Operation Metro Surge

At Alliance we believe that stable housing is the foundation of accomplishing just about anything in one’s life, but a home is not stable if it is not safe. Over the last couple months we have seen our neighbors, neighbors who in many respects are like our residents, abducted from their homes. We have also seen violence committed by representatives of our government within sight of our residents’ homes. 

When the call for a Day of Truth & Freedom general strike on Friday, January 23 was made, we took time to reflect. Could we support our neighbors in a way that still meets met our duties to our residents (especially on a day with a forecasted high temperature of -9F) and be equitable to all staff.? After careful consideration we have decided we could. 

Accordingly, the Alliance Housing office was closed on January 23. A skeleton property management staff worked a couple hours to ensure boilers and furnaces were working functioning properly and this staff received comp time off on another day.  

On the 23rd, staff marched with 50,000 other Minnesotans in downtown Minneapolis. It was a day of inspiration and renewal. 

Then came Saturday morning.  

That morning another of our neighbors, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by federal agents, a mere 3 blocks from our office. Suddenly all that inspiration and renewal turned to concern, anger, and fear as Nicollet Avenue became the site of such unnecessary violence.  On the street some of our residents come to pay their rent. The street where we’re developing 50 new homes for our neighbors.  

For a period that weekend the area was closed to traffic, and it appeared the office would again be closed on Monday, but by Monday morning, Nicollet Avenue was open and so was Alliance. We were open because it was again -9F (feels like -25F) that morning and there are so many Minneapolis residents who don’t have a home. They’re outside not because they’re protesting or observing the actions of ICE agents, but because they have nowhere else to be. These neighbors need us to continue our work. 

At Alliance we are proud to have all our homes located within the City of Minneapolis. We are proud to have our office in the Whittier Neighborhood and buildings in Longfellow, Lyndale, Near North, etc. We are proud to serve this community doing so much to support each other. We are proud to do this work and find time to support our neighbors in so many other ways in our personal time. We love Minneapolis.  

In solidarity.