It's as if secret lair lies beneath Hiawatha Avenue between 26th and 28th Streets from which emerge people of the underground. South Minneapolis rail yards once commanded the area. No longer. The railroad tracks remain but rare is the sight of a train pulling freight. But rather the image is of pedestrians cutting across an open field littered with Light Rail construction debris. The door of a truck specially fitted to travel railroad tracks hangs open as if the driver suddenly abandoned his post. An underground plume of arsenic silently creeps towards the Mississippi, thanks to dumping from a former pesticide plant. A couple blocks away, west of Hiawatha on Lake Street, police run sting operations to snag prostitutes and their johns.
A young mixed-race couple slogs their way through deep snow in this DMZ between the haves and have-nots. The man has a large plastic bag full of belongings slung over his shoulder as he cradles a small cardboard box under one arm. The woman, her head bowed, struggles with a heavy suitcase.
Cars zip by. Everyone is going somewhere. I wonder. What destination does the young couple have in mind? What hopes and dreams do they see in the road ahead?
Posted by Streetwalker at February 14, 2004 11:57 AM