Hello Booker and Minneapolis Folks,
These are very complicated issues that bring strong emotions from many people. One person cannot speak for everyone, nor should they, but you can represent a group of people that have elected or appointed you to speak on behalf of them . We will also always have people-electorate-group-members that opposed the elected or appointed individual individual from within those groups. No one voice speaks for all of us, and they shouldn't.
Politicians and activist have different motivations for their work, many are committed to making the world a better place to live, and have deep convictions that inspire their work and positions. We also will always have people that are motivated by power-influence, and money: ideology, and beliefs, are nothing more then tools for attaining their personal goals.
I encourage people to voice their opinions, and challenge, our leaders, and ourselves to strive to create a better world, and without disagreement we do not have democracy, and sharing of opinions and ideas is the most important part of creating a better world.
I believe the Star Tribune tone and content has been wrong on several recent stories. I believe it is important to point this out to journalist when this happens, but also understand they are human and imperfect like rest of us, and hope this has some impact for change. The Star Tribune has work to do related to race-relations in our community, African American and other communties of color. They have taken a step backwards and started using Native American mascot names in their reporting, something they had previously stopped doing. I have to agree with Booker that the Star Tribune shouldn't't have released the Mr. Porter as a police informant, this seems like a double standard. The Star Tribune has written about and editorialized the Bush administration releasing information about a former CIA person to the media (Caucasian women), because it could harm the individual in variety of ways. We should be asking who within the Minneapolis Polic
e or
other departments released this information to the Star Tribune. The Star Tribune also purchases paper from Abiti which is clear cutting Grassy Narrows Objiwa forest in Ontario Canada. The Grassy Narrow Ojibwa have been protesting, and performing acts of civil disobedience for nearly a year to protect their land from being destroyed. The Star Tribune management has ignore this issue, which has been written about by Tom Knudson of the Sacramento Bee a McClatchy owned paper on two occasions. The paper should consider looking at issues of institutional racism if it desires to reflect the community they serve.
I was a very early support and consultant for R.T. Rybak, but have privately and publicly disagreed with Mayor Rybak on numerous occasions. I am not been afraid to express my disagreement with the Star Tribune have done so today and in previous post, but disagree with the Booker's accusation that it is "Rybak-Times", that is just incorrect. I might be covering information previously provide by others (I don't read all the posts, sorry, I have a job). R.T. Rybak was not endorsed by the Star Tribune in either the primary or the general election. He did work for the paper many years ago. I am assuming employees that worked for the paper supported him and opposed him during the election. The paper has written favorable and unfavorable stores about him and they also did this with Sharron Sayles Belton. I would be curious to see an analysis of media coverage of both mayors during their terms. I also do not think refering to the pap
er as
"Rybak-Times" is very productive style of argument, and does not probable benefit your overall goals.
The Minneapolis Civil Rights Department (CRD) has been inactive for 21 months, which creates several problems. Current complaints are not being addressed, and the public is less likely to file a complaint because they believe it is a waste of time, police also do not worry about having consquences. I am curious why Booker believes the CRD staff is spending all their time shopping at Marshall Field. I am not sure again that is correct or such statement are helpful or motivating.
Respectfully,
Ken Bradley Corcoran Neighborhood
612-728-8962
Booker Hodges <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Booker T Investigates
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Published 10-29-03
Who speaks for White people?
Leadership in the African American community has been the hot topic of
discussion of late. The Star Tribune and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak have
taken it upon themselves to try to define and discredit some leaders in the
African American community.
If you recall, back in December 2002 I wrote a column expressing my concern
about several leaders in our community. I said that I didn't feel
comfortable with any one person saying that he or she speaks for the African
American community. In that column I listed several people whom I felt were
doing just that, speaking for the entire Black community. The Star Tribune
and Rybak seem to feel as though they can do the same by criticizing some of
the leaders of our community.
T he Star Tribune (AKA the ***Rybak Times***) and Rybak have spent a great
deal of time discussing Black leadership, and in some cases even trying to
define Black leadership, without defining White leadership. Once Rybak and
the ***Rybak Times*** define the White leadership and show us the White
leader, maybe I can show them the Black leader.
Who is the leader of White people? Is it Robert Lilligren, Paul Ostrow, Tim
Pawlenty, or R.T. Rybek? When these White people speak, are they speaking on
behalf of all White people? Of course they aren't, so why is it that when
Spike Moss, Reverend Staten, or Reverend Jerry McAfee speak, White people
assume that they are speaking on behalf of all Black people?
Spike, Reverend Staten, and Reverend McAfee champion some good causes, and
in most cases I am confident that they are speaking in the best interest of
Black people. Some Black people, including myself, have criticized these
individuals in the past for speaking for us without consulting some other
Blacks outside of their leadership organizations.
It seems to me that Mayor Rybak and the ***Rybak Times*** didn't have any
problems with these individuals until they started speaking for a united
Black people. Once these individuals showed up at the Minneapolis School
Board with the support of many organizations of color and White people, they
got the attention of Rybak and the ***Rybak Times***.
R.T. Rybak and the ***Rybak Times*** saw fit to try to discredit these
individuals once they realized that they were representing a united people
of color. Rybak basically called these individuals non-authentic community
leaders who just show up when the camera is rolling. Well, if these
individuals are non-authentic, who needs to authenticate them? Is it me? Is
it you? Is it R.T. Rybak?
Everyone knows that I have not agreed with these individuals all the time,
but let me say this : When they took on the appointment of David Jenkins as
superintendent, I agreed with them. So I guess I can say that they were
speaking for me when they took on that issue. More than likely I will
disagree with these individuals in the future, but I will always side with
them over our cowardly mayor and his newspaper.
Now let's talk about Stephen Porter, the alleged victim of a plunging at the
hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Porter alleges that during a
drug raid he was strip-searched and sodomized with a plunger four times by
two Minneapolis police officers.
Police, of course, deny these allegations. Police say that Porter is a drug
dealer with a history of concealing contraband in his rectum, and that is
why he was strip-searched during the drug raid.
People keep writing to ask me what I think happened. Well, I want to reserve
judgment until all the facts are known, but to me there are only three
possibilities. One , the police didn't sodomize Porter with a plunger. Two,
Mr. Porter was sodomized four times with a plunger. Three, the police
officers used the plunger to spread and rake Porter's anus because they
didn't want to stick their hands in his butt. If the allegations are true,
these officers should be sent to prison; if they are not true, Porter should
be punished.
The ***Rybak Times*** put Mr. Porter's life in danger when they identified
him as a police informant, and they successfully shifted the focus to Porter
as opposed to the egregious allegations.
Lastly, Channel 5 reported that complaints of police brutality have declined
over the last couple of years. I say the reason for the decline is because
there is no place to file complaints. If you want to file a complaint with
the CRA or the Civil Rights Department, you have to go to Marshall Fields,
because the staff members are constantly shopping there during business
hours. Bes ides, nothing will get done with your complaint anyway. I wish the
news media would report the complete story.
Note to the ***Rybak Times***: please stop plagiarizing this wonderful
newspaper.
***If you are being abused or know someone who is being abused, you can call
the following numbers: Harriet Tubman Center, 612-825-0000; Domestic Abuse
Project, 612-673-3526; Minnesota Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-866-223-1111;
National Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE.
Booker T welcomes reader responses to [EMAIL PROTECTED], or you
can call the Spokesman at 612-827-4021 and leave a message.***
Booker T Hodges
North side
_________________________________________________________________
Enjoy MSN 8 patented spam control and more with MSN 8 Dial-up Internet
Service. Try it FREE for one month! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup
REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Do you Yahoo!?
Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears
