Peace Alliance Network Addresses Root Causes to Violence:  Employment Opportunities –The Target Project Has Ignored their Mark!!!!

The Peace Alliance Network will host a RALLY-DEMONSTRATION at the new Target site located in Penn Circle East Thursday, at 12 NOON. The new Target store development currently underway in the heart of East Liberty, taking place in one of the city’s poorest , unemployed, dislocated and disenfranchised community has no plans to include the residents of the community or surrounding communities in its growth and development of their 30 million dollar project.  Instead of partnering with local training programs and unions to assist in reinvesting in the area where Target will be making Billions of dollars, the developers has decided to offer the community residents miniscule cashier, stocking and consumer service employment once the entire multi-million dollar project is completed.  The redevelopment in urban settings are designed to use profits to transform social impediments into legitimate employment opportunities for youth, friends and neighbors that are affected by conditions of the deterioration of property value and social worth among the citizens.

We must ask ourselves as taxpaying community residents, why are we not being considered as viable part of this huge revitalization projects that will affect us- those residents who have experienced foreclosed properties, significant levels of unemployment do to lay-offs and downsizing and significant crime and violence increases?  We must ask ourselves, as indigenous people with generations upon generations that has poured blood, sweat and tears in this community, how have our political leaders allowed big corporations to waltz in our region with no demands or conditions regarding responsibility for improving the quality of life for the community that they are about to change forever?

Federal, state and local policy makers must have their constituents at heart during the planning stages of packaging development projects to enforce the responsibilities of big corporate developers and the public dollars that are delegated to them to create living wage employment from planning, through construction, relocation, social adjustment, on-going training and investment as these companies prosper within our region.  The new Baker’s Square is a prime example of new development and growth in our communities while the indigenous  resident suffer in poverty as the businesses in this area continue to grow and serve those on the other side of the tracks who have been able to maintain a decent living status despite the recession.

We demand that Target commit to a Community Agreement that reinforces the following:

• Immediately begin to invest in workforce development and training for community residents by partnering with those community-based agencies that has the experience and rapport with the community that it serves.  This workforce development training-from bricks and mortar through and including retail management must have a special emphasis on youth and young adults. 
• First source hiring with community residents as the first priority (also partnered with a community-based organization with experience and expertise in job preparation and placement) Invest dollars into relocation and displacement of community residents and black businesses
• Reinvestment in residential beautification throughout the community-not only areas close to business district
• Invest funding into youth serving agencies to provide safe, skillful and emotional development (through positive recreational activities, community service projects and mentoring)
• All areas of the agreement must remain on-going for the first three to five years based on business revenue and profits

The Peace Alliance Network is asking our partners and community residents to take a stance and join us in unity as we host a Demonstrate Rally on December 2, 2010 at 12:00 P.M.  We have to fight for justice; reinvestment and equity that we rightfully deserve to preserve basic survival needs of the residents in and around this community.  Target has ignored the mark and it is up to us-all community residents, political, business, social partners and developers that want to be in partnership with our urban communities– to make sure that this issue is resolved in our best interest.