At 11:25 AM 5/10/02 -0500, WizardMarks wrote: >Dave Piehl wrote: > >>So, is this to say that Art ran for CNIA board chair >>as a favor to Wizard Marks? I was unaware that Wizard >>and Art had developed such a cozy relationship. >> >You can drop the snide routine any time David. I want CNIA to come back >to life so we can get on with the business of the organization. Art does >have some mastery of paperwork, he can run a meeting, and no one else >wanted the job under the circumstances. Further, anyone who took the job >knew that he or she would have to deal with you trashing them in this forum. >No matter how much flim-flam, ten-year old stories, spin and whatever >else you put on it, the fact remains that Erickson has been here in >Central 25 or 30 years, he's weathered his storms, he runs a fairly >large institution, and has backing from the high and the mighty--like >Colin Powell, an ex-Governor of Minnesota (Quie) and other lesser >lights. He's not going anywhere, and he will always have to be contended >with. My guess is Powell didn't know much about Urban Ventures when he lent his name to the cause. Art Erickson does have the backing of Peter McLaughlin -- who touts a $500,000 Hennepin County loan to Urban Ventures. Erickson also has a history of exploiting divisions in the Central community between the African American Community and the Gay community. Art Erickson also has a history of claiming support from individuals and organizations he does not have. The latest example of this is claiming a "partnership" with the Minneapolis Park Board and School Board -- and stating at the March Neighborhood meeting to discuss the Colin Powell Youth Center -- that the Park Board and School Board were in support of the Colin Powell Center.
Erickson and Urban Ventures have too many development schemes in the Central area for Erickson to be the type of unbiassed volunteer President of a neighborhood organization. The problem CNIA has faced, is too many people who got involved, got involved in order to get money out of the system - and many succeeded. Art Erickson, Ralph Bruins and Wizard Marks were major boosters of the Sabri AmericInn Motel scheme -- which is what got Sabri indicted for bribery. According to the UV Program Director, most of UV's staff was opposed to the Motel scheme. I thought that rather interesting -- though I never recall UV staff working on that issue one way or another. >> Regardless, Sabri's donations to Urban Ventures >>deserve some scrutiny. >> >I think, at this point, the job of scrutinizing Sabri belongs to the FBI >and like organizations. You don't have the access or skills to do it. This does sound like the time Basim Sabri wrote that Karen Forbes couldn't criticize the Motel scheme because of what it would do to traffic in Central because she's not a traffic engineer. You don't need to be a traffic engineer to have common sense. And you don't need to be the FBI to ask some questions. >>Why would Sabri donate to a >>Christian organization that his business competes >>with? >> >Why do businessmen, particularly corporations, give to both the >Democrats and the Republicans? It's called hedging your bets. They want >access no matter who wins. Sabri is doing likewise. I think the question is what return is Sabri wanting in return for his investment in UV? >> If there's one thing Basim has demonstrated >>over the past several years, it's that he always gets >>his money's worth. Actually, I think that's what he >>said on the FBI tapes too - that he could "buy" >>support from councilmembers for a few thousand dollars >>each. >> >Daivd, you can't have it both ways. Either the man is a liar, therefore >anything he says on tape or off it is suspect or the man's not a liar. >Which is it? You play this either way suits your personal machinations >each time you post on the issue. Suddenly, from your posts Sabri's words >take on an aura of biblical truth when it suits the ax you're grinding. >Even Sabri doesn't think his words are worth that much. In my opinion, Sabri was being a braggart about this. However, Sabri can easily be lying sometimes, and telling the truth at others. That being said, Art Erickson claiming a partnership with the Minneapolis School District was clearly a lie -- according to Craig Vanna at the school district -- and who handles the partnerships. In my opinion, everything Erickson or Sabri says generally has to be double checked. Eva Eva Young Central Neighborhood Minneapolis _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
