Hear, hear Richard.
This is exactly what I have been trying to instill with my block club and
community here in Central. It is so much easier to disregard, not
understand and disrespect others if we don't make the effort to get out
there and get to know all of these people.
It's time that we all grow up and take on the responsibilities for ourselves
and our actions, while it is just as important to ask our community reps to
this work wide-by side with us through our struggles and successes.
Matthew Dufresne
Central Resident and block club liaison
Richard McMartin wrote:
> > This statement is contradictory and full or problems. Jaywalking and
> > driving damaged vehicles are not "crimes," but mere legal violations.
>
> <...>
>
> > In addition, when stopping people for non-criminal violation in CODEFOR
> > neigbhorhoods, the police regularly engage in intrusions that are only
> > legally permitted for criminal violations. For example, in February,
> > 1998, a month after CODEFOR was started, I was stopped by Minneapolis'
> > finest for riding my bicylce through a red light at Franklin and Park
> > Avenues.
>
> So... Let me get this straight. If I drive my car through a red light, I
> have not committed a crime?
>
> Maybe none of the follow are not my rights but do I at least have the
> expectation that our society will protect my family and the everyone
> else in the neighborhood from some of the following:
>
> - Having guns aimed at your daughter while waiting for the bus near our
> home.
> - Having a guns fired at a drug house when your spouse walks down the
> alley near that house.
> - Having you neighbors 14 year old son murdered by his brother's
> unsatisfied drug customers. My family heard the last dying gasps of
> this youngster while his sister cried that they had shot her brother.
> - Having bullets pass through my living room 3 feet under my bed.
> - Having a guy continue urinating on my garage in front of my daughter
> and I as she drives up to the garage. After all he was just visiting
> friends down the alley that "were minding their own business".
> - Not being allowed to get to my garage because some of those friends
> "minding their own business" blocked the alley.
> - Having my house, squirrels, cats, various garage doors, pelted by
> pellet guns.
> - Having glass broken all over the alley by guys playing "baseball" with
> at aluminum bat and a couple of empty 12 packs of Budwieser bottles?
> - Having guys urinate on the sidewalk in front of and across the street
> while my family is on the front porch.
> - Having a peace making neighbor named Darell get stabbed and die in our
> alley just because he was trying to break up a fight over a gambling
> dispute. This happened while my daughter had a friend over. No wonder
> parents were reluctant to let there kids come over to our place to play.
>
> And yes running a red light is a crime - no matter what the mode of
> transportation. It is just a minor crime known as a misdemenaor. Why do
> we have such laws as "don't run a red light"? It is an attempt to make
> the transportation system work by providing a common set of
> understandable rules that everyone can follow. It makes it less likely
> that we will accidentally kill each other.
>
> The police need to be monitored and punished when they break the rules.
> There are ways for this to happen. YOU have to do some of the
> following:
> - attend Precinct Advisory Committee meetings.
> - Start a block club.
> - Talk to your SAFE officer and your CCP. Let them know when you have
> concerns about police or problems on your block.
> - Get to know the cops so that you become a human to them and they
> become humans to you. The police need to try to reach out and do this
> too.
> - Listen to the C4 meetings instead of protesting them. Bring up your
> concerns at those meetings.
>
> --
> Rich McMartin
> mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Bryant Neighborhood of Minneapolis
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