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to sell or to circulate,post or cause to be printed,circulated,or posted,any limitation,specification,
<br /> or discrimination as to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with
<br /> regard to public assistance, disability, sexual orientation, or familial status; and
<br /> WHEREAS,in 2019,the Minnesota Legislature passed a law authorizing property owners
<br /> to individually discharge or renounce discriminatory covenants by recording a discharge form in
<br /> the county property records; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the use and approval of restrictive covenants to prohibit non-white and non-
<br /> Christian persons from living in Arden Hills is key example of systemic racism in practice, as,
<br /> white residents, at the time, expected Council members, legislators, developers, and real estate
<br /> agents to empower or not interfere with efforts to maintain an all-white community,and the effects
<br /> are still visible today; and
<br /> WHEREAS, discriminatory covenants promoted and established residential racial
<br /> segregation, which historically and currently has impacted property ownership, accumulation of
<br /> generational wealth, property transfers, mortgage eligibility, rental eligibility, property values,
<br /> property tax base,internet access,access to quality education,and more.Discriminatory covenants
<br /> fortified systemic racism and compounded economic divestment in specific communities within
<br /> Hennepin County; and
<br /> WHEREAS, discriminatory covenants created demographic patterns that remain in place
<br /> today.Due in part to this historical practice,the population of the City of Arden Hills is less racially
<br /> diverse than the populations of Ramsey County and the state of Minnesota; and
<br /> WHEREAS, in 2021, the Just Deeds project was launched to provide educational
<br /> opportunities for Minnesota communities the racist history of discriminatory covenants and to
<br /> provide free legal and titles services to help residents find discriminatory covenants and
<br /> acknowledge this practice through discharge of the covenants; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the City of Arden Hills desires to participate in this project in collaboration
<br /> with its residents.
<br /> NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED be it resolved by the City Council of the City
<br /> of Arden Hills, Minnesota:
<br /> 1. The City of Arden Hills, recognizes the lasting harm that Discriminatory
<br /> Covenants—and the racial, religious, and other discriminatory practices that they
<br /> represent—cause to society in general and to the individuals who are adversely
<br /> affected by racial, religious, and other discrimination through the presence of
<br /> discriminatory covenants in the public land records.
<br /> 2. The City of Arden Hills renounces and condemns the past use of discriminatory
<br /> covenants and prohibits discriminatory covenants from being used in Arden Hills
<br /> in the future. The City of Arden Hills commits to exploring and acknowledging its
<br /> history as it relates to the imposition of discriminatory covenants in Arden Hills
<br /> and its role in sanctioning or approving such practices.
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