| FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE | | | | been followed. This example of the stimulus dollars |
| Springboard Economic Development Corporation | | | | not reaching the African-American community |
| has formally requested Minnesota Department of | | | | cannot continue. These are tax dollars collected |
| Transportation, due to their failure to follow the | | | | indiscriminately without regard to race, gender, or |
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 section 49 CFR part 26 | | | | ethnicity. All citizens will be taxed in the future to |
| to Cease and Desist in letting all federally funded | | | | repay these stimulus funds.” |
| transportation contracts immediately. | | | | Chism, age 44, who was raised in public housing in |
| Lennie Chism, Springboard’s Executive | | | | Ohio and is a graduate of The Ohio State |
| Director, has requested the state of Minnesota to | | | | University. Chism has been working closely with |
| immediately terminate all federally funded | | | | MN DOT in an attempt to correct this injustice to |
| transportation contracts for failure to follow the | | | | the African American DBEs for nearly two years`. |
| federal laws mandated by the Disadvantage | | | | Chism states, “He is planning to attend the |
| Business Program (DBE) as required by United | | | | Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 89th |
| States Department of Transportation (USDOT) | | | | Annual Meeting next week in Washington, D.C. He |
| administered by the Federal Highway | | | | will use the opportunity to speak with the key law |
| Administration (FHWA). | | | | makers of the transportation committee about |
| Chism states, “MNDOT DBE program is | | | | re-establishing separate DBE goals as they existed |
| flawed resulting in less than 1% participation by | | | | until 1987 for White DBEs and African-American |
| African-American DBEs. MNDOT DBE program has | | | | DBEs. |
| awarded 99% of their DBEs contracts to white | | | | Currently, North Carolina’s Transportation |
| female DBEs. MNDOT has boasted they are in | | | | Department has separate DBE goals - |
| compliance, therefore they do not need to award | | | | The goal for minority-owned business |
| any contracts to African-American | | | | enterpriseparticipation(MBE) is: 6.6%. |
| contractors– this is troubling.” | | | | The goal for women-owned businessenterprise |
| Chism states, “MN DOT has created a | | | | participation(WBE) is: 4.7%.” |
| troubling culture where enforcement of the | | | | Springboard’s mission of economic |
| federal mandated DBE program laws for the | | | | development of the impoverished area of North |
| non-discriminatory distribution of stimulus and | | | | Minneapolis cannot be accomplished with this |
| federal tax dollars for highway projects have not | | | | unlawful behavior of MNDOT. |