Hennepin County and Met Council Accused of Backtracking on Equity Commitments
- Rebecca Gilbuena
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Community leaders and residents rallied outside Metro Transit offices Thursday, calling out Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council for what they describe as a growing pattern of broken promises and racial injustice surrounding the METRO Blue Line Extension project.
From delayed funding and newly imposed barriers to the quiet removal of environmental justice data, organizers say the project is falling far short of its equity commitments and placing the burden of progress on those least equipped to bear it.
Promises Deferred, Equity Diminished
The rally comes more than a year after the Minnesota Legislature allocated $10 million for the Antidisplacement Community Prosperity Program (ACPP), a fund designed to support the most impacted communities, largely Black, Indigenous and people of color in North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park.
Despite over a year of community engagement, the County blindsided community applicants in July by announcing it would only reimburse projects, rather than directly fund them through the ACPP. The move severely limits access for undercapitalized organizations and families already under financial strain.
“The County’s requirements come at a cost, and that cost will be paid by those most vulnerable to displacement—neighbors and businesses who have lived in the corridor for generations,” said Ricardo Perez, chair of the ACPP Board and an organizer with the Blue Line Coalition.
“These are communities who make this area vibrant and desirable for development: Black, African and African American, Asian, and immigrant people of color.”
Racial Equity Data Deleted
Adding to community frustration, the Met Council removed a key chapter on environmental justice from the BLE project’s Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), published in May.
The omitted section had previously detailed disproportionate impacts on BIPOC communities—a significant omission after years of engagement and pledges to prioritize racial equity. According to the coalition, all that remains now is a verbal commitment from Met Council to follow through on equity goals.
Community Voices Push Back
Community frustration was further compounded by the last-minute cancellation of a critical meeting where officials were expected to provide answers and updates. The cancellation of the August 7 Corridor Management Committee meeting, where many hoped for answers, sent a clear message to organizers: if officials won’t show up, the community will.
“Right now, we’re still trying to gain back some of the businesses that have already been lost due to land acquisition along the light rail corridor,” said Blue Line Coalition member Denise Butler, associate director of African Career, Education and Resource (ACER).
“Our small businesses run by Black, Indigenous, and people of color are the economic engines for a lot of these cities. We welcome redevelopment, but gentrification continues to happen. We need an economic ecosystem that centers the development and creation of wealth for BIPOC communities.”
Several organizations are now calling for a halt to construction until clear, accessible, and fully funded antidisplacement measures are in place.
“In light of the displacement that has already occurred, along with the potential for more before construction even begins, the project should pause all steps toward construction,” said coalition member Martine Smaller, Executive Director of the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council.
“This must continue only when communities are truly protected and prepared.”
The Blue Line Coalition, made up of more than a dozen grassroots and nonprofit organizations, has spent over a decade organizing to ensure that immigrant, refugee, low-wealth, and BIPOC communities along the BLE corridor are not pushed out of their homes and businesses by the very infrastructure meant to serve them.
Comments