A film documenting the lengthy public dispute in the late 1990s over the re-routing of Hwy. 55 in Minneapolis next to Minnehaha Park is scheduled to be shown at 7 p.m. Saturday at Roosevelt High School, 4029 28th Av. S.
The 90-minute film documents the fight over shifting the highway from its former route along old Hiawatha Avenue to a new route closer to the Mississippi River.
That change caused extended controversy, an occupation of homes purchased by the state for the project, and the eventual ouster of occupants by hundreds of law enforcement officers.
The new routing was opposed by people who feared its impact on the park, those who wanted the area's oaks spared, Indian activists who regarded some affected spaces as sacred, and those who feared that the new route would dry up historic Camp Coldwater spring.
Organizers suggest a $5 donation.
STEVE BRANDT
