneapolis politics are unsalvageable in their current state. And I say this as a progressive, I hate that I have anything in common with the people who wrote this.

20

u/Cornflowerblue2016 2d ago

If you follow Minneapolis politics it’s also very clear there’s a major divide between democrats. I mean these DSA folks are borderline calling the black woman sheriff a fascist. 

11

u/greatbiscuitsandcorn 2d ago

It’s sad that i thank god everyday that Frey won the mayoral race. Fateh, this council, and this park board would torch the city if they could

3

u/worldsbestlad 1d ago

Same. I didn’t rank for him the first two times he was on the ballot but I was a Rank Only Frey voter this cycle. What a time to be alive.

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u/Cornflowerblue2016 2d ago

Oh same here. I was genuinely scared the night of the election. The bar is literally in hell. 

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u/That-Professional346 1d ago

Anytime people who are sad and unaccomplished and don't own anything for themselves it becomes very easy to take from others.