Our Statement of Purpose
We will help people who are unhoused and housing insecure in the Twin Cities to secure housing, self-determination, and a center of mutual aid by forming a community land trust (CLT) to acquire land in Minneapolis and support the capacity to build radically affordable legal dwellings.
We undertake this endeavor in response to the violent evictions conducted by the city of Minneapolis. In particular, unhoused people had built strong communities on unused public land listed as property of the “Office of Community Planning and Economic Development”, and rather than negotiate to do either of those things CPED led the city-wide policy of destruction.
The Gertrude Brown CLT will be led by a board of directors comprised of former residents of the razed Near North encampment, currently unhoused individuals who intend to live on the land, and representatives from a coalition of autonomous mutual aid organizations that are standing in solidarity with their unhoused neighbors against the continued violence visited on them by the City of Minneapolis’ Public Works, Park Police, and MPD. As a cooperative the board of the organization will be elected by its members: people living on CLT land and unhoused people seeking to live on CLT land. GBCLT will maintain at a minimum one currently or previously unhoused community member on the board of directors to every housed member of the board.
Changes to zoning law championed by unhoused organizers and allies allow for intentional community cluster developments of 30 microhomes plus a common building on lots of 10,000 square feet or more. We plan to build an intentional community in accordance with recent zoning law, consisting of innovating affordable ways for unhoused people to legally build their own housing in collaboration with architects and construction professionals. We intend to develop a model which can be replicated on multiple lots of public or otherwise affordable land.
The Gertrude Brown CLT envisions that residents of the intentional community will have the option of permanent or temporary residence in microhomes, with the option of purchasing their microhome under the agreement that homes are not intended to be sold for significant profit, and may be priced at $1/home or less.
The community will be self-sustaining with ongoing mutual aid support, including but not limited to; a community garden facilitated by residents, educational workshops to promote autonomous self-defense and de-escalation training hosted by Atlas Defense, wound care kit distribution and medic care facilitated by Freedom Street Health, consistent laundry service provided by The People’s Laundry, resource-share workshops, food-share, and most importantly, no cost of living on the land.
Meet Our Board
Junail Freeman-Anderson
Junail is a GBCLT board member and the executive director of Freedom From the Streets. In her work with Freedom From the Streets, she is a strong advocate for the unhoused. Junail believes that housing policies need to be created by and for the unhoused and those at risk of losing their housing to adequately and fairly address the needs of unhoused people. She was a founding member of the Envision Collective, and through that work, she has cultivated trust with unhoused people to gather information on what unhoused people need in their housing.
Venus
Yo! The name is Venus like the fly trap and I am one of the visionaries of this project. I’ve been involved in grassroot organizations in Minneapolis for the past 3 years specializing in reproductive and sexual health with a deep passion to uplift and materially assist the people in my community. My involvement in encampments, outreach and being unhoused myself has forced me to confront the violence of homelessness created by the state. Housing is a human right, not a privilege for people who can afford it. The goal with this project is to house my neighbors in Near North Minneapolis and inspire others to take matters into their own hands regarding our plight. Remember, we keep us safe.
Abigail Meyer
Abigail has been active in encampment support for over three years and has seen the problems in only responding to evictions and wanted to create an alternative. Her experience as a mental health social worker gives her insight into the mental, physical, and emotional needs of unhoused people. To Abigail, the land trust is a way to provide effective, long-term housing with dignity since the state refuses to respond to the housing crisis in any legitimate way.
Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America
Twin Cities-DSA is a member-led, member-financed organization fighting for workers, and against capitalism, racism and all forms of oppression in order to build a multiracial worker powered socialist future for the Twin Cities. We believe in a diversity of tactics and organize electoral, labor, renter, and mutual aid campaigns to build power and victories for the local working class.
Atlas Defense
Violence prevention trainings led by a local small business offering superior service and personalized attention. Atlas Defense takes seriously the idea We deserve to feel safe anywhere, and beyond self and home defense, also aims to empower community and workplace safety.
With not for: Marginalized folx of all kinds have been intentionally overlooked and underserved by the toxic and pervasive self defense industry. Atlas Defense's training addresses that by intentionally working within the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community to prepare for the modern threats we face.
Northside Mutual Aid
We are housed and unhoused neighbors supporting each other with masks, meals, heat, and hope during COVID-19 in North Minneapolis.
We support each other with masks, meals, heat, and hope as we work to build a future for North Minneapolis where all of us have the resources to not merely survive but have the most power possible over our own lives.
The most pressing need we're addressing is basic survival for those of us living in an encampment in a vacant lot in Near North (before its brutal eviction by hundreds of police and other agents of Minneapolis city government at a cost of, by their own estimation, at least $265,000); support continues to the Near North camp diaspora.
