Neighbors: leave the light on
While making a new home in North Minneapolis, Eric Won has found purpose connecting Northside seniors and continuing his work in public service.
Eric Won stands out on the front lawn of his home as the sun sets. Having searched for the best retirement home, Won found Minneapolis, Minnesota to be the best option. Photos by David Pierini
By Abdi Mohamed Staff Reporter
Eric Won is relatively new to the Northside area. After decades spent working in Washington D.C. spanning five presidential administrations, he retired from the Federal Reserve Executive Service and moved to the Cleveland neighborhood in May 2018. Won concluded that the cultural benefits and medical infrastructure made Minnesota an ideal place to retire.
In his time on the Northside, he’s attended many different community engagement events, met with neighbors, and found ways to participate in economic development planning. He is currently working to increase community input on the planning surrounding the Upper Harbor Terminal (UHT). Won sees the project as an economic vehicle that can bring economic prosperity to the Northside and wants to take ownership of his new home by contributing to its development.
Won started the Northside Seniors group on Facebook where he hopes to engage the seniors in North Minneapolis. He sees seniors as untapped resources who can continue to contribute their insights and knowledge to the community.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Rumor has it that you moved to the Northside for a specific house. Is this true and why was it so important? Yes, there is one home on the Northside that’s on the national register. That’s the Fournier house. It captures a period that I really enjoy and that’s the Arts and Crafts period. It was the early 1900s but started earlier in England. But this house was advertised, and I had to have it. Love at first sight. I got it, and I never saw it until closing.
You’ve never lived in Minnesota before. Was Minnesota on your radar before you found that house? Minnesota is very well known around the country for its cultural life [and] for its medical care. There are so many attributes. One of the downsides is that Minnesota is one of the thirteen states that taxes Social Security.
What’s the first thing you did when you moved into Cleveland? First thing is I knock on doors to say hi. I was never really schooled on Minnesota manners. If I saw a light on in my neighborhood, I would not be afraid. I would knock on the door and say “Hi! I’m your new neighbor” and it worked out. I got to know virtually all my neighbors and have had them over.
How else have you been getting involved with the greater community? There are so many opportunities to engage in community activism. I went to the meetings on crime and safety like everyone else, Upper Harbor Terminal because it was interesting. Dayna Frank, the owner of First Ave, contacted me and asked if I would help the development project by working on community engagement. So, I said okay. That’s one of the things I do now. I do whatever I can to make sure the community benefits from the development of the Upper Harbor Terminal.
What is it that you do to engage the community? I’m involved in looking for ways we can bring things home to the Northside through the community benefits agreement—an agreement between the city and the community with the developer on what do we have to deliver to the community to make sure everyone has benefited. We heard loud and clear: the community wants economic development. They want jobs. Since I live on the Northside, I think I can say we. We want the attributes of having such a center in our backyard. It’s part of the McKinley neighborhood. The city has this one group called the CPC and the parks have the CAC and they’re both working together side by side to make sure there’s community input to the planning process.
Why do you think it’s important to engage in this community input initiative with the UHT and why be a part of it? Upon arriving here, you want to know the landscape of where you’re living so I did all my basic research by checking census data, then speaking with neighbors. I went to some community meetings including the neighborhood association and I came to my own conclusion that most of the ills of the Northside were because we lacked a significant or sufficient economic development. Not only for people to have livable wages but to also have prosperity. I looked around and said, “okay what are the opportunities to really create this engine for the Northside” and there’s only one that I can find and it’s the Upper Harbor Terminal. I firmly believe as a minority that the greatest opportunity for us to reach prosperity is by creating jobs, creating small business and our own nest eggs.
Eric Won saw his now home, the Fournier House, for sale and "had to have it." He says it's the only home in North Minneapolis on the national register.
There are some community concerns with the UHT highlighted by members of the engagement committee due to being uncomfortable with the current direction. How do you navigate this tension? There are 17 seats on the committee chartered by the City and there are always going to be people who aren’t getting their way. There will be 15 members remaining working diligently to make things happen on time and within the parameters that the city set forth. When the members signed up to join the two committees, the City’s Collaborative Planning Committee and the Park Board’s Community Advisory Committee, when they signed up they knew what the constraints were and the time frame. Some thought that they could come in and change the charter that was given to them. I believe that resigning when you realize you’re in the wrong place is always the noble thing to do.
Outside of this project, what other involvement do you have in North Minneapolis or your neighborhood? I’ve learned a lot about some of the gaps we might have. An important thing I worked on a couple months ago was an outreach to seniors on the Northside. I was sort of surprised but pleased that within a week we had over 200 people respond over Facebook saying we want to connect with other seniors. We’ve had a few events and it’s been fun, but more importantly it’s helping to fight isolationism. The American Medical Health Association says it’s one of the biggest threats to the health of seniors. We have a community holiday event planned for December 15 in the community room at North Market, from 6-9pm. Everyone’s invited to bring a beverage and/or snack to share.
What’s the age of a senior? What are their backgrounds? We sort of see it at 55 but there are people into their 80s here. It’s really important that we re-engage people and bring them into the fabric of the community. That’s where we get our readers for example. Elementary schools need readers to work with kids. Seniors are perfect. You’d be surprised at the experience and the training some of these seniors have had. Barb Johnson was the president of the Minneapolis City Council. Linda Higgins was a state senator. Joe Mullery was a state representative. They’re members of our Facebook group and they have so much to give back to the community. We need this talent bank. We need it as a community, but seniors also need the community.
What can we learn from the senior community? Most of this experience is not something you learn in a classroom or read in books. It’s a type of living awareness that you acquire by having lived. One of those experiences we have to share is being patient. That’s not something you can teach.
What’s the name of your senior Facebook group? What’s it all about? It’s “Northside Seniors” on Facebook. It’s now a place people can also post if they need help. We have a program called Nomi Senior Santa and what it is, is that we adopt seniors and you’re their secret Santa. The seniors let you know what they want for Christmas and you sign up for who you want to give a gift to but you’re still a secret Santa. They won’t know. There are also people there who work on Meals on Wheels. I’ve delivered for Meals on Wheels and it’s a great experience. It also opens your eyes to how people are living. I think the saddest thing for me to do is delivery seven frozen meals. That tells you they’re not coming out for a whole week.
How often does the senior group meet in person? There is someone coordinating the month thing. It’s called First Fridays. We had our first event at North Market.
This isolation of seniors seems to be a cultural thing. Did you grow up in an environment different to this one? It’s a very different culture. In Hawaii you have a role in the family until the day you die. You may be a babysitter when you turn 80. You’re cooking for the family between 60 and 80 because all the parents are working so you always have a role. But people could perhaps be less disposable, and we have to help people have roles that they fulfill their entire lifetime.
You’ve had many roles in your lifetime, from working in the White House to now being on the ground and in the community. How has your perspective changed when finding solutions to problems? Politics is a contact sport. There’s times at the Federal level when you’re a coach and you’re not playing on the field. I feel like I’m on the field here. When taxes go up, it’s not hypothetical for me. I know people who ten years ago, almost lost their homes. This situation is learned from the Brookings Institution publication; instead it’s from a barbecue in our neighborhood. Federal policy making is not personal. Washington tends to be sterile. You sometimes need to look at things from the ivory tower to see things on the macro level. But then you forget there are actual people’s lives being impacted. Being nested in the Northside is important. I don’t think the types of challenges we have to face can be fully understood unless you live here. Unless you hear the gunshots at night. Unless you talk to people who were losing their homes and, on a block, where there are four vacant homes.
Who do you admire in the community? There is someone who I think has put their whole life that is meaningful to community and her name is Jaette Carpenter. She founded the Hopewell music school. Her whole life is dedicated to bringing in music to the community. They charge virtually nothing for lessons, and she was able to bring a whole group of talented teachers together. I think that’s amazing and what a great contribution to your community.