[Mpls] CODEFOR 3rd Pct.Report
I Thursday night's 3rd Precint CODEFOR update and report at the new and beautiful YWCA at 2121 East Lake Street. The room was full nearly to capacity with community members, officers, civilian MPD employees, and city & county members of the criminal justice family. The headliners were Mayor Sayles Belton and Police Chief Olson. The first hour and ten minutes were filled with reports from the Mayor, Chief and other city/county/MPD representatives defining Codefor (an information management system) and its successes. The last 35 minutes were spent taking questions from the assembly. I liked that part best. One citizen, a teacher, gave a chilling and eye-opening report about the inadequate level of preparation in our schools for a *Columbine-like* situation and requested action. I opened my remarks with a message of gratitude to the Mayor and Chief for helping transform my neighborhood from a war zone to a thriving community. The concern I discussed was about inappropriate police aggression. I see it myself and hear of it often. It ranges from police officers shouting profanities on the loudspeakers of their squad cars in our neighborhoods, to the mishandling of suspects which results in costly out-of-court settlements, to even more tragic situations. I asked both the Mayor and Chief to address specifically how they plan to correct this problem of inappropriate aggression. Chief Olson said that the police *weren't naive* about what was going on and he had a message that citizens who felt mistreated should utilize the Civilian Review Authority. The Mayor spoke well and at length about where the buck stops. Though both acknowledged a problem and their responsiblilty, neither offered many solutions. I approached Mayor Sayles Belton after the meetng and offered my help in exploring ways of rejuvenating MPD/Citizen trust by partcipating in any forum or discussion on the topic. For me the most distressing part of the evening was reported to me by one of my supporters there. She took part in a conversation where a MPD officer was criticising CM Herron for not being present. When my supporter mentioned my name to the officer he responded, "Oh, the one that doesn't like the police." For the record, so far I like every MPD officer I've ever met. To me the police are a welcome part of our city, but I don't think that the MPD is above reproach. I am saddened by this attitude of *for us or against us* that so often comes from city departments and City Hall. Hopefully we can all work together to help build a healthy and beautiful city. Yours, Robert Lilligren Candidate for City Council Ward 8, Phillips West www.VoteRobert.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Re: MPD brutality settlement
Tim and my fellow list members, I feel a bit of anger aimed and me and my statements and I wanted to respond to that. Tim, I believe you feel very strongly about your opinion (and respect that), but I wish that you could step outside of yourself to see how you may look and sound to others. I'm asking you to think about this from another perspective just as you are demanding of the rest of us with your heated posting. The world, and Minneapolis for that matter, are not as black and white as you would make them out to be. Nor are they as militaristic, doomsdayish or jackbooted as you paint them to be. Yes we have problems with our police department and yes we can do a lot better. And it's good that you are out there helping people to see that dark side of Minneapolis. But not every cop is like what you portray them to be. The Minneapolis Police Department is just like any other slice of the human pie. There are lots of good people and a few bad people, and unfortunately the bad ones nearly always overshadow the good. We need to work on those bad ones and keep educating the others and ourselves so that we don't go down the wrong road. I think in this we are in agreement. I will repeat that there are different realities and experiences. I expressed one of the Minneapolis officers who were involved in Abuka's case and another about how Abuka had been let down by us, the community, given is mental health issues and lack of proper assistance. You offered another about a bi-polar ride in the back seat of a squad and "facing jack booted, sadistic hospital attendants". These are both valid views and realities. Mine is not better, nor worse, than yours, just different. What is important for this list and its members is that we express our various opinions so that people can see these different sides and come up with a broader understanding than when they began. But we run the risk of alienating people when we become so heated and one-sided on an issue. I speak from experience in my own life given the mistakes I have made and also that I am currently living it as a member of Central Neighborhood. We are obviously not going to win each other over in this discussion, but I hope that others on the list have been able to see some of the different issues, concerns and differences that exist on this point. I hope that it would lead to good, healthy discussions on how we can better our police force and our mental health system, how we can come at a tough issue from different sides but still find common ground and how to have a healthy debate about issues that affect us here in Minneapolis. So please let this be the beginning of a new discussion on the positive aspects of the work we are doing to make Minneapolis a more tolerant, understanding and livable city. Respectfully, Matthew Dufresne Central timothy connolly wrote: > > I've been accused of being overly simplistic by > someone on this list who took issue with my > characterization of the murder of Abuka Sanders. I > suppose that will be the case here as well. > > Too simplistic. Perhaps. Did Abuka Sanders do all the > things a list member says the police say he did? > Perhaps. But without better documentation it's all > hearsay to me. What I stated was truth, pure and > simple; police reigned down 34 rounds of ammunition on > a bi-polar individual who was probably more confused > and terrified than he could ever be dangerous. Here's > some more info: Abuka Sanders had a lengthy police > recored; 54 offenses, all of them misdemeanors or > petty misdemeanors and almost all from traffic and > parking vilations. > > Abuka was a big man. He was not violent and there is > no record to suggest that to be the case. > > To read the apologia for the police from one list > member you would think there was no need to convene a > grand jury. For all the good it will do anyway! The > idea that the Hennepin County Sheriff and the Hennepin > County Prosecutor will ever take a critical look at > the MPD is nigh impossible. There is an inherent > conflict of interest in the proposition. > > Our police are poorly trained, poorly disciplined and > poorly led. They are not soldiers in a war, they are > peace officers. And people who condone any violation > of due process and civil liberties, be they civilian > or police, under the guise of whatever they believe > justifies them, act antithetically to the spirit of > our Constitution however that may differ from reality, > both present and past. > > Tim Connolly > Ward 7 > As to walking a mile in a person's shoes, and > experiencing the fear, the adrenaline these officers > felt, let them come along for a bi-polar ride, let > them be cuffed tight and thrown in the back of a cop > car with no ventilation and extreme claustrophobia; > let them be thrown into a steel room with a single > steel table the only furniture, a camera in the > ceiling, a 4"square window in the door; let them > experience jack booted
Re: [Mpls] Re: Pledge to the cloth
I went to Missouri Synod Lutheran Schools for 12 years mostly in Denver, Colorado. Old age means I don't remember saying the allegiance every day but we did say it frequently along with all those prayers, homolies, bible passages and a myriad of other things relating to Jesus and God. Annie Young www.annieyoung.org Ward 6 - East Phillips in Minneapolis Citywide at-large Park Board Commissioner Working to build a sustainable community ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Another City Settlement?
Just when you thought that news of big police misconduct payouts was done, Channel 5 News just reported that the City is rumored to be discussing a settlement with Minneapolis police officer Alissa Clemmons in the range of $300-350K. About 5 years ago, the city paid officer Clemmons a settlement of $400,000 for racial harassment, most notably for trying to fire her for sending racist hate mail to fellow African American police officers (she is also African American) without any significant evidence. Apparently she sued again for discrimination and the city plans to pay out some more big bucks. Jordan Kushner Powderhorn ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Re: MPD brutality settlement
Please clarify. Was is council member Johnson or Biernat that said: "the kid has no permanent injuries" as to the reason that they did not support the settlement? I seem to recall that is was council member Johnson, but then again I have been wrong before. Tom Taylor Sheridan Neighborhood ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re: MPD brutality settlement
I've reread a Strib article from 4/07/01 relating to this case. A few things jumped out at me this time in a second reading that had not occured to me before. It's frightening how blase one can become. First: It was a federal suit which is a horse of a different color. In the last federal case the city was involved in vis a vis police conduct was a chase in which an innocent chauffeur was killed by a fleeing motorists. If I recall correctly the city settled for way above the $300k limit the state legislature has set as a ceiling for the city's liability. Two things about this intrique me: a) is it legal for there to be a limit on the city's liability? I don't think anyone wants this question to end up in federal court for fear the state statute may not be upheld. At any rate federal law has no ceiling for liability as far as I know,; and b)I wonder if the city wants to keep these sort of matters out of federal court litigation. As an article in USA Today which Michael Hohmann referred to us the other day, the federal government Justice Department is investigating a number of identified cities regarding ongoing allegations of harassment, brutality, and profiling. Mpls. was not identified as one but there was also an ominous note that two, as yet, unnamed cities were being looked at. It should be noted that there is a question in the last paragraph and lots of idle speculation on my part. Second: At first reading I recognized one officer's name. At the second reading I recognized another. I also realized that the officers involved whom I know are in the Downtown Command. So what? It means they were either transferred after the incident or they chased the kid a long way to Edina. That could add some frustration to the mix. Or is being tranferred out of a precinct to another how we "discipline" officers? Third: Joan Campbell and Lisa McDonald who voted to settle voiced the fear the city would not win. Joan Campbell was quoted as saying "there were some extenuating circumstances that might make that more difficult" referring to winning a court case. I should say! The paper said an Edina officer filed a report that the MPD officer made 4 striking motions while the victim was motionless on the ground. One councilperson I spoke with said " the Edina cops thought the Mpls cops were out of control". In a recent meeting Chief Olson stated the victim 'broke his nose on the golf course'. It gets better all the time. Joe Biernat and Barb Johnson voted against the settlement. Joe's assessment was " the kid has no permanent injuries". Apparently Joe has never had the stuffing pounded out of him. Finally the plaintiff's attorney was going to allege "the city has a history of tolerance of the use of excessive force on fleeing suspects." By all means, the city does not want to air that dirty linen in public. This had to have been egregious given a assistant city attorney's comment that police brutality cases are generally settled out of court for $15,000. Either that or were just giving money away in which case I think I'll go out and taunt a cop on the corner of 5th and Hennepin tonight. I've been accused of being overly simplistic by someone on this list who took issue with my characterization of the murder of Abuka Sanders. I suppose that will be the case here as well. To me it is pretty simple. We apprehend criminals, we arrest them, we read them their rights, we transport them to jail where they are eventually accorded the right to see an attorney, go before a judge where charges are lodged against them and bail is set whereupon they can make bail and leave jail until they are to appear in court where they are then confronted by their accusers and are afforded the opportunity to defend themselves. We do not beat people on the sidewalk, we do not throw out nets that gather people willy-nilly off the street on the off chance they may be criminals, we do not prejudge the guilt or innocence of a person and justify police behavior with the excuse "they were bad guys anyway", we protect and serve all without regard to race, creed, gender, perceived innocence or guilt. Too simplistic. Perhaps. Did Abuka Sanders do all the things a list member says the police say he did? Perhaps. But without better documentation it's all hearsay to me. What I stated was truth, pure and simple; police reigned down 34 rounds of ammunition on a bi-polar individual who was probably more confused and terrified than he could ever be dangerous. Here's some more info: Abuka Sanders had a lengthy police recored; 54 offenses, all of them misdemeanors or petty misdemeanors and almost all from traffic and parking vilations. Abuka was a big man. He was not violent and there is no record to suggest that to be the case. To read the apologia for the police from one list member you would think there was no need to convene a grand jury. For all the good it will do anyway! The idea that the Hennepin County Sheriff and the Hennepin County Prosecuto
Re: [Mpls] Neighborhoods v.s. downtown
Remember that Downtown is a Neighborhood, in fact Downtown East & North Loop had the second and third highest percentage population increases in the city in the last 10 years according to the 2000 Census information found on the City's website: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/planning/Census2000/. So "Neighborhoods vs. Downtown" is a misnomer. Paul Barber Webmaster Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association (DMNA), Inc. LaSalle Plaza 800 LaSalle Ave, Suite #131 Minneapolis, MN 55402 http://tcfreenet.org/org/dmna/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re: Mpls settlement of lawsuit against MPD
Carol Becker wrote: <> Just in case anyone is still holding his or her breath on discipline for the $300,000 police beating, I brought it up at the Third Precinct CODEFOR community meeting last night. Olson said that an internal affairs investigation had already been done and no action was going to be taken. This was after Olson and and Sayles Belton, in response to a question from Robert Lilligren, made great speeches about making sure police were accountable, the buck stopping with them, etc. Rosalind Nelson Bancroft ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Fifth ward race
Perhaps we wouldn't even have to have this argument if we thought of Minneapolis as having multiple downtowns. Russ Peterson St. Michael Russell W. Peterson, RA, CID Founder R U S S E L L P E T E R S O N D E S I G N Architecture / Interior Design / Strategic Planning "You can only fly if you stretch your wings." Metro Minneapolis - Saint Michael 13715 Forty-Seventh Street Northeast Saint Michael, Minnesota 55376 (763) 497-1003 phone & fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of David Brauer Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 11:03 AM To: Mpls list Subject: RE: [Mpls] Fifth ward race Carol writes: >I get very tired of the old story about the "neighborhood" person sold out >to the evil downtown developers. It is an easy, simple line that >"neighborhood" people throw around in whisper campaigns to try to hurt >incumbents. This works both ways; I also think incumbent-defenders unfairly erect a straw man of "neighborhood" people who want to pillage and sack downtown. Look, it's NOT downtown-bashing to criticize a mega-million Target Store subsidy (when the office towers would have been built for no public subsidy), or the desperate move of the Shubert Theater to create a mega-subsidized prefab entertainment zone on Block E, or the prospect of subsidizing City Center while the same owners try to skate on their Gaviidae loans (part of the previous decade's attempt at neighborhood uplift.) The ballpark is also on this list. These are legitimate things to criticize, and does not render said critic a "downtown basher." They, too, view downtown as an economic necessity and a cultural hot spot, albeit a more organic place better able to prosper with public investment limited to public infrastructure, private businesses built with private dollars, and a more laissez-faire attitude about culture that lets it spring up rather than directing it like a crazed traffic cop. This may be a vision you can pick apart, but "downtown-bashing" it is not. Having plunked Jackie Cherryhomes on the cover of the Twin Cities Reader in 1989, I can tell you she would not have been elected in the 5th supporting everything she does today. True, the 5th ward voters have re-elected her - perhaps their vision has changed with her. But I do think Natalie Johnson Lee is within her rights to question Jackie's evolution, without being branded as destructive. (Also, while I have heard the whisper campaigns Carol refers to, Ms. Lee is hardly whispering these days). David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Neighborhoods v.s. downtown
In Whittier, our NRP planning for Nicollet Avenue has constantly focused on our connection to downtown. The streetscape plan kept that in mind, as will the new land use planning effort underway in Stevens Square and Whittier along the Nicollet corridor. The "Eat Street" campaign as well as the "Arts and Eats" trolley was centered on our connection to the convention center and the downtown hotels. The "Avenue of the Arts" project on 3rd Avenue is intended to bridge downtown to the "jewel" which is the Mpls. Institute of Arts and the Whittier neighborhood. Being passionate about neighborhood development in ones own turf need not mean that you are sacrificing attention to the core downtown area. The health of both neighborhoods and downtown are interdependent and should be looked at as such. I do work in neighborhoods close to downtown that are working hard to rejuvenate their neighborhoods and become a place where people will find the conveniences they need to live there. Conveniences such as a grocery store. The people in Elliot Park and Phillips have no grocery store within their geographic boundaries, and I am not talking about a convenience store. Phillips alone has over 19,000 people according to the 2000 census numbers. I don't know what Elliot Parks is exactly, but, I am sure between Phillips and Elliot Park they have the population to sustain at least one grocery store. An important strategy in the Elliot Park NRP plan was to get a restaurant in the neighborhood. Elliot Park struggles from the effects of being nearly 25% surface parking. A situation caused from downtown development that did not take into consideration the affects it would have on a surrounding neighborhood. My ramble here is intended to point out that we need both a strong downtown and strong neighborhoods. Particularly those neighborhoods that encircle downtown and tend to be the ones that suffer the most from downtown sprawl. Furthermore, we shouldn't have to sacrifice one for the other. Barb Lickness Whittier Ward 6 City Council Candidate __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Fifth ward race
Carol writes: >I get very tired of the old story about the "neighborhood" person sold out >to the evil downtown developers. It is an easy, simple line that >"neighborhood" people throw around in whisper campaigns to try to hurt >incumbents. This works both ways; I also think incumbent-defenders unfairly erect a straw man of "neighborhood" people who want to pillage and sack downtown. Look, it's NOT downtown-bashing to criticize a mega-million Target Store subsidy (when the office towers would have been built for no public subsidy), or the desperate move of the Shubert Theater to create a mega-subsidized prefab entertainment zone on Block E, or the prospect of subsidizing City Center while the same owners try to skate on their Gaviidae loans (part of the previous decade's attempt at neighborhood uplift.) The ballpark is also on this list. These are legitimate things to criticize, and does not render said critic a "downtown basher." They, too, view downtown as an economic necessity and a cultural hot spot, albeit a more organic place better able to prosper with public investment limited to public infrastructure, private businesses built with private dollars, and a more laissez-faire attitude about culture that lets it spring up rather than directing it like a crazed traffic cop. This may be a vision you can pick apart, but "downtown-bashing" it is not. Having plunked Jackie Cherryhomes on the cover of the Twin Cities Reader in 1989, I can tell you she would not have been elected in the 5th supporting everything she does today. True, the 5th ward voters have re-elected her - perhaps their vision has changed with her. But I do think Natalie Johnson Lee is within her rights to question Jackie's evolution, without being branded as destructive. (Also, while I have heard the whisper campaigns Carol refers to, Ms. Lee is hardly whispering these days). David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Re: Pledge to the cloth
I grew up in parochial Catholic schools. We pledged the flag every day come rain or shine. First, line up and go to mass, then line up and walk to classroom. SDay good morning to the nun, pledge allegiance. Eight years of that routine. \WMarks, Central [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Anyway, I have an interesting twist on Barb Lickness' comments on the Pledge. A >good friend of mine who attended private Lutheran schools never said the Pledge of >Allegiance in private schools. . Why did she never say the pledge in Lutheran >schools? Her answer: Why would Christians pledge loyalty to anything/anyone but God >(and "one nation under God" apparently didn't cut it in her schools)? > > Just a thought. > > Gary Bowman > Ward 1-Audubon Park > www.bowman2001.org > > On Thu, 19 April 2001, Barbara Lickness wrote: > > > > > My son attends a school that is over 1/3 Somolian. > > There are also a lot of Asian families in the public > > school system. In the pledge of allegiance it says > > "One nation under God". Many Somolians are Muslim and > > many Asians are Buddhist. I believe their families > > may have a problem with that portion of the pledge. > > > > Wasn't that issue the very reason the schools steered > > away from the pledge in the first place? I remember > > it being a part of my daily ritual in school, I just > > can't remember when it stopped and why? > > > > Can any old timer out there enlighten us? > > > > Barb Lickness > > Whittier > > Ward 6 > > City Council Candidate > > > > __ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices > > http://auctions.yahoo.com/ > > ___ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy > > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > > http://e-democracy.org/mpls > > --- > Get your free web based email from Crosswalk.com: > http://mail.crosswalk.com > ___ > Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Fifth ward race
I get very tired of the old story about the "neighborhood" person sold out to the evil downtown developers. It is an easy, simple line that "neighborhood" people throw around in whisper campaigns to try to hurt incumbents. But these same "neighborhood" people work in downtown, eat in downtown, and go to events in downtown. The neighbors of these "neighborhood" people do the same. The reality is that there is a vital synergy between the downtowns and the neighborhoods. Part of the reason Minneapolis has avoided the problems of the neighborhoods of other urban areas is that it has been able to maintain a vital downtown to provide jobs and to provide amenities for a better quality of life. Any council member who didn't work on downtown issues would be hurting their own wards. Now there is a balance there. A council member who went the other way of never working on ward issues would also be remiss. But it simply isn't fair to attack council members for working on downtown and other city-wide issues. Neighborhoods are not islands. Each neighborhood needs the other neighborhoods and they need the downtown. Carol Becker Longfellow - Original Message - From: Eva Young <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Rosalind Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 7:28 AM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Fifth ward race > At 08:19 AM 4/18/01 -0500, Rosalind Nelson wrote: > >City Pages has an article about Natalie Johnson Lee, Jackie Cherryhome's > >challenger. > > > >http://www.citypages.com/databank/22/1063/article9496.asp > > > >If the link breaks, go to www.citypages.com and click on "An unlikely > >challenger." A quote from Rev. Curtis Herron (of Zion Baptist Church, and > >father of Brian): > > > >"People like and respect Natalie around here," Herron continues. "She will > >be a formidable candidate--and it will take one to beat Cherryhomes, > >because people are afraid of Jackie. They are intimidated by her, and many > >of them owe her favors. She hands out a lot of favors and is deeply > >entrenched around here. She remembers people who go against her and she > >gets revenge on them. People know that, so Natalie will have to go up > >against all of that fear people have, if she's going to win." > > Thanks Rosalind for posting this. Curtis Herron has another interesting > quote: > > <<"I think the way the Hollman development has ended up has shown > people Cherryhomes's true colors," says Rev. Curtis A. Herron, who directs > the north-side Zion Baptist Church and is the father of Eighth > Ward council member Brian Herron. "There was a time when she was an > effective council person, but it seems clear that she has lost her > ability to identify with poor people. She is a bureaucrat now who has lost > something that she will never get back. She has lost the ties that > bind. She has political ties, sure. But she is no longer part of this > community." >> > > - > What's interesting is this: < the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council--unseated Van White, > Minneapolis's first black city council member. She campaigned on the > assertion that White had crawled into the pockets of downtown developers > and lost touch with > his constituents.>> > --- > Ironic isn't it--Cherryhomes hasn't seen a taxpayer subsidy she doesn't > like when it has to do with downtown development. When she ran against > White, Alfred Babbington Johnson (who was running for School Board at the > time) told her "If you had an ounce of African blood in you, Jackie, I'd > support you. But it's better having a dumb black man than a smart white > woman representing the fifth ward." > > Cherryhomes has $26,000 in her campaign. She has been actively involved > with other endorsement fights--6th ward in particular, when she did floor > work for DFL endorsed candidate Dean Kallenbach. Perhaps she should be > busier with her own ward. > > Eva > Eva Young > Central > > > ___ > Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls > ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Re: Pledge to the cloth
I probably shouldn't be commenting too much on this topic, given my previous comments and my supposed predisposition to wild-eyed conspiracy theories (in reference to the UN flag over Sheridan school). By the way, I must have not addressed my response to the list and only addressed it to the specific people who had responses to my original post as my full response never made it to the list. However, without rehashing it all, I mentioned that I do not believe MPS teachers are pushing children into dark, windowless rooms to sign their loyalty pledges to the Secretary-General. I was in agreement that helping parents find stable home environments for their children and themselves is a much more immediate concern. Anyway, I have an interesting twist on Barb Lickness' comments on the Pledge. A good friend of mine who attended private Lutheran schools never said the Pledge of Allegiance in private schools. The only reason she knows the pledge is because she attended public school in kindergarten. Why did she never say the pledge in Lutheran schools? Her answer: Why would Christians pledge loyalty to anything/anyone but God (and "one nation under God" apparently didn't cut it in her schools)? Just a thought. Gary Bowman Ward 1-Audubon Park www.bowman2001.org On Thu, 19 April 2001, Barbara Lickness wrote: > > My son attends a school that is over 1/3 Somolian. > There are also a lot of Asian families in the public > school system. In the pledge of allegiance it says > "One nation under God". Many Somolians are Muslim and > many Asians are Buddhist. I believe their families > may have a problem with that portion of the pledge. > > Wasn't that issue the very reason the schools steered > away from the pledge in the first place? I remember > it being a part of my daily ritual in school, I just > can't remember when it stopped and why? > > Can any old timer out there enlighten us? > > Barb Lickness > Whittier > Ward 6 > City Council Candidate > > __ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices > http://auctions.yahoo.com/ > ___ > Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls --- Get your free web based email from Crosswalk.com: http://mail.crosswalk.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] NRP and Taxpayers Money
Basim makes some good points: the bureaucracy expense in NRP is pretty substantial, local leadership can be unstable, and mischief originating in Bob Miller's vicinity is there to be observed. But there are also benefits to be recognized: NRP neighborhoods can combine in ways that augment and counterbalance the city's traditional governance system - more hands-on and more supple than a sometimes distant municipal government. Council members can be rigid, overbooked, mesmerized by powerful interests and Bob Miller's activism sometimes "saves the day". We're still tinkering with citizen participation. My own feeling is that interneighborhood compacts in NRP's second decade will create irresistable economies of scale. How about getting rid of the ten planning districts: they've been overtaken by events. Look at consolidating some NRP, Planning Department and MCDA functions. The City Coordinator's ofice was demoted in significance and the City Council absorbed the MHRA/MCDA Board functions some time ago. Why not streamline some more of these overlapping city-level agency functions? This is a real option, given the emerging advantage of integrated information management. Then transfer some human resources from city hall into functional nexuses - the two Greenways, the Empowerment Zones, and commercial corridor scenarios come to mind as examples of regional development interest that don't fit in either the old planning districts or the balkanized NRP model. Fred Markus, Horn Terrace, Ward Ten ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
