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Following his victory speech and calls for party unity Wednesday, Congressional candidate Rick Nolan confirmed Republican Chip Cravaackapos;s charges that, if elected to serve Minnesotaapos;s 8th Congressional District, the DFLapos;er would raise taxes ? "on the super rich in this country, and use that money to start balancing our budget and start rebuilding America." Nolan prevailed Tuesday over Democratic challengers Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson in a heated primary election in the Iron Range. If he beats incumbent Cravaack in November, the DFL will take back the congressional seat held by Jim Oberstar since the 1970s. Cravaack narrowly defeated Oberstar in the GOPapos;s landslide 2010 victories. "The way we will win this is wearing out our shoe leather, going door to door, person to person, neighbor to neighbor, and talking about the values of this great DFL party," said DFL state chairperson Ken Martin. Nolan, Clark and Anderson all made a show of party unity on Wednesday, appearing simultaneously behind the podium together. "Weapos;re all united," said Nolan. "United in our desire to defeat Congressman Chip Cravaack. We have sharp differences in the direction and future that this country has to take. If the elderly want Medicare to be there for them, and the young want Medicare to be there for them when they retire, they better vote for the Democratic candidates. The same can be said for Social Security."

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Mexican-American Julia Olson offers a warning for what could happen if Minnesota passes a constitutional amendment that mandates state-issue Voter Photo IDs. Before she immigrated to the United States and became an American citizen, she saw how Photo ID requirements dissuade many rural Mexicans from voting. Many don?t have the money, or access to transportation, to acquire photo identification.
?They can?t go to the big city to get it, and so their vote doesn?t count,? says Olson. ?When I came to Minnesota 41 years ago and became an American citizen, I was so proud that my vote counted. Now I?m so afraid that it?s not gonna happen.?

?If they take this right away, then just the politicians, the people with money, power and (photo ID) cards, they?re the ones who will choose. It?s so important not to lose that right.?

Olson addressed a town hall meeting held by Congressman Keith Ellison on Aug. 6 in Saint Louis Park about the consequences if the proposed Voter Photo ID constitutional amendment passes on the November ballot.

Olson also worries that, at polling places, sheapos;ll be singled out for being Mexican. She claims sheapos;s been stopped a couple times already for "driving while Mexican" ? ostensibly because police suspected she was in the country illegally.

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Alex Erickson spent 14 months in Baghdad as a Cavalry Scout as part of ?Operation Iraqi Freedom?. Times were tough, he said, as he endured two holidays away from friends and family. But Erickson got to witness Iraqis voting in a free election, which he found to be a gratifying experience.

?One thing that left a lasting impact on me that I?ll never forget was witnessing the 2009 Iraqi Provincial Elections,? said Erickson, who currently works on Congressman Keith Ellison?s re-election campaign. ?It was by no means a model election, but one that made me realize the importance of voting rights and democracy. To come home and see some of those rights under attack is something that I couldn?t stand for.?

Erickson addressed a town hall meeting on Aug. 6 in Saint Louis Park about the consequences to active-duty military and veterans if the proposed Voter Photo ID constitutional amendment passes on the November ballot.

?We don?t have election judges in Iraq and Afghanistan and it would be very difficult to show Photo ID when you?re over there. Take my word for it.?
He explained that, while the federal government is in charge of military voting, individual states do have the right to determine who?s eligible to register to vote.

?Any further barrier in the way of our service members who are working the hardest, making the greatest sacrifices to keep our way of life ? I think that?s unconscionable.?

A veteran in the crowd spoke on behalf of homeless vets who find it difficult to vote, either because they don?t have government-issued IDs or because they don?t have a registered address.

?A lot of veterans are people with disabilities or who have problems with mobility,? explained Erickson. ?A lot of veterans might not be the kinds of people who are predisposed to wait around for eight hours to get a new Photo ID. I think that service in Iraq, or Afghanistan or Vietnam will do that to you.

?Also, a lot of veterans are used to using a Department of Veterans Affairs card, which does not have a current address on it. So (by implementing Voter ID) we would be disenfranchising a whole swath of veterans who have made great sacrifices for our country.?

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?The proposition that Minnesota leads the nation in voter fraud is laughable. If anything, we lead the country in successful prosecutions,? said Ramsey County Elections Manager Joe Mansky. ?This (Voter Photo ID) proposal that will go on the ballot deterred none of the cases that we prosecuted.?
Mansky was responding to a question by WCCO-TV?s Pat Kessler about a freeway billboard outside of the Twin Cities which erroneously alleges that Minnesota leads the nation in voter fraud. Mansky appeared at a news conference at the State Capitol Monday along with Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to decry the constitutional amendment that will appear on this November?s ballot and the extra costs it will impose on the cities.

Over the last six years, added Mansky, more than 500,000 people have voted in the City of Saint Paul. During that time, only two people have been found to commit voter fraud ? one was a felon and the other was a non-U.S. citizen ? but in neither case would the the Voter Photo ID amendment have stopped them from committing their crime. ?The two people who were raised in the lawsuit that was filed in federal court last week are both in prison today because we did detect that they had violated the law,? explained Mansky.

?A felon voting or a noncitizen voting is a crime,? added Mayor Coleman. ?That?s why they get prosecuted. Voting as a student is not a crime. Voting as a senior is not a crime. Voting as a veteran is not a crime. That?s the problem with this amendment. You take a problem that is being fully addressed by the criminal justice system, and you put legitimate voters on the same plain.?

?They are taking a situation that should be the great pride of the state of Minnesota, which is that we have one of the highest turnout rates in the entire country, and turn us into a backward state where people are restricted from voting. I think it?s a tragedy.?

Minneapolis Mayor Rybak also found the billboard?s message to be untruthful and manipulative.

?I could put up a billboard saying that I?m Christian Ponder, but it wouldn?t mean that I can throw a touchdown pass,? he joked. ?They can put up a billboard saying we?re number one in voter fraud, but that?s a flat out fraud, and everyone in the media needs to call them into account for it. You can put up a billboard saying anything; it doesn?t make it true.?

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Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman hold a joint news conference to discuss concerns over the costs to their cities and changes to elections administration resulting from an amendment which would significantly restrict the voting rights of eligible Minnesota voters.

City officials are opposed to the unfunded mandate state legislators want to impose on residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and concerned about the extent to which the counties will have to overhaul their elections systems.

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It appears that Room 208 in the State Capitol was used as a campaign office for Republican Sate Senate campaigns. If that was the case, it would be an apparent violation of state ethics laws that prohibit the use of state time, supplies or state-owned property for campaign activities.

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Reyes-LeRey has owned her home for 17 years and has $50,000 in equity. She endured a series of financial and health setbacks when her job hours were cut and vertigo prevented her from making the 100 mile, one-way drive to work, prompting her to fall behind on her mortgage payments. Anita tried to negotiate a new mortgage with Woodlands National Bank in Onamia, Minn., which holds the mortgage, but was unable to do so.

Woodland?s National Bank Vice President Cindy Koonce, told Reyes-LeRey that she would do everything she could to help the homeowner. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson offered to look over Reyes-LeRey?s loan documents for the bank. She returned to work and earned more than enough to afford her mortgage. But to Reyes-LeRey?s shock, on the end date of her redemption period, Koonce called and told her she needed to leave her home.

With the help of Occupy Homes MN, Reyes-LeRey began building a public pressure campaign, including call-ins and a petition for Woodlands National Bank to renegotiate her mortgage and keep her in her home. The bank tentatively offered to rent her the home and, after two years, prepare a new mortgage so she could buy it back. The deal required an up-front $2,100 payment ? an amount that Reyes-LeRey was uncertain she could raise the money but nevertheless did. But her phone call was four minutes after noon, and Koonce told her the deal was off.

A video from Occupy Homes MN shows a bank official confirming the deal was off because Reyes-LeRey called in ?after noon.?

While the eviction notice has been put on hold, it could be enabled at any time by the Woodlands Bank. Instead of relenting, Reyes-LeRey has stopped packing as she waits in hope that a solution can be reached.

Contacted by The UpTake, Koonce at Woodlands National Bank said she she couldn?t comment at this time.

Reyes-LeRey says that if she is able to keep her home, she will offer a free room for at least a year to someone who is willing to help people stay in their homes and fight foreclosure. ?I just want them to have that time and that energy to be used towards something that?s meaningful.?

Video by Kristin Larsen, story by Jacob Wheeler

Mining jobs and protecting the environment from unscrupulous mining practices are always hot topics when voters in Minnesota?s Iron Range go to the polls.

Rick Nolan, the DFL-endorsed candidate for Congress in Minnesota?s 8th District, wants the federal government to create and fund the United States Technical Institute for Mining and the Environment (TIME). In today?s primary election, he faces 8th District newcomer Tarryl Clark (who lost to Michele Bachmann in 2010) and upstart candidate Jeff Anderson, who has hooked his wagon to the mining star. The winner of today?s primary will face incumbent Republican Chip Cravaack, who unseated longtime Democratic Congressman Jim Oberstar two years ago.

In this video, Nolan talks about the importance of federal research to enhance the mining industry and make it safer. Anderson, on the other hand, calls government regulation a job killer. Clark did not make an appearance, but issued a statement, voicing her support for the region?s mining industry and cautioning against efforts that would sidestep environmental safeguards.

?As Minnesota?s next Eight District Congressman, I intend to lead a national effort to advance mining technology in the United States,? said Nolan, ?Building our nation?s mining industry while protecting the environment and the safety of our miners is an absolutely essential public policy challenge for America, as well as for our great mining regions here in Minnesota.

?The U.S. Bureau of Mines was closed by Congress in 1996. Since that time we have done little to help our domestic mining industry or the environmental community to solve the difficult issues we face as a nation in developing our strategic mineral resources.?

The facility that Nolan backs would follow in the footsteps of 50 other similar facilities in the nation and conduct research to advance science and technology as it relates to mining. The facility would explore technological advances in exploration, extraction, refining and creation of advanced alloys for new and existing uses, as well as reduction, mitigation, isolation or conversion of bi-products that could harm the environment.

?Corporations are beholden to the bottom line, to their shareholders,? said Nolan. ?They will not do the kind of full-scale research needed to determine what can and cannot be done to prove mining strategies will be both useful and effective.?

While the TIME institute would be expensive, Nolan explained that it could easily be paid for by curtailing military spending on projects such as the Lockheed Martin F-35s, each of which, he said, cost between $197 and $237 million to build and $44,000 per hour to fly. Building and maintaining two fewer planes each year would offset the annual cost of the mining institute.

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On a recent Sunday, the Minneapolis headquarters of MN United for All Families was abuzz with activity. A phone was ringing at the office reception desk. Volunteers lined cubicles making phone call after phone call to ask whether Minnesota voters supported the idea of same-sex marriage. Any phone banker will tell you it?s all about the art of conversation-a difficult and sensitive one at that.
The campaign to Vote No has less than one hundred days to go before voters head to the polls to decide whether Minnesota will join other states in limiting marriage rights by defining it as ?one man and one woman.? MN United for All Families is using their grassroots efforts to organize volunteers and supporters. They?re asking folks to, ?have a conversation? with someone they know who might be on the fence about this issue.

Sonya Kuznetsov says it?s about making a connection with the person on the other end of the call. MN United for All Families made more than 100,000 calls 100 days out from the elections. That?s a lot of connections.

?I tell them about my friends who are gay and lesbian-who are in committed relationships and who will want to marry someday. I ask them if they know anyone who is gay or lesbian-a co-worker, a family member, a neighbor. Once I have that connection, it?s easy to talk about such a difficult subject,? says Sonya.

Religion as a reason to oppose the amendment.

Sonya also cites religious reasons when talking with people on the other side. She?s Jewish and her temple can and would like to be able to preside over the ceremony of same-sex couples. But, if this law passes, she says, they could not. She says that?s a restriction of her religious freedom.

Phone calls are just part of the campaign strategy. Training in the art of uncomfortable conversations extends to role-playing. Two MN United volunteers reenacted a conversation one had with their grandfather about same-sex marriage for a group of would-be campaigners. Volunteers are trained to talk about gay and lesbian couple who are a part of everyone?s lives-right here in Minnesota. And perhaps, it?s just not right to tell people whom they can and cannot marry. In other words: it?s not very Minnesotan. That?s what these two volunteers expressed when they reenacted a very sensitive, personal conversation.

Volunteer Sara Dahl spoke with a woman who believed in a more European system of marriage. The woman cited her years living in Germany where marriages weren?t automatically left to the church. Couples needed to head over to civil offices to make their union officially recognized. Dahl said the caller would like to see the same thing here.

?Don?t call it marriage. Call it a union or a partnership. Leave marriage to the religious institutions, she said? she said she would most likely vote no,? said a grinning Dahl after she finished.

Phone bankers also cleared up some confusion among voters. Some thought voting yes would be voting for the right of same-sex couples to marry when in fact it is a no vote that allows it. The title given by Secretary Ritchie reads:

Limiting the Status of Marriage to Opposite Sex Couples.

The title Republican legislators originally gave to the amendment reads:
Recognition of Marriage Solely Between One Man and One Woman.

The goal to make 100,000 calls and have 100,000 conversations is just one part of the strategy. MN United for All Families has garnered support from the state?s largest Hmong organization. The Board of Directors of the Hmong American Partnership voted to oppose the freedom-limiting marriage amendment just last month. As of late June, the organization raised $4.6 million dollars to defeat the amendment.

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Said the President: "And if there?s anything to take away from this tragedy it?s the reminder that life is very fragile. Our time here is limited and it is precious. And what matters at the end of the day is not the small things, it?s not the trivial things, which so often consume us and our daily lives. Ultimately, it?s how we choose to treat one another and how we love one another."

It?s taken time and a lot of community support, but a Minneapolis woman trying to prevent Woodlands National Bank from evicting her from her home is getting a face-to-face meeting with the bank?s president to discuss a proposal that is more favorable than the bank first offered her.

Woodlands National Bank President Ken Villebro has agreed to meet with Anita Reyes-LeRey at her home in Minneapolis. The meeting is to include her choice of supporters and Minneapolis Council Member Gary Shiff.

?We won!? announced Andrew Crow, OccupyHomes MN to the crowd outside the bank building, ?we got exactly what we were asking for which is a sit-down meeting with Ken Villebro, the president of this bank.? Reyes-LeRey was pleased with the outcome and she said, ?I am so happy they came!?

Reyes-LeRey had a series of negotiations with Woodlands National Bank after health problems caused her to miss mortgage payments. The issue came to a head when the bank withdrew a financing offer because she was four minutes late in calling the bank.

Community support helps turn things around

At the urging of a friend from Alabama, Reyes-LeRey contacted OccupyHomesMN, which in turn contacted the American Indian Movement (AIM) in Minneapolis. A series of meetings and barbecues were held to build support.

On July 26, 2012, a group of supporters from OccupyHomesMN and AIM accompanied Reyes-LeRey to Woodlands National Bank main office in Onamia, MN, and requested a meeting with bank VP Cindy Koonce who had been negotiating with her. Ms Koonce declined to meet with her.

With the help of OccupyHomesMN Reyes-LeRey set up a petition on change.org. By August 8, 2012 more than 100,000 signatures had been collected. The petition page invited everyone to come to the Minneapolis American Indian Center and walk to the Minneapolis office of Woodlands National Bank. About 30 people joined Reyes-LeRey in delivering the petitions and requesting a meeting with the bank president.

Occupy Homes says the bank?s original offer to Reyes-LeRay that the bank backed out on was to lease her home to her for a year. But the bank could still evict her at anytime. Occupy Homes, Reyes-LeRay, and her neighbors put together an alternative lease that is more favorable to her. That lease will be the topic of their meeting with the bank?s president.

Local bank manager Joanne Whiterabbit was very patient with the group crowding into the bank lobby. Whiterabbit told the group, ?We need to set up a time Anita when you and your representatives whoever, you remember I said yesterday that who you want, when you want to meet, when and where, and I will do it.? After a few phone calls, a meeting with Bank President Ken Villebro, Minneapolis Council Member Gary Shiff, Reyes-LeRey and her supporters was scheduled at her home Wednesday, August 15, 2012.

Woodlands National Bank opened a branch in Minneapolis in 2009. The Minnesota AIM council had urged the opening the Minneapolis branch. According to the bank?s web site, ?The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe started the bank when it bought First State Bank of Onamia in 1996, becoming only the third Indian tribe in the United States to own a bank. The bank also became the first Native-owned bank to be granted a national charter.?

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Senator Al Franken at the dedication of a Hubert Humphrey memorial statue says the the former Vice President would be oppose discriminatory legislation such as the voter photo ID and anti-gay marriage constiutional amendments Minnesotans will be voting on this fall.

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The Minnesota Supreme court has yet to issue itapos;s ruling whether the "provisional ballot" or "voter photo ID" constitutional amendment is misleading... or even unconstitutional. But it became very evident today where Justice Paul Anderson is on that issue. He thinks the title the legislature gave the amendment was "deceptive" and says what it does or doesnapos;t do is even confusing to him.

From the bench Justice Anderson said:
"Iapos;ve looked at the debates on the floor. Iapos;ve read the briefs. The supporter, former Secretary of State (Mary) Kiffmeyer, Representative Kiffmeyer says that this amendment will not change absentee balloting, mailed in voting. But Iapos;ve looked at the regulations. I looked at the requirement. Absentee balloting does not require photo ID. And so, now I would say that the legislatureapos;s proposed question is maybe as deceptive or more that what the Secretary of State because it says "photo ID required for voting", but we have the sponsor of the bill saying apos;no it doesnapos;t change it for absentee voting, it doesnapos;t change it for mail in? Iapos;m confused as to what it does or doesnapos;t do."

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Not mentioned in the question is the part of the amendment that would require a separate and potentially expensive ?provisional balloting? system for Minnesota.

The court will decide by next month whether the question is so misleading that it should be removed from the ballot.

The court is hearing the case at the request of Common Cause of Minnesota, Jewish Community Action, the League of Women Voters Minnesota and several Minnesota residents.

Questions asked, but not directly answered on path to the ballot

The ambiguity of the language and evasive answers to what it means dogged the amendment as it worked its way through the 2012 legislative session. Opponents wanted a better explanation about the language that is in the amendment but not in the ballot question, such as what ?substantially equivalent? means, what qualifies as a government-issued ID, and how provisional balloting will work.

At a hearing, bill author Representative Mary Kiffmeyer (R ) defined the meaning of ?substantially equivalent? to mean ?equivalent substantially,? which led opponents to say she was trying to avoid answering questions.

?And nobody knows what the words mean,? said Representative Ryan Winkler (DFL). ?The words say ?substantially equivalent verification standards?, but the author of the bill, Representative Kiffmeyer, won?t answer what that means.?

While the ballot language says ?all voters? would need to show a photo ID, that?s not what the amendment says. According to Representative Bev Scalze (DFL), the ?substantially equivalent? language in the amendment could allow absentee voters to just use the last four digits of their Social Security number, which would create two classes of voters.

?The voters going into the voting booth in 2012 don?t know that,? Representative Scalze told Representative Kiffmeyer during a hearing. ?They?re going on? on the idea that all voters will have to show a valid photo ID, when in fact, 20 percent of them won?t. How do you educate the voters looking at your proposed amendment that says all voters???

Representative Kiffmeyer deflected the question and objection, saying most voters are familiar with how absentee voting works.

Common Cause of Minnesota suggests that one reason the bill?s authors couldn?t answer those questions directly is that they didn?t actually write the bill, but instead mostly copied it from a ?model? bill written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative think tank funded mostly by large corporations.

Says Mike Dean of Common Cause, ?We released a report earlier this year that found over 60 model bills that were drafted by ALEC that have been introduced in the Minnesota state legislature. And they bring the two groups together ? corporate lobbyists and legislators ? and they sit and draft these bills. And these bills are all designed to really pad the bottom line of these corporations. And so then they bring those bills home, make a few changes to ?em. Do a quick cut-and-paste job and then introduce them in Minnesota.?

Representative Kiffmeyer is ALEC?s Minnesota State Co-Chair, but says she developed her voter photo ID amendment after years as an election judge, Secretary of State and legislator, not from an ALEC model bill.

The voter photo ID amendment was sent to the November ballot without a single DFL legislator supporting it, which Secretary of State Mark Ritchie says is the wrong way to change election laws. ?There will always be debate and spin. Governor Carlson, Governor Pawlenty, Governor Dayton have said the same thing over and over and over. If you want to make big radical changes in election law, it should only be done when there?s very broad agreement and support ?otherwise all you have is lawsuits, bitterness, partisan accusations.?

Tuesday?s court hearing may just be the first legal challenge for voter photo ID. Even if it is allowed to go on the ballot and gets a majority of votes, opponents such as Representative Steve Simon (DFL) say the way the amendment is written will invite more court action.

?Other states that have done this, have put explicit language in, like Mississippi?s, saying ?legislature, come back next year and you can fill in the blanks and do the

St. Louis County Commissioner Steve O?Neil, from east Duluth, today announced he is endorsing Rick Nolan for Congress in the 8th District. Steve made the following statement:

?Rick Nolan has impressed me since this campaign began. I have been impressed by the commitment we share to finding affordable housing and decent medical care for all our citizens. But mostly, I am impressed with his approach to public service. Rick has run a positive, issue-oriented campaign from the beginning. He inspires people to public service and reminds me of Paul Wellstone in many ways. I urge everyone in Duluth to support Rick on Tuesday, August 14.?

In accepting Steve?s endorsement, Rick Nolan said the following: ?I am truly honored and humbled to receive Steve?s endorsement. Steve is a legend in Duluth for his commitment to the homeless and is the recipient of numerous public service awards. He approaches public service with a deep conscience and a desire to help those most in need. I respect Steve immensely, and look forward to working together with him to address the needs of the people in Duluth and throughout the 8th District.?

Rick Nolan is the DFL-endorsed candidate for 8th District Congress. The primary election is Tuesday, August 14.

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Minnesota Democrats vying to replace Republican Congressman Chip Cravaack took aim at each other on Thursday as Tarryl Clark released a negative ad aimed at DFL endorsed candidate Rick Nolan. The ad accuses Nolan of ?taking lavish trips overseas? and says he ?fought to get one of the highest taxpayer funded salaries and a $200,000 guaranteed bonus.?

The accusations apparently come from Nolan?s tenure as Chairman of the Board on the Minnesota World Trade Center in the 1980s.

In Duluth, Nolan responded saying his tenure at the World Trade Center created jobs for Minnesota and accused Clark of using ?outside money? in an attempt to ?buy this election.?

?I am very disappointed that Tarryl Clark has decided to air these desperate, deceitful, and dishonest ads attacking my strong record on job creation. This is last minute, 11th-hour, gutter politics at it?s worst and is not worthy of the 8th District,? said Nolan. The primary election is this coming Tuesday. The winner will face Republican Congressman Cravaack.

DFL Chair Ken Martin said Clark?s attack on Nolan reduce the chances of defeating Republican Cravaack this fall.

Nolan did pick up the endorsement of St. Louis County Commissioner Steve O?Neil. It?s was the latest in the endorsement arms race between Nolan, Clark and Jeff Anderson. Clark has the endorsement of President Bill Clinton. Nolan has the backing of Vice President Mondale. Anderson has the backing of the Duluth News Tribune.

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The hearing was about collective bargaining agreements with two of the stateapos;s unions. Republicans have tried to outlaw unions for Minnesota employees.

Senator Parry, who is running for Congress and will not be serving in next yearapos;s legislature then is told by a Representative Leon Lillie (DFL-North St. Paul) "it's probably a blessing that you're down to your last three meetings." The room again erupts in laughter and Senator Perry calls an abrupt 10 minute recess to the hearing.

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Senator Parry has been keeping himself in the media spotlight as he battles fellow Republican Alan Quist in a primary. The primary vote is next Tuesday.

Senator Parry announced at the beginning of the hearing that there would be no vote on the collective bargaining agreement between the state and the unions today. A DFL member of the committee, Representative Leon Lillie (North St. Paul), objected saying for the past eight years it's been custom for the subcommittee on employee relations to take a vote on the contract once it is presented.

Senator Parry said committee has 30 days to take that vote and plans for a committee vote on August 23, which is one day before a legislative special session on flood relief is expected to begin.

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Woodland?s National Bank Vice President Cindy Koonce, told Reyes-Reley that she would do everything she could to help the homeowner. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson offered to look over Reyes-Reley?s loan documents for the bank. She returned to work and earned more than enough to afford her mortgage. But to Reyes-Reley?s shock, on the end date of her redemption period, Koonce called and told her she needed to leave her home.

With the help of Occupy Homes MN, Reyes-Reley began building a public pressure campaign, including call-ins and a petition for Woodlands National Bank to renegotiate her mortgage and keep her in her home. The bank tentatively offered to rent her the home and, after two years, prepare a new mortgage so she could buy it back. The deal required an up-front $2,100 payment ? an amount that Reyes-Reley was uncertain she could raise the money but nevertheless did. But her phone call was four minutes after noon, and Koonce told her the deal was off.

A video from Occupy Homes MN shows a bank official confirming the deal was off because Reyes-Reley called in ?after noon.?

Occupy Homes MN Cameraman Ben Egerman: So can we just note that yesterday we were told by Cindy Koonce, that at 12 (noon) today we would meet with her or talk to her?

Minneapolis Branch ManagerJoanne Whiterabbit: What Woodlands bank was negotiating with Anita to do was to allow her to rent her home.

Egerman: Yes and?

Whiterabbit: She needed to let us know by noon today if she had the money that they had discussed for rental purposes?

Egerman: and when did she?

Whiterabbit: the home ownership, the home ownership, that issue is already been done. And that was finalized on April 23rd

Egerman: And when did she call to do that? When did she come to actually do that? It was noon.

Supporter: You needed her to respond to say that she had the money for the deal.

Whiterabbit: Right.

Supporter: And she did.

Egerman: And she did.

Whiterabbit: It was not before noon.

Egerman: When was it?

Whiterabbit: Pardon?

Egerman: When was it?

Whiterabbit: I?m not sure of the exact time. I just heard from Cindy that it was after noon.

Egerman: It was 12:04

Supporter: It was 12:04 when she called.

Whiterabbit: OK

Egerman: So do you think that?s a legitimate thing to say that 12:04 is too far after?

Whiterabbit: It?s not my call to say whether it?s legitimate or not. But the agreement that you had was that it would be done by noon.

Supporter: Why wouldn?t you do a new agreement then?

Whiterabbit: It, it? we?re done.

Egerman: So you?re not going to help?

Supporter: We?re just starting.

Whiterabbit: OK that?s fine. But I just want to acknowledge Anita that I?ve been here for you and worked with you and helped you and I have tried to help you keep your home. And this is not the first time you?ve been in this situation.

While the eviction notice has been put on hold, it could be enabled at any time by the Woodlands Bank. Instead of relenting, Reyes-Reley has stopped packing as she waits in hope that a solution can be reached.

Contacted by The UpTake, Koonce at Woodlands National Bank said she she couldn?t comment at this time.

Reyes-Reley says that if she is able to keep her home, she will offer a free room for at least a year to someone who is willing to help people stay in their homes and fight foreclosure. ?I just want them to have that time and that energy to be used towards something that?s meaningful.?

Congressman Keith Ellison held a community forum at Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park on Aug. 6 to educate and rally over 200 attendees in opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment on this Novemberapos;s ballot in Minnesota that would require photo ID to vote and the creation of a provisional balloting system. Ellison and four other panelists including State Rep. Steve Simon, Dr. Josie Johnson, Mai Thor and Alex Erickson warned about the dangerous consequences of this legislation and explained how they can take action to defeat it. We apologize for the shoddy audio quality of the first 90 seconds of this video.

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