Doug Mann Writes:
African Americans in the Twin Cities do not have access to education
facilities, employment and housing on the same basis as whites due to
illegal discrimination on the basis of "race." And not much is being done
to enforce laws that prohibit race-based discrimination. That is why gang
activity, and laws that criminalize people who are related to alleged gang
members, pose a more immediate and serious danger to African Americans than
to Whites.
The City of Minneapolis is also poised to implement a plan of action against
gangs, and those related to gang members, along the lines advocated by
Tyrone Terrill in his open letter. The chief architect of the plan in
Minneapolis is Chuck Wexler, a consultant for the City of Minneapolis and
the General Mills Foundation. Ron Edwards refers to Wexler as "...the
architect of Minnesota's new Nuremberg Laws." At his blog site, Ron Edwards
wrote,
"Here is our concern: the consultant, Chuck Wexler, who has been brought in
to help the department deal with the rising violence in several North Side
neighborhoods is being paid by the General Mills Foundation. What the Strib
is so far not telling (are the editors blocking it so as not to embarrass
their friends?) is that the police are telling us they can't tell us what is
in the plan because it is the General Mills Foundation plan."
In my view, the Minneapolis Plan to deal with gangs must emphasize the
defense and extension of human rights, not an erosion of rights that moves
us in the direction of a NAZI-style 'final solution' of the
"African-American Problem."
Dennis Plante Responds:
Here, here Doug, you're absolutely right.... I only have one question. If
gang-related terrorism in our inner-city neighborhoods is not a significant
problem, then why are such a disproportionate number of homicidies related
to black-on-black crimes? What would happen if total and complete equality
existed in our society? Would you then be willing to take a firm stand
against gangs and gang-related violence if it existed disproportinately
within the African America community? If your answer to this is yes, then
you are part of the problem and NOT part of the solution.
Discrimination exists in many forms, at ALL levels of our society. All that
Tyrone Terril and CM Samuels are pointing-out is that there is a personal
responsibility that ALL of us have in teaching our children what is
acceptable and what is unacceotable behaviour.
To spell it out plainly. I cannot imagine a suburban council-member of any
city that was willing to go on-record in saying that gang-members were
terrorizing the communities that they operated in, being called-out for
doing so. Yet, some would feel that it is okay to set the bar lower for the
African American community in the metro area. What exactly, is the
rationale behind this?
Should we expect less from the youth within this specific segement of our
society? Would you condone the same response from leaders of the Latino, or
Asian communities?
I have seen numerous responses from "leaders" within the african american
community related to the "letter" and CM Samuels resply to it. Most of it
negative. Yet, it seems that when another "voice" from the african american
community wants to "split hairs" and clarify that they used the term n####a,
and not n###er, no-one raises so much as an eyebrow. Both terms are
offensive and denigrating to a specific part of our population. I am
personally and equally offended by the use of either term. My take on this?
It's okay for African Americans to expect less from each other, but NOT
okay for them to expect more.
My business partner is a political refugee from El Salvador. The country
from which he came from and the conditions he lived under in that country
would rival what ANY minority in our country has experienced in their
history. And for a much longer period of time... Yet, he'd still be the
first to "boot" a child of his out the door if they were involved in
gang-related activity. And yes, he is stopped far more often in his car
than I. And yes, he needs me to be present when he makes sales calls to
larger companies (white-owned/managed). It is part of the world that we
live-in that I detest, but cannot change by myself. However, to not accept
the reality of the current position we find ourselves in would be folly. It
is not acceptable to say that because we have not achieved equality (in our
society) that I will not teach my children the basic difference between
right and wrong.
There are MANY rock-solid african american mothers AND fathers out there
that need the same tools we give the white mothers and fathers in our
society. DON'T take these tools away from them because we have not achieved
racial equality in our society. As a community, send a message to the
children. Let them know it is NOT okay to participate in gangs and
gang-related activities. The legacy of any generation should be to leave
the world (to their children) a better place than what they found-it.
dennis plante
lind-bohanon
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