GreeningFrogtownJulyAug17

BLOCK CLUB KING, CONT.
accomplished have been good for
everyone.”
I went on for a while, suggesting that
people who, like Grundhauser, fit into the
category of Involved Citizen might derive
satisfaction in having control over their
environment, shaping the place to suit
their desires. God Bless America was
practically playing in the background by
the time I was done.
There were a few moments of silence
until Grundhauser observed, “Well, yeah.
Like I said, I think participating in the
community to get something
accomplished is helpful to everyone.”
We let it go at that.
GUN VIOLENCE, CONT.
For an explanation of Broyles' death, she
turned to the theory of trauma and the
effects of poverty and racism. Consider
all the usual, well-documented disparities
in education, housing, home ownership,
incarceration and employment among
African American men, she said. “That
creates an element of violence that comes
from a sense of hopeless and
powerlessness.” You may be generally
powerless, Williams continued, but you
might be able to feel powerful in relation
to your neighbor, who is trapped in the
same grim situation. “It becomes a
lifestyle,” Williams said. “You’ve got to
protect yourself to survive. You think,
‘I’ve got to get them before they get
me.’”
The trouble, she said, “is knowing even
where to start in building support and
resources that are genuine to our
community.”
Back at the forum, Damon Drake asked a
series of questions. “What does justice
look like? What does conflict resolution
look like? What do solutions look like?
How do we make things better rather than
worse?”
By the end of the night, let’s just say the
jury was still out.
PAYDAY LENDING, CONT.
He went home, consulted Google, and
came up with the name of a Minneapolis
organization, Exodus Lending, that helps
people out of the payday lending trap. In
April, 201 6, Exodus offered Bayliss a
deal that he called “extraordinary.” They
would pay off his loan of $741 . He’d pay
them $61 .75 per month, automatically
withdrawn from his checking account,
until the loan was settled. In addition
he’d take financial management classes
at Lutheran Social Service.
“The upshot is, I haven’t had to take out
another loan. I started putting money
away. I started a 401 K (retirement plan).
I’m up to date on all my other
obligations. I wouldn’t be here if not for
Exodus.”
One measure of his financial turnaround:
He now has payday lenders calling him
to ask if he wants another loan, because
he’d been such a good customer.
“Despicable, but not illegal,” is how
payday lending is described by Legal
Services Advocacy Project attorney Ron
Elwood, who has tracked the issue for
years. The best alternative to payday
lending, he says, is “anything else.” By
his lights, payday loans only delay the
inevitable need to talk to creditors, get
help from family or friends, get credit
counseling and rearrange your finances.
“These companies don’t care if you can’t
pay them back. In fact, repeat lending to
people is how they make their money.”
At Exodus Lending, director Sara
Nelson-Pallmeyer says the two-year old
group has refinanced 1 65 loans for
troubled payday borrowers to date, with a
default rate of just five percent. The
organization was started by congregants
at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis, who were alarmed when a
payday lending shop opened down the
street. With a recent $1 00,000 from the
Minnesota Legislature, Exodus is poised
to expand its reach.
You can find out more at
ExodusLending.org, or by calling (61 2)
61 5-0067.
NEXT-GEN ENTREPRENEURS: Brothers Devon (left) and Eric White are among
local youth developing their landscaping and business skills over the summer.
The Whites offer lawn mowing, weeding and (later on) snow shoveling. Their
business, Jay & Sons Handyman, is reachable at 61 2-267-1 079.
is published six times per year by Health Advocates Inc.
843 Van Buren Ave., St. Paul,
and is distributed door-to-door in the area from
Lexington Pkwy. to 35E, and University Ave. to Pierce Butler.
Publisher: Patricia Ohmans
Editor: Anthony Schmitz
Contact us at
651 .757.5970 • patricia.ohmans@gmail.com
651 .757.7479 • apbschmitz@gmail.com
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Next issue, September/October.
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Health Advocates also sponsors Frogtown Green, an initiative that promotes green
development as a means to increase the health and wealth of Frogtown residents.
The Frogtown Flavor feature is sponsored by a grant from
the Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Minnesota Foundation.
JULY/AUGUST 2017
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