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 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
Re: Chief Olson's reappointment
Even though Tony Bouza could talk the hind leg off a dog, often to no particular purpose that I could see, he did make one succinct remark during the nine years in office which explained the police perspective quite well, roughly, 'we're here to protect the haves against the have nots.' That's the paradigm is sorry want of a shift. Choose your city council members and mayor accordingly in November. Wizard Marks, Central Andy Driscoll wrote: I think Mr. McMartin is too kind to the current police action scale. Many of us remember the Stenvig era, and the brutality now is simply more targeted and protected. Charlie Stenvig was a blowhard, but the police culture has softened little, especially in Minneapolis. Frankly, even when I was living for ten years in detroit, during the 70s, the Minneapolis department was legend for its violence. We are under a very real threat from police departments everywhere. For some reason, the public is too forgiving - in complicity with media outlets - of the vehement and rampant resistance to free speech and assembly demonstrations, but the Minneapolis cops are especially mean - that's mean - like vicious dogs - when given the license to beat heads during legitimate protests. The ISAG demonstrations betrayed the Minneapolis law enforcement community for the increasingly fascist-like behavior of its officers toward legitimate expression. These are sad days for democracy and the Constitution. Andy Driscoll St. Paul From: "Rich McMartin Rich McMartin" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 12:31:00 -0600 To: "Multiple recipients of list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Chief Olson's reappointment Yes - anyone who lived through the Stenvig era is from a different universe than those who are complaining about the current police problems. If there were a Richter scale of police brutallity the force during the Stenvig era was a "7.5" and what we have now is a "2.0" and that takes into account the logarithmic aspect of the Richter scale. It is true that CODEFOR was not invented here - we were about the 3rd or 4th city to adopt this methodology. So maybe that isn't his innovation. Both New Orleans and New York preceded us. Without CODEFOR we could have the old Minneapolis from 1995 that we all knew and loved - 8 crack houses on my block in one year, gunshots 20 out of 31 nights in May, 4 murders within a block of me - 95 in all of Minneapolis. Perhaps you would like it that way again. I want nothing to do with it. If you are comparing management and control of the troops between Stenvig and Olson you are standing on very shaky ground. Olson Is s much better that Stenvig. Probably not perfect but certainly the best that Minnepolis has had in 25 years. Rich McMartin Bryant Neighborhood. Mr. Ferman -- Would you care to expand on your statement about the "innovation to MPD - CODEFOR..."? I fear that we must inhabit very different universes. ... ferma001 wrote: Those who find fault with Olson have apparently not read Minneapolis police history. Given the long pull of my memory, I would have to rank Olson as either the first or second best chiefs that MPD has ever had. Anyone remember Charlie Stenvig, for example. Olson has worked to bring innovation to MPD - CODEFOR, for example. It will be interesting to see how McDonald's opposition will play out at the upcoming Minneapolis DFL city endorsing convention.
Re: coverage of beatings
Aghast is soft for what I feel. Is rage better? What in hell is this about "routine" and "if-we-carried-every-beating-of-a-driver story, we'd-have-no-room-for-anything-else bullrot. What overstatement, and what a callous attitude for a newspaper to present. This is urban journalistic cynicism and arrogant news management at its worst (except when the paper plays footsie with police officers beating the heads of legitimate demonstrators). Steve Brandt - and obviously others - waste a lot of time defending their lousy coverage and presume that only they have the value set to determine newsworthiness of events. As a working journalist, I am ashamed for my industry for a refusal to see the worth in stories that truly touch people, but worse, which threaten the very 1st Amendment they'd go to the wall defending if anyone attacked their right to publish anything they damned well pleased. I would defend the latter to the death, why don't they defend the former? Andy Driscoll -- "Whatever keeps you from your work is your work." Albert Camus The Driscoll Group/Communications Writing/Graphics/Political Consulting/Communications Strategies 835 Linwood Ave. St. Paul, MN 55105 651-293-9039 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "Russell Wayne Peterson" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 16:04:06 -0600 To: "Multiple recipients of list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: coverage of beatings Steve said (although I think these are the words of the Strib and not Steve's): "We rarely report routine beatings of anyone, much less drivers, and if we did, the newspaper would have room for little else." The fact that "routine beating" is actually a phrase we use and then say we don't have room for anything else because it is so prevalent just FLOORS me. I am aghast. Isn't anybody else? Or do we just want to continue to accept this kind of activity in our city?It is the institutional behavior of places like the Strib and the City of Minneapolis government that accepts a certain level of criminal activity and poor delivery of city services that helps create this "problem city image" we have. And many of us have bought into this low standard. And we wonder why good people move out of the city. I have mentioned this before and this is a perfect example of why we need to raise the bar in this city. And if the Strib is looking for story ideas, how about a story on "monthly, routine beatings of bus drivers?" Russ Peterson Ward 9 Standish R U S S E L L P E T E R S O N D E S I G N "You can only fly if you stretch your wings." Russell W. Peterson, RA, CID Founder 3857 23rd Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55407 612-724-2331 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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: DFL Caucus Rules
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 00:46:51 -0600 From: ferma001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Multiple recipients of list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Bad DFL caucus rules Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] As a practical matter - unless some delegate can convince a majority of delegates that the caucus system is sorely broken I doubt constitutional fiddling would get to first base. This years city convention has much business to conduct and given the pre-convention rhetoric going around it could be a long one. Any one remember the convention when Sharon Sayles Belton was endorsed for the first time - it adjorned at around 2 or 2:30 am. Sharon was not endorsed at that convention. It ended at that time in the morning with no candidate having received the required 60% needed for endorsement. Sharon won the Primary Election in September, and was endorsed by the DFL party after that.
Mr. Drisoll coverage of beatings
In a message dated 1/6/01 4:53:38 PM, Andy Driscoll wrote: Aghast is soft for what I feel. Is rage better? What in hell is this about "routine" and "if-we-carried-every-beating-of-a-driver story, we'd-have-no-room-for-anything-else bullrot. What overstatement, and what a callous attitude for a newspaper to present. This is urban journalistic cynicism and arrogant news management at its worst (except when the paper plays footsie with police officers beating the heads of legitimate demonstrators). Steve Brandt - and obviously others - waste a lot of time defending their lousy coverage and presume that only they have the value set to determine newsworthiness of events. As a working journalist, I am ashamed for my industry for a refusal to see the worth in stories that truly touch people, but worse, which threaten the very 1st Amendment they'd go to the wall defending if anyone attacked their right to publish anything they damned well pleased. I would defend the latter to the death, why don't they defend the former? Andy Driscoll ++ Kudos to Mr. Driscoll for scoring a 10.0 in correctly characterizing the STRIB'S failure to address this ghastly story. The perception of "arrogance by the STRIB" is right on target!! The video tape of this beating may have given TV stations a better reporting opportunity, but that is no excuse for the STRIB to ignore the incident. And if the opinion of Steve Brandt is correct that this attack on a bus driver is not that unusual, then where the heck was the STRIB in it's role to publicize this fact and champion corrective action? Bob Schoonover Afton MN
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
