--- On Sat, 11/21/09, Steven Nelson <srnelson@paulbunyan.net> wrote:
From: Steven Nelson
Subject: 8th District Convention
To:
Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009, 5:56 PM
For those that have been asking. I can confirm that the 8th District convention will be May 1-2, at Grand Casino in Hinckley .
Mr. Nelson;
Please forward this letter to all those you sent your original letter to so everyone else understands my concerns.
I am writing for two reasons:
First, I would like to know when the Senate District 4 Nominating Convention will be held: time and place?
Allow me to express my concern that it should be held at a unionized facility; perhaps a public school.
Second, I want to register the strongest possible protest against the 8th District Convention or any other Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor business being conducted at any casino in Minnesota as long as workers have no rights under state or federal labor legislation; further, I object to a non-union facility being used at all to conduct this or any other MNDFL business.
I am a member of the Pipefitters Union/AFL-CIO. I want to know if this use of a non-union facility for this Convention has been approved by any unions or labor bodies. If so, which ones?
I point out to you that there is any number of union facilities that could have been selected including a public school in the District.
Please inform me if U.S. Congressman James Oberstar is aware of this decision and if he approves?
Same question concerning U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken.
Will Gubernatorial Candidates be making an appearance?
What other DFL candidates for public office will be in attendance?
I view very serious problems of racism at play and at work here in the MN DFL.
You personally have failed to apologize for your racist behavior directed towards me on FaceBook even though you were requested to do so. To me it says a great deal that anyone would even have to suggest you apologize for such racist conduct while conducting the business of the MN DFL. But, then, even when you were requested to make this apology you have refused.
I put this together with the failure of the Beltrami County MN DFL to join me in protesting the lack of enforcement of affirmative action in constructing the Bemidji Regional Event Center being done with public funds; the refusal to support Native American Indians for election to the Minnesota State Legislature yet you take campaign funding from our casinos while ignoring the surrounding poverty as workers are employed in unhealthy circumstances with out any rights without any objections being made by the DFL and now you complicate all of this by holding the 8th District Convention at the Grand Casino, a non-union facility where Native American Indians are paid poverty wages and work in the smoke-filled place without any rights.
To me this is beginning to show a very clear pattern of racism which I am beginning to believe the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party and the Minnesota AFL-CIO participate in as part of the overall problem of institutionalized racism in our community where a white man named John McCarthy lives in luxury working for the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association amassing great wealth simply because he has a talent for controlling and manipulating racist bigots such as yourself who are making all the decisions in a way that keeps Native American Indians in poverty by preventing us from gaining equal and fair access to employment and the political process through policies forcing Native American Indians to work in low-wage casinos without any rights in an atmosphere detrimental to our health while funds from the Indian Health Service are cut as money is pumped into stupid wars abroad where our people and others die instead of getting adequate health care, housing, education and living wage jobs.
On behalf of the Native American Indian Labor Union #12 I applied for membership in the Minnesota AFL-CIO and we have not had so much as a courtesy of a response, which when taken together with the lack of action by the Beltrami County DFL in support of affirmative action on the construction of the Bemidji Regional Event Center and now its staffing begins to show clearly how the Beltrami County DFL and the Minnesota AFL-CIO are part of the institutionalized racism rather than being proponents for equality of rights in the area of employment.
I want to further point out the fact that all of you were well aware that Native Americans were entitled to have their rights looked out for by the MN DFL and AFL-CIO not to mention the Tribal Governments because as early as November 29, 2006 an article appeared in the Bemidji Pioneer on the front page: Cultural Connection; American Indian input on regional events center discussed.
Chairman Floyd Jourdain of the Red Lake Nation together with the leaders of Leech Lake , White Earth and Bois Forte were all invited to attend but were “no shows.”
In this article, the Mayor of Bemidji is quoted as saying, “We are going to proceed cautiously” because it was the intent of the task force to be considerate of the Native American community.
The Beltrami County DFL and the MN AFL-CIO had a special responsibility to see to it that employment and affirmative action issues were looked after. This was obviously not done in the period leading to the construction phase two years later during which there was more than ample time to train Native Americans for at least 25% of the jobs. Now, at this late date, there are no plans in place for affirmative action in the hiring of workers and staff to operate and maintain the Bemidji Regional Event Center .
This is a deplorable racist situation and justice requires an immediate remedy.
I insist that the Beltrami County DFL and your partner, the Minnesota AFL-CIO joins with the Native American Indian Labor Union #12 in insisting that an affirmative action hiring and employment policy be adopted by the City of Bemidji that takes into consideration:
1. The Native American Indian population in the City of Bemidji and the four reservations cited above.
2. The disgraceful racist unemployment and poverty among Native American Indians in the area.
3. Compensation in hiring BREC staff in line with job opportunities lost because such an affirmative action policy should have been in place--- but was not--- and enforced back in 2006 so 25% of the construction jobs on the BREC could have gone to Native American Indians as equality in employment requires.
4. At least 60% of all BREC staffing for its operation should go to Native American Indians.
I would like an explanation as to how it can be that neither the Beltrami County DFL nor its partner, the Minnesota AFL-CIO, objected to such large public expenditures without an affirmative action policy in employment being devised and enforced.
I haven’t painted a pretty scenario here; but, it is the truth.
I am considering picketing the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party’s 8th Congressional District Convention at the Grand Casino unless plans are made to relocate to an alternative location staffed by unionized employees. I will be asking others who share my concerns to join me.
Gregory W. Paquin
