Re: Chief Olson Rant
--part1_1e.fae4fa9.278bad16_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The response to your post, Andy, is that it takes courage. Something lacking in a number of Council Members. It's "easier" to go along. Karen Collier Linden Hills --part1_1e.fae4fa9.278bad16_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The response to your post, Andy, is that it takes courage. Something lacking in a number of Council Members. It's "easier" to go along. Karen Collier Linden Hills --part1_1e.fae4fa9.278bad16_boundary--
Re: Chief Olson Rant
1992. sorry. David Wilson Loring Park On Mon, 8 Jan 2001, David Wilson wrote: > How true, but the mayor and city council, being good elected officials, > must be risk-aversive. In my opinion, they are willing to tolerate an > autocratic police bureaucrat rather than to suffer through the upheavel of > hiring a new chief and all the associated dislocation. Like Clinton in > 1972 inheriting the political economic conditions of an economic boom > ready to break out, Olson benefited from the economic and demographic > conditions that led to a big reduction in crime. Unlike Clinton who > appointed smart cookies and implemented smart economic policies, Olson is > probably more than willing to sit back and take credit for the major > reduction of crime. > > David Wilson > Loring Park > . > > > > > On Mon, 8 Jan 2001, Andy Driscoll wrote: > > > Steve Minn's extraordinary missive is an eye-opening supplement to what's > > been said from several political angles now. > > > > If all of this opposition is substantive as it appears to be, why would this > > City Council cave to a re-appointment? Seem strange to me, someone who > > doesn't live with his system day-to-day, but whose only contacts with and > > information about his department have been negative. > > -- > > Andy Driscoll > > 835 Linwood Avenue > > St. Paul, MN 55105-3325 > > 651-293-9039 > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > From: "Steve Minn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 19:47:14 -0600 > > > To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Subject: Chief Olson Rant > > > > > > I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THIS RATHER LONG RANT ABOUT CHIEF OLSON. > > > > > > Chief Olson, in my opinion, is one of those technocrat/politicians that give > > > police management a bad name, but reinforces how politicians can manipulate > > > or control departments to the detriment of the public good. > > > > > > By means of disclosure...I never supported Olson, and in fact voted against > > > and and objected to his predecessor, John Laux. I was always supported by > > > the Police Federation in my elections, but opposed them on issues important > > > to me like off-duty work, compression of promotion and certain pension > > > issues. I guess my standards for a Chief are/were different that SSB's. I > > > believe she passed over several good internal candidates, many of whom have > > > left the department and are managing suburban departments in the metro area. > > > > > > To me, the measure of a good chief is someone who both inspires and > > > motivates the troops on the street, while instilling public confidence in > > > programs or practices that assure balance in law enforcement. Olson misses > > > on all counts. He is uninspiring as a policy thinker. In fact, he is nothing > > > better than a yes-man copy cat. SSB told him to get a NYC-type program after > > > William Bratton and Rudy Guiliani turned NYC around. CODEFOR...is really > > > nothing more than a rip-off of New York City's program. Typical Olson > > > implementation though...he implements the street action first, without > > > getting agreement from, or putting into place any of the infrastructure in > > > the court system that made the NYC program so successful. All COEFOR did in > > > Minneapolis was choke our courts and booking units, without the resources or > > > prosecutorial agreements to expedite the arrests and put the repeat > > > offenders in jail or prison for extended periods of time. (Want to read how > > > the program really was supposed to work? Read: Turnaround by William > > > Bratton) > > > > > > Olson is a terrible judge of people and managerial talent,and can not stand > > > to be questioned by his troops. Rather than work to learn what good there > > > was on the force,and who could motivate and help him professionalize the > > > department's weak areas; Olson focused immediately on who would take orders > > > from him and who would not oppose him. Two Deputies, Schultz and Jones fit > > > this profile, as did two key Inspectors, Morris and Lubinski Only Deputy > > > Greg Hestness...a great Chief candidate himself has had the guts over time > > > to oppose the Chief internally. He was banished from the Patrol Division to > > > the Administrative assignment. Olson retains him because Hestness ha
Re: Chief Olson Rant
How true, but the mayor and city council, being good elected officials, must be risk-aversive. In my opinion, they are willing to tolerate an autocratic police bureaucrat rather than to suffer through the upheavel of hiring a new chief and all the associated dislocation. Like Clinton in 1972 inheriting the political economic conditions of an economic boom ready to break out, Olson benefited from the economic and demographic conditions that led to a big reduction in crime. Unlike Clinton who appointed smart cookies and implemented smart economic policies, Olson is probably more than willing to sit back and take credit for the major reduction of crime. David Wilson Loring Park . On Mon, 8 Jan 2001, Andy Driscoll wrote: > Steve Minn's extraordinary missive is an eye-opening supplement to what's > been said from several political angles now. > > If all of this opposition is substantive as it appears to be, why would this > City Council cave to a re-appointment? Seem strange to me, someone who > doesn't live with his system day-to-day, but whose only contacts with and > information about his department have been negative. > -- > Andy Driscoll > 835 Linwood Avenue > St. Paul, MN 55105-3325 > 651-293-9039 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > From: "Steve Minn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 19:47:14 -0600 > > To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: Chief Olson Rant > > > > I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THIS RATHER LONG RANT ABOUT CHIEF OLSON. > > > > Chief Olson, in my opinion, is one of those technocrat/politicians that give > > police management a bad name, but reinforces how politicians can manipulate > > or control departments to the detriment of the public good. > > > > By means of disclosure...I never supported Olson, and in fact voted against > > and and objected to his predecessor, John Laux. I was always supported by > > the Police Federation in my elections, but opposed them on issues important > > to me like off-duty work, compression of promotion and certain pension > > issues. I guess my standards for a Chief are/were different that SSB's. I > > believe she passed over several good internal candidates, many of whom have > > left the department and are managing suburban departments in the metro area. > > > > To me, the measure of a good chief is someone who both inspires and > > motivates the troops on the street, while instilling public confidence in > > programs or practices that assure balance in law enforcement. Olson misses > > on all counts. He is uninspiring as a policy thinker. In fact, he is nothing > > better than a yes-man copy cat. SSB told him to get a NYC-type program after > > William Bratton and Rudy Guiliani turned NYC around. CODEFOR...is really > > nothing more than a rip-off of New York City's program. Typical Olson > > implementation though...he implements the street action first, without > > getting agreement from, or putting into place any of the infrastructure in > > the court system that made the NYC program so successful. All COEFOR did in > > Minneapolis was choke our courts and booking units, without the resources or > > prosecutorial agreements to expedite the arrests and put the repeat > > offenders in jail or prison for extended periods of time. (Want to read how > > the program really was supposed to work? Read: Turnaround by William > > Bratton) > > > > Olson is a terrible judge of people and managerial talent,and can not stand > > to be questioned by his troops. Rather than work to learn what good there > > was on the force,and who could motivate and help him professionalize the > > department's weak areas; Olson focused immediately on who would take orders > > from him and who would not oppose him. Two Deputies, Schultz and Jones fit > > this profile, as did two key Inspectors, Morris and Lubinski Only Deputy > > Greg Hestness...a great Chief candidate himself has had the guts over time > > to oppose the Chief internally. He was banished from the Patrol Division to > > the Administrative assignment. Olson retains him because Hestness has the > > loyalty of many senior commanders on the street, those that are left. > > Capable Inspectors have been punished for speaking freely. Olson demoted > > Inspector Bill O'Rourke, (he held an interim rank of Captain, too) because > > O'Rourke openly complained of CODEFOR implementation and the purpose of the > > Lake Street gimmicks. He punished Inspector Brad Johnson -- beloved by his > > troops at 5th Precinct -- by tra
Re: Chief Olson Rant
Steve Minn's extraordinary missive is an eye-opening supplement to what's been said from several political angles now. If all of this opposition is substantive as it appears to be, why would this City Council cave to a re-appointment? Seem strange to me, someone who doesn't live with his system day-to-day, but whose only contacts with and information about his department have been negative. -- Andy Driscoll 835 Linwood Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105-3325 651-293-9039 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > From: "Steve Minn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 19:47:14 -0600 > To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Chief Olson Rant > > I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THIS RATHER LONG RANT ABOUT CHIEF OLSON. > > Chief Olson, in my opinion, is one of those technocrat/politicians that give > police management a bad name, but reinforces how politicians can manipulate > or control departments to the detriment of the public good. > > By means of disclosure...I never supported Olson, and in fact voted against > and and objected to his predecessor, John Laux. I was always supported by > the Police Federation in my elections, but opposed them on issues important > to me like off-duty work, compression of promotion and certain pension > issues. I guess my standards for a Chief are/were different that SSB's. I > believe she passed over several good internal candidates, many of whom have > left the department and are managing suburban departments in the metro area. > > To me, the measure of a good chief is someone who both inspires and > motivates the troops on the street, while instilling public confidence in > programs or practices that assure balance in law enforcement. Olson misses > on all counts. He is uninspiring as a policy thinker. In fact, he is nothing > better than a yes-man copy cat. SSB told him to get a NYC-type program after > William Bratton and Rudy Guiliani turned NYC around. CODEFOR...is really > nothing more than a rip-off of New York City's program. Typical Olson > implementation though...he implements the street action first, without > getting agreement from, or putting into place any of the infrastructure in > the court system that made the NYC program so successful. All COEFOR did in > Minneapolis was choke our courts and booking units, without the resources or > prosecutorial agreements to expedite the arrests and put the repeat > offenders in jail or prison for extended periods of time. (Want to read how > the program really was supposed to work? Read: Turnaround by William > Bratton) > > Olson is a terrible judge of people and managerial talent,and can not stand > to be questioned by his troops. Rather than work to learn what good there > was on the force,and who could motivate and help him professionalize the > department's weak areas; Olson focused immediately on who would take orders > from him and who would not oppose him. Two Deputies, Schultz and Jones fit > this profile, as did two key Inspectors, Morris and Lubinski Only Deputy > Greg Hestness...a great Chief candidate himself has had the guts over time > to oppose the Chief internally. He was banished from the Patrol Division to > the Administrative assignment. Olson retains him because Hestness has the > loyalty of many senior commanders on the street, those that are left. > Capable Inspectors have been punished for speaking freely. Olson demoted > Inspector Bill O'Rourke, (he held an interim rank of Captain, too) because > O'Rourke openly complained of CODEFOR implementation and the purpose of the > Lake Street gimmicks. He punished Inspector Brad Johnson -- beloved by his > troops at 5th Precinct -- by transferring him to Third Precinct in > O'Rourke's place. Johnson's crime was to half-heartedly implement CODEFOR @ > 5th, but on his own, initiate MOBILEBEAT...a much more effective resource > allocation tool. O'Rourke is now Chief in Prior Lake. Johnson... probably > will be the next suburban Chief somewhere. To punish outspoken Council > Members like myself and Lisa McDonald, Olson sent Christine Morris to 5th > Precinct. An incompetent fool if there ever was one. Another political > directive. Morris' performance was so disastrous at 4th Precinct that the > CM's served by that area demanded Olson do something. He had to transfer her > somewhere...and 5th is where she went. Its not coincidence that 60% of the > Sergeants and Lt's that worked for Brad Johnson at 5th, transferred out of > Morris' command within 15 months. And this, from a facility that was brand > new, where the numbers were good, and the crime relatively low. The > residents of SW Minneapolis still
Chief Olson Rant
I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THIS RATHER LONG RANT ABOUT CHIEF OLSON. Chief Olson, in my opinion, is one of those technocrat/politicians that give police management a bad name, but reinforces how politicians can manipulate or control departments to the detriment of the public good. By means of disclosure...I never supported Olson, and in fact voted against and and objected to his predecessor, John Laux. I was always supported by the Police Federation in my elections, but opposed them on issues important to me like off-duty work, compression of promotion and certain pension issues. I guess my standards for a Chief are/were different that SSB's. I believe she passed over several good internal candidates, many of whom have left the department and are managing suburban departments in the metro area. To me, the measure of a good chief is someone who both inspires and motivates the troops on the street, while instilling public confidence in programs or practices that assure balance in law enforcement. Olson misses on all counts. He is uninspiring as a policy thinker. In fact, he is nothing better than a yes-man copy cat. SSB told him to get a NYC-type program after William Bratton and Rudy Guiliani turned NYC around. CODEFOR...is really nothing more than a rip-off of New York City's program. Typical Olson implementation though...he implements the street action first, without getting agreement from, or putting into place any of the infrastructure in the court system that made the NYC program so successful. All COEFOR did in Minneapolis was choke our courts and booking units, without the resources or prosecutorial agreements to expedite the arrests and put the repeat offenders in jail or prison for extended periods of time. (Want to read how the program really was supposed to work? Read: Turnaround by William Bratton) Olson is a terrible judge of people and managerial talent,and can not stand to be questioned by his troops. Rather than work to learn what good there was on the force,and who could motivate and help him professionalize the department's weak areas; Olson focused immediately on who would take orders from him and who would not oppose him. Two Deputies, Schultz and Jones fit this profile, as did two key Inspectors, Morris and Lubinski Only Deputy Greg Hestness...a great Chief candidate himself has had the guts over time to oppose the Chief internally. He was banished from the Patrol Division to the Administrative assignment. Olson retains him because Hestness has the loyalty of many senior commanders on the street, those that are left. Capable Inspectors have been punished for speaking freely. Olson demoted Inspector Bill O'Rourke, (he held an interim rank of Captain, too) because O'Rourke openly complained of CODEFOR implementation and the purpose of the Lake Street gimmicks. He punished Inspector Brad Johnson -- beloved by his troops at 5th Precinct -- by transferring him to Third Precinct in O'Rourke's place. Johnson's crime was to half-heartedly implement CODEFOR @ 5th, but on his own, initiate MOBILEBEAT...a much more effective resource allocation tool. O'Rourke is now Chief in Prior Lake. Johnson... probably will be the next suburban Chief somewhere. To punish outspoken Council Members like myself and Lisa McDonald, Olson sent Christine Morris to 5th Precinct. An incompetent fool if there ever was one. Another political directive. Morris' performance was so disastrous at 4th Precinct that the CM's served by that area demanded Olson do something. He had to transfer her somewhere...and 5th is where she went. Its not coincidence that 60% of the Sergeants and Lt's that worked for Brad Johnson at 5th, transferred out of Morris' command within 15 months. And this, from a facility that was brand new, where the numbers were good, and the crime relatively low. The residents of SW Minneapolis still wave at the cops from 5th Pct. with all five fingers...so...you do the math. Eventually, Morris will have to be dumped. She's just incompetent. Slowly, Olson has been pushing out the old, and hiring and promoting his own people, who first and foremost have to understand that this Chief is not to be questioned. Over 70% of the Minneapolis street complement of 1990 had over 10 years or more street experience. Today, 70% of the street complement has five years or less! In 1990, 90% of the Lt's, Captains and Inspectors had 20 years or more experience. Today half have less than 15 years experience. The less experience you have, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Olson refused to embrace elimination/merger of the Inspector and Captain positions into the permanent rank of Commander. He rejected the Corporal rank as a means of recognizing street experience of our most senior street officers, and compressing the promotions to Sergeant This would have bumped officer promotional opportunity, helping retain good offic
RE: Chief Olson...and Police Department reform
Regarding Cam's suggestion of possibly using some type of elected board to oversee the Police Dept-- I don't think another level of bureaucracy will add anything to the equation other than more cost and even less accountability and responsibility. Michael Hohmann Mpls. > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Cameron A. Gordon > Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 1:10 AM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: Chief Olson...and Police Department reform > > > We definitely need to break away from the 'we're > > here to protect the haves against the have nots' paradigm as > Wizard Marks > wrote. > > I am anxious to find and discuss -- at the broadest possible > levels -- solutions > that will help heal relations, restore trust and increase > responsiveness and > accountability with the Minneapolis police, as well as move us to > more community > oriented police practices. > > I understand that some cities use an elected Board of Police > Commissioners to > over see their police departments, much as we use the Park and > Recreation, > Library and School Boards here to over see their various > departments or systems. > > I would be very interested to read your reactions, experiences or > other comments > about this idea and how it might work or not work here in Minneapolis. > > In cooperation > > > Cam > > > > > > > > Cam Gordon > 914 Franklin Terrace > Mpls. MN 55406-1101 > 612 332-6210 > > Seward Neighborhood, Ward 2 >
Chief Olson...and Police Department reform
We definitely need to break away from the 'we're > here to protect the haves against the have nots' paradigm as Wizard Marks wrote. I am anxious to find and discuss -- at the broadest possible levels -- solutions that will help heal relations, restore trust and increase responsiveness and accountability with the Minneapolis police, as well as move us to more community oriented police practices. I understand that some cities use an elected Board of Police Commissioners to over see their police departments, much as we use the Park and Recreation, Library and School Boards here to over see their various departments or systems. I would be very interested to read your reactions, experiences or other comments about this idea and how it might work or not work here in Minneapolis. In cooperation Cam Cam Gordon 914 Franklin Terrace Mpls. MN 55406-1101 612 332-6210 Seward Neighborhood, Ward 2
Re: Chief Olson
Well, I have not wanted to get into the "Police" discussion but after Wizard's remarks which rings home of many facts I've thought or knew of over the years I did come to realize that there is another alternative besides the "ranting, raving and protesting" about Olson which probably will not get a change of heart inside the great walls of City Hall this year. But this is the year we get to ask the candidate's all kinds of questions... so as Wizard states, the Mayor chooses the Chief. Question to candidates for Mayor: will you consider a change from the current Chief if you are elected - and what kind of a Chief would a new "Chief" person be? This should give us a pretty good clue as to the kind of City we want Minneapolis to be as we live, work and play in the new century and millennium. I plan to use the seventh generation as one of my measures for who I select to govern our beautiful city - how about you? That's my two cents worth on this topic for the moment. Annie Young Ward 6 - East Phillips in Minneapolis Citywide at-large Park Board Commissioner Working to build a sustainable community
Re: Chief Olson
When the mayor, Sharon, set out to choose a chief of police, there was a medium-sized hoo-hah about it. People of color and anti-racism, anti-police brutality folks met with Sharon at Sabathani one night. I remember Sharon saying, "Let me choose the chief of police." The audience did. Was he the best choice of the candidates? Who knows. I've got a rather jaded attitude toward chiefs, so I'd be hard pressed to try and choose one. He did have a couple of "books", almost pamphlets about community-based policing to his credit. Back door reports from the cities where he had been chief or a ranking officer were that he was a schmuck, but since no one signs a name to those reports, is it real or is it memorex? I do know that his notion of community-based policing does not impress me. I do know that his failure to keep his promise about Lake and Chicago really honks me off. I know some other stuff that makes me really resist the idea that this guy is a good chief. And, of course, we always have our next door neighbor chief, Corky Finney as a constant reminder that there are strategies which have the advantage of effectiveness. Prominently, in my mind, is the absolute overkill of both the Highway 55 debacle and the ISAG paranoia. MPD based those strategies (at ISAG) on reports from police in Seattle. However, there was a huge amount of e-mail from people at the "riots" in Seattle which led me to believe that the police instigated a donnybrook in Seattle. I remember thinking at the time that Seattle reminded me of the way the 68 Harlem Riots began--Tactical Police Force "practice" assault on Harlem--and I remember that the 68 Democratic Convention in Chicago was finally, after many moons, determined to be a "police incited riot." My fear is that police departments all over are becoming more and more steeped in an after-the-bomb/dissolution-of-civilization bunker mentality. Further, however testing is done to choose new police officers, too many of the people currently on police forces are people who are only comfortable with people who think exactly like they do and very strong and para-military trained to boot. That paarticular combination makes me much more than nervous. Wizard Marks, Central ferma001 wrote: > >Tim -- Thanks for commenting on the posts of Rich McMartin and Jack > >Ferman. What really scares me is that there are probably many others in > >Minneapolis who would echo their sentiments. > > So what is the problem - if no one likes Olson and he is dumped what > makes anyone confident the next chief would be any better. My point is > the MPD has come a long way. Did I infer anywhere that the MPD is > perfect - I do not believe so. > > >And the sad truth is that I > >might have been among them if it hadn't been for my move this past year > >to the Phillips neighborhood. Prior to that move I lived in SW Mpls. and > >didn't have a clue as to what was coming down in "poorer" neighborhoods > >in Mpls. From that sheltered vantage point I simply couldn't 'connect > >the dots,' so to speak. CODEFOR is just the sort of Orwellian policy > >that we must be vigilant about because of the legitimacy it lends to > >police actions that are abusive -- which have, and do, occur, regardless > >of whether Charlie Stenvig -- or Charlie McCarthy in St. Paul, now THERE > >was a character who loved taking the law into his own hands! -- or Chief > >Olson is on the watch. There is a young black "salesman" who stands on > >the corner of 16th Av. and 25th St., near where I live, almost every day > >-- late at night and in the early morning hours -- looking for and > >waving down those who look the most likely to be interested in his > >product(s). Because I've seen him and his associates on or near that > >corner for many months now, I'm perplexed as to how he continues to get > >away with what he's doing without getting busted. I assume that either > >a) he's an undercover cop, b) he has bought off the neighborhood MPD > >patrols, and/or c) he has bought protection from someone else in the > >MPD. Yet, right down the block from my home, there is a single mother > >with 5 daughters ranging in age from toddlerhood to teenager, whose home > >was literally broken into by five MPD cops who refused to show their > >badges, and who, in fact, claimed they did not have their badges with > >them because they were doing CODEFOR work, nor would they show a search > >warrant when asked for one. They said they had received an anonymous > >call about the home at this address being a front for drug dealers -- > >simply not true. They ransacked this woman's home for over an hour, all > >the while ma
Re: Chief Olson
>Tim -- Thanks for commenting on the posts of Rich McMartin and Jack >Ferman. What really scares me is that there are probably many others in >Minneapolis who would echo their sentiments. So what is the problem - if no one likes Olson and he is dumped what makes anyone confident the next chief would be any better. My point is the MPD has come a long way. Did I infer anywhere that the MPD is perfect - I do not believe so. >And the sad truth is that I >might have been among them if it hadn't been for my move this past year >to the Phillips neighborhood. Prior to that move I lived in SW Mpls. and >didn't have a clue as to what was coming down in "poorer" neighborhoods >in Mpls. From that sheltered vantage point I simply couldn't 'connect >the dots,' so to speak. CODEFOR is just the sort of Orwellian policy >that we must be vigilant about because of the legitimacy it lends to >police actions that are abusive -- which have, and do, occur, regardless >of whether Charlie Stenvig -- or Charlie McCarthy in St. Paul, now THERE >was a character who loved taking the law into his own hands! -- or Chief >Olson is on the watch. There is a young black "salesman" who stands on >the corner of 16th Av. and 25th St., near where I live, almost every day >-- late at night and in the early morning hours -- looking for and >waving down those who look the most likely to be interested in his >product(s). Because I've seen him and his associates on or near that >corner for many months now, I'm perplexed as to how he continues to get >away with what he's doing without getting busted. I assume that either >a) he's an undercover cop, b) he has bought off the neighborhood MPD >patrols, and/or c) he has bought protection from someone else in the >MPD. Yet, right down the block from my home, there is a single mother >with 5 daughters ranging in age from toddlerhood to teenager, whose home >was literally broken into by five MPD cops who refused to show their >badges, and who, in fact, claimed they did not have their badges with >them because they were doing CODEFOR work, nor would they show a search >warrant when asked for one. They said they had received an anonymous >call about the home at this address being a front for drug dealers -- >simply not true. They ransacked this woman's home for over an hour, all >the while making terroristic threats, terrifying her and her children. >And I want to assure you that this sort of action by the MPD is not rare >in my part of town. Why does this happen in Phillips? Why does it NOT >happen in the Linden Hills or East Harriet neighborhoods? Connect the >dots... poverty = powerlessness = easy prey. These people, for many of >whom English is a second language, are the least likely to understand >the U.S. justice system, least likely to know their rights as citizens, >and least likely to have the financial means to go to court to sue their >case against an organization that claims to "serve and protect" them. >Needless to say cynicism abounds in my part of town regarding the agents >of civic obedience. Wake up my fellow citizens of Minneapolis: the truth >is that ALL of us have seen a steady erosion of our civil rights over >the last decade, but it has been in small enough increments and in >"other parts of town" so perhaps we have not noticed like we would if >there are had been an all-out assault. AND, it's taking place in >neighborhoods that many people find easy to ignore. Am I saying that >real crime does not exist in Minneapolis? No. Am I saying that a >consortium of actions and services need to be brought to bear against >the underlying causes of a lot of this crime? Yes. Is one of those >actions CODEFOR? A resounding NO is my answer. My urgent, my fervent >hope, is that enough of us will wake up, in time, in all the various >racial communities, in all the various faith communities, in all of the >various social service communities, to help our neighbors, and >ourselves, reclaim not only our rights, but our dignity, and our lives. > >Jenny Heiser >East Phillips >Ward 6-8 > >timothy connolly wrote: > >> A couple comments relative to posting by Rich McMartin >> and Jack Ferman. >> >> I too remember the days of Charle Stenvig. Just >> another evening I ran into the Police Chaplain, Terry >> Hayes, at GJ's on Hennepin. I was surprised to see him >> there with some officers. I would have thought he was >> long since retired. >> >> I remember that he used to hang out around midnight at >> the old Fair Oaks Motel with the guys from the >> infamous TActical Squad soaking up free coffee and >> pie. They never paid much attention to me.
Re: Chief Olson
Tim -- Thanks for commenting on the posts of Rich McMartin and Jack Ferman. What really scares me is that there are probably many others in Minneapolis who would echo their sentiments. And the sad truth is that I might have been among them if it hadn't been for my move this past year to the Phillips neighborhood. Prior to that move I lived in SW Mpls. and didn't have a clue as to what was coming down in "poorer" neighborhoods in Mpls. From that sheltered vantage point I simply couldn't 'connect the dots,' so to speak. CODEFOR is just the sort of Orwellian policy that we must be vigilant about because of the legitimacy it lends to police actions that are abusive -- which have, and do, occur, regardless of whether Charlie Stenvig -- or Charlie McCarthy in St. Paul, now THERE was a character who loved taking the law into his own hands! -- or Chief Olson is on the watch. There is a young black "salesman" who stands on the corner of 16th Av. and 25th St., near where I live, almost every day -- late at night and in the early morning hours -- looking for and waving down those who look the most likely to be interested in his product(s). Because I've seen him and his associates on or near that corner for many months now, I'm perplexed as to how he continues to get away with what he's doing without getting busted. I assume that either a) he's an undercover cop, b) he has bought off the neighborhood MPD patrols, and/or c) he has bought protection from someone else in the MPD. Yet, right down the block from my home, there is a single mother with 5 daughters ranging in age from toddlerhood to teenager, whose home was literally broken into by five MPD cops who refused to show their badges, and who, in fact, claimed they did not have their badges with them because they were doing CODEFOR work, nor would they show a search warrant when asked for one. They said they had received an anonymous call about the home at this address being a front for drug dealers -- simply not true. They ransacked this woman's home for over an hour, all the while making terroristic threats, terrifying her and her children. And I want to assure you that this sort of action by the MPD is not rare in my part of town. Why does this happen in Phillips? Why does it NOT happen in the Linden Hills or East Harriet neighborhoods? Connect the dots... poverty = powerlessness = easy prey. These people, for many of whom English is a second language, are the least likely to understand the U.S. justice system, least likely to know their rights as citizens, and least likely to have the financial means to go to court to sue their case against an organization that claims to "serve and protect" them. Needless to say cynicism abounds in my part of town regarding the agents of civic obedience. Wake up my fellow citizens of Minneapolis: the truth is that ALL of us have seen a steady erosion of our civil rights over the last decade, but it has been in small enough increments and in "other parts of town" so perhaps we have not noticed like we would if there are had been an all-out assault. AND, it's taking place in neighborhoods that many people find easy to ignore. Am I saying that real crime does not exist in Minneapolis? No. Am I saying that a consortium of actions and services need to be brought to bear against the underlying causes of a lot of this crime? Yes. Is one of those actions CODEFOR? A resounding NO is my answer. My urgent, my fervent hope, is that enough of us will wake up, in time, in all the various racial communities, in all the various faith communities, in all of the various social service communities, to help our neighbors, and ourselves, reclaim not only our rights, but our dignity, and our lives. Jenny Heiser East Phillips Ward 6-8 timothy connolly wrote: > A couple comments relative to posting by Rich McMartin > and Jack Ferman. > > I too remember the days of Charle Stenvig. Just > another evening I ran into the Police Chaplain, Terry > Hayes, at GJ's on Hennepin. I was surprised to see him > there with some officers. I would have thought he was > long since retired. > > I remember that he used to hang out around midnight at > the old Fair Oaks Motel with the guys from the > infamous TActical Squad soaking up free coffee and > pie. They never paid much attention to me. I was just > the guy who cleaned the kitchen and cafe. But I paid > attention to them or rather the things they said. A > cruder, more racist bunch of knuckle draggers...well > you get the picture. > > I remember how they laughed telling stories of how > their dogs, Rex or Caesar,etc., took bites out of this > and that niggers ass down at Lake Calhoun. Mind you > this was on 4th of July night. Ah, America! Ain't it > great. Some things don't change much. > > Our police force is still overwhelmin
Chief Olson Ctd
oops! didn't mean to send the last transmission at that time and without signing it. I had more to say but maybe I ought to quit while I'm ahead. Some of you may know that i conduct my campaign from libray computers and i just had one freeze up on me and i lost a whole nother screed. "Whew!" I heard someone say. "There is a god". Say I ran into Jackie Mason in the IDS center today. Of course I introduced myself and told him how much I would like to see his show but $32 was a little beyond my range. So the good man puts me on the list tonight. He asks me what I do. i tell him i'm into political activism. he keeps asking me if I'm a messenger. What? So he asks me how I afford to live. I say unemployment but it's about to run out. He says why don't you get on welfare. I say I don't want to. He says "What they don't have welfare here?" I say I'm able bodied. He asks me what I 'm working on right now. I tell him the police. We got a force that has shot five citizens in a year. He says, "What a civilized place like this?" I say yes. So if any of this shows up in his schtick tonight you guys know whom to blame. Tim Connolly Ward 7 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Chief Olson
A couple comments relative to posting by Rich McMartin and Jack Ferman. I too remember the days of Charle Stenvig. Just another evening I ran into the Police Chaplain, Terry Hayes, at GJ's on Hennepin. I was surprised to see him there with some officers. I would have thought he was long since retired. I remember that he used to hang out around midnight at the old Fair Oaks Motel with the guys from the infamous TActical Squad soaking up free coffee and pie. They never paid much attention to me. I was just the guy who cleaned the kitchen and cafe. But I paid attention to them or rather the things they said. A cruder, more racist bunch of knuckle draggers...well you get the picture. I remember how they laughed telling stories of how their dogs, Rex or Caesar,etc., took bites out of this and that niggers ass down at Lake Calhoun. Mind you this was on 4th of July night. Ah, America! Ain't it great. Some things don't change much. Our police force is still overwhelmingly male and caucasian and I suspect has many of the same attitudes which might explain anecdotal evidence of profiling which appears to have increased under Chief Olson's reign. I get a kick out of comparison's to Stenvig and comments like "he's probably one of best or second best chiefs in history. That's called damning with faint praise, sort of like saying Hitler was better than Stalin. As to Rich McMartin's comments relative to Lyndale neighborhood and its improvement I must point out that CODEFOR did not come on line until 1998 and by then murder and crime rates had already dropped from the all-time highs of '94-'95. The fact is that the carnage of crack addiction and the ensuing wars and turf battles, like most things, came late to Minneapolis. Years before the coast cities saw what exploded in Mpls i the mid-nieties. The fact is that crime statistics throughout the country have dropped over the last eight years and sociologists of all stripes don't seem to be able to agree on a consensus as to why they rise and fall. Sure drugs are a factor as is law enforcement but for the Chief or anyone else to point at CODEFOR and say "this is the reason" is just a bunch of hooey! __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/
*Chief Olson hearing TODAY 12.20*
[A post from some weeks back:] From: Jordan S. Kushner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Police In connection with questions raised on this list about the Minneaplis police chief position, i have been informed that his term expires at the end of this year. There is apparently a public hearing on his reappointment scheduled before the City Council Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee on December 20, 2000 at 1 pm (the time and date have to be confirmed closer to the date). Those who are interested in the issue could probably best provide input at that time. --Jordan Kushner Ward 8 [A post from this evening:] From: Ted Bagg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Dec. 20 Olson Meeting has NOT been canceled The Minneapolis city council meeting at which members of the public will be able to discuss the reappointment of Chief Robert Olson will take place as scheduled, at 1pm, Wed. Dec. 20th. There had been some doubt about this as Olson has just been called away by a death in his family. [Very short notice, but perhaps those most concerned can find time.] --David Shove
re: chief olson
Tim Connolly wrote: "olson stated in one of his first interviews as the new chief when asked about race relations that a "fortress mentality was over". i beg to disagree. the fortress mentality is growing and has crossed color lines that heretofore it had not crossed. it has crossed social and economic lines it had not crossed." Once upon a time, I knew that police abuses occurred and considered them a bad thing, but I was comfortably certain that such abuses would never affect me personally because I am a middle-aged white woman with a middle-calss job. In the past twelve months, the police have attacked my favorite coffee shop, terrorized political activists, and shot dead five people including a white woman who was older and smaller than I am. In that time, I've written some very critical things about the police in various media: this forum, private email to Luther, letters to the editor, letters to elected officials. So far, I haven't experienced any retaliation. But find myself driving unusually cautiously. I got rid of the car with the cracked windshield and when a headlight goes out, I replace it immediately. It's been awfully strange. I feel a little like Dorothy, only instead of being in Oz, I have woken up on the one side of a brick wall when I thought I belonged on the other. I once knew a woman from Argentina who said that in Latin America, no one every calls the police, no matter how bad the circumstances, because the police will come and do something much worse. I think in the U.S. we've been used to a system where whites and middle-class, suburban minorities felt free to call the police when something was wrong, but poor or inner-city minority members had a more Argintinian view. It was a bad state of affairs, but everyone knew where they stood. Right now, I don't know if I'm on the Argintinian system or the old U.S. system that I took for granted as a middle-class white person. Rosalind Nelson Bancroft
re: chief olson
sizeable rant! forewarned is forearmed. apologies to those with short attention spans. i don't think that anyone is suggesting, certainly not me, that chief olson is to blame for all the problems with police, drug interdiction on the street, etc. that would only play into the chief's martyr complex. examine the statements he has made to the press over the last year or two as i have and you will see what i refer to. the chief is said to have an inscribed stone on his desk saying "attitude is everything". well, what i continually hear from the chief and shills like john delmonico is how hard it is to be a cop, how beleagured they are, and how society dumps all their problems on them and expects them to clean up the mess. all true to a degree perhaps and as a society we might look at the idea that we continually look for the easy way out, i.e.; call the cops, take a pill, don't risk anything, etc. but all beside the point. the media is not much better in making excuses. witness the sidebar in sunday's strib about new and improved police training. they want to keep casting this through the refraction of mental illness. immaterial! the police of this city have difficulty controlling their impulses irrespective of who they deal with, be that mentally ill people or simple folks asking simple questions requiring simple answers of simple info entitled to them under the freedom of information act. mentally ill people unfortunately have poorer coping skills in the throes of their particular madnesses than supposed able minded people. i wonder sometimes about able minded people when i look at the state of the world and our city and consider the fact that able minded people elected these people and put up with their inability to govern effectively and their proclivity to make excuses for themselves and shifting responsibility to another level of government, another function of society, another... no, chief olson is responsible for the attitude of his department, the attitude that makes these guys look more like a lynch mob than a professional police force. there's that old saying that "?@! flows downstream." that is true in organizations as well. you don't change the performance of a unit most times by getting rid of the janitor. You don't cut down a tree by starting at the base of the trunk. you lop off the top and work your way down the tree. obviously, not reappointing the chief will not cure all the ills of the department but it might be a start. other reappointments we might consider are those of our mayor and city councillors who signed off on olson's appointment to begin with. i mean here is a guy who has left a trail of clues as to his nature and attitude that a four year old could follow. check out his record. don't take my word for it. and know that if i can do it with the limited resources i posess, then our mayor and council could have done the same. or possibly they just liked what they saw and then it calls into contention their lack of sound judgement, something which has been the subject of much debate already. a city gets the police they deserve. mpls. deserves better and we have a right to demand as much from those charged with providing it. we might take a close look at what we want, what we have, and how we get there from here. this might include an independent commission that reviews past cases, looks at new candidates for chief along with the mayor, considers new directions and ideas coming from the community at large on a departmental level rather than a precinct level. we need to eliminate the appearance, if not the fact, of conflict of interest in investigating police. does the hennepin county sheriff's office have too close a relationsip to the mpls police dept to conduct an unbiased investigation? is the county attorney the right office to present a case to the grand jury given their symbiotic relationship with the police? do these practices serve the best interests of the public? the executive committee of the city council has the authority to appoint an interim chief for a period of up to three months. that would be enough time for the mayor to appoint a commission chair and the council to approve. then it would be essential that the chair pick members for an independent commission rather than the mayor and council loading it with those whom they can control or reward and leave us back where we started. how about somebody like tony bouza, someone who seems to have the trust of the public and little to gain from being a sycophant to either the mayor or the council? having said all this, i expect it unlikely any of this will come to pass. the council has shown unwillingness to challenge the mayor's authority in these matters and has gone along with large increases in spending on the police since 1994 up to and including this year. who wants to be seen as "soft on crime", despite the fact
