Racial Equity and Yes for St. Paul Trash: Op Ed Published in Pioneer Press
Bates, Anshur: Vote yes for the trash ordinance. Then, together, we’ll work to improve the contract
By Minister JaNaé Bates and Imam Ahmed Anshur in the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper on Oct. 17, 2019. Linked Below.
"How the hell does trash have anything to do with race?”
That was a question recently asked of us on a social media post stating that a “Yes” vote on coordinated trash collection was a step toward building racial equity in St. Paul.
As Black clergy of the Muslim and Christian traditions, who both liveand worship in St. Paul, we experience how collective action throughlocal and state government works to close racial disparities with ourwhite, black, and brown neighbors.
As a city, we get to vote on an ordinance that’s asking if we want towork together. The current contract between the haulers and the city isnot on the ballot. There are some concerns about the contract and itsimpact on residents. Amendments can and already have been made, with theopportunity for more. A “yes” for the ordinance will give residentsthe collective voice to have leadership ensure the contract is the mostequitable for all of St. Paul.
There are many good reasons to vote yes for St. Paul’s coordinatedtrash collection — like showing our city council and mayor that we canwork together, and they must lead with St. Paul residents, not apartfrom us. A yes vote also gives us more possibilities to collectively winon other issues that most “yes” and “no” voters support, like tacklingclimate change, creating affordable housing, ending gun violence, andhaving quality schools for our kids. But, a key opportunity we shouldn’tmiss is the chance to have real impact for racial equity.
Minnesota is among the most egregious of racially inequitable statesand among the worst offenders when it comes to racial disparities inincome, employment, housing, and education. The city of St. Paul echoesthe state in these statistics. Half our population is people of color,and they are 120% more unemployed and actively looking for work thantheir white counterparts. Of those who are working, the per-capitaincome of white people is $42,874 while only $14,201 for people ofcolor. For home ownership, 61.2% of white people are homeowners in St.Paul, while only 28.5% of people of color own homes.
So how does this relate to trash?
Well, many years ago, long before the city was as diverse as it istoday, St. Paul had public, coordinated trash collection. It was managedby the city, with city employees, ensuring that public dollars weregoing toward the public good of keeping our streets and neighborhoodsclean for everyone. The city slowly began to diversify in race andincome. As this happened, a few lawmakers wanted to privatize St. Paul’scollective efforts and spent years making that happen, until we endedup with 50 different haulers contending for profits and leavingresidents to make individual decisions based on the “market,” hoping tofind a deal in the masses.
These profit-driven haulers were free to pick and chooseneighborhoods to service and how much or little to charge.Unsurprisingly, neighborhoods that were lower income and more heavilypopulated with people of color — due to decades of redlining andghettoizing practices — were often denied service by lower-cost haulersand unfairly overpriced by others. Left with few options, it becameapparent that for people who are poor and/or of color, the “free” marketis in fact, very expensive.
This U.S. historical phenomenon is sometimes referred to as a “Blacktax.” Unlike actual taxes, which are collective resources where everyonepays their fair share for the common good, the Black tax is an axiom ofhow Black and Black-adjacent people systemically pay more than theirshare while also earning far less. There is plenty of data that showshow businesses and corporations charge higher prices in predominantlyBlack and poor neighborhoods for everything from gasoline to toiletpaper. Garbage service is no exception.
The solution to this age-old problem is for all people, across race,to work together for collective solutions. These bold solutions solidifyour shared destiny, making it possible for residents to contest for thepower and control of a government that is rightly theirs through amultiracial democracy.
While the answer to our deep-rooted racial and economic inequities isfound in collective action and shared taxes, the state of Minnesota andits localities have done the opposite. As the state’s racial diversityhas grown over time, it also has chosen to divest from collectiveresources. This choice has only widened our gap.
Our racial inequity did not happen on accident or overnight. It tookdecades of individuals choosing to make isolated decisions. When so manyof those are made without considering the impact on those who don’tlook like them, we slowly create entire systems that benefit a few tothe detriment of the many.
Because Minnesota’s disparities are so glaring, they are spoken aboutoften. But to be frank, few people are prepared to do what’s necessaryto solve the problem. It will require intentional, collective investmentinto all communities, regardless of the ZIP code or skin color.
The fact is this: Just like the signed contract for coordinatedtrash, our city is imperfect. Our elected leaders made imperfectdecisions and must be held accountable for them. This ballot initiativeis an opportunity for us as a city to loudly declare that we aretogether, across race, religion and ZIP codes, ready to care for oneanother and fight for one another so that we can all thrive.
Some “no” voters hope that voting for isolation on the ordinance willvoid the contract. The Minnesota Supreme Court this week indicated thata “no” vote won’t void the contract. Even so, a “no’ vote is a sure wayto move backward from collective action.
In November, we pray that together we’ll keep the trash ordinance byvoting yes on the ballot referendum. By voting yes, we are definitivelysaying that we are willing to work together to make this contract asequitable as possible for all of the residents. We’ve proven that we canget things done when we all pitch in. Just as we did to win thestrongest Earned Sick and Safe Time ordinance in the country, we canfight on this issue so that all benefit, no exceptions.
When we do this collectively, every single one of us will have proverbial skin-in-the-game at City Hall – homeowners, renters, landlords and business owners. Families who work multiple jobs to make ends meet and retirees on a fixed income, whether black or white, from Highland Park or Phalen Park, Muslim or Christian. Residents will know that even if they can’t be at City Hall making sure our leadership is boldly moving with the people, their neighbors are there for them because we said Yes for St. Paul.
Minister JaNaé Bates and Imam Ahmed Anshur are St. Paul Christianand Muslim clergy respectively, with ISAIAH, a multi-faith,multi-racial, nonpartisan vehicle for communities of faith to actcollectively and powerfully towards racial and economic equity in thestate of Minnesota. ISAIAH is supporting a Yes vote on coordinated trashcollection.