GreeningFrogtownJanFeb18FINAL

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
Inside…
Greens King!
Meet the royalty
from annual greens
cook-off— P. 3
WHAT TAMPS DOWN GUN VIOLENCE? PROF'S GOT A PLAN. P. 11
The Yin and Yang of Frogtown
Hope and its opposite, side-by-side
Everything is complicated, and not much is ever just one thing
at once. Every issue of Greening Frogtown proves how much
that’s true in our neighborhood.
As usual, we’re featuring the efforts of so many people here to
build up their lives and the place where we live. Inside you’ll
find a story on that great expression of hope — the young
entrepreneurs Brandon Cole and Raeisha Williams making a bet
on new businesses that they hope will earn them a living and
allow them to control their own destinies. (Page 9)
There’s a piece on Frogtowner Clarence Castile who, after his
nephew Philando was killed by St. Anthony police, would have
had every excuse to descend into bitterness. Instead, he joined
the St. Paul Police Reserve in the hope of promoting more
understanding. (Page 1 0)
Then there’s the annual frolic that is the Greens Cook-Off,
where contestants vie for the title of Greens King or Queen. It’s
a friendly contest and, for anybody who shows up, a pile of
greens to plow through as you compare, contrast and award the
crown. At a deeper level, it gets the neighborhood rubbing
shoulders, jabbering happily and building up a real community
in a way that is anything but stone-cold serious. (Page 3)
But alongside all this is the darkness of gun violence. Parts of
Frogtown lead the city in the incidence of shots fired. Another
shootout on the street near Edmund and Thomas in late
November left innocent neighbors shaken and patching up
bullet holes in their walls.
Cops contend that the surge in gun violence is another of
those unintended consequences of the internet. Kids live
their lives on Facebook. They nurse grudges and trade
insults there, for everyone in their world to see. Combine
that with easy access to weapons and you’ve got a
gas/match situation, in the view of Metro State
criminologist James Densley.
We talked to him for this issue’s story on what can be
done about gun violence in Frogtown. He described a
carefully studied program that has proven effective in
reducing gunfights and injuries in cities across the
country. You can find the details on Page 11 .
Maybe this is the direction we as a community should
consider. Maybe there are better ideas. But the point is
that we should do something other than watch as the cops
cordon off the street and pick up bullet casings after the
latest gun brawl. People who have a choice in where they
live will only tolerate these threats to their family’s safety
for so long. People who have no choice but to stay in
areas now living with the scourge of gun violence deserve
something better.
There’s much more light than dark here. Someone is
doing great and inspiring things here every day. But that’s
no excuse for looking past those people whose lives need
to change, for their sake and for the good of everyone
else. — Tony Schmitz
Race Is On for
County Board
Election
Trista MatasCastillo
takes on incumbent
Janice Rettman
— P. 5
They've Got
Paul Bunyan.
We've Got... ?
A bold plan for a
Frogtown colossus
— P. 2

It's Colossus Time
BIG IDEAS
A giant sculpture to honor Hmong contributions to Frogtown
Colussus of Rhodes Alexandria's Big Ole
Paul Bunyan in Akeley Frogtown's Bunyan & Babe the Ox?
By Patricia Ohmans
I’ve got a great big idea—in fact, a
GIANT of an idea. It sprang from a
conversation with Frogtown businessman
Toua Xiong, the energetic owner of
Hmongtown Marketplace on Como
Avenue. Toua thinks that the corner
opposite his market—the five-point
convergence of Marion and Como, needs
some art. Giant art, to be exact. He’d like
to see giant statues of Hmong gods, like
ones he’s visited in Laos, near the former
refugee camps where he spent some time
as a young man.
As I said, great idea…but in my view,
this doesn’t go far enough. Given the
incredible and often unacknowleged
contributions of Hmong people to
Frogtown’s vibrant life and economy, I
think someone should the build the
World’s Largest Hmong Couple to stand
at that intersection. Minnesota’s got
plenty of giant memorials to powerful
immigrant workers. Why not add Hmong
immigrants to that heroic roster?
Our love of giant, commemorative
sculptures probably began with the
Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World,. At 1 08
feet high, it was about as tall as the Statue
of Liberty from feet to crown. Minnesota
has erected many such colossal
companions over the years. Check out
historian Karal Ann Marling’s book, The
Colossus ofRoads (get it?) for more
examples, but consider:
The World’s Largest Paul Bunyan statue,
is in Akeley, Minnesota (population 432).
He’s the ‘World’s Largest' — “if he stood
up,” according to his creators. This guy
kneels gently with a concrete hand
outstretched, the better to provide photo
ops for visitors who find Bemidji’s boxier
and more famous Paul Bunyan too macho.
— Continued, Page 9
PAGE 2 JANUARY/FEBRUARY JULY / AUGUST 2018
6

FROGTOWN NEWS
Manager Simona Zappas (front), and development director Catherine Warner.
For Ultra‐Local WFNU, a New Home
Frogtown’s low-power radio station,
WFNU (94.1 FM) got a new home in the
basement at Faith Lutheran Church at 499
Charles Ave., with a move that started in
mid-October.
By late November it was still a work in
progress. A studio space with a new sound
board, mics, and wiring was ready to go.
Other studio space remained to be
completed in what was at the moment
eccentric surroundings. Station manager
Simona Zappas and development director
Catherine Warner described their plans to
convert a locker room — still equipped
with lockers, a toilet and dripping sink —
into a office, with another studio planned
for the adjacent shower room.
According to Zappas and Warner, the new
space has big advantages over their
former home in a second-floor back room
on University Ave. For instance,
functioning electrical outlets and no mice.
The new space also offers possibilities for
live shows or other events in the church
basement basketball court that’s next door
to the studios.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
It’s all part of the station’s growth since it
started broadcasting in August, 201 6. Like
other low-power stations, the broadcast
range is narrow — the signal from a
transmitter on top of the Episcopal Homes
building at Dale and University reaches a
little past 280 to the west and 35E to the
east. But the idea behind such stations is
to feature hyper-local news and
entertainment.
The station now has about 60 people
producing shows, with 70 percent of the
content broadcast live on an all-day, every
day schedule.
The station’s growth plan goes like this:
contract with community groups to
produce podcasts that highlight their
programs and generate revenue. Train
station DJs to create podcasts, and to help
them develop marketable skills. Use the
earned income to show foundation funders
that the station has means to sustain itself.
Learn more about the station — and scope
out the scheduled programming — at
WFNU.org.
Your Mom Says, Shovel that Walk!
A reminder for the winter months: when
you don’t shovel your sidewalk, you’re
imprisoning the elderly and parents with
strollers.
Fighting your
way across
snow-clogged
sidewalks is
dangerous for the
old, and
frustrating for
parents with
young kids.
Tired of that
neighbor who
doesn’t get it?
You can drop the
dime by calling
651 -266-8989 if
sidewalks aren’t
cleared within 24
hours of a
snowfall. The non-shoveler will get a
letter from the city Department of Safety
and Inspections, and have a 24-hour
window to start heaving snow. If an
inspector finds the sidewalk
still isn’t cleared a day later,
a city crew will be
dispatched to do the job.
Government work isn’t
cheap. City shovelers work
for $1 60 an hour with a
half-hour minimum. It’s
another $80 per hour with a
half-hour minimum if your
sidewalk needs salt and
sand. Plus there’s a $35
administrative charge.
If you’re elderly or disabled
and simply can’t do the job,
call 651 -266-8989, explain
your situation and you’ll get
connected with agencies that
can get your sidewalk cleared.
Greens King and Queen, Crowned
If you wanted to explore the world of
greens cookery, the second annual Greens
Cook-off at Pilgrim Baptist church was
the place to be on December 2. The event,
sponsored by the Urban Farm and Garden
Alliance, drew 1 2 contestants who each
brought in a pile of cooked greens to be
sampled by a panel of local celebrity
judges and by the roughly 200 people
who packed the church basement.
At stake? The title of Greens Queen or
King, a certificate stating as much, and
bragging rights for a year.
Most contestants started with collards,
though even at this level paths diverged.
Some added in mustard greens, kale and
spinach, or went entirely with Chinese
broccoli. Then there was the question of
meat. Ham shanks? Turkey? If turkey,
smoked tails, neck bones or wings? What
about peppers? Chipotles? Serranos?
Chili flakes? Vinegar or no? Onions?
Garlic?
While the local celeb judges made their
determinations, the crowd stepped up to
declare a winner in the People’s Choice
category. Everyone had three stickers to
award to the entries they considered the
tastiest.
In the end, tradition
and innovation
both got their due.
In the celeb
judging category,
Rondo resident
and Community
Stabilization
Project codirector
Carolyn Brown
took home the
prize with an
old-school
collard recipe
handed down
from her
Mississippiraised
relation.
Yeng
Moua, a
University
of Minnesota
Extension worker
with a Frogtown
focus, won with a
more lightly cooked
greens dish based on
his mother’s cooking
style that used —
here’s a shocker —
Chinese broccoli as
its base.
For Carolyn Brown,
the road to the top
Do You Need Tax Time Help?
Filing taxes can be a mind-bender, but
you can get free help from the St. Paulbased
organization Prepare and Prosper.
The non-profit organization offers free tax
and financial services to individuals who
earn less than $35,000, families that make
started with smoked turkey wings, which
she simmered for about an hour in water
and salt. Next she added a pile of collard
greens, which she simmered for another
hour. In the last 1 5 minutes she dropped a
Serrano pepper — one of those spiky red
peppers that looks like a devil’s horn —
into the pot.
So what’s the secret ingredient? By
Brown’s account, it’s that the greens
came straight out of the garden, along
with some other collards that had been
harvested earlier and frozen. Same with
the pepper. It was grown, not bought.
“That’s a whole different taste and texture
from store-bought greens. You get more
flavor when it’s from the garden. The
texture is smoother.”
For Moua, simplicity was the key as well.
His complete list of ingredients was the
Chinese broccoli, garlic, olive oil and
oyster sauce. He blanched the broccoli for
about five minutes, then seared it in a
wok with the olive oil, garlic and oyster
sauce.
At the Moua home the dish would have
been moved directly from the stove to the
table. In this case, the broccoli moistened
up while waiting in the crock pot, but the
dish retained a more vibrant green hue
than the other entries.
“This is the
way my mom
would have
done it,”
Moua said,
though he
admitted there
was only so
much he could
learn from her.
“I try to help her
in the kitchen, but
she usually says,
‘Why don’t you go
sit with your
dad?’”
Top: Greens Queen Carolyn Brown. Below: King Deng Moua
$55,000 or less and self-employed
individuals earning $55,000 or less.
Online scheduling for the 201 7 tax season
opens at prepareandprosper.org on Jan.
11 . Questions? Call 651 287-01 87.
PAGE 3

PAGE 4 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

For County Board
Seat, the Race Is On
You might think, wait, didn’t I just vote?
But there’s always another political race
around the corner. The next big local seat
up for grabs is the County Commissioner
position. Although this race is still mostly
under the radar, it will be a focus of
attention at the February 6 party caucuses,
when DFL and Republican party activists
get together to begin the process of
deciding who, if anyone, will get the party
endorsements. So far it’s a race between
incumbent Janice Rettman and DFL
challenger Trista MatasCastillo.
Rettman has held the seat for 20 years after
serving 1 0 years on the St. Paul City
Council. Her district includes wildly
different communities, ranging from
Frogtown to Falcon Heights, to the Como
Park area, the North End, and a swatch of
the East Side. The responsibilities that
come with the seat are enormous, since the
county’s hand reaches into human services,
parks, libraries, the courts, county law
enforcement, roads, waste, housing and
more.
Rettman has often enjoyed a cakewalk into
office, facing either weak challengers in the
general election or none at all. In 201 4 she
tallied 1 0,779 votes against the 2,953 for
FROGTOWN NEWS
Incumbent Jane Rettman, left, and challenger Trista MatasCastillo. Get involved in the race by participating in the DFL
caucus, 6:30 pm, Tuesday, Feb. 6 at Capitol Hill Magnet School, 560 Concordia Ave., St. Paul.
rival Girard Goder. In 2006 and 201 0,
there was no other candidate for the seat.
This time around, MatasCastillo is
looking to make a strong bid for the DFL
endorsement, and vows that regardless
what happens at the district endorsing
convention, she’ll take the race up to the
August 1 4 primary.
MatasCastillo brings an atypical work
history to this contest. She served 1 6
years in three branches of the military —
the Navy, Marines and Minnesota
National Guard. She was a master
weapons instructor, later went on to work
for Habitat for Humanity and now serves
as aide to Shoreview-area county
commissioner Blake Huffman. She’s also
a Bush Foundation fellow — a highly
sought after award intended to promote
leadership skills — and is founder of the
Women Veterans Initiative, a nonprofit
that assists female veterans. Plus, she and
her husband serve as coaches of a
boy/girl East Side wrestling club.
Rettman, meanwhile, is a familiar face to
thousands of constituents. For a
generation she’s showed up at countless
neighborhood meetings and events,
developing personal relationships with
voters along the way. She had a strong
hand in developing neighborhood-based
clean ups, and in the creation of yard
waste disposal sites. More recently she
was an advocate for the Trout Brook
Nature Sanctuary. But she’s also known
as a lone wolf on the county commission
— often the single no vote amid the ayes
of six other commissioners. That
propensity got her included in a
September StarTribune roundup of local
public officials who are frequently the
sole naysayers among their peers.
Asked to name her priorities,
MatasCastillo speaks to personal issues
that are public policy matters as well.
Her 1 8-year old son is severely autistic
— Continued, Next Page
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
PAGE 5

FROGTOWN NEWS
County Board, Continued
and has required services that flow
through the county. By her description,
she’s fought a battle against bureaucratic
red tape since her son was diagnosed at
the age of 2. “I speak English, I know
how to advocate, and it’s been a struggle,”
she says. “It’s absurd for people who
don’t speak English. Step one is to
improve services so the county really is a
safety net for people who need it.”
By her estimate, MatasCastillo is
$1 00,000 under water on her East Side
home. A three block stretch of her street
held 42 vacant homes after the housing
crash. She sees public investment as a
way to help re-establish value and build
homeowner confidence. “We’ve got to
put sidewalks in so kids aren’t waiting in
the street for a school bus. We’ve got to
reopen the closed rec centers. We’ve lost
sight of what good investments are.
Sometimes you have to spend a little
money. That’s why I’m running — to
make sure there’s equitable investment in
all our neighborhoods. Right now there
isn’t. The suburban areas are doing great.
Highland, Summit are looking good. But
our district?” Among the remedies she
proposes is more focus on partnerships
with unions and other players to increase
awareness of apprenticeship training that
leads to living wage jobs.
Rettman, MatasCastillo says, holds the
checkbook too close. “It isn’t necessarily
wrong, but it won’t move us ahead. If
your peers always know that you’re
going to vote no, it’s really a six member
board. They’ve written her off. They’re
doing a great job advocating for their
districts, but the poorest district — ours
— has no voice.”
Needless to say, that’s not how Rettman
sees it.
“Sometimes a no vote is a yes vote for the
people,” she says. As evidence, she points
to her votes against the development plan
for the Arden Hills Twin Cities Army
Ammunition Plant site, a 427 acre swath
of polluted land bought by the county and
cleared for development.
Rettman says she voted against it because
it didn’t allow for enough affordable
housing or for transit that could take
residents to and from work. Similarly, she
voted against a consolidation of Boys
Totem Town, a facility for troubled youth,
with a Hennepin County operation. Her
fellow commissioners, she says, didn’t
listen to the objections of families with
kids in Totem Town.
Asked to name her priorities for the
district, she starts with job training and
development. The county, she says,
should be working with the schools,
business and training operations like Twin
Cities Rise to prepare young people for
the jobs of the future. Workforce training
and the resulting increased incomes will
lead to more homeowner investment in
housing, she says.
Rettman says she sees her job as creating
equal opportunity. “People have a right to
a job throughout the county. They have a
right to affordable housing throughout the
county. Equal access should be a
fundamental part of what my job is.”
Animal Humane Society trainers Katie Heathcote and Elise Denham Probasco.
Free Help to Get Fido Trained
Does your adorable pet drive you crazy
sometimes? I can relate.
Balto—the huge German shepherd-husky
mix who came to live with us in
August—is handsome, mellow and
affectionate. Everybody likes him, even
the mailman! But often, like when I’m
reading, or eating, Balto sticks his giant
head under my arm and demands
affection, nudging me vigorously so I’ll
pet him. It’s intrusive and annoying, and
when I’m drinking coffee, I’m afraid he’s
going to spill scalding liquid on himself,
or me.
Hoping for some tips, I called Elise
Denham Probasco,at the Outreach
Program of the Animal Humane Society.
Elise a home-visiting pet trainer, helped
me when Balto first arrived this summer,
— Continued, Page 8
PAGE 6
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

Training, Continued
showing me how to manage his desire to
pull—hard—on his leash when we went
for a walk.
Elise showed up again on a cold morning
recently, along with her colleague Katie
Heathcote. Their relaxed visit to our home
is all in a days’ work for the pair, who are
certified animal trainers. Through them,
the Outreach Program provides free
training for four-legged residents of
Frogtown and their owners.
Yes, FREE. Turns out offering free
training actually is a win-win for the
AHS, as well as for pet-owners. “The
Humane Society wants to keep pets and
their owners together,” Katie explained.
“Behavior issues are the number one
reason why people surrender their pets. If
we can help the humans to understand
their pet’s undesirable behavior – and
teach the pet to do something differently –
their bond can improve and the stress in
the home can decrease.”
Recognizing that the cost of keeping a
beloved pet is something else that causes
low-income owners distress, the AHS’s
Outreach Program also hands out free pet
food at our neighborhood’s food
distribution events. Spay-neuter and
vaccinations are offered at very low cost
to residents, and in-home training will be
free “for the foreseeable future,”
according to Elise.
FROGTOWN NEWS
Balto’s behavior is familiar to these
experienced pet trainers, who’ve helped
with everything from fireworks-fearing
schnauzers to shoe-peeing tabbies.
They’ve dealt with a few Frogtown
rabbits and even a guinea pig. Birds, too.
They show up at homes bearing food,
supplies, tools for training, and a bag full
of treats. “We don’t like to recommend
products that folks won’t be able to
afford, and we want people to be able to
implement our recommendations right
away,” says Elise.
As for Balto’s ‘nosiness”, Elise and Katie
advised me, first, to realize that his need
for affection is just part of who he is: a
sweet dog who needs lots of reassurance
and attention. “You can’t really do much
about a pet’s personality, but you can
change their behavior,” Katie said. She
suggested that we designate a
comfortable blanket as Balto’s special
mat, and when he gets too pushy, to train
him to “go to mat” by associating that
action with good things, like praise,
petting and treats.
That tactic works better than shoving him
away, or yelling ‘no,’ Elise said. “It’s
‘important to give pets something
positive to look forward to, rather than
saying ‘no’ all the time,” she cautioned.
“Dogs can’t generalize, so they don’t
really know what ‘no’ means. Just like
toddlers, they’re a lot more responsive if
you give them an alternative to the
behavior you don’t like.”
So, there’s now a zebra-striped fleece
blanket on the kitchen floor that Balto
seems to like, especially if he gets a little
treat for sitting on it. We’re a work in
progress, but Elise and Katie promised to
check in on us in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, they were off to help some
other Frogtown pet owner love their pet
more effectively.
Make an appointment for free pet training
by calling or texting Elise Denham
Probasco, AHS Animal Behavior &
Training Specialist, 651-802-824, or email at
edenhamprobasco@animalhumanesociety
.org.
Training is available to residents of
Frogtown, the North End and the near
East side of St Paul.
Top Tips for That Bike Commute
For Thomas Ave. resident
Carol Zierman, winter's
arrival doesn't mean it's
time to put away her bike.
Here are her tips on
managing a cold-weather
bike commute:
How often do you
commute by bike?
I have averaged 3 days a
week as a bike commuter
since I started in August.
If it’s too cold, I don’t do
it. Zero degrees is my cut
off. I have learned when
it is no longer enjoyable
for me and that seems to
be it.
Does your workplace
encourage you to bike?
Ready to Ride: Carol Zierman
The fact that my
employer has a gym and
shower onsite and bike
racks outside our
building were key to
getting me started.
Do you bike to work and
back?
My commute is 8.8
miles. I am able to do
that in about 45 minutes,
depending on stop lights.
I typically bike the whole
way in the morning. But
in the afternoon I bike
from downtown
Minneapolis to the
Stadium Village station
and take the Greenline to
the Fairview or
— Continued, Next Page
PAGE 8
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

FROGTOWN NEWS
Winter Biking, Continued
Lexington station, and then bike the rest
of the way. It has been fun to have the
option to hop on and off the train,
especially when it's cold or really windy.
How is your bike set up for winter?
When the weather started getting cold I
realized my regular road bike wouldn't
work if I wanted to keep biking. I took
my old mountain bike to Cycles for
Change and had them set it up with
studded tires. But then we got no snow!
Just one dusting and gone. It is not really
good to ride studded tires on clear streets,
so I considered a fat bike where I could
ride if roads were clear or snowy.
Although I could still ride the road bike if
roads were completely clear, most of my
commute is on bike trails and there were
periodic ice patches. It really made me
nervous riding on those slick thin road
bike tires.
So did you get a different bike, better
suited to winter?
Yes, I bought a fat bike online. So far I
love it! It’s a Framed Minnesota 1 .0, a
modest entry-level aluminum alloy bike,
which runs about $600. Framed is a local
Minnesota company. I put it together
myself, but I had the experts at Cycles for
Change check and calibrate the disk
breaks. They also put in spacers on the
bottom bracket, because one pedal would
sometimes hit the frame. It is light weight
and my commute only takes 1 0 minutes
longer. Not bad for all that additional
traction.
What gear do you recommend?
Besides the right bike, you’ll want to
have the right gear, like warm wicking
underclothes, so you don't get sweaty and
then freeze when you stop at a light. On
top, a good breathable rain and wind
outer layer. The winter biking blogs all
say it's a matter of keeping the hands and
feet warm. If you can do that, then you
can keep on pedaling, so you’ll want
smart wool socks, gloves, face protection,
a winter bike helmet and warm boots.
Bottom line?
Biking has been a lot of fun. I like seeing
how fast I can do different sections of the
route. That’s why I have continued
despite the weather. It is a great way to
start my day. For some it might help that
they can save $1 2 or more parking
downtown, or $5 a day in bus/train fare.
But for me it’s really about the fun.
In Chisholm, Ironman.
Frogtown Colossus, Continued
Then there’s the huge Iron Man statue in
Chisholm, a 36-foot-tall brass and copper
statue of an 1 880s iron miner, standing
atop a 50-foot-tall pile of rusted steel and
slag. As the online guide Roadside
Attractions notes dryly, "Big!”
Speaking of big, don't forget Big Ole:
America's Biggest Viking in Alexandria,
(pop. 1 3,568, pretty close to Frogtown’s
estimated 1 5,000). The 28-foot-tall
Viking warrior has “often had an extra
piece of anatomy added” between his
sturdy legs,” but he remains a beloved
symbol ofAlexandria, says Wikipedia.
Which brings us to our Hmong giant—or
giantess. Surely there’s a sculptor out
there who could put our neighborhood on
the map with our own colossal tributes to
Hmong culture. Big Mai and her
companion Big Pao, anyone?
On University, the New Entrepreneurs
Left: Raeisha Williams and Rosemary Nevils-Williams. Right: Brandon Cole.
When it comes to taking a leap of faith,
there's nothing like opening a small
business. The dreams, the plans, the debt
and the work are all your own. In
December, a trio of new entrepreneurs
put down a stake on University Avenue.
For Raeisha Williams and her mom,
Rosemary Nevils-Williams, the dream is
Heritage Tea House Boutique at 360
University, just east of Western Ave. For
all the Frogtowners who've wondered,
Why don't we have more coffee shops
here?, this is the answer. The business
offers 25 types of loose leaf, organic tea,
coffee, plus beer and wine, in addition to
a menu of sandwiches, sweets, a Sunday
soul-food brunch and happy hour fare
from 5-9 pm, plus a catering operation.
The Williams are figuring on a regular
entertainment schedule of open mics,
book signings, jam sessions, rare films
on African-American themes, and more.
The business includes a boutique that
sells African and African-American
produced clothes, books and gift items.
As the child of a self-employed
seamstress and silk flower artist, Nevils-
Williams knows what she's getting into.
"I remember listening to that sewing
machine at 3 o'clock in the morning," she
says.
A mile west at Victoria, Brandon Cole is
making a bet on his Privilege Barber
Lounge at 839 University. After 1 0 years
in the grooming business, he's setting off
as the owner/operator of a space that, he
says, "has a lounge feel. Not too much
old school, but not an assembly line. I
want everyone to feel comfortable here
no matter what their background is."
Of starting his own business, Cole says,
"It's scary, it's exciting. I'm looking
forward to seeing what comes out of it."
In addition to running a chair of his own,
he's also leasing space to a Karen and
Caucasian barber who will work beside
him.
Like Williams, who got a loan and
business counseling from the local
Neighborhood Development Center,
Cole said he benefitted from
entrepreneur classes run by the nonprofit.
They offered him a loan and help
finding contractors. Echoing Williams,
he said, "They were awesome."
is published six times per year by Health Advocates Inc.
843 Van Buren Ave., St. Paul,
and is distributed door-to-door from
Lexington to 35E, and University to Pierce Butler.
Publisher: Patricia Ohmans • Editor: Anthony Schmitz
651 .757.5970 • patricia.ohmans@gmail.com
651 .757.7479 • apbschmitz@gmail.com
Ad rates & more at GreeningFrogtown.com
Next issue, March/April • Ad deadline February 1 5.
Health Advocates also sponsors Frogtown Green,
an initiative that promotes green development to increase
the health and wealth ofFrogtown residents.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
PAGE 9

She Wins the Clean Water Prize
Frogtowner Lauren Colwell is named Watershed Citizen ofthe Year
By Grace Prins
Lauren Colwell, a lifelong Frogtown
resident, never gave the neighborhood’s
water a second thought as she was
growing up. That all changed when a
college class that involved collecting
water samples triggered her interest in
protecting water quality in urban areas,
including in her home neighborhood.
Since receiving a Master’s degree in
geology in 201 3, Lauren has spent many
hours volunteering to improve
Frogtown’s water quality.
Her latest effort was a new raingarden
installation along the southeast edge of
Frogtown Park and Farm on a cold,
snowy Saturday morning last October.
Frogtown Green’s Tree Frogs, a group of
volunteers invested in greening the
neighborhood, helped to plant 30 fruit
trees for residents and wildlife in
collaboration with the St. Paul Forestry
department. Lauren, a member of the Tree
Frogs, led the planting of a 94-foot-long
raingarden near the foot of the sledding
hill, to complement the trees.
“The raingarden consists of a variety of
hardy grasses and pollinator-friendly
shrubs and flowers, which were planted
in a gently sloping depression to capture
and filter rainwater instead of letting it
flow into the street,” Lauren explains.
Before
settlement,
Frogtown was a
swamp that
naturally
absorbed a lot
of water when
it rained. Now,
“a significant
percent of the
neighborhood
is paved,” says
Lauren. “When
rain falls during
a thunderstorm
or snow melts
in the spring,
water can’t
infiltrate into
the ground.
Litter and
pollution in the
water are swept
down the street,
into the storm
sewer system,
and directly
into the
Mississippi
River.”
LOCAL HEROES
Lauren Colwell won the 201 7 Capitol Region
Watershed District's Citizen of the Year award.
If leaves, dirt, and trash continue to flow
down storm drains, in time, clean,
drinkable, swimmable, fishable water
bodies become polluted and algae-filled.
Lauren
calculated that
if an inch of
rain falls
during a
storm, the
newly planted
raingarden
will take up to
800 gallons of
water running
off the oneacre
hillside,
and will
prevent the
water from
entering storm
sewers,
causing
flooding, and
degrading
water quality.
“In addition to
capturing
stormwater,
this
raingarden
will also
benefit
pollinators like bees and butterflies,”
Lauren adds. “Before planting the
raingarden, I collected plants from
neighbors and other Master Water
Stewards and watched the plants grow in
my yard over the summer. Many days, I’d
find the backyard covered in monarch
butterflies!”
Lauren, who works as an environmental
consultant, learned about raingarden
planning and installation as part of her
Master Water Steward training with the
Capitol Region Watershed District
(CRWD). She was interested in the
program as a way to engage and educate
her community about water and
environmental issues.
Lauren encourages Frogtown residents
who are interested in natural resources
and volunteer opportunities to consider
becoming a Master Water Steward.
CRWD also offers funding and free
resources to residents who want to plant a
raingarden of their own at their house,
boulevard, or church property (more
information at capitolregionwd.org).
Frogtowners interested in helping to plant
future raingardens or maintain the
Frogtown Park raingarden can contact
Frogtown Green at 651 -757-5970 or
jessica@capitolregionwd.org.
Other simple actions, such as keeping
leaves and trash from clogging your
closest storm drain or controlling the
amount of salt on sidewalks in the winter,
can make a big difference in protecting
the quality of nearby lakes and rivers,
Lauren adds.
The Unlikely Man with a Badge
Nephew slain by police, Frogtowner Clarence Castile joins Police Reserve
Clarence Castile is a forward-looking
guy. He likes to think about the future,
and his head is abuzz with optimistic
plans for himself and his loved ones.
Which is a little surprising, because if
anyone could be expected to want to
dwell on the past, it’s Clarence.
He’s the uncle of Philando Castile, whose
201 6 murder by a terrified young police
officer brought Minnesotan’s outrage
about police behavior to a brutal climax.
Reliving Philando Castile’s dying
moments— broadcast live by his
girlfriend on Facebook and then
scrutinized endlessly by media and in
court—could have turned a less
optimistic man bitter, and hopeless.
Instead, six months after St. Anthony
police officer Jeronimo Yanez was
acquitted on all charges in Philando
Castile’s death, Philando’s uncle spends
several hours a week sitting in a police
car, in uniform, wearing a badge. He
takes dozens of hours off his busy
landscaping and catering businesses to sit
in a room full of police officers, making
recommendations about their future
training. As a newly sworn-in officer in St.
Paul’s 80 member police reserve, and one
of five civilians on the state’s 1 5-member
Peace Officer Standards and Training
(POST) board, Castile is convinced he
can “take negative energy and history and
turn it into something positive.”
Not that he’s forgotten the injustice that
attended his nephew’s death. Not at all.
He still remembers driving desperately
down Larpenteur Avenue the night
Philando was killed, searching for his
nephew’s car, “just about having a heart
attack trying to find him before it was too
late.” He’s still furious about the verdict,
believing fervently that Yanez was guilty.
It’s just that he knows he can’t change the
past, so he’s focusing on the future. He’s
thrilled about Melvin Carter’s mayoral
victory, and believes that many more
young black men and women should
become St Paul’s leaders. ”We need more
black mayors, more black governors,
more black teachers. And I want to be the
catalyst for more black children to think
about becoming police officers. Why
shouldn’t they?” he asks. “Then, if a
friend or a brother or an uncle gets
arrested, you get to make damn sure they
will be treated with dignity. And you can
set an example, and let your fellow
officers see how you treat people with
dignity.”
Police reserve work gets Castile out into
neighborhoods, doing outreach work like
directing traffic, checking on houses
whose residents are out of town, “lighting
up alleys” to bring frightened neighbors a
sense of security. He believes strongly in
the reserve program as a pathway for
women and people of color to enter the
police force. Reserve officers get to see
first-hand what police work involves.
“You get to meet cops, learn about
procedures, how to do reports, what the
work is really like,” he says.
As a POST board member, Castile says
he is looking forward to bringing the
input of someone who has, in his words,
“suffered at the hands of law
enforcement.” The statewide board is
charged with setting standards for
required training and continuing
education for all Minnesota police
officers. Beginning July 1 , 201 8, that will
include crisis intervention, conflict
management and “recognizing and
valuing community diversity and cultural
differences to include implicit bias,”
according to legislation passed last year.
Castile believes that the latter training
must be delivered by people with the
right expertise. “I realize that the police
Clarence Castile.
want to be trained by police,” he says,
“and when it comes to how to use a gun
or how to break down a door, that makes
sense, they’re the experts. But when
we’re talking about diversity, or different
ethnic backgrounds, with respectful
treatment, then we’re the experts. And in
the future, we will be heard.”
PAGE 10 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

WHAT WORKS
Is This the Way to Quell Gun Violence?
Metro State Criminologist James Densley describes a program that's worked across the country
As shootouts go, the November 30 burst
of gunfire around Milton and Edmund
ended about as well as you could hope.
Nobody dead. Nobody wounded. The
harm was to innocent neighbors —
people who want to believe that they and
their loved ones are safe in their homes.
A young woman who had a bullet crash
through a chair in her living room said
later that her feelings were still too raw to
talk about it. Other neighbors took to
Facebook to say that they had had it.
Come spring they were moving out.
St. Paul police say there’s been a surge of
gun violence, not only here but across the
country. And according to their statistics,
portions of Frogtown lead the city in the
reported number of shots fired. To
anyone who wants a safe, quiet life for
themselves and their family, here’s the
obvious question: what can be done to
quell gun violence?
As it turns out, there are methods that are
proven to work. Recently James Densley,
a Metro State University criminologist,
described a model that has reliably cut
gun violence in cities across the country.
Described as the “pulling levers”
strategy, it starts with the understanding
that a small number of people are
responsible for a large share of a city’s
violence. A Boston study showed that
five percent of the population accounted
for 85 percent of non-fatal gunshot
injuries. In Chicago, about 75 percent of
gun crime victims were confined to six
percent of the population.
“So the first part of the strategy,” says
Densley, “is you identify who is most at
risk and who are the most prolific
offenders. The vast majority of people in
neighborhoods with bad reputations are
law-abiding, perfectly happy community
members. There’s just a tiny, tiny, tiny
group of people who are responsible for
violence.”
Unlike the “broken windows” approach
to policing, where cops crack down on
everything and, in the process, frequently
alienate just about everybody, the pulling
levers method uses front-end research to
identify who is most likely to be a victim
or perpetrator of gun violence. Step two
goes like this, says Densley: “Police
target those individuals. They conduct an
enforcement activity that might include
raids, arrest warrants. It’s a show of
force. That opens up the possibility of the
next and most important part of the
strategy, which is to bring the most highprofile
offenders in for a sit-down
meeting.”
That meeting is typically held in a place
of significance within the community. It
might be a church, a rec center, or a
library. Attending are local police,
prosecutors, and possibly officials from
federal drug enforcement, the FBI, or
Metro State criminologist James Densley.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. But also
included are community members,
ministers, social workers, substance
abuse counselors, educators and trainers.
The message at this meeting is, we know
who you are. If you need help to break
out of a cycle of violence, here it is. If
you don’t, we’ll pull every legal lever at
our disposal to bring you down.
The role of the community in this process
is critical, says Densley. “The moms, the
dads, the community members, they
become the moral voice. They deliver the
message that enough is enough, the
violence has to stop. We are not complicit
in this any longer.”
The final step is monitoring to make sure
that the people caught in this net get the
help or the consequences they were
promised.
It’s not a panacea, Densley admits. Gun
violence doesn’t end overnight. But in
peer-reviewed studies, these programs
have cut shootings by 20 to 40 percent in
Cincinnati, Chicago, Indianapolis, Boston
and Stockton, CA.
So why don’t St. Paul police try this
approach here? The fact is, they have,
albeit with mixed results. Around 201 2,
local police watched with increasing
alarm as Latino gang feuds gathered
intensity. Paul Iovino, now deputy chief
but then commander of the gang unit,
unintentionally followed the script
outlined in the pulling levers strategy. His
crew got warrants for about 20 of the
most at-risk offenders. While executing
the warrants, they delivered a letter to
parents in the home, stating that their
children were involved with gangs and
criminal activity. The letter urged family
members to come to a meeting at
Neighborhood House, where police, city
attorneys, park and rec and school
officials, a rep from the Mexican
consulate and others laid out a plan to
offer help and get a lid on violence.
By Iovino’s account, it worked. About 70
people showed up. “Moms, dads,
siblings, grandparents,” Iovino recalled.
The result: “The rhetoric between the two
gangs fell off. The rival gang and the
gang we targeted went to sleep. It was a
wonderful lesson for us.”
But when police attempted another
version of this program this fall along
Snelling Ave. in the wake of shootings
and other mayhem, it flopped. Cops
showed up with a similar batch of law
enforcement and social workers for a
meeting in a Sherburne Ave. church
basement. They had food for a mob.
Nobody showed up. “We were literally
going out into the street, grabbing people
and saying, hey, do you want a free warm
meal?” Iovino says.
What went wrong? Iovino and Sgt. Mike
Carsten speculated later there might be
differences between the family structures
in the group they were targeting. “What
works on the West Side might not work in
Frogtown,” said Carsten.
What if you take a critical, communitycentric
eye to this approach? When we
asked Community Action Programs
educator and organizer Damon Drake for
his analysis, he said that there wasn’t a
need for a heavy-handed enforcement
drive with warrants and arrests on the
front end. “The people you’re targeting
don’t need the stick. Everybody knows
the stick. The easiest thing in the world is
catching these guys doing something
wrong.”
Instead, he said, the problem is poverty,
lack of life skills in conflict management
and negotiation, role models, and
opportunity that leads to living-wage
work and stability. Reform, he said, isn’t
so easily led by police, because of widespread
lack of trust of cops within the
community. And changes in a kid aren’t
so easily accomplished if the home and
neighborhood he goes back to aren’t
bought into the straight-laced life. “It’s
hard to talk about conflict resolution with
your mom if she’s drinking a 40 and
watching a soap opera and then yelling at
you about why are you talking that social
worker stuff.”
The real problem, year after year, said
Drake, is finding a version of the carrot
— education, dignified work, living
wages, stable housing and opportunity —
that is truly delivered to people who need
a boost to change their lives.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
PAGE 11

PAGE 12 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018