There are four bias factors which fuel the "debate" in Central. They are race,
class, culture and sexual preference. The palace coup (sp?) unseated the
aspiring to white middle class, replacing it with a mostly African American, also
Latino and even some Caucasian lower-to-working class people. The denial around
the issue of class and pretense to class have prevented people in this
neighborhood from hearing each other. Too, since we are flat out experts at
creating conflama, wallowing in side issues, and in general, producing a
three-ring circus over everything, there was going to be no way to avoid a
debacle. On the night of the 2000 annual meeting it played itself out in a
fascinating way, one to make a film director panic for his camera and mike.
Few, if any from either side looked at "the picture" to ask 'why is this
particular bunch a group? what do they have in common?' That was the class
issue, big as you please. Then drop into the mix that most of the winners were
people of color, and one was a prominent naturalized citizen and the opposition
went nuts and brought out all of their Miss Ann behavior like they had no manners
at all, as though the Civil Rights Movement hadn't happened. Then everybody got
in on the clown act and people were running around the gym calling emergency
meetings and accusing people of calling illegal meetings. It was pretty pitiful
all the way around.
Wizard Marks
Central, 8th Ward
Eva Young wrote:
> Connie Sheppard makes a good point:
>
> I must agree with Jim Graham on one thing though, and
> I ask you to give it consideration. Activists in our
> neighborhood come from a very diverse background,
> 99.9% of us get along very well. What's going on in
> VV is NOT a racial issue. It's a power issue, and as
> such, spans race, gender, geographical location, etc.
>
>
> Connie, you've hit the nail on the head here. Residents of an area tend to
> have some common interests that cross race, class lines. In the Central
> neighborhood, there are also lots of power plays that go on within CNIA.
>
> Regarding Zack Metoyer's CNIA board president's post ([EMAIL PROTECTED]):
>
> Will we once again hear" this is not a
> race issue?" I wonder how often the citizens in Ohio heard that! I know that
> I have heard it enough in the city of Minneapolis to know that there is a
> race issue that includes a number of different races. Will our city officials
> that control everything in the city actually do something about our race
> issues and this illegal meeting? When will we as citizens of this city hold
> those in control accountable for their actions and neglect of the Racal
> divide in the city? Or has it been determined that it is cheeper to pay
> individuals one by one that have enough fight in them to sue the city. Time
> will only tell.
>
> Eva Young
> Central
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