Parkland students were in the Twin Cities for events over the last week end of June which included a Town Hall Forum at Osseo High School.  Two LWVRA members attended.  A panel of Parkland and other student activists from Chicago, Milwaukee, and MN communities including, Rochester, Maple Grove, St. Paul, and Osseo responded to student moderator questions and audience questions.  Discussion focused on reasons for gun safety and policies which need to be advanced along with ones (such as arming teachers) which the students believe make no sense nor positive difference.  Gun violence occurs in many forms in addition to mass shootings ~~~ domestic violence, suicide, road rage, accidental shootings by and of toddlers, etc.  

LWV Roseville Area will host a presentation by Sarah Walker, founder of Minnesota Second Chance Coalition.  Second Chance is a nonpartisan coalition of over 50 organizations who advocate for policies and outreach to enable individuals who have been incarcerated to transition successfully into their communities and to prevent relapse into the criminal justice system.

Among Ms. Walker’s extensive background in social justice, is service as a board member of the William Mitchell Reentry Clinic Advisory Board and past member of Governor Dayton’s Minnesota Sentencing Guideline Commission.  In 2016, she was named one of the “40 under 40” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for her contributions as a lobbyist, Second Chance founder and president of the Coalition for Impartial Justice.

The League of Women Voters Roseville Area is once again hosting the highly popular Brews and Book Reviews event on Tuesday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Bent Brewstillery, 1744 Terrace Drive, Roseville (between Lincoln Drive and Fairview Ave.).  Attendees are encouraged to bring a book to recommend to others for summer reading.  Craft beers and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase.  

The event is open to the public.  Invite a friend and join us for a relaxing evening discovering what is on everyone’s recommended book list.  Consider posting the flyer attached to the Voter in an area that you visit. 

LWV Roseville Area members, as part of the affordable housing study, toured Prior Crossing in St. Paul.  The facility is 44 studio appartments for homeless aged 16-24.  The Wilder Foundation provides on-site services, and the facility was built and is administered by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative.  We were extraordinarily impressed by the services available to residents and its facilities.  Our tour leader, Denise Ellis, assured us that our voices are the most powerful and valuable resource we can use to promote the cause of affordable housing.

This photo shows what greets every resident when they enter their own apartment for the first time.  There will be a full article in the July-August issue of The Voter.  

After a seven year absence, LWV Roseville Area will have a presence in the Rosefest Parade on Monday, June 25.  We will be carrying the banner Marching is Not Enough. Vote. and probably other signs about voting.  We won’t try to do voter registration.  We’ll just be reminding the crowds that League is around and encouraging them to vote.  It should be a fun time.  The course starts at Roseville High School at 6:15 p.m. and we march to Lexington, turn left past Central Park and then turn on County Road C and finish at Civic Center Drive.  It’s one mile long.  Please contact June Stewart at juneret@comcast.net  or Sherry Hood at sherrychood@comcast.net to get more details and let us know you will be participating.  We hope to see you there.

LWV Roseville Area is taking a housing field trip.  On Wednesday, June 13, 11:00 a.m., we will visit Prior Crossing, a 44-studio apartment facility on University Avenue for homeless youth.  Built by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative and managed by CommonBond, it is one of many Beacon residences for homeless and low-income individuals and families throughout the area. We will tour the facility and participate in a presentation that explores all of the housing options Beacon provides including a future development for men re-entering the community after incarceration, a group that has a particularly difficult time finding homes.

If you would like to attend please send your contact information to Bonnie Koch, toouray@aol.com.  Specific information about the meeting and parking will be sent out just prior to the date.  Those who are interested may carpool from the Roseville Oval parking lot.  Interested Leaguers will have an opportunity to lunch together after the meeting.

Everyone has a story to tell, and when you create opportunities for those stories to be told and listened to, something amazing starts to happen.  In early January, 20 men and women of color sat down at CTV Studios in Roseville to speak about a time when they have been personally discriminated against and how it has shaped their lives.  These stories have been turned into a film by CTV. 

A lively discussion was held during the March 20, 2019 event on topics of Redistricing, Democracy and the Census.  Our speaker was Alberder Hampton-Gillespie, from the board of Common Cause Minnesota, and she explained the concept and process of redistricting, what the problems associated with it are, and how the census affects it.  You will be able to view a video of the presentation and discussion on our YouTube channel soon.  In addition, Common Cause Minnesota provided documents that you may be interested in:

LWV Roseville Area, Do Good Roseville and the Roseville Area Schools are co-sponsoring an evening featuring local women from communities of color who will share their stories of campaigning, running, winning, and losing, what motivates their civic engagement, and how others can engage in the political landscape of the future. 

The Annual Meeting of the Roseville Area League of Women Voters is set for Tuesday, May 1, at Little Canada City Hall, 515 Little Canada Road East. A social hour will begin at 5 pm and dinner at 6 pm. The business meeting will begin at 7 pm.

Members will elect new officers, approve a budget, and set the local program for the 2018-19 year.

This year, we are offering a full dinner featuring roast pork for $25. A vegetarian option is also available for that price.