*Sigh* My autosignature thingy didn't work. So here it is
Robert Schmid Central Neighborhood Candidate for Hennepin Soil & Water Board, District 2 Green Party Endorsed On Wednesday, August 14, 2002, at 09:48 AM, Robert Schmid wrote: > Last night I received the following report on the shooting; > >> We just returned from the scene of a police shooting of a young man in >> North Minneapolis. This young man, while critically injured, is >> fortunate to have survived the shooting. >> >> We spoke to several witnesses who told us that the young man was >> running from police at the time of the shooting and that he was in the >> middle of jumping over a fence when he was shot FOUR TIMES IN THE >> BACK! Police are claiming in the media that he had a gun but all of >> the witnesses told us he did not. Further, a number of witnesses have >> signed an affidavit stating that police officers told them, "you got >> one of ours so now we got one of yours," alluding to the death of >> police office Melissa Schmidt. >> >> While we were in the area, police were quite out of control, harassing >> people, making racist comments and threatening that they "will be >> next" if they tried to walk down the street, pick up their children >> from daycare in the area, etc. > > Now if I assume, for the sake of argument, that the police story is > absolutely true, and the this story is entirely fabrication - I have to > ask myself "What purpose would such a lie serve?" I can't find an > answer. If, on the other hand, I reverse my assumption and ask the > same question, I can easily see the motivation behind such a lie. > > As in most things, I would guess that the truth lies in the middle > somewhere but this is one of those occassions where the facts may be > less important than the perception of the facts. The perception is > simply that we can not trust the police. It is an assumption held by > many and it effects their perception and judgment. The same is true of > those who implicitly trust the police. > > There is a clear need to rebuild this trust and I have SOME ideas that > will help. I for one favor police who will live in the neighborhoods > they patrol. An officer who is more afraid of my neighborhood than I > am, is not an officer that I can trust. But how do we compel officers > to live in the community? > > I would aks that the city council establish a scholarship fund. This > fund will be available to student-residents of Minneapolis who are > committed to acquiring the necessary degrees and training to become a > police officer. In return they sign a contract binding them to 5 years > residence in and employment with a particular Mpls police department > precinct. In other words, in high school, a student commits to > returning to his/her neighborhood for five years as a police officer. > If they drop out or leave, they are obligated to pay back the loan. > I'm sure that the city could wrangle something with federally > guaranteed student loans to ensure that they are not dismissed under > bankruptcy. > > If this is enacted now it will be ten years before we see its > benefits. It may be a long wait but the important question is, can our > City Council and Mayor see that far ahead and plan that far ahead? > > > On Wednesday, August 14, 2002, at 09:01 AM, Rosalind Nelson wrote: > >> I think that people are upset this time not so much because the police >> shot the suspect but because of reports that one officer told people at >> the scene, "You got one of ours and we got one of yours." >> >> Rosalind Nelson >> Bancroft neighborhood >> >> >> Stephen Jester wrote: >>> >>> According to today's paper, the suspect was carrying a .40 caliber >>> handgun. >>> I recently shot a gun of this caliber, and let me tell you it packs >>> some >>> punch. I'm not surprised by the resident's reaction, and the >>> complaint that >>> the police didn't have to shoot "this boy". Well, he's 19, so he is a >>> man, >>> and I don't think veteran officers would shoot a man in cold blood. >>> Let's go back to the chase and shooting of the boy on 3700 >>> block of Girard >>> last summer. What was the reaction then? Why did the cops have to >>> shoot that >>> boy. Why? HE HAD A GUN AND POINTED IT AT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. The >>> parents of >>> that boy came out and blasted the police, without knowing all the >>> facts. >>> Turned out that he was running with the bad crowd, and all police >>> accounts >>> were correct. Once again the community activists come out when a black >>> person is shot by the police. But why aren't they over here off of >>> Lowry? >>> Why aren't they telling the black kids to get off the street corners >>> and >>> clean up the neighborhood they live in? I see more people sitting on >>> the >>> stoop of their house with beer cans and bottles in the front yard. >>> What's up >>> with that? I just would like to see these activists facing up to the >>> real >>> problems on a day to day basis her on the northside. >>> I've told my father that the only solution to this is to hire >>> a black >>> police chief, and hire all black cops to run the areas that blacks are >>> concentrated in. What will be the complaint then? This is another >>> case of >>> the police saying one thing, and the residents saying another, well >>> I'm >>> going with the police on this one, just like last summer on Girard. >>> >>> Stephen Jester >>> McKinley >>> >>> _______________________________________ >>> 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 >> _______________________________________ >> 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 > > _______________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________ 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
