Small businesses in Minneapolis, St. Paul deserve state aid, too

Drive down Lake Street, West Broadway or University Avenue, and you'll see parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul that are relatively unchanged since civil unrest devastated these communities following the killing of George Floyd last May.

With the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin looming large in the Twin Cities, we cannot forget that in addition to justice and public safety reform, resources are also desperately needed to help these neighborhoods and small businesses rebuild.

When communities are hit with disasters, Minnesota steps up to help, regardless of ZIP code. Why does it seem as if these Black, Indigenous and communities of color are the exception?

This problem does not lack potential solutions. In the Minnesota House, DFLers already passed the "Providing Resources, Opportunity and Maximizing Investments in Striving Entrepreneurs" (Promise) Act last June, which includes $267 million for small businesses. The bill has been ignored by the Republican-controlled Senate in every subsequent special session since.

In addition to the Promise Act, other relief strategies have also been introduced to assist impacted businesses, including a proposal to deliver $300 million in redevelopment grants to help rebuild private infrastructure that insurance payouts have left largely uncovered (HF 728).

The anniversary of the civil unrest will be upon us before we know it and still small, family-run, multigenerational businesses are picking up the literal pieces of their American dream.

It's within our spirit as Minnesotans to help one another. Time and again during this pandemic we've seen communities band together to deliver food and resources to those hardest hit by the COVID-19 virus and its economic impact. That same charitable spirit is alive and well in the diverse neighborhoods impacted by the civil unrest. But with more than 1,500 businesses significantly damaged, including many that were destroyed, it just hasn't been enough.

It's in times like these, when the damage is too great for communities to handle on their own, that the state has a moral obligation to step in and help — just as we've done for our farmers, for towns damaged by fire, and for communities hit by natural disasters.

In 2019, when harsh winters and other uncontrollable misfortunes impacted our already struggling dairy farmers, we appropriated $8 million to help them get by. Twice since 2017 the Legislature provided aid and tax exemptions to the cities of Madelia, Mazeppa and Melrose, and to Wabasha County to address fire damage. From 1997 to 2017, Minnesota invested $368 million in flood hazard mitigation funding to help the communities along the Red River.

All of these important forms of aid included tax dollars from Twin Cities residents, all of them were approved with bipartisan support, and all of them assisted Minnesotans who were just as deserving as those currently struggling in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Not only is supporting these often marginalized neighborhoods the right thing to do, investing in these cultural and economic corridors would also help build the stronger Minnesota of the future. It's not enough to go back to the way things were before George Floyd was killed — not when it comes to racial justice, not when it comes to public safety, and not when it comes to supporting the communities that provide for a more equitable and diverse state.

Obstructionist words like "bailout" are often thrown around by Republican opponents to describe proposed legislative solutions — the same Greater Minnesota and exurban legislators whose communities benefit substantially from the revenue the Twin Cities bring in to the state year after year. It is not a bailout these communities are asking for, and that's not their attitude when it is a different community that needs help. These business owners deserve support.

To call oneself a supporter of small businesses, one's support should come with no exceptions for region or race. Minnesotans help one another in their time of need, and with the events of the past year hitting communities of color especially hard, we're calling on our Republican colleagues in the House and Senate to help deliver this sorely needed aid to these small-business owners.

Fue Lee and Mohamud Noor, both DFL-Minneapolis, are members of Minnesota House. Lee is chair of the Capital Investment Committee and author of HF 728. Noor is chair of the Workforce and Business Development Finance and Policy Committee and author of the Promise Act.