The best way out of poverty is a job, he said, and that’s why he continues to push enforcement of affirmative action.
Gregory Paquin
Candidate for Minnesota State Senate District 4
Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party holds press conference skewing the facts to try to deflect charges of racism
The Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, reeling in disorganization and disunity from charges of racism surrounding the Bemidji Regional Event Center (BREC) and resolutions passed across the state at precinct caucuses and county conventions for enforcement of affirmative action, pulled together its gaggle of front groups to try to pin the problem of racist hiring practices resulting in extreme poverty for Native American Indians who have no representation in the Minnesota State Legislature, on Native American Indian candidates now seeking the legislative seats held by Senator Mary Olson, Representative Jim Persell and Representative Brita Sailer.
The DFL leadership is fearing many of its other candidates will be challenged for national, state and local offices across Minnesota by Native American Indians seeking a voice in the state's decision-making process as a way to end the racist poverty plaguing Native American Indian communities and Indian Reservations.
For months these racist white legislators have been attacking Gregory Paquin, a Native American Indian and journeyman union pipefitter, for exposing the fact that no affirmative action program and policy was--- or is--- in place regarding the largest public works project in decades now under construction in northern Minnesota costing over one-hundred million dollars with another one-hundred and fifty million dollars in associated development about to get underway as the BREC nears completion and is brought into operation.
The BREC is an operation called by many a “boon-doggle” to make the rich richer while ignoring the extreme poverty plaguing the region.
People have cited as examples of this being a boon-doggle:
Sledge-hammers being rented for $15.00 a day and wheel-barrows being rented by the contractors for $28.00 a day for the duration of this two-year project.
It isn’t hard to figure how many sledge hammers and wheel-barrows could be purchased over a two-year period at rental rates like these.
Many people have suggested that Kraus-Anderson Construction company has learned a few tricks from the military-industrial complex and their high-priced toilet seats.
But, at issue for most people has been the blatant racism in hiring practices surrounding the BREC; a result of the fact that Kraus-Anderson has testified in court that when it asked Bemidji City officials for the affirmative action policies… both the Bemidji City Manager and the Bemidji City Attorney responded, “There is no affirmative action policy you need to follow on this project.”
The City of Bemidji, the State of Minnesota and Kraus-Anderson are now arguing in court that since there is no proof that they discriminated against anyone that they are in compliance with city, state and federal statutes and laws even though they intentionally failed to devise an affirmative action program knowing that poverty in the area has a most distinct racist edge. They can look out their office windows on any given day and see the impoverished Native American Indian people seeking help at the food bank across from city hall.
Minnesota DFL legislators representing the area who boasted that they brought hundreds of jobs to the community with this project are now embarrassed because they refused to see to it that affirmative action hiring policies were in place to assure equal employment opportunities for everyone.
Of further embarrassment to the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, is the fact that a number of the contractors on the job are rat, or non-union, contractors; and some of the contractors are refusing to pay prevailing wages as required by state and federal laws. Workers on the project have further complained that there has been an almost complete failure to enforce health and safety laws and regulations on the job site resulting in a number of injuries.
The Organizing Apprenticeship Project, a front group for the thoroughly racist and corrupt Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party which is owned by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association headed up by John McCarthy a racist, rich white man who has a two-million dollar estate built on the poverty he and the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association have subjected casino workers to; and Audrey Thayer, an opportunist apologist for this institutionalized racism, are seeking to divide Native American voters in an election year where people are thoroughly fed up with Obama’s and the Democrat’s dirty wars, their failure to enforce affirmative action and defend worker’s jobs as they claimed they would do in order to get elected: work to end poverty and provide people with healthcare, not to mention the continuing home foreclosures and evictions and rising prices on everything from food to heating costs during a period of economic depression which the Democrats have done nothing about.
Any thinking person with an ounce of common sense can see right through this article that is nothing but a puff-piece where these legislators have not even been asked by the media to explain their refusal to insist on the enforcement of affirmative action on what the Democrats refer to as a “jobs creation project;” jobs for everyone except Native American Indians, other minorities, women and the disabled.
Any person with the least little bit of intelligence has to ask how it is that a foundation funded outfit like the Organizing Apprenticeship Project which has refused to enter the struggle for affirmative action in spite of racist record high levels of unemployment among Native American Indians in the City of Bemidji and the surrounding communities, without one whimper of protest from the Organizing Apprenticeship Project or the three DFL legislators mentioned in this article or the complete and disgraceful silence from the American Civil Liberties Union another front group for the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party as is clearly evidenced by the shameful remarks of Audrey Thayer in covering up the racist hiring practices surrounding the Bemidji Regional Event Center where Native American Indians, other minorities, women and the disabled have been intentionally and systematically excluded from jobs--- the largest public works project in over 70 years in northern Minnesota situated between three large Indian Reservations where unemployment ranges from 65% to 85% and where we see predominantly Native American Indians standing in long lines in minus thirty degree cold waiting to get food at the Beltrami County Food Bank right across from the Bemidji City Hall; any thinking and reasonably intelligent person has to ask how it is that Senator Mary Olson, Representatives John Persell and Representative Brita Sailer could possibly score anything but a big fat “F” for intentionally sitting by in complete silence as this institutionalized racism reared is nasty and ugly head in such a vicious and pernicious manner around the BREC.
One Bemidji woman attending today’s Beltrami DFL County Convention compared these legislators getting an “A” for their work for racial equality with Barack Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize as he expanded the war in Afghanistan.
Instead of resolving the problem created by one boon-doggle; the DFL with this thinly veiled attempt to cover up its racism is seen by most people as indulging in one more racist shenanigan--- thus compounding the racist injury and insult.
This is not a news story; this article should have been a campaign advertisement paid for by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.
The real crux of this story below in the Bemidji Pioneer today is this racist comment from Minnesota State Senator Mary Olson:
“Olson, however, said she had asked Paquin for specific violations but received none from him. Also, she can only work with state violations and she noted that Paquin has a lawsuit against the city of Bemidji involving the lack of American Indian workers on the Bemidji Regional Event Center.”
Olson, like all other DFL legislators is running away from having to say “affirmative action.”
Who the hell is receiving a pay-check courtesy of the tax-payers, which include thousands of Native American Indians living in poverty in the communities in the region surrounding the Bemidji Regional Event Center?
Senator Mary Olson has now made this most outrageous racist statement yet this reporter did not even ask her what she has done to make sure equal employment opportunities are made available to everyone in keeping with the law of the land” the Executive Order #11246 from Lyndon Baines Johnson mandating that affirmative action is enforced until there is “a level playing field” for everyone.
What does Gregory Paquin have to do with whether or not affirmative action guidelines are being enforced on this massive public works project--- the Bemidji Regional Event Center?
It is not up to Gregory Paquin to tell Senator Mary Olson about any violations of anything. It is up to Senator Mary Olson and her legislative colleagues to monitor a project like this to make sure affirmative action is being enforced according to the Executive Order #11246 from President Johnson that is the law of the land; and, in spite of challenges from every single racist organization, every racist employer imaginable and the racists who head up the building trades unions--- in spite of challenge after challenge, President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s Executive Order mandating affirmative action remains solidly and firmly in place.
Now, if Senator Mary Olson and all of her Democratic Party colleagues who have just received this grading of an “A” for their “outstanding” work on behalf on racial justice have to complain that they have taken no action against what anyone except a blind person can easily see just by looking that affirmative action has not been enforced on the Bemidji Regional Event Center perhaps it is time for Senator Mary Olson to make an appointment with her eye-doctor to see about a new pair of glasses.
The question here is not whether or not Greg Paquin told Senator Mary Olson, Representatives Persell or Sailer about the lack of enforcement of affirmative action on this BREC public works project… THE QUESTION here is why Senator Mary Olson, Representative John Persell and Representative Brita Sailer along with the entire gaggle of Democratic Party politicians who have been so quick to boast about all the jobs they created with this project never insisted that an affirmative action policy be in place before one single penny of tax-payers’ money was expended on this project right from the very beginning.
This is the question Senator Mary Olson and her DFL legislators cannot escape answering.
It is the epitome of the worst kind of racism that Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party State Senator Mary Olson would turn around in trying to escape what she is mandated by law to do as part of her job as a public official required to see to it that the rights of all people are protected as far as equal employment opportunities go and blame Greg Paquin for her failure to perform her job as an elected State Senator.
Senator Mary Olson’s entire campaign has been funded by either the racist Minnesota Indian Gaming Association which lavishly spends the money rightfully belonging to the Native American Indian people to elect their own representatives to the Minnesota State Legislature with most of the rest of her campaign contributions coming from the vey racist building trades unions which have made attempt after attempt--- to no avail--- to get the courts to overturn President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s Executive Order intended to be enforced for just these types of public works projects like the Bemidji Regional Event Center.
And to compound racist injury upon racist injury, Senator Mary Olson and her gaggle of DFL colleagues have REFUSED to insist that an affirmative action policy and plan be put in place for the hiring of maintenance workers and staff of the BREC.
Than this article brings up this entire business of Minnesota legislators passing this legislation concerning the teaching of the Native American culture and language in the public schools.
The racist hypocrisy of this is the epitome of sickening because not one single one of the legislators who voted for this legislation that State Senator Mary Olson has boasted she introduced have raised their voice to question the systemic and institutionalized racism that is a part of the present public school systems here in Minnesota where Native American Indian children are not being taught their own language--- but, they are not being taught to read and write English, properly, either--- thus depriving Native American Indians of the ability and the right to participate fully in the decision-making process in a way that will better their lives and livelihoods after being subjected to centuries of racist genocidal policies on the part of a conquering nation’s government which, in robbing them of their land and natural resources and their way of life, language, culture and livelihoods--- pushed Native American Indians onto reservations hoping they would die off quicker than is being accomplished, thus ending “the Indian problem.”
I suppose State Senator Mary Olson is going to blame some Native American Indian person for not coming to tell her there is a problem of systemic and institutionalized racism in the public schools preventing Native American Indian youth from learning to read and write English properly and that no one informed her that there is going to be an even much larger problem once Native American Indian school children start to learn their own language, again, and then teaching these children to read and write English.
Of course, Senator Mary Olson never had a Native American Indian explain to her why there are no Native American Indians sitting among her and her colleagues in the Minnesota State Legislature or among its Congressional delegation.
Can someone explain to the racist Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party State Senator Mary Olson in some kind of peculiar political language she expects to be communicated to in, that it is her job to take the time to look into all of these problems including making sure an affirmative action hiring policy is in place before any work begins on a public works project like the Bemidji Regional Event Center--- because, for now, it is her name, not Greg Paquin’s name, on the pay-check she is receiving courtesy of Minnesota tax-payers--- ALL of whom have the right to decent jobs and quality public educations.
Receiving an “A” rating from a MN DFL front organization and then being praised by Audrey Thayer of the ACLU all sitting in the offices at Bemidji City Hall in what can only be described as “damage control” by the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party as Olson, Persell and Sailor are facing Native American Indian opponents in the upcoming election. Audrey Thayer, a political gadfly who frequently flirts with the Green Party when it is to her advantage, has made a career out of being apologist for DFL racism while managing to pull off a cute little hat trick pretending she is the advocate for Native American Indian rights without having raised her voice in support of affirmative action in hiring in her “illustrious” career as a human rights advocate--- just like she has managed to remain silent concerning all the rancor and charges of racism in hiring presently surrounding the Bemidji Regional Event Center. Audrey Thayer conveniently manages to talk about past injustices and future injustices but never once has expressed concerns for injustices taking place for which she and the American Civil Liberties Union with their vast resources could do something about… being it covering up for the racist hiring practices surrounding the Bemidji Regional Event Center by taking part in a farce like something like this, or helping to cover-up the recent police murder of a Native American Indian youth by Bemidji Police--- the powers that be can always count on Audrey Thayer to come to their rescue… this time though, she is caught in her own web of deceit and disinformation.
These are the final paragraphs from the article below:
Greg Paquin, the Bemidji union organizer who is opposing Olson for the Democratic nomination to Senate 4, said not enough has been done to enforce affirmative action policies at the county and city level.Probably the most profound statement we will ever hear from any politician across the country during the election campaign has come from the Native American Indian pipe-fitter, Greg Paquin, who has decided to run for public office seeking the Senate seat now held by Mary Olson:
Olson, however, said she had asked Paquin for specific violations but received none from him. Also, she can only work with state violations and she noted that Paquin has lawsuit against the city of Bemidji involving the lack of American Indian workers on the Bemidji Regional Event Center.
“We need to have more of our representation to get our people’s needs met,” Paquin said, adding there are no American Indians serving in the Legislature.
“If we just stand by and let it continue, then it won’t be long and all the Indian people will be gone,” he said. “Our people are important.”
The best way out of poverty is a job, he said, and that’s why he continues to push enforcement of affirmative action.
The best way out of poverty is a job, he said, and that’s why he continues to push enforcement of affirmative action.
Every single voter in this country should determine if who they intend to vote for supports and understands the very basic and simple truth and what justice requires.
Again--- DFL Senator Mary Olson, DFL Representative Jim Persell and DFL Representative Brita Sailor--- based upon their failure to see to it that affirmative action is implemented and enforced according to statutes and legislative mandates brought into existence as a result of the Executive Order issued by Democratic President Lyndon Baines Johnson in making affirmative action the law of the land, should have received an “F” instead of an “A” when it comes to racial equality… fortunately, voters, not a couple DFL party front groups and an apologist for racism holding a press conference trying to cover up this disgusting and shameful racism which enforces poverty on an entire people, will get to do the final grading which will be done by giving these racist bigots the boot on election day.
Hopefully candidates will step forward to run against Skoe and Howes because if the politicians above received an “A” just imagine what kind of dirt-bags Skoe and Howes must be to have received a “C.”
Let’s just hope that the grading in our public schools is done in a more honest and scientific manner… After all, these people doing the grading gave Minnesota’s most racist and reactionary ever governor, Republican Tim Pawlenty, a “B;” but, we all know why this happened don’t we? Another cutesy little political game being played by the DFL Summit Hill Club who orchestrated this entire charade at the behest of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association… it isn’t coincidental that Senator Mary Olson’s campaign for re-election is headed up by John McCarthy, the rich white man sitting up on the hill in his multi-million dollars estate courtesy of profits derived from Native American Indians living in poverty.
Alan L. Maki
http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/100016371/
Published February 28 2010
Bemidji lawmakers score high on racial equity issues
Bemidji’s two lawmakers scored “A’s” on racial equity issues in the 2009 session, according to a report released Friday in Bemidji.
By: Brad Swenson, Bemidji Pioneer
Sen. Mary Olson and Rep. John Persell, both Bemidji Democrats, talk Friday to about their “A” ratings in the Organizing Apprenticeship Project’s 2009 Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity, released at the City Hall meeting by the ACLU-Minnesota Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project. Pioneer Photo/Brad Swenson
Bemidji’s two lawmakers scored “A’s” on racial equity issues in the 2009 session, according to a report released Friday in Bemidji.
Sen. Mary Olson and Rep. John Persell, both Bemidji Democrats, earned the high rating from the Organizing Apprenticeship Project, which rated lawmakers on their 2009 votes on racial justice issues.
Add to that that “A” list Rep. Brita Sailer, DFL-Park Rapids, who represents Beltrami County north of Bemidji.
“The OAP has been at the forefront in dealing with racial equity and justice issues in the Legislature,” said Olson. “I am honored to receive this recognition, and I will continue to carefully consider issues of racial equity and justice as we move through the 2010 Legislative Session.”
The Organizing Apprenticeship Project works to advance racial, cultural, social and economic justice in Minnesota through organizer and leadership training, policy research, and strategic convening work.
It ranked lawmakers on a variety of bills, including hiring equity in green jobs, covering more kids with health insurance, and strengthening efforts to revitalize the Dakota and Ojibwe languages.
Both Olson and Persell were at a session late Friday afternoon at Bemidji City Hall to go over racial justice issues, held by the American Civil Liberties Union-Minnesota Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project.
Olson “has done phenomenal work,” said Audrey Thayer, executive director of the Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project. And she noted that Olson, Persell and Sailer were three of the only eight lawmakers to receive “A’s” from the OAP ranking.
“This year we particularly wanted to be sure to thank our representatives and senator,” Thayer said. “We still have a lot of work to do locally … in the community, and that’s where we see the grass roots work.”
Thayer noted that Wisconsin passed a law to record race when making traffic stops, so it could be determined if officers are conducting racial profiling. Olson carried a bill to do that in Minnesota, but it died.
“Things like that happen, for whatever reason, so you try again,” Thayer said.
Thayer said ACLU must remain non-partisan, but “I want to assure you that the representatives that we have representing us right now are doing the job that they need to for us, and all we need to do is let them know what we need on a local level.”
Among other legislators, Sen. Rod Skoe, DFL-Clearbrook, scored a “C”, as did Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker. The Legislature overall and Gov. Tim Pawlenty earned “B’s” for 83 percent support for racial equity bills, OAP said.
“John and I are down there doing what we think is the right thing to do,” Olson said. “We try to represent people in our district and often we get the privilege to be involved in local initiatives and things people bring to us to help us accomplish at the Legislature.”
Olson authored legislation, S.F. 1256, that was incorporated into the Legacy Amendment appropriations bill that was passed and signed into law last session providing $2 million for preservation and revitalization of the Dakota and Ojibwe languages and culture. The funding will be used to design and promote education programs in the two native languages.
“That bill really evolved out of the work a lot of people have been doing for a long time,” Olson said. “It was clear that there were many different initiatives happening by different tribes, but that they weren’t necessarily even aware of what other tribes were doing.”
The bill puts together a working group with representation from each tribe in Minnesota, as well as from communities with high American Indian populations like Bemidji .
The group over two years “will come back with recommendations on how we can build native culture and language into our curriculum, for not just native students but everyone to have some exposure to the benefits of what that would bring,” she said. “We can revitalize the language so that our youth can be fluent speakers, so it doesn’t become an historic language but a living, used language.”
Funded through the new Legacy Amendment, the pot grew from $125,000 to $2 million.
Persell joked that he gained House support for the measure by bringing Leech Lake smoked whitefish to his colleagues.
“A lot of good things came out of that, and we’re poised pretty well on the language issue,” he said.
OAP said that 10 of the 12 racial justice issue bills they were following passed in the 2009 session.
Bills it tracked included covering more kids with health insurance, holding public schools harmless in budget cuts, setting new standards for payday lenders, rethinking graduation testing, and opposing efforts to dismantle General Assistance Medical Care.
The report also cited Olson for authoring restorative justice legislation.
People at Friday’s meeting, representing a wide array of community action groups, cited the need for transitional housing and more youth activities. Cited as a positive move is the placing of Ojibwe language signs in Bemidji businesses.
Greg Paquin, the Bemidji union organizer who is opposing Olson for the Democratic nomination to Senate 4, said not enough has been done to enforce affirmative action policies at the county and city level.
Olson, however, said she had asked Paquin for specific violations but received none from him. Also, she can only work with state violations and she noted that Paquin has lawsuit against the city of Bemidji involving the lack of American Indian workers on the Bemidji Regional Event Center.
“We need to have more of our representation to get our people’s needs met,” Paquin said, adding there are no American Indians serving in the Legislature.
“If we just stand by and let it continue, then it won’t be long and all the Indian people will be gone,” he said. “Our people are important.”
The best way out of poverty is a job, he said, and that’s why he continues to push enforcement of affirmative action.
Yours in struggle and solidarity,
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell Phone: 651-587-5541
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
Please check out my blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/
Let’s talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for real change.