Mary Jo Copeland and orphanages
According to today's Strib, Mary Jo Copeland was turned down for a zoning change to build an orphanage in Brooklyn Center. I think she'll be back at city hall now, to get space out of Minneapolis. She won the battle to get Sharing and Caring hands downtown, but it sits under the garbage burner so everyone using it can suck up a little heavy metal rain from the burner when they use the shelter. I'm solidly opposed to orphanages because they teach kids how to operate in institutions, rather than presenting them with a family situation to work from when they grow up. My mother, my aunt and two uncles grew up in an orphanage and they never quite grasped "family" in a way helpful to themselves or to creating a healthy family structure. I asking people to keep a sharp eye out for Mary Jo's orphanage proposal. She also stated that the orphanage should go to Brooklyn Center because, "God wants it there and his Holy Mother wants it there." That's a Pat Robertson ploy, but reminds me that 'the Cabots speak only to Lodges and the Lodges speak only to God." Scarey stuff, scarey people talk that way. WMarks, Central
Infrastructure
There have been at least two e-mails to the list today in which infrastructure is cited as a city requirement, but the infrastructure mentioned is limited to streets, sewers--bricks and mortar infrastructure. There is the social infrastructure to consider as well because that makes the city livable. Schools, libraries, parks and playing fields, public social settings forthe variety of human needs are also infrastructure. What the NRP proved, if nothing else, is that neighborhoods want the social infrastructure re-inforced, upgraded, made more prominent, given care and regular feeding. In fact, the 20-year plan (which morphed into the NRP) was, in part, the product of some people who did understand that the social infrastructure had been neglected for quite a while. Joe Horan, who works at the NRP and who may be second in command at this point was one of the blue ribbon committee who understood that and made it part of the NRP initiative. There were others, but I cannot remember the names. (Aging can be such an annoying process.) Dennie Schulstad, Lisa McDonald, and Steve Minn have often been wincingly prominent defenders of the notion that only the streets and sewers were important. McDonald and Minn tried to cut the little amount in the budget dedicated to assisting battered women, snidely calling it "the Mayor's pet project." Schulstad argued long and repeatedly that the only business of city government was to deliver streets, sewers, cops. On the issues of children, SSB has brought home the bacon, to some extent, by supporting Harriet Tubman Shelter, Success by Six, and Weed Seed. I give her credit for her long-term committment. I also give her enormous credit for her graciousness and her respectful behavior, a thing sadly lacking in the operation of city government. SSB had been treated very shabbily--and in public, mind you--by a few of her colleagues during her years on the city council and has in her years as mayor. Yet, when occasions have arisen where she could have swayed the outcome to cut her detractors out of the, shall we say, "adulation" of the public, she did not. She can be a really class act and I fully expect that quality in anyone who wants to be mayor of Minneapolis. Those without it won't get my vote. Sorry to natter on so. Wizard Marks, Central
Re: Bus Driver Beating
The driver, who was probably scared s***less, was trying to do his/her best to keep anyone from being harmed. Driver had no training in dealing with this kind of thing. He/she had been trained to push the panic button which would identify a situation--without any details--and get transit police there to deal with it. Transit police work is considered "gravy work" by the officers. They are, by report, quite lazy. WMarks [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A little true story: Five years ago, my son, then an 8th grade student at Ramsey, decided to nip out of school early with a friend. They decided make their escape via MTC #18 since it passed right by the school on Nicollet and 50th. They boarded and a block down the street a young man boarded the bus armed, showed the weapon and threatened another passenger. The MTC driver told the passenger to take cover and proceeded up Nicollet, stopping at the regular stops and advising new boardees to take cover too. At about 35/36th Street, the transit police showed up and when the bus stopped, the armed guy simply left the bus and walked away down Nicollet. The Transit Police made no effort to identify or detain him. When I tried to find out what had happened and why, the incident report just mentioned a passenger "disturbance" but made no mention of weapons or a suspect. If it weren't so scary, the ineptness of the whole thing would be funny. Sounds like things haven't changed much, what with these "routine beatings". Ann Berget Kingfield 10-10
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 Bus Driver Assault.
I drove for the MTC, now renamed bus company, from 79 through mid-85. During that time there were numerous assaults on drivers by passengers who were whacked out on alcohol, drugs, or rage. On the 5 line alone (Chicago Av.)one driver was knifed, one thrown off his own bus at gunpoint, one driver was attacked in the washroom of Butler Square (o-ficial potty break site), etc. One driver was highjacked. One bus was stolen while the driver stopped for a bathroom break. Those are the ones I remember. I was assaulted with a malted on the 21 once, another guy came after me for asking for a fare and I took him to court. Two passengers came to court to speak for him, saying I hit him back and it was racist to do so. The verbal assaults, of course, were routine. The flashers were fairly routine. The no pays were beyond counting. Shortly after I left a driver was raped at the end of the line by a passenger. By report of friends still driving, assaults have risen exponentially during the last 10 years. Even if the news media wanted to report all the assaults, the bus company would not be likely to assist since it would cast a bad light on the company and make people nervous about riding. Passengers, too, are assaulted. My kid came home last week saying a guy had put his hands on her on the bus and harassed her verbally and followed her off the bus to continue harassing her. Luckily, he picked the wrong kid. She decked him but good and came home to change her clothes because his blood was all over her. She didn't have a mark on her. Towanda! But it scares me, the next sorry geeker could have a gun or a knife or be bigger and stronger. WMarks, Central Dennis Hill wrote: Steve Brandt posted: "Beyond that, it was a threshold decision by the paper. I'm told by people who monitor these things that drivers get attacked monthly. We rarely report routine beatings of anyone, much less drivers, and if we did, the newspaper would have room for little else." Steve please define "routine beating". From what I saw on the videotape, that was no routine beating, that was a professional assualt. Maybe when irate newspaper readers start routinely beating Star Tribune reporters when they don't like the way a story is or is not reported these beatings will start getting some ink in the papers. Personally I think the paper discounted the worth of the man beaten because after all he's onnly a bus driver. Dennis Hill Only a bus rider St. Paul ** This e-mail and its attachments have been scanned for viruses. NDIS/ADCS University of Minnesota **
Re: busses
Unless a rider is a "regular", the bus driver has no idea who is a special case and who is not. He/she cannot take the time to ferret out which group is which. In rush hour, on Sunday and Holiday schedule, the driver's job is to pick up whoever stands in the stop, regardless of mobility. On Lake St., for example, the stops are generally two blocks apart and designed to line up with transfer points (Lyndale, Blaisdale, Nicollet, 4th Av, etc.) That means there are 119 stops from Lake and Hennepin to downtown St. Paul. A driver can expect elderly, handicapped, and moms with groceries and toddlers and infants and each stop. Your plan would make the system less accessable to all. WMarks, Central former MTC driver Douglas desCombaz wrote: In response to Matthea Smith objections to my bus plan: I think parents with small children were accounted for in the "other special exceptions" clause that I made. Meaning that, parents with small children would warrant a special stop if they requested one, or flagged a bus down. If we seperated bus stops by four blocks, the absolute maximum possible addition to any trip would be two blocks. I can illustrate this. Firstly, the traveller goes to the intersection where the nearest bus stop once was. Secondly, the traveller chooses the nearest bus stop. The nearest bus stop would be where the person is currently standing; if they where facing the street, one to two blocks to their left, or one to two blocks to their right. Thirdly, the traveller would walk the extra distance, if there was any. Not too much to ask. If this is too radical, perhaps the bus company could have special rush hour rules that implemented this. Douglas desCombaz Whittier = Douglas DesCombaz, Goodwill and Peace [EMAIL PROTECTED] TheChronicler www.dugrocker.com go.to/dug __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Re: Electric Car Shuttle System
Us "caraholics" sometimes have other reasons, particularly female caroholics. For example, in the good weather, I'm out in my car late at night. The busses are running at greater intervals at that hour and waiting for a bus in many places in this city--or any city or small town or even totally rural areas--are not safe places for women to wait for a bus. i.e. Lake and Chicago, Lake and 4th Av., Lake and Bloomington, anywhere on Nicollet Mall now that they've torn down the Times Cafe, 103rd and 3rd Av. Those places are not all that safe for men either. I received commendations when I drove because men called in to say that my being there (at Hennepin and Lagoon, for example) saved them from a mugging or worse. I gave free rides to young girls who were being harassed by ghouls in cars looking for a female to abuse. Men and women both have been pulled off bicycles by gang bangers who take pride in the fact that they always have a bicycle, but have never bougfht one. My foster kid was harassed by a passenger who got off the bus behind her just to continue harassing her because he didn't like how she looked. Being a caraholic has a lot to do with trying to stay safe in a hostile world. WMarks, Central John Akre wrote: I would like to add a third kind of person who uses transit (there are also probably many other types of people who use transit). I choose to use transit and don't own a car (but I could afford one if I chose) because of global warming and the environmental impact of automobiles. I know that I'm not the only one like this, and I also think this type of transit-using people will be growing in number as folks realize how dangerous the overreliance on car transport is to life on earth. Caraholics always say they need their cars because they need to make all these side trips, and I do feel pity for them. But if you don't drive you find that you schedule and arrange things differently (call it linear living), so you don't have to be running back and forth so much. People around the world really are coming to their senses and giving up cars. This will catch on in Minneapolis, the city will change, and if someone needs to go just a few blocks a pedicab, a streetcar, a scooter, a pogo stick or a nice pair of walking shoes will be so much more convenient and planet-friendly than an electric car shuttle system. Here's to 2001! John Akre Sheridan Neighborhood www.sheridanneighborhood.org PS: Basing a transportation system on the presumption of traction between rubber tires and asphalt roads just seems silly in a place with winter days like this one. I'm looking forward to rail transport in Minneapolis. Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 23:15:13 -0800 From: "Carol Becker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Electric Car Shuttle System Message-ID: 000d01c0709d$ec776d40$[EMAIL PROTECTED] Part of the answer lies in why people ride transit. There are two kinds of people who ride transit: people who have no other transit option (mainly the poor, disabled, and elderly) and those who are going to work. In the Twin Cities, 32% of riders have no other transit option and 81% of people are going to work. Also, 75% of persons riding transit are doing so during the rush hour. For the people going to work (the majority of riders), they usually are not making multiple stops. They are going from work to home or home to work. If they need to make multiple stops, they usually drive (70% of folksing taking transit have access to a car) or they use pool cars provided by their employer. Carol Becker Longfellow
Re: Chief Olson's Got to Go! (fwd)
There's a misstatement in here. In the case of Mr. Saunders, the police who answered the call did not know the history of Mr. Saunders. The connection was made later. The fault here lies, I think, with the hospital who let Mr. Saunders out before he was ready to cope with whatever he had on his plate. WMARKS Eva Young wrote: Matthea's got some interesting points. I'm much more concerned about the police killing the two mentally ill people-the woman with manic depression, and the African American man. In both cases, they knew they were confronting mentally ill people. At the same time, I resent when these cases are compared to the police treatment of the protesters at the Animal Genetics conference. The protesters there were intending to push the envelope as far as they could go, just to get arrested as a way of making a political statement. I think the issues are different. I think that the Star and Tribune article was instrumental in the statistics they gave that people of color don't make up the majority of the criminals, but they do make up for the majority of the arrests. It we look one step further, those arrests, many times comes from complaints from neighbors that have done the initial targeting or racial profiling. Now who do we target and hold accountable for their behavior? Interesting point. I'm not sure how you can hold citizens accountable for this type of behavior. The police are public servents and can be held accountable, because we, the taxpayers in the city are paying their salary. I also think that it's too bad when these things happen because all police officers suffer for the actions of a few. Eva Young Central - Click here for Free Video!! http://www.gohip.com/freevideo/
Re: Attack on Cherryhomes due to affordable housing position
Carol Becker wrote: To quote Woodstock (from Peanuts) "Every time someone comes up with a good idea, someone else brings up the budget." The Niland affordable housing proposal would have cost as much as the City currently spends for the Fire Department, an amount of money it simply doesn't have. What Carol says is true, but the underlying issue is that there would be money for affordable housing, not only for the very poor, but for the almost-as-poor-but-struggling-mightily if the powers that be didn't feel it was necessary to subsidize projects like the Nicollet Mall Target store with such, shall we say, distasteful largess. It was much more responsible to put together a program which is financially reasonable than to approve a program which was completely out of the City's ability to fund. It also would have made the issue of affordable housing a problem of the City of Minneapolis, rather than a problem of the whole region. Affordable housing has to be a regional issue with regional solutions and Minneapolis needs to respond but only as part of a much larger response. This is the heart of the issue, isn't it. Via the Holman Decree (was it consent?), a whole grup of people put the government on notice that they did not choose to cluster. And it's also true that the City of Minneapolis cannot survive if huge numbers of the poor and blue and pink color working people are all clustered inside the city limits. Further, business and industry now nestled in the burbs need workers to do blue and pink collar work. Hence, Ted Mondale puts the Metropolitan Council members on notice that the burbs will feel the squeeze if they don't start investing in more affordable housing for workers.What I find interesting is that some of the same people who signed the suit which created the Holman are now over in my neck of the woods demanding that we build affordable housing in a gated complex for people making less than half the poverty line. Curious, doncha think? Wizard Marks, Central Carol Becker Longfellow PS - These personal attacks do not have a place in this forum. - Original Message - From: timothy connolly [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Multiple recipients of list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 7:58 AM Subject: cherryhomes announcement what gives? i thought i could look forward to comments about the city council president's candidacy for a fourth term. shocked, i'm shocked! my favorite part of the strib's story was the line " a big part of her personal decision was the North Side housing development and her work on afffordable housing." happily i had only imbibed juice and coffee and no solid food when i read that. what work on affordable housing was that to which she was referring? was that leading the council in a 7-5 vote against councilman jim niland's affordable housing resolution which came directly out of the work done by and recommendations from the mayor's task force on ah? or was it her leadership in passing a watered down affordable housing resolution that has resulted in only a 3% increase in housing for those most in need, those whose family income is less than 30% of MMI (median metropolitan income) and a 79% increase in housing for those at 80% (MMI)? i would have thought ms cherryhomes would have pointed to her work on making "the block formerly known as block e" a showcase of inner city redevelopment in which we all may take great pride. enough. my nausea has passed. momentarily. tim connolly ward 7 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Re: cherryhomes announcement
Actually, if you check the history of Minneapolis, very early in its existence, after Eastman tried to tunnel under the river for more reparian rights, and St. Anthony Falls began to cave in, the business wigs in Minneapolis (Pillsbury, Eastman, Upton, Steele, etc.) got the feds to pay for keeping the falls in place and creating the whole lock and dam development at federal expense. Tradition! Doncha just loveit? WizardMarks, Central Jordan S. Kushner wrote: The Star Tribune article that I read about council member Cherryhomes' reelction announcement mentioned her sheparding through the council the major development projects, specifically mentioning Target [ $66 Million taxpayer subsidy for an already extremely profitable for-profit corporation to build a for-profit retail store next to its two office towers, and in the process, destroy or displace countless small businesses and architecturally distinctive buildings]. It would helpful if some informed list members can put together a list of large TIF subsidies to large developers. It seems that the issue that can unite Minneapolis residents with diverse interests and points-of-view is the out-of-control corporate welfare and the city government's blatant sell-out to corporate interests by making all of us pay for private downtown development. The lack of affordable housing can be in large part tied to the giving away of hundreds of millions taxpayer funds to the corporations that appear to have bought our Mayor and most city council members. Jordan Kushner Powderhorn timothy connolly wrote: what gives? i thought i could look forward to comments about the city council president's candidacy for a fourth term. shocked, i'm shocked! my favorite part of the strib's story was the line " a big part of her personal decision was the North Side housing development and her work on afffordable housing." happily i had only imbibed juice and coffee and no solid food when i read that. what work on affordable housing was that to which she was referring? was that leading the council in a 7-5 vote against councilman jim niland's affordable housing resolution which came directly out of the work done by and recommendations from the mayor's task force on ah? or was it her leadership in passing a watered down affordable housing resolution that has resulted in only a 3% increase in housing for those most in need, those whose family income is less than 30% of MMI (median metropolitan income) and a 79% increase in housing for those at 80% (MMI)? i would have thought ms cherryhomes would have pointed to her work on making "the block formerly known as block e" a showcase of inner city redevelopment in which we all may take great pride. enough. my nausea has passed. momentarily. tim connolly ward 7 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Re: Comparing libraries
A group of neighborhood folks have already begun working on that issue. They are forming the Friends of Hosmer to keep the tech center open, first, and to increase its hours to those of the library. Yes, a group of knowledgible volunteers would help immeasurably, RT. If you have access--and I see your working with Laura WW, then help he out here. Wizard Marks, Central R.T.Rybak wrote: Moving from big library issues to more focused ones: I'd love to get Wizard's, and others', take on what can be done to help keep the Internet area of Hosmer open longer hours. This is one of the best resources in the system for helping to close the Digital Divide but when I was in Hosmer last Saturday afternoonwhen kids without access at home could have been using it for school work, or parents using it for training, it was closed. A great room filled with all those computers in a neighborhood with some of the city's lowest Internet penetrationclosed in prime time. If we can't keep this open on Saturday afternoons, I imagine it's even harder to do it on evenings. Any thoughts on what can be done? Would there be a union issue if some of us with Internet contacts recruited volunteers for weekend training sessions? What about turning this over during hours when it isn't staffed to the Neighborhood Technology Consortium? (My pet cause; read about it at www.migizi.org) There are huge budget issues swirling around the libraries right now but it's important that we don't get solely focused on them that we let great resources sit unusued. R.T. Rybak Washburn Library
Re: Grafitti Again
To me, the logical thing to punish taggers is to make them remove all the graffiti they put up and twice that much of someone else's graffiti. So, Reachout on Lake St., for example, which had its 120 foot wall retagged after it was too late in the season to repaint, could have its tagger required to remove the graffiti from 360 linear feet of wall up to eight feet high. I am outraged that taggers threatened the investigator. That's too crazy. Wizard Marks, Central craig miller wrote: There is a problem with Jan's trail of logic. It doesn't take in the conclusion of his desire. The desire being meaningful sentences. Incarceration, even if it's just 30 days, works. That is not even a remote option. The jail is full with real bad guys. The state pen's are full. Law enforcement can't take those livability issues serious with out easing up on another part of the law enforcement/prosecution/punishment machine. Craig A. Miller Former Fultonite [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- I know this topic has been here many times and that's part of the problem. It is still around with no solution in sight. An article over the weekend detailed how the chief investigator will be quitting because of threats from the taggers. In that article was a sentence about a $50 fine (if memory serves me right) that a judge levied on a tagger. How in the world is that going to make someone change his/her behavior? Up to now I had always assumed we had a people problem here - that the people in charge weren't doing their job. Well now I am coming to the conclusion that it is a system problem. Why in the world are we relying on an investigator to do the work of finding taggers and calling in the police to make the arrest? Is it a system problem in that the policy makers don't think graffiti is a big enough problem to allocate police resource in sufficient amount to get the job done? And it appears that one big system problem is a judiciary that does not view the so called "quality of life" crimes as of sufficient importance to hand down meaningful sentences. On this list there is a lot of bashing elected officials, but don't forget that we also elect judges and isn't it time that more information about judges and their sentencing habits be made available to the electorate? I realize that is dangerous ground and that a judge's decision are based on a myriad of factors, but I would look for pattern and I think others would too. Jan Del Calzo Lynnhurst
Re: Doug Grow column on NEHD-NRP fiasco
I'd like to reply to some of Grow's accusations in David's succinct relaying of the facts: David Brauer wrote: I thought Doug Grow had a very interesting and provocative Minneapolis column on Wednesday, and was surprised to see no discussion...perhaps Thanksgiving planning got in the way. http://www.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisStory=82984553 The gist is that the Northside Economic Development Council, the economic development arm of the Near-North and Willard-Hay neighborhoods, allegedly misspent $727,000, of which $240,000 was unaccounted for (including lots of checks made out to cash). Working off a state auditor's report, Grow attacks NRP exec director Bob Miller for not catching the malfeasance; Miller argues it's an isolated instance, Grow reminds him of People of Phillips. Miller says NEDC got away with it because they were actively cheating the public -- unlike POP, which was incompetent. Grow asks why public oversight agencies aren't set up to catch cheating. Essentially, Grow says no Minneapolis official is taking responsibility for what is a significant misuse of public funds. People of Phillips was also the first neighborhood chosen in the NRP process. Earl Craig called it his 'worst nightmare come true'. Until they had a test case, the NRP did not know exactly how they would have to provide "technical assistance" to build the capacity of the neighborhoods. It's a damn shame, but humans generally learn from their mistakes and a new agency is no different.While I would disagree that POP was only incompetent, it may well be true that very little of the $18 million was disappeared deliberately. Miller says that NEDC was "actively cheating" the two neighborhoods. (And POP was passively cheating?) Quoting a story by Rochelle Olson (Trib, p.1 Metro) the day before Grow's column, "Despite two subpoenas, she [State Auditor Judi Dutcher] was unable to obtain a general ledger, receipts journal, time sheets and canceled checks, all of which are curcial in tracking an organization's activities." Neither one, though, explains a couple of things: are/were these tiny neighborhood organizations which in the past probably never had more than $300,000 in a year, being expected to keep the elaborate books implied in a $5 or $6 million dollar budget 52.5% of which was to be spent on housing? If so, then the NRP would have had to teach those organizations those skills and probably provide a computer template of the way they wanted books kept. As I recall, from the early days of the NRP, my neighborhood was not asked those kinds of questions, nor given training for it, nor staff support for it either. Most importantly, Grow uses the NEDC fiasco to tar the NRP concept - that by pushing decisions to the local level, the Keystone Kops multiply, decisions become more foolish, and we need to get those silly neighborhood people out of the spending game. Grow knoweth not what he speaketh. The keystone kops are no more in evidence in the neighborhoods than they are in busines and industry. However, it is true that, in neighborhoods like Phillips, Central, Willard Hay, Near North (the original NRP papers named 9 neighborhoods where the poor are more concentrated) you will find that the neighborhood board has a larger number of blue collar families who are not as familiar with the paper blizzard factor's many twists and turns as are the residents of neighborhoods where people have more formal education in business and the "professions." On the other hand, these neighborhoods are the ones where a greater number of people know how a house is put together and how to do many of the tasks required. (52.5% housing) They are likely to spend that money wisely, but not be as quick to write it down in the proper column or notice that it isn't spelled out in the annual report of the neighborhood. Given that 81 neighborhoods participated in the NRP, the fact that 2 can be singled out doesn't seem to require storming the battlements. At the same time Judi Dutcher does have a case. My own neighborhood did not have it's books in order without Dutcher having to pitch quite a fuss. (She also has a tendency toward being high strung, . . . .) When groups do that, we usually jump to the conclusion that something fishy is happening. My own neighborhood, Central, nearly drove Dutcher to distraction because the ED did not return her phone calls--no excuse for that. Dutcher should get her props as a matter of course. We had some tall orders to fulfill as a consequence of our audit. After the second audit, we had fewer corrections to make, but we still didn't have the routine down to a science. Some criticism is clearly deserved in this case, but I'd hate to throw the NRP baby out with the bathwater. As a journalist I was pretty skeptical of NRP, but as a neighborhood board president overseeing the work of our NRP Steering Committee, I've become a big believer. Our staff expenses
Re: Proposal to discuss police conduct
I went to the police to get the information since I have a friend there I can trust. I asked, 'how does the officer see the situation?' and got the answer I wrote. In the case of Mr. Saunders, the officeres did not have the information that Mr. Saunders' family had tried to get HCMC to keep him under observation. All they knew was that the man was driving erratically and in his underwear. The training they receive is to the effect that people who are about to blow get very hot from either adrenelin rush or drug rush and throw off their clothes, regardless of the weather. They also know that adrenelin and drugs produce a superhuman strength--that I've seen myself. It's very scarey. Unless I'm mistaken about what I was told, the officers are trained to jump to the worst case scenario. and make a self-preserving split-second decision about what to do. Wizard Marks, Central [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 11/24/00 10:26:26 AM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: squad car officers are trained to see something different than you who were also not there are seeing. That means that the city's population and the line officers--and hence all other police personnel (they come up through the ranks)--have two different (at minimum) logic bases from which we are trying to discuss the issue. If the line officer is trained thus: "it's winter, it's cold, this big guy has been driving erratically and he's in his underwear. When people go ballistic, the training says they are going to blow any second and they gain incredible adrenelin strength. Ergo, this guy is way dangerous." The scenario presented in Wizards post is alarming, even as police encounters evidence its truth. We are not discussing SOG's,SEAL's, or SFO's, we are discussing a civilian force (Peace officers?) licensed to protect the citizenry from the bad guys. The subject she describes may be partially dressed and driving erratically for any number of reasons, including physical assault which would produce the same characteristics in behaviour. According to her defense, this "victim" is then condemned to die, at the hands of those licensed to protect him/her. To wizards credit, this revelation seems appropriate to the police response in their latest killings. For the sake of all Minnesotans, I sincerely hope that Wizard over-spoke on this issue. However, a caveat: Ms. Marks statement shouyld not be written off as pure conjuncture-it may well be true. Assuming the latter, it is imperative that the mission of the police be re-defined in service to the public, and that training to respond to crisis be overhauled, upgraded, and honed to the extent that their logic base, whichever they react from, empowers them to properly judge when "extreme force" is necessary. Robert Anderson 8th Ward. p.s.: Holle, I regret your recent misfortune and hope that all is well with you.
Re: Proposal to discuss police conduct
I'd like to clarify my statement since I was deemed "complacent" about police behavior. From listening to an intelligent, articulate officer who was not at the scene when Mr. Saunders was shot, I can say that the squad car officers are trained to see something different than you who were also not there are seeing. That means that the city's population and the line officers--and hence all other police personnel (they come up through the ranks)--have two different (at minimum) logic bases from which we are trying to discuss the issue. If the line officer is trained thus: "it's winter, it's cold, this big guy has been driving erratically and he's in his underwear. When people go ballistic, the training says they are going to blow any second and they gain incredible adrenelin strength. Ergo, this guy is way dangerous." Training: dangerous person ready to blow in a vehicle = make sure he cannot get out of the car, make sure he doesn't pin you between two cars or a car and a building, make sure he doesn't run over you. The cop's common sense tells him/her that if the worst is actually present, there is no question that the licensed peace officer defends his/her own life and the lives of by-standers first. Period, end of story. That is the ultimate consequence of charging and licensing people to protect and serve and equipping them with guns with which to do it. I'd be willing to bet actual cash dollars that every one of us would do the same thing in the same situation if those were the tools we were licensed to use. Those of us who have not been there cannot begin from that perspective and those who have been in that position in all likelihood cannot 'explain' it to themselves, let alone to another person. That is why we pay 'em the big bucks! If, then, my perspective is 'there's got to be another way to handle this, it means we have to be sure that whatever other methods we devise are equally effective. Next question: Are we in a position to have that conversation with the police? Don't bank on it. Wizard Marks, Central [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 11/23/00 9:50:21 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Can we please have a discussion on this list about proper police conduct and how we can hold police accountable for deviations from proper conduct? This is a sore subject - no pun intended - considering I was mugged in my own kitchen at 6 a.m. this morning by an individual looking to collect some extra holiday cash. But violence is violence, regardless of who is dispensing it, so let's just say at the moment I'm feeling sympathetic with anybody who is on the receiving end. I know way too many people who were murdered - my sister, my best friend, co-workers, acquaintances. I've learned that when you're dead, you're dead; there is no healing, no forgiveness, no chance to say oops, I messed up... the families, friends and neighbors of people who have been killed by Minneapolis police (an ignominous way to go, by the way - would you like to have to tell people for the rest of your life that your father was gunned down by cops?) are hurting, grieving. They need more from Chief Olson than a cold assertion that the police were acting appropriately. How can we acknowledge their pain and loss? Institutional violence puts blood on all our hands. I want to feel confident that it's there for a darn good reason. Are we as a community going to make a commitment to nonviolence? What would this mean? Responsibility and reparations, for a start - even if it means opening the door to litigation. Accountability - breaking up the one-party lock on our city government, maybe having an elected police chief. Retraining our police force in non-lethal intervention techniques. Acknowledging and abolishing racial profiling and over-policing of poor neighborhoods, which promote power abuse. And reconnecting our police force with the community, through incentives for residency. I want to be part of a community that is outraged when people are killed, regardless of the circumstances. The alternative is a kind of slow death of the spirit. -- Holle Brian Bancroft (612) 822-6593
Re: Finance Director
More to the point than Mr. Born's qualifications, how are the residents of Minneapolis going to approach telling both city council and mayor, again for the umptenth time, that no public money goes into stadia for ball teams? Wizard Marks, Central [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 11/22/2000 6:34:50 AM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: But, if and when, Pat Born begins to broker a new deal for the twins or the vikings, or both, let's all refer to this discussion. Hopefully that won't happen, but if it does, I'd like to have a nice talk about integrity, honesty, motives and agendas. The City Finance Director doesn't broker political deals... he's a City employee, and primarily responsible for providing financial advice and recommendations to the Mayor, the City Council and other Department heads. Decisions for or against using city subsidies for a sports stadium, a Target on the Mall, or a BlockE project rest with the Mayor and the City Council, and in-the-end with city voters. If our elected Council members or Mayor request his opinion on financing alternatives for such projects... that's his job! M. Hohmann 13th Ward
Re: Park Ave. as historic district
It is my understanding, from watching the infamous Healy block come back together that the requirements for historic districts happen when and if you have to change the outside of the house. For example, if you have to reconstruct your porch then it has to be reconstructed back to the original plan. So, if say a tree fall on your front porch and caves it in and you or a previous owner has enclosed it, then the enclosure has to go and the porch returned to the way it looked in 1899 or 1912 or whenever. If you decide to replace the asbestos siding, it has to go back to clapboard. Wizard Marks, Central Barbara Nelson wrote: Per Russell's remarks -- why stop there? why not create 1) some type of "district" for all the 2) "grand" boulevards? 1) My understanding is that "historic district" means certain things and makes upkeep very expensive. So perhaps some other designation and historic street lamps or something to alert the passers by that there is something special about these places, but avoid the pitfalls of "historic" designation. 2) Re all the grand boulevards. It's my understanding that the early city planners designated certain streets to be "grand boulevards", to encourage development in those directions. Examples are Park and Portland Avenues, Kenwood Boulevard, Hennepin Avenue etc. I don't know the whole list, but maybe one of our resident history buffs could supply that info? Development, especially privately financed, in Phillips is exciting. Franklin Avenue has sagged in the middle for a long time. Let's hope that space will be as vibrant there as it is now, on both the east and west ends. Barbara Nelson Seward
[Fwd: DFL Delegate letter]
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --E8AC33F9DABFA14254E916B6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I don't know whether or not Barb Lickness is a neonazi, but I don't think it serves anyoe to so pigeonhole another member of this list. Wizard Marks, Central --E8AC33F9DABFA14254E916B6 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: (qmail 26882 invoked by uid 0); 15 Nov 2000 00:43:15 - Received: from mail7.uswest.net (204.147.80.25) by mplsstor2.mpls.uswest.net with SMTP; 15 Nov 2000 00:43:15 - Received: (qmail 89029 invoked from network); 15 Nov 2000 00:43:14 - Received: from mplspop2.mpls.uswest.net (204.147.80.4) by mail7.uswest.net with SMTP; 15 Nov 2000 00:43:14 - Received: (qmail 48403 invoked from network); 15 Nov 2000 00:43:04 - Received: from mplsdslgw7poola189.mpls.uswest.net (HELO ariel) (63.226.180.189) by mplspop2.mpls.uswest.net with SMTP; 15 Nov 2000 00:43:04 - Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 18:35:24 -0600 Message-ID: 000b01c04e9b$f19bf080$020a@ariel From: "dave dix" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "wizardmarks" [EMAIL PROTECTED] References: 000b01c04df7$834a0120$020a@ariel [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: DFL Delegate letter MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Lighten up Marks. I could care less about Lickness and the VV crowd of neo nazis. She isn't worth the effort of an email. They are their own worst enemies.. It's called sardonic humor, BTW. You've written your share in your time. Chill. Dave Dix - Original Message - From: "wizardmarks" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 8:29 PM Subject: Re: DFL Delegate letter It would be a bad idea. Wizard Marks dave dix wrote: ROTFL!!! Ah, the true nature of Minnesota Nice ! Anyone forwarded this to the Strib, yet? Dave Dix Phillips Precinct 6 - Original Message - From: "Barbara Lickness" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Multiple recipients of list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2000 9:14 PM Subject: DFL Delegate letter Carsten called me today. Said he was working on a version of the DFL letter too. I agree my opening statement was weak. I guess that must epitomize my confidence when it comes to the DFL. Anyway, he will forward his version to me tomorrow. Will forward that to you and Fred when I get it. I know you are leary of Fred. So am I. But would rather have him on my side than agin' me. Dean has dissed him and I am going to capitalize on that. But I also know not to bring him in too closely. He will be an asset on the DFL strategy stuff. He has already produced a map of all the "green" party people in the ward. I can target them all directly with a letter and hopefully defuse some of the people that may consider supporting Dean Zimmerman. And as far as the DFL fundraiser goes, let me know if you need Robin and I to make chocolates or if you would prefer I didn't get involved in that. I need to know in advance so I can plan the time. I also forgot that I will probably be getting some money from the fundraiser on Wednesday so should be alright on the financial front. But I don't want to spend too much on this DFL party cuz I won't make much from the fundraising. These people give $5 and $10 bucks and stuff. I really want to support you in this role, I just don't know how so I need you to tell me. O.K.? Later gater. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Get organized for the holidays! http://calendar.yahoo.com/ --E8AC33F9DABFA14254E916B6--
Re: Paying for the Library/Regional facilities but Minneapolis pays
There is more to do than just build the building--though the building is way important. It takes something like $100,000 a year more to run Hosmer than the library has a budget to afford. As a new Sumner and Franklin library come into being, it will take that much more for them too. The legislature is going to need to be lobbied to bring in those funds since it will be impossible for the city to keep up with the extra costs (I think, but I'm not too smart about this stuff). The costs go for additional homework helpers who are bi-lingual, additional programming, additional resources (read book and material budgets) to meet the needs of immagrant populations who are flooding the library to get the information to help them adjust to their new circumstances. It would be a great help if each member of this list were to privately lobby his/her legislators and congress members to think of libraries first, not last. The hook is the information age and how everyone in the country needs to be able to move comfortably through getting information. Of course, if that were to happen to its full extent, some legislators and congress people would be removed from their posts eventually. Ah, democracy! Wizard Marks, Central R.T.Rybak wrote: The taxpayers of Minneapolis stepped up to pass the Library Referendum. But I hope this doesn't end the debate about participation from the state, country and business community. Minneapolis has stepped up over and over again to pay for facilities that are regionwide and statewide resources, as Carol Becker pointed out. Sometimes we have jumped up too quickly and let others off the hook(I'm one of many who saw the first convention center funding debate at the Legislature who thought the city could have gotten the state money it deserved it we had driven a harder bargain.) Whether or not that has now happened with the library, those planning this project really owe it to Minneapolis' taxpayers to keep making that case to the county and the Legislature... It would be nice if funding eventually came from the state so city taxpayers wouldn't have to pay as much as they authorized...(Wouldn't you love it if one day a political body said, "Thanks for this, you guys, but we didn't need it all so have some back")but considering the bargaining position now lost, it seems very doubtful that will happen. If not, then the Legislature that has sent millions upon millions upon millions to St. Paul for museums and arenas should at the very least be able to fund a state-of-the-art Planetarium. And if, in fact, MacPhail is going to have to move for St. Thomas' expansion, can the state that has spent zillions on the University play a role in helping to integrate a new MacPhail into the library for a first of it's kind music education center? And if a full merger of the city and county library systems isn't on the table, isn't there at least an option here where the county should be playing some role in this building? How about joining with the business community to make a real step toward actually addressing the Digital Divide with a state of the art Internet access center that can really serve the masses, instead of the three or four at a time now lined up at the terminals? The library project has had a very rocky road over the past decade, and there is lots of blame to go around. But now that the taxpayers have stepped up to do their part, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build something truly extraordinary. We shouldn't blow it by thinking small, or letting others off the hook. This has the potential to be one of the most important projects this generation will leave behind It's just that all the spending on other projects means we shouldn't, and can't, pay for it on our own. R.T. Rybak East Harriet
Re: Paying for the Library - Response to Mr. Minn
Throughout the country, libraries have not been really good at lobbying for their needs. Libraries are often a legislative and congressional afterthought. Unfortunately, in "the age of information" that's a national disaster lurking in the corner. Wizard Carol Becker wrote: Where would the 2.5 million books go if there wasn't a central library? Regardless of who manages the system, there needs to be a new building to house this collection. What would be really great would be if someone who knew someone over at the state could maybe find some money to fund a portion of the new library. Even though the votors approved $110 million in bonds, I'm sure the City would greatfully sell less bonds if someone were able to do this. Carol Becker Longfellow - Original Message - From: Steve Minn [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Multiple recipients of list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 3:15 PM Subject: Paying for the Library Dear Katy, and all the kind voters of Minneapolis who voted for the privilege of a duplicative, redundant and unnecessary stand-alone downtown library, unattached to the County system, and unpaid for by the regional and business users who are not in Minneapolis...You have made my point...Non Minneapolitans will use it, and not pay for it! -- From: "Beem, Katy" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" [EMAIL PROTECTED], Multiple recipients of list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Paying for the Library Date: Thu, Nov 9, 2000, 3:50 PM Quoting Steve Minn who is "Glad he doesn't have to pay for the Library." Perhaps the 67% of Minneapolis residents who voted yes to support a well-deserved and greatly-needed new library, and possibly Steve Minn himself, will be more than glad to USE the Library. Katy Beem The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library proud to support the library and grateful to Minneapolis voters As an experienced observer of Committee process during budget hearings, I can assure you that this phase of the budget process is not only dry, but extremely tedious. It would not make for interesting television. For the most part, staff give generic overviews and answer specific questions from CM's in attendance, which varies by subject matter and topic. It is mostly an instructive process, not deliberative. The far more interesting part of the process that would be of value to outside observers, is the actual budget mark-up that occurs in December. CM's are prone to explaining votes as they do in Council Meetings, and televised coverage would probably compel a lot of hand wringing, if motions and amendments to alter the budget were put forward. Steve Minn Glad he doesn't have to pay for the Library. -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Multiple recipients of list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Budget Hearings Date: Thu, Nov 9, 2000, 2:54 PM I understand the City Council Budget Hearings will not be televised on cable television. I urge list members to call their City Council member and request that the hearings be televised during the later half of this month. CM Lane suggests, "The best information I have is that the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Joan Campbell, has elected not to do so. I am not privy to the basis for this decision." Call Joan Cambell at 673-2202, others are below. Ward 1, Paul Ostrow (612) 673-2201 Ward 2, Joan Campbell(612) 673-2202 Ward 3, Joe Biernat (612) 673-2203 Ward 4, Barbara Johnson (612) 673-2204 Ward 5, Jackie Cherryhomes (612) 673-2205 Ward 6, Jim Niland (612) 673-2206 Ward 7, Lisa Goodman (612) 673-2207 Ward 8, Brian Herron (612) 673-2208 Ward 9, Kathy Thurber(612) 673-2209 Ward 10, Lisa McDonald(612) 673-2210 Ward 11, S. Doré Mead (612) 673-2211 Ward 12, Sandy Colvin Roy (612) 673-2212 Ward 13, Barret Lane (612) 673-2213 M. Hohmann 13th Ward
Re: Voter Turn-out
I was at Hosmer Library today, a voting station for part of Central neighborhood. The turnout was impressive. Many more young black voters, many middle-aged black voters and a healthy sprinkling of caucasians as well. It was extremely heartening. Of course, we're in the center of Neva Walker territory here and Neva's the daughter of a much respected community elder, so it stands to reason that people are turning out to vote for Neva. Wizard Marks, Central Barbara Lickness wrote: Whoever wins this election (and I do care who wins), I have to say this is the most exciting election I have seen in a very long time at least during my mid-life crisis. My precinct 6-1 generally has mediocre turn out. Today it was packed. I saw a couple neighbors there today who I know haven't voted in years. That made me happy. I saw old and young, and a larger number of people of color. A couple of friends I have were working the polling places today called and said they were mobbed. THIS IS GOOD! I will be very interesting in hearing what the overall voter turn out percentages were. My gut instinct is that they will be very good. PARTY ON! Here a some parties I heard about SD 61 - Karen Clarks house 2633 - 18th Av. So after 8:00 p.m. Neva Walker Campaign Headquarters 3100 Chicago Av. So. Mpls, MN 6:00 - 8:00 SD 62 Chatterbox Pub 2229 E. 35th St. 7:00 p.m. SD 60 Dulono's Pizza 607 W. Lake St 7:30 p.m. __ Do You Yahoo!? Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one Place. http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Re: Newspaper endorsement scorecard
You might also note that the percentage of democrats and republicans in Minneapolis probably mirrors the endorsement percentages. I know the republicans in my ward could hold a meeting in a phone booth--if there were phone booths anymore. Wizard Marks, Central [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Following is the distribution data by party designation of candidates in tomorrows election as endorsed and published by the Minneapolis StarTribune and by the St. Paul Pioneer Press: Minneapolis StarTribune: -- endorsed Democrats= 77% -- endorsed Republicans = 18% -- endorsed Independents = 5% St. Paul Pioneer Press: -- endorsed Democrats= 50% -- endorsed Republicans = 50% -- endorsed Independents = 0% I've done this analysis for quiet a few elections and the Strib endorsements are always 70-80% for Democrats. And todays' lesson is? Although this is editorial page data, don't assume the Strib is an unbiased, objective newspaper. Bob Schoonover Afton MN
Re: Vouchers
I don't think Mr. Griffith or a lot of others, have a clear picture of how tight money is in the homes of poor families. In order for kids to take advantage of private schools, they need more than tuition. Every program, every outing, every event costs money, both for the kids to get in and for clothes and other accoutrements. With only one kid to put through school, it means a lot of rice and beans for the whole family so one kid can go to private school. If one has two or three kids, it's so far beyond impossible that it's not even funny. What a voucher does, is use tax payers' money to fund private schools. If my kids are in public school and I'm paying to send those families with a little more money to private school, then my kid is automatically being cheated, cause the public schools lose the money. Not to mention if these private schools are also parochial schools, then we get into questions of the separation of church and state. That's a really important principle we need to keep intact. No matter how you slice it, vouchers do not support the greater good for the greater many. Wizard Marks, Central Clark C. Griffith wrote: Vouchers make an enormous difference for poor kids. All private schools have scholarship programs for kids who are bright and not able to afford the tuition. A voucher program allows an expansion of the scholarships to admit a significantly larger number of kids. These schools want all the brightest kids. Vouchers also place a lot of money in the market so that other private schools can be created. For example, with vouchers, a local Muslim group may be able to create their own school. The possibilities are enormous; the program is sound. Clark Griffith 7th Ward
Re: Vouchers
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It has long been my understanding (though I am no expert yet) that vouchers are supposed to be all or part of the amount a public school would get per student. If this is the case, then how would a voucher program "divert funds" unjustly? Let me explain: say my child goes to public school A, and I decide it's a rotten place. The next year, I enroll him/her in public school B. Due to the change in enrollment numbers, school B is now allocated the funds which were, the year before, going to school A for my kid. Would this scenario be so bad? I think that's the whole concept of vouchers in a nutshell - except that we have to monkey around more with with the process of moving funds between a public and private school. Here's a possible scenario: my kid is extremely bright, she's not getting what she needs from public school. I think she belongs at St. Paul Academy where she will not only get academics, but will rub elbows with kids from wealthy and middle class homes. With a voucher, she can't even come close to the amount it would take to not only go to the school she needs, but take part in that social life. She's also an African-American Muslim. We live on a fixed, very small income. What good is a voucher to my kid who needs not only good academics, but access? To say that vouchers will even touch the poor in any real was is mouse poop. To say that poor kids, even more than other kids, need access to the resources of a private school education, is to state the obvious. Therefore, vouchers are not meant to make different public schools accessable to a wider group of students, but to pull middle class kids from the public schools to the private ones, therefore pulling money out of the public schhol system and away from my kid and all the other kids like her. Why would I support the privileges of the middle class and wealthy against the needs of my own child? That would be way dumb. Wizard Marks Additionally, the claim that vouchers "doom poor families... with an inordinate burden of payments," is symptomatic of the elitism which so deeply permeates contemporary "liberal" thought. Would you tell me that an appliance shop down the street will doom ME in such a way? Of course not! If I can't afford a new jen-aire washing machine, I simply will not buy it. Poverty does not equal stupidity, nor irresponsibility, nor does it denote bad parenting. I believe (as an inner-city resident with an income WAY below the so-called poverty level) that vouchers would be an incredible asset to working families (especially minorities) who currently have mediocre choice for the means by which their children are educated. I personally know of many in my neighborhood that agree. Connie Sheppard Ward 6 - Ventura Village On Fri, 3 Nov 2000 22:03:30 -0600 [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: In a message dated 11/3/00 6:11:15 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The problem with vouchers go beyond the concerns raised by Stack to one simple fact: they don't work to help students. After discussing this subject with a very interesting MPS Psychologist Thursday evening, I reviewed statistics that inevitably lead me to conclude that she was rightfully concerned with the use of vouchers as they do more harm than good. In short, my research indicates that the voucher program diverts needed funds from the very schools and students who need it most. More importantly, it further dooms poor families and their students with an inordinate burden of payments that the families cannot afford. Thank you Ms. Park Avenue for such gentle persuasion and insight into this problem. And...a DFL'r with whom I agree. Strange bedfellows?? Robert Anderson Minneapolis Independence Candidate, House 61B YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
Re: nic-lake
timothy connolly writes: Tim, We ARE displacing the people who will not have anywhere to go inside the city. I think that's the whole point.Wizard Marks, Central there are undoubtedly smarter people out there than i and i hope some could give me some reassurance that we are just not going to displace people who will have no place else to go. any help? tim connolly ward 7 downtown __ Do You Yahoo!? From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/
Re: Flyers and Kiosks
I'd like to suggest here, that there is already a group, called Youth Build run from Summit Academy by Louis King in place to do that sort of thing. Americorps is a good suggestion and those youth, combined with Youth Build could do that I would think and have a good time in the bargain contributing something positive that everyone would see. I like it, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Wizard Marks, Central timothy connolly wrote: Rosalind Nelson defended the idea of flyers and more kiosks i agree about kiosks except i would like to get a better price than what lyn-lake paid for them. a possibility might be having americorp kids build and install them. or some such thing. maybe a local version through the youth coordinating board. make mac boston actually do some work and instill in young people the idea that work is good and that getting someone else to write your term papers is not self-enhancing. as to who cleans the kiosks: given the state of the city we all might think of taking the initiative our- selves in our respective neighborhoods. there used to be a national campaign against litter that used a logo of a hand dropping paper into a wire basket. the words they used we're "Pitch in". at home here in minneapolis we had a "spruce up your city" program with a spruce tree as a logo. there are still a few of the signs attached to light standards around town. we don't need new ideas or new signs. we need leaders with memories and vision who aren't afraid to speak up or get their hands dirty. and in deference to susan young who did a study for her bosses who love nothing more than to spend our money, we don't need to study the issue of "who picks up after whom" one second more. we just need to get to work. tim connolly ward 7 --- Rosalind Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Some of us like rock bands, new age spiritual events, and neighborhood garage sales. We live here too. We pay taxes too. NRP events and community meetings are important, but so are the many other ways that people in a city gather together with others and keep themselves entertained. If we had more kiosks instead of less, you might be able to find the poster listing your important community meeting. As far as responsibility for cleanup, it would be interesting to find how this works in other cities that already have a large number of kiosks. I can try to find out how Madison approaches this. Rosalind Nelson Bancroft From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Flyers and Kiosks Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regarding flyers and kiosks: The Lyn-Lake Association has had two kiosks on either side of Lyndale Avenue just south of Lake Street for several years. Part of their original purpose was for posting monthly Lyn-Lake arts calendars for public use. They ended up being big-time graffiti magnets and coated many layers deep with flyers, stickers, and posters for rock bands, New Age spiritual events, and neighborhood garage sales. I don't believe I've ever seen a single NRP event or important community meeting posted on them once. And if more such kiosks were erected, whose responsibility would it be to keep them cleaned up? Valerie Powers Tenth Ward __ Do You Yahoo!? From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/
Re: City Council 2001 -
Karen Forbes also said, on this issue, that Brian Herron wants to be a county commissioner. Maybe, but he wouldn't jump on Peter McLaughlin to get there. McLaughlin's doing a more than respectable job as commissioner though I am somewhat disappointed that he didn't challenge Grams for the senate seat. Walter Gutzmer, one of the foks highly involved in the Central hoo-hah, has muttered that he'll run against Herron as has David Piehl, another prominent figure in the Central hoo-hah. Wizard Marks, Central Cameron A. Gordon wrote: I have also heard that Park and Rec commissioner Dean Zimmermann may be thinking over a run in the Six Ward In message [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Sorry if I am being redundant. Here are some more names that I have become aware of... Interestingly, there seems to be a lot of angst and discontent within the populist in the direction the city is going and many seem to be clamoring for a new direction. I love democracy!!! Cheers! Darren Pierson Brian Hanninen (ward 2) - lawyer Cathy Teenbroeke (ward 6) - gay, affordable housing activist Dean Kallenbach (ward 6) - gay, ? Juan Linares (ward 6) - hispanic, community organizer Michael Guest (ward 9) - DFL, Green Party, Progressive MN Scott Benson (ward 11) - gay, ROAR, lawyer 5th CD chair -- is in for sure Tom Streitz (ward 11) - legal aid lawyer, ROAR, neighborhood school issues Bridget Reilly (ward 12) - county worker Neil Ritchie (ward 10) - former candidate Doug Kress (ward 10) - way to grow ED Greg Abbot (ward 13) - lawyer, former City DFL chair From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Multiple recipients of list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: City Council 2001 - an office-space odyssey Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 19:11:58 -0600 Other names: 6TH WARD Jonathan Palmer, SSCO Chair Jim Graham, Master Plan guy, Ventura Village Annie Young??? (Just a rumor, she can confirm or deny) Connie Sheppard Ward 6 - Ventura Village YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. In peace and cooperation, Cam Gordon 914 Franklin Terrace Mpls. MN 55406-1101 612 296-0579, 332-6210, 339-2452 Seward Neighborhood, Ward 2 = "Significant, enduring change will require an institutionalized shift of power from corporations and government to ordinary Americans." - RALPH NADER www.jimn.org/gpm/gpm.html (MN Green Party) www.mngreens.org www.votenader.org
Re: Neighborhood Boundaries
--2387F28E3E98D31AFBB1A955
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I have not one shred of evidence to support the following notion on this issue:
Could this boundary issue be rising to accomodate a division of Phillips
neighborhood? It is already divided de facto but it could become an official,
Official way of changing Phillips.
Wizard Marks, Central
David Brauer wrote:
I'm kind of interested in this question, too -- how coercive will the city
be about making boundary changes?
For example, the document I received from the city planning says the
"optimal size of a neighborhood may be one-quarter to one-third of a mile
center to edge...". King Field -- whose only natural boundary is 35W to the
east -- is almost twice that big, from 36th to 46th Sts. S.
Does this mean the city will re-do our boundaries -- and by this, I mean
split us up -- or will something happen only if we ask for a change? (The
idea of a split or redraw has been contemplated over the years, but since we
are in the middle of our NRP disbursements, I don't think anyone here is
pushing this right now.)
Anyone in a position to know, please let me or the list know. We're supposed
to be discussing this at our neighborhood board meeting on Wednesday.
Best,
David Brauer
King Field - Ward 10
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Dave Stack
Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 9:36 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Neighborhood Boundaries
From: David Fey
a "virtual boundary" that has no physical marker. In fact, this
virtual boundary now runs right through the middle of one of the new
industrial buildings in the Seward Place industrial park. I hope we will be
able to work with the Longfellow neighborhood to realign this boundary
About a year ago Bryn Mawr and Harrison had an interesting
negotiating meeting to clean up a border that was ill-defined in some
locations - running through lots and buildings, etc. Most of the new line
was decided upon in one meeting by three resident representatives from Bryn
Mawr and three from Harrison, and facilitated by a staff person from the
city planning department. Everyone seemed to have a little different idea. I
was pushing for the use of Bassett Creek as the border as much as possible.
First we completed the easy sections where all agreed on the creek. Then
thru compromise we finally worked it all out. The final line uses a street,
RR tracks, creek, and property line. Although part of the subsequently
published property line section on the east end was a surprise to all six
Harrison and Bryn Mawr participants.
I had heard that this Harrison / Bryn Mawr border was the last ill-defined
boundary to be digitized into the new GIS mapping system, but now it sounds
like this was not the case. Southwest Journal did an article on the Bryn
Mawr / Harrison border redraw (if this link does not work, search 'archived
publications' with somelthing like "harrison border")
http://www.swjournal.com/swjournal/myarticles.asp?H=1S=212P=47135PubID=12
20
Dave Stack
Harrison
(where Bassett Creek is the border for most, but not all, of the line with
Bryn Mawr)
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I have not one shred of evidence to support the following notion on this
issue:nbsp; Could this boundary issue be rising to accomodate a division
of Phillips neighborhood?nbsp; It is already divided Ide facto /Ibut
it could become an official, Official way of changing Phillips.
BRWizard Marks, Central
PDavid Brauer wrote:
BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITEI'm kind of interested in this question, too -- how
coercive will the city
BRbe about making boundary changes?
PFor example, the document I received from the city planning says the
BR"optimal size of a neighborhood may be one-quarter to one-third of
a mile
BRcenter to edge...". King Field -- whose only natural boundary is 35W
to the
BReast -- is almost twice that big, from 36th to 46th Sts. S.
PDoes this mean the city will re-do our boundaries -- and by this, I
mean
BRsplit us up -- or will something happen only if we ask for a change?
(The
BRidea of a split or redraw has been contemplated over the years, but
since we
BRare in the middle of our NRP disbursements, I don't think anyone here
is
BRpushing this right now.)
PAnyone in a position to know, please let me or the list know. We're
supposed
BRto be discussing this at our neighborhood board meeting on Wednesday.
PBest,
BRDavid Brauer
BRKing Field - Ward 10
P-Original Message-
BRFrom: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
BR[A
HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]"mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/A]On
Behalf Of Dave Stack
BRSent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 9:36 AM
BRTo: Multiple recipients of list
BRSubject: Re: Neighborhood Boundaries
Pnbsp; From: David Feynbsp;
BRnbsp; a "virtual
Re: Not too busy are ya....................
So, if some guy on this list is a "snotty liberal" then you are, presumably, a what? Condescending conservatiuve? Adenoidal archconservative? Just plain twit? You could start with yourself and be accountable for your mouth--or fingers in this case. Wizard Marks, Central j burns wrote: While I so enjoy being chided by snotty liberals who disagree with my opinion, I do have to ask: where, in your world, does the accountability lie then??? Certainly the students can't be held accountable; they're just children! And the teachers? Impossible. Too under paid! The School District or School Board then! But there's too many kids to keep track of and some of them don't even speak english!! The parents? They're just working stiffs. Any other suggestions out there rather than the almighty buck in this discussion?? J Burns Cleveland From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Multiple recipients of list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Not too busy are ya Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:36:05 -0500 It is a shame we can't deprive those stupid little bastards of those sweetheart jobs at SA, where their indecision over the cash register costs hard-working folks like us at least 15-20 seconds of precious time per day. Maybe if we turn off the funding spigot and class sizes grow, they'll be forced to spend more time at home studying, especially if we rachet up the test regimen--accountability, don't cha know. With friends like J. Burns, the Boy Scouts don't need any enemies. Britt Robson Lyndale _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.
Re: Watershed Districts
Chain link fence with a locked gate? Ish. At least the one at 42nd and Bloomington has a wrought iron fence, some trees, etc. It looks quite nice, actually. Wizrd Marks, Central Dave Stack wrote: From: Dave Porter Maybe there should be a "Bassett Creek Watershed District" to come up with some of the initial funds needed to bring more parks into north Minneapolis? I agree. I am in favor of watershed areas pitching in to help establish greenspace/parkland that will improve water quality. This greenspace/parkland can be located in and around stormwater treatment ponds, infiltration basins, and infiltration swales. Many Infiltration basins and swales can be established with many types of native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs (these planted garden infiltration basins are sometimes referred to as raingardens). Actually, simply vegetated land is good for the watershed - that is if chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used. I have heard it said that, on average in Minnesota, over 90% of the rain that falls on well vegetated land, soaks into the ground near where it lands - and thus does not enter the storm sewer system. But this is a city afterall, so more intense rainwater runoff treatment is probably required to gain watershed funding. I have heard that approximately $6 million is being kicked into the Hollman Near North project by the Middle Mississippi watershed area. The Hollman area was up until recently part of the Bassett Creek watershed. The size of the Bassett Creek watershed area in Minneapolis has just been, or is about to be, cut approximately in half. As I understand it, the land where rain water still flows into the open creek will remain part of the Bassett Creek watershed. And land where rain water no longer flows into the open creek is changing over to the become part of the Middle Mississippi watershed. Even the Bassett Creek water itself will no longer be in the Bassett Creek watershed after it drops into the huge storm sewer tunnel about four blocks west of Lyndale Ave. The first and only stormwater treatment pond in the Harrison Neighborhood ran into a buzzsaw of opposition. After it was built, some neighborhood people were very upset because they were afraid that children would drown in the pond. The pond was thus completely surrounded by a chainlink fence with a locked gate. Dave Stack Harrison
Re: Library Referendum/FewerBoards
Ah, RT, you silver-tongued wonder, you. Even though I am running for the Library Board next year, I too think we should have a serious debate about separate boards for library and park (I cannot say the same for Board of Estimates since I cannot figure out what they do). However, if a separate library board were cancelled, I would like the city council to have a board of advisors made up equally of citizens and retired librarians. The intricacies of running a library system take a long learning curve and I don't want to lose ground during the interim. As to open air baseball parks, a memory: Wayte Hoyt announcing the game for the Cincinnati Red Legs (circa 1950-60), "And it's up and up and. . .over the laundry!" That was a home run over the laundry across from Crosley Field. Those who could not afford a ticket to the ballgame (kids mostly) would stand on the laundry roof and watch the game. My brother and I sat in the bleachers along the first base line with our dad watching Johnny Temple and Ted Kluzuski. Pete Rose was somewhere else in the stands with his dad who was a "business" acquaintance of our dad--a bookie. Wizard Marks, Central. R.T.Rybak wrote: I'm with Jan that we should take a very serious look at eliminating the Park and Library Boards; concentrating the decisions under the city council. Along with the obvious cost savings, it would force the city council to help make the tough decisions about how to balance these various needs. Here are two quick examples of how this could change two hot topics: 1. The library: One reason this project has floundered for so long is that it is in the hands of a board that has very little authority and visibility...so it sits like a wallflower in the corner while all the fancy megaprojects get asked to dance. If the city council was responsible for libraries, we could finally have the very-needed debate about whether this is a higher priority than the many other developments the council has funded ahead of it. In private Library Board members complain that the council hasn't done enough, the council complains that the Libary Board hasn't done enoughPut the decision in one place so voters know who to credit and/or blame. 2. Stadium. Ask yourself how much energy has been spent talking about a new stadium over the past decade. Now ask yourself how much you hear about the critical state of playing fields in the city. While we spend days and days focused on the Twins, thousands of kids are playing on substandard soccer fields with dangerous draingrates at midfield and rock hard baseball diamonds that are laughed at by the teams that come from the suburbs and St. Paul. Large sections of the city have almost no organized team sportswhich is a disgrace. Again, coordinating these functions under the city council would force the same debate about priorities. I don't think anyone has taken a hard enough look at what would actually be saved if you fully merged the complete organizations, which may or may not make sense, but at the very least the decision-making should be in a single place. R.T. Rybak East Harriet
Re: Ballpark at W. Broadway and the River
When the feds conveyed Little Earth of United Trives housing to the Indians a few years ago, it was with the stipulation that they could not use the land to build a casino--this I never understood because had the Indians been able to build a casino, it would have improved their lives a bunch. So, if the ballpark is going to be at Hi-Lake (no wonder they wanted the shopping center deep sixed), then the Indians should get first dubbies on a casino--spread the wealth around! But the poop should go to the boxes to fertilize the wealthy--they skim the cream from everything else, why not here? Wizard Marks, Central Scott McGerik wrote: Craig Miller wrote: 'bout time!!! How about on W. Broadway and the River. Broadway Pizza Can charge me $40.00 for a pizza. Tony Jaro's can charge me $6.00 for a "Greeny".Close access to I-94, River view. Few homeowners to complain (Sorry Fran Guminga). This will accelerate residential renewal on the river. Connect it up with the parkways and downtown. Maybe low buck ferry rides from parking lots on the other side (Northeast) side of the river. Bars on both sides hit a gusher, Washington Avenue gets an adrenaline shot. This sounds better with each beer and at bat. Wow! What a great place and great idea! I drive past that location on a daily basis (I live in north Minneapolis) and it seems to be mostly industrial scrapyards with a few abandoned buildings and lots. I believe a ballpark at that location would be a great way to revitalize that area and bring a wonderful amenity to north Minneapolis. For ballpark designs, maybe the park could be situated so that the river would be beyond center field so that many of the spectators could look out onto the river or maybe orient the park so that the spectators could look onto downtown. Also, I would like to see a park built with a retractable roof. The roof would be kept open during good weather and closed during rainy weather. I heard of a stadium with a retractable roof, which when closed, sat above the stadium, somewhat like an umbrella, so that even when the roof was closed, spectators could still see outside and did not have a closed in feeling like they do with the Metrodome. (I hope I am making sense with my description). What do I have to do to get the ballpark built there? Scott McGerik Ward 3 Hawthorne Minneapolis www.visi.com/~scottlm/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: library referendum
There are more than the issues Wally Swan brings up which make me, as a taxpayer, hesitate to approve the library referendum both this year and as it now stands. The $140 million goes entirely to bricks and mortar, probably standard operating procedure for bonded issues. In the campaign to promote the library referendum, I don't see any discussion of how MPL is planning to change to meet the challenges of this "information" age. The planned new library feels more monumental than geared toward our projected needs. (We wouldn't be building this new library if more care had been exercised in building the one we have). For example, do we need a Central Library for business, government documents, etc. and a smaller community library downtown for those who live downtown? Other considerations: we are now experiencing a huge influx of immigrants and, when immigrant populations are high, libraries see a much greater demand for resources and services. More books in other languages, more and bi-lingual homework helpers, more and bi-lingual staff. Those are not bricks and mortar, but libraries have a huge role to play in the naturalizing of citizens. That takes much bigger book and resource budgets--not part of the referendum and not part of the future plans for resources and staff as have been described by the library. Wally's right in that we have been spending freely and we knew that spending would have to come to an end. The city's finance director quit and some of his disatisfaction, from his quoted words in the Strib, was around the issue of over-spending via bonding. Too, libraries nation-wide have not been all that effective at lobbying legislatures and Congress for better monies for libraries, even though their value to the communty is tremendous. A magnificent building is less than half the mission of the public library. Under the present plan, the library would be part of a residential block, as Tim Connelly queried. And, the central library will be closed for approximately 3 years to rebuild. That particular item does not make any sense to me. During that time, some 85% of the collection will be in boxes in a warehouse. That also will drive library workers to the home for the bewildered as they try harder and fail to meet the requests of patrons. This referendum comes before the voters in less than a month and, to date, there has not been anything like an adequate information campaign. "Honk if you love libraries" does not strike me as adequate for the size of this undertaking. I truly hate having to say these things, because I'm at the library almost every day as a volunteer and it has been my home away from home since first grade. But I don't want a second class library. I want one that's fine and beautiful, warm and welcoming, and one that will meet our needs for a looog time. Wizard Marks, Central timothy connolly wrote: I had not seen Wally Swan's letter in the Strib so I am thankful to David Brauer for reprinting it on this site. I don't think Mr. Swan, whom I've never met, deserves the response he has so far received in this forum. I found his analysis cogent and I saw no evidence of a suggestion that favored recent developments in the city. to the contrary, in a very tactful manner he seemed to disfavor the recent behavior of the council's running up a large tab on credit. I concur wholeheartedly with his analysis and the in- evitable and prudent conclusion that this is not the proper time to be passing a $140 million referendum for a new central library and branch improvements. It pains me to say this. I use the library daily. For some time I have wanted a new central library. I think a grand central library would speak volumes about our values as a society, that above all we appreciate learning and free access to information; that we truly appreciate good architecture and it's ameliorative effects; etc. to the purely economic reasons Mr. Swan offers I would add concerns I have expressed privately to people on the library board. I do not want the city to build another public bldg. that outstrips its usefulness in 40 years. I wonder where the city might be 50, 100 years from now. Which direction will it grow? Presumably, all the new buildings along Nicollet today will become Class B office buildings and new development will have arisen somewhere else. Will Nicollet Mall still exist as it does now? Remember that the preceding library was erected at 11th and Hennepin, well away from the center of activity and in the intervening years a commercial area built up around it. Steve Brandt's article spoke of the library in its present location being a factor in residential living along Hennepin and that was part of the justification for it staying on that site. Where will this housing be? Am I missing something here? I may well be as I am not privy to much that goes on around here. He also spoke of the
Re: Whats in a name - St Paul having the highest level of
As one who came here as an adult, the twin cities are more fraternal twins than not. The Census Bureau wants to make life easier for it's purposes, but the twins are "our" cities. I don't think I want the Census Bureau to change my name. To carry that to a farther conclusion, of course, the names would be in Dakotah--and probably were once. Is there any advantage to either St. Paul or Minneapolis to letting the Census Bureau have its way with us? Wizard Marks, Central Andy Driscoll wrote: All right. All right. Let's get some historical facts to interrupt this anti-St. Paul tirade. St. Paul in 1850 was far ahead of Minneapolis in its development at the time, and was the territorial capital. A bill wending it's way through the territorial legislature would make St. Peter the capital, but House member Joe Rollette tucked the bill into his pocket and disappeared long enough to allow the bill to expire, and St. Paul remained the seat of state government under territorial governor Alexander Ramsey (who was elected as the state's second governor after Henry Sibley's inaugural tenure after statehood in 1858.) St. Paul wanted very much to be the capital. Stillwater didn't have a prayer, although it was a lumbering center and among the oldest, if not the oldest city in the territory. It isn't central enough to have been the capital, and that was one reason Joe Rollette single-handedly denied St. Peter its designation. Andy Driscoll A Great Saint Paul fan of Minneapolisbut still a 5th generation St. Paulite. -- "Whatever keeps you from your work is your work." Albert Camus The Driscoll Group/Communications Writing/Graphics/Strategic Development 1595 Selby Ave./Suite 206 St. Paul, MN 55104 651-649-1188/Fax:651-645-3169 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.driscollgroup.com From: "dave dix" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 19:09:39 -0500 To: "Multiple recipients of list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Whats in a name - St Paul having the highest level of government And now its got more people who SHOULD be in jail and more insane people than St. Peter, most housed in a place appropriately called the SOB (State Office Building). Now, it has it all! It should be honored by being the title name for the region. All Minneapolis has is 1.3 MM wannabee New Yorkers/Los Angelinos like every other corporate colony in the country. Its the smug vs the parochial. eh...so what IS in a name? Big smile! Big smile! Dave Dix Ward 6 Phillips - Original Message - From: "Carol Becker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Multiple recipients of list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 6:45 PM Subject: Re: Whats in a name - St Paul having the highest level of government Remember, St Paul got the state government because it lost to Stillwater, who got the jail, and to St Peter, who got the mental hospital, both much more lucrative prizes in the 1850's than being the state capital. Carol Becker Longfellow
Re: Minneapolis
Maybe we should bunch everything between 495 and 695 into one entity and call it Elf Mountain, that should confuse people read good. Wizard Marks, Central Scott McGerik wrote: Barbara Nelson wrote: I realize that the census bureau's change in how it designates the area wouldn't change anything "real", but maybe calling the Twin Cities metro area by the name "Minneapolis" would give the "engine of the regional economy" the recognition it deserves. If Minneapolis is not getting the recognition it deserves, I doubt it will necessarily get it if we call this area the "Minneapolis Area". Scott McGerik Ward 3 Hawthorne Minneapolis www.visi.com/~scottlm/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota Endorsements
But they're still Republicans and their platform is exclusionary for women, particularly those who might need to have an abortion, and for those who are poor. No sale. Wizard Marks, Central Eva Young wrote: For Immediate Release 10/8/00 Contact: Terrell Brown 612-371-3014 LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS OF MINNESOTA ENDORSES GAY FRIENDLY GOP STATE LEGISLATOR CANDIDATES. Gay supportive Republicans endorsed from Duluth, Rochester, St. Paul and Minneapolis Minneapolis -- The Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota announced its endorsements for state legislator. All candidates endorsed qualified either by having a history of voting for fairness while in the State House or Senate, or by having appropriate answers to the Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota Screening Questionaire or both. "All of these newly endorsed candidates deserve our support for a variety of important reasons," said Terrell Brown, President of Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota. "These candidates want to work with us to build an inclusive big tent Republican Party. They are reaching out to the Gay and Lesbian community, and we need to reach out to them with our volunteer time and financial resources to help them with their campaigns. " Below is a summary of the new endorsements, followed by a current listing of all the LCR MN supported candidates for 2000. (Note: More endorsements will be announced throughout the year.) Chris Berg is challenging an incumbent Democrat in Senate District 64, in the Macalester-Groveland-Highland area in St Paul. Chris was the second legislative candidate to seek us out and request our endorsement. Chris will impliment a nondiscrimination policy in his office, believes sexual contact between consenting adults in the privacy of the home is beyond the bounds of the appropriate concerns of government, and will oppose legislation that would discriminate against gays in the adoption of children. With regard to the Human Rights Act, Chris will oppose efforts to strip Gays and Lesbians of these protections, however, if there is an effort to repeal the Human Rights act for all "protected classes", he would favor doing so. Glen Anderson is running for 66A which is the Lake Como-Lake Phalen area in St Paul. Glen is running on a platform of simpler and lower taxes, strong educational system, and consumer privacy and protections. Glen is undecided on domestic partner benefits, and would want to find a way of offering domestic partner benefits without increasing taxes. He is interested in looking at the Vermont Model, and stated that he does "not agree with the party plank on same-sex marriage." He will initiate a non-discrimination policy in his office, opposes any changes in the Human Rights Act, and will oppose legislation that would discriminate against Gays in adoption. He believes that when consenting adults are involved in sexual matters, governmental involvement is inappropriate. Harry Welty alias "Give Em Hell Harry" is a school board member, who is running to replace Senator Doug Johnson in Duluth. Welty added the LCR/MN questionaire to his website. Welty will impliment a nondiscriminatory hiring policy in his office, opposes the sodomy law, opposes any efforts to strip Gays of the protections they currently have in the State Human Rights Statute, and supports domestic partnership benefits for state employees. Ben Bowman is running against Phyllis Kahn for 59b, a Minneapolis District with a heavily concentrated student population. Bowan supports the Human Rights Act, and opposes any efforts to strip the act of the current protections for gays, opposes the Minnesota Sodomy Law, will implement a nondiscrimination hiring policy in his office, supports domestic partner benefits for State Employees. Ben is undecided on Gay adoption, but stated that he would consult with LCR/MN about any legislation in that area. Steve Braa is running for State Senate in District 61 in Minneapolis. Steve believes government has no business regulating private consensual sexual behavior between adults, that in order to compete for good employees, the State needs to offer Domestic Partner benefits, he would have a non-discrimination policy in his office, and desires to hire "people who can get the job done," supports Domestic Partner Benefits for state employees, opposes any weakening of the Human Rights Act, and will oppose any legislation that would discriminate against Gays in the adoption of children. Lynne Osterman is running for the house in district 46A, a suburban district that includes the New Hope area. Lynne will oppose any efforts to weaken the Human Rights Act, and legislation that would discriminate against gays in the adoption of children. She favors cities and counties being able to set their own benefit policies, including establishing domestic partner benefits. She feels that sexual conduct between consenting adults in the
Re: [corrected] Re: Biernat Circumvented the Legal Process
None of what you've said gets to the heart of the issue. Staff people at the Hard Times were busted for dealing in the cafe. Other establishments who have done likewise, particularly those whose owners or patrons were largely African American were closed down under like circumstances. It would hardly be fair to let the Hard Times slide. Wizard Marks, Central Jordan S. Kushner wrote: Whether Hillary Freeman worked for the police department or City Council Member Joe Biernat as of June 6, 2000, does not make any significant difference on the issue of whether Biernat, Freeman, Krueger and their gang engaged in legally improper efforts to influence the City Council's actions against the Hard Times Cafe. Krueger seems to be continuing his role of propoganda and spin control that he so activiely pursued in efforts to shut down the Hard Times. In the email dated June 6, 2000, Biernat instructed Freeman, apparently his staff person as well as a FORMER MPD employee, to "contact a few of your cop friends and have them put c [lobbying efforts] into Ostrow who NEEDS to hear from the other side.!!!" Biernat request that his employee arrange for "a full-court press" at caucus consisting of "all the police and SAFE people who worked on this issue there for resources AND let cms [city council members] see them." (these are quotes from an email which has been filed with the court and provided to The Pulse). The point is that the revocation/"non-renewal" of a license is supposed to be the equivalent of a court proceedings where the city council members act as impartial judges of evidence presented at the hearing. Biernat's actions were the equivalent of one judge arranging for the police to put political pressure on other judges sitting on the decision-making panel. I do not believe it is unfair to label such behavior as corruption. Another improper action by Biernat was to forward constituent emails to Luther Krueger so that he could respond. This would be equivalent to a judge responding to citizen's letters about an upcoming decision by arranging for an interested party to publicly respond so as to influence the public mood. The most obvious problem with this approach is that it shows that the judge has made up his mind before the hearing and is acting out of purely political motivations. On a personal level, the review of Mr. Krueger's and SAFE's extensive lobbying and public relations efforts have confirmed by suspicion's of SAFE's role in the system as a mechanism for the police department to exercise its political will over what are supposed to be democratically representative civilian government bodies. Jordan Kushner Powderhorn, Ward 8 [recently moved from Ward 6]. "Krueger, Luther" wrote: Scott McGerik wrote: "... , the fact that he forwarded, to the police, emails from people in support of the Hard Times Cafe shows that he can not be trusted. For these reasons, I believe he should resign his position immediately. " He is referring to the Pulse article which is erroneous. Pulse states... "In a June 6th e-mail message to officer Hillary Freeman, Biernat requested that police officers lobby individual council members at the June 8th Democratic caucus " Freeman at that time was not with the police department, she was Joe Biernat's aide. CPS Luther Krueger 673-2923 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lyndale, 8th Ward)
Re: Karen Forbes Venting her spleen on Council Herron
The people on my block never report lack of return calls. They get answers, though not always from Herron personally. Sometimes they come from his assistant or his aide. The last study of the Ward 8 office, done by Vernon Wetternach, I think, showed that the ward gets at least 160 calls a week, plus letters--and now plus e-mails. Wards 5, 6, and 9 also get substantial calls. If you called to complain about something, it was forwarded to the department which handles the problem (i.e. public works, forestry, etc.). If you called to give him your opinion on an issue, there's no reason to return the call/letter/e-mail. If you called to give him informtion, it was checked out. I usually send e-mails or leave a message on the phone. Many times I talk to either Connie Kiser or Vickie Brock instead. It's a team effort office, so that works too. Course, I never try to front him off in public meetings or call to cuss him out. Wizard Marks, Central Rosalind Nelson wrote: My reasons for trying to contact Brian Herron are not the same as Karen Forbes' reasons. I live in the Bancroft neighborhood, not Central. I can certainly appreciate that Central neighborhood concerns could be time consuming, and since I don't live very far from Central, I believe that positive developments in that area will benefit me, too. However, Brian Herron is my representative to the city government. That's _his_ job. When I approach other council members instead, I am taking them away from the time they can give to their own constituents. If Mr. Herron didn't agree with me about anything, that would be a bitter enough pill to swallow. But it might at least represent honest disagreement. Since he has never, ever responded to a letter, email, or phone call, I am forced to conclude that he just isn't paying attention. I haven't tried whining, wheedling, yelling, or screaming. Maybe those are the things people need to do in order to get him to listen to them. Rosalind Nelson Bancroft Wizard Marks wrote: My return rant follows: I've watched as Central neighborhood ran to the council member as though he were daddy and would soothe all the owies and fix everything. That's not the council members' job. His is to listen to the cohesive voice of the whole neighborhood, work with all parties, and contend with his fiduciary duties at the same time. Were I in his shoes, I'd be mighty sick of hearing the whining, the wheedling, the insults, the yelling and screaming, and the nastiness which greets him when he's asked to do the impossible.
Karen Forbes Venting her spleen on Council Herron
In May Central Neighborhood's board election caused a series of unfortunate events, one of which was the loss of our contract with MCDA for citizen participation. The house Karen Forbes wanted to have on her street built by PRG was not, therefore, open to citizen input. Also, it was the mayor who directed MCDA to sell off their huge number of vacant lots. Obviously, MCDA wants to sell them for as much as the traffic will bare. A private developer does not ask for subsidy, PRG does. Economically speaking, MCDA seems to be moving into allowing the private sector and the housing market take a role in moving the revitalization of Central forward. Those of us who sat in those hideously long housing meetings for years are now seeing the fruits of our labor. We primed the pump with generous subsidies to interest the market and the market is responding. The internecine warfare among Central residents which created the situation which denies us citizen input was not Herron's responsibility. Untangling the mess is not his responsibility. It's up to the organization--the neighborhood-- to straighten out it's situation so that the contract is restored. Too, Forbes cry that the modular home company made trailer homes evokes a TV induced image of slatternly 'poor white trash' unfairly. Neither the homes nor the people are necessarily sub-standard. Central touts diversity all the time, but more modest families for whom some of the new, really nice modular homes are an investment they can afford in the current housing market seem to be most unwelcome. In Central it may not have come to the point where the neighbors get to dictate what kind of house I build. My return rant follows: I've watched as Central neighborhood ran to the council member as though he were daddy and would soothe all the owies and fix everything. That's not the council members' job. His is to listen to the cohesive voice of the whole neighborhood, work with all parties, and contend with his fiduciary duties at the same time. Were I in his shoes, I'd be mighty sick of hearing the whining, the wheedling, the insults, the yelling and screaming, and the nastiness which greets him when he's asked to do the impossible. As a council member Herron has done a pretty good job of bringing resources into the ward--particularly into Central. Central has fought him all the way. He wants new housing on the 30 or so vacant lots to make the neighborhood safer and return it's physical integrity lost through years of red lining. By acting to lose it's contract with MCDA for citizen input, Central created another problem for itself. Herron can't step in and dig us out. Wizard Marks, Central resident
