Dear Miss Becker:
I strongly disagree that inappropriate police action
has declined.
1) The December 1998 raid of peaceful non-violent
protesters by 800 police on Riverview Road. The use of
tear gas, pepper gel and destruction of Native
American Tee Pee that the state settled a claim for.
The police severe beating of 21 year old Emily Lindel
in July of 1999. Matty Gardner who was beaten and had
her hip dislocated by police. The numerous illegal
arrest of activist involved with protecting Minnehaha
Park from destruction.
2) The police intimidation tactics at May Day.
3) Hard Times Cafe! The use of police to help shut
down an establishment because it harbors political
activist that have disagreed with city hall. This same
type of police misconduct has been used to silence
establishments that cater to the gay community in the
past in this city!
4) The ISG demonstration July 2000! Forty undercover
police used to facilitate disruption of a peaceful
protest. The arrests of lawyers that participated as
observers of the demonstration. Police used to
intimidate members of media. The largest faction at
the demonstration (Minneapolis Police) paid for with
our tax dollars!
5) Senate District 62 Convention: Eight undercover
police officers hired. The fear! The voice of the
community might be heard! Minneapolis City Hall
greatest fear! Democracy!
I find the police state mentality of city hall
disturbing. Our elected officials should be speaking
out against this use of our tax dollars to silence the
voices in our community. We must defend freedom of
speech and human rights, not silence the opposition
because we disagree. How many elected officials have
been arrested for disagreeing with their colleagues?
Yet, using the police to intimidate, arrest, and
silence has become a far to common political tactic
when dealing with activist in Minneapolis. I
respectfully, beg to differ with your opinion.
Sincerely,
Ken Bradley Ward 12
--- Carol Becker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I had thought we had discussed this issue pretty
> thoroughly a couple of
> weeks ago. Let me reiterate a few facts:
>
> 1) Crime is down substantially in Minneapolis.
> Lower than it has been in
> decades. This is something to be celebrated.
>
> At the same time, complaints about inappropriate
> police action are also
> down. There are three ways of measuring this:
>
> a) complaints lodged at the Police Internal Affairs
> b) complaints lodged at the Police Civilian Review
> c) complaints brought through the court system,
> which leads to another
> measure;
> i) payouts from lawsuits brought against the
> City
>
> Complaints at all these bodies are down. Payouts
> from the City down. Facts
> simply don't support the allegations made in this
> post. In fact, we have a
> police chief who has both improved public safety and
> reduced inappropriate
> actions by the police at the same time. To my
> mine, we should be writing
> in support of Chief Olson.
>
> To address a one specific point on the alleged
> "fiscal irresponsibility."
> No department head controls their own budget. The
> Mayor and the City
> Council do. And they increased the Police budget to
> respond to citizens
> demand to reduce crime. And they were very success.
> Crime is way down.
> They Council and Mayor should also be complemented
> for taking the risk to
> invest to bring about this great success.
>
> And as to the statistic of the police budget growing
> from 23% of the General
> Fund to 40% of the General Fund (the Police budget
> is 37% of the Mayor's
> 2001 proposed budget actually). This statistic is
> as much because of costs
> were shifted out of the General Fund (Solid Waste,
> graffiti, debt service,
> etc) as it is about the Police budget growing.
>
> There will always be inappropriate actions by the
> Police. They aren't the
> supermen that some folks on this list have made them
> out to be - being able
> to shoot out tires as cars speed at them for example
> - but folks like you
> and me. Sometimes they make mistakes. Occasionally
> there is someone who
> isn't particularly good at their job and should be
> fired. But the
> allegation that there is some burgoning problem
> simply isn't true. Facts
> show that Chief Olson has done a great job.
>
> Carol Becker
> Longfellow
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David Shove <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 1:29 AM
> Subject: Chief Olson's Got to Go! (fwd)
>
>
> > From: Michelle Gross <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: Chief Olson's Got to Go!
> >
> > As everyone knows, police brutality has been a
> serious and ongoing problem
> > in the Twin Cities area. However, incidents of
> brutality, use of
> > excessive force and racial profiling have
> skyrocketed under Police Chief
> > Robert Olson. Either through bad leadership or
> open encouragement, cops
> > are out of control here and it is time for Olson
> to go!
> >
> > Olson is due for reappointment for another
> three-year term on December
> > 29th. We think we need to come together as a
> community to see that he is
> > NOT reappointed. No, this won't end police
> brutality in our fair city,
> > but it will send a powerful message to the cops
> that we will hold them and
> > their leadership accountable for the things they
> do.
> >
> > There are lots of reasons for Olson not to be
> reappointed but here's some
> > that our organization has noted:
> >
> > � Five people killed.
> > In the past twelve months, five citizens have
> been shot dead by the
> > Minneapolis police. The victims included Barbara
> Schneider, a forty-nine
> > year old Jewish historian, and Alfred "Abuka"
> Sanders, a young father of
> > four, known for his musical talent, good nature,
> and contributions to the
> > community.
> >
> > � Racial profiling and harassment.
> > There has been rampant racial profiling and
> harassment in Minneapolis
> > under the CODEFOR program. Police have been quoted
> by media as referring
> > to unjustified arrests and holding innocent people
> in jail over a weekend
> > as "an inconvenience." Even Ken White, executive
> director of the
> > Minneapolis civil rights department, was stopped
> and harassed by six white
> > police officers for the "crime" of taking a
> grandchild to a park in the
> > Phillips neighborhood.
> >
> > �Overreaction to political protests.
> > At this summer's ISAG conference, police under
> Olson's direction made an
> > armed camp of downtown. Pepper spray, rubber
> bullets and clubs were used
> > on nonviolent protesters and legal observers.
> There was widespread
> > infiltration of legal organizations by undercover
> police, a civil rights
> > violation. More than seventy people were
> arrested. Most of the charges
> > were later dropped or dismissed.
> >
> > � Fiscal Irresponsibility.
> > Under Olson's management, the police department's
> budget rose from 23% to
> > 40% of the total Minneapolis budget. Much of this
> increase is due to
> > reliance on gadgets, expensive special units and
> militarization of the
> > police, rather than good police training. The
> police response to
> > approximately two hundred nonviolent protesters at
> the ISAG conference
> > cost the city $1.15 million.
> >
> > HAT YOU CAN DO
> >
> > Contact the mayor and the city council:
> >
> > Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton (612) 673-2100
> > 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. Dor� Mead (612) 673-2211
> > Ward 12 Sandy Colvin Roy (612) 673-2212
> > Ward 13 Barret Lane (612) 673-2213
> >
> > � Attend these important meetings where Olson's
> reappointment will be
> > considered:
> >
> > December 20, 1:00 p.m.
> > Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee,
> Room 319, City Hall.
> > Meet in the hall outside the meeting space at
> 12:30 p.m. to sign up to
> > speak and get a sign.
> >
> > December 29, 9:30 a.m.
> > Full City Council meeting, Room 319, City Hall.
> Meet in the hall outside
> > the meeting space at 9:00 a.m. to get a sign.
> >
> > Contact Communities United Against Police
> Brutality (CUAPB):
> > We meet at Arise Books 2441 Lyndale Ave S, every
> Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
> > For more information, call (651) 649-4579
> >
>
=== message truncated ===
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