I went at six in the evening to help break down the
Communities United Against Police Brutality booth.
The event was still packed, and Beth is right, it
rocked.
I have to admit, I wouldn't have thought of going if
I hadn't agreed to do work there. But even just catching
the end of it (and along with the predictably unpleasant
task of breaking down a booth), it was a pretty amazing
celebration.
Aside from the very serious points Beth raises, everybody
ought to know that they are missing a great time if
they don't go next year.
Rosalind Nelson
Bancroft Neighborhood
At 11:18 AM 6/17/01 -0500, bethsolle wrote:
>i buzzed by the juneteenth celebration saturday afternoon. despite a brief
>hail storm, the event was packed; everyone was stylin' and it rocked.
>
>but there were several discordant notes. it's hardly a new observation that
>minneapolis is a de-facto segregated city. the truly discouraging point is
>how internalized and self-segregated we are. while juneteenth was jammin' ,
>let's just say the number of white faces in attendance was so small as to be
>statistically irrelevant (discounting those working the crowd in whatever
>capacity). it was disappointing that i saw little evidence of support by
>neighboring bryn mawr residents, closer to the event than many from the
>north or south sides. and scarce scene-making by the groovy-white
>contingent so prevalent at, say, may day at powderhorn, despite the bustin'
>music and great food. (of course, we can also see this split any night of
>the week with a quick observation of the clientele frequenting downtown
>nightspots, notably excepting the gay clubs.) what-up people?
>
>even more unsettling were <what i perceived as> the more subtle, insidious
>traces of unacknowledged segregation. namely, while there were no physical
>orange barricades preventing (black) drivers from crossing over and
>entering bryn mawr, there were assuredly psychological barriers that kept
>drivers from venturing off the northern gridlocked streets, into the empty
>neighborhood tracks of bryn mawr and it's temptingly-close parking. not to
>mention the city of golden valley posting temporary 'no parking' signage on
>"their" side of glenwood, the resultant effect to keep 'them' (us?) on the
>minneapolis side of wirth parkway. those unknowingly-or defiantly-parked
>were quick to receive tickets.
>
>while i think affordable housing, property tax rates, school reform, and
>other issues, are of import, i believe race relations to be a crucial,
>unspoken, time-bomb for our town. (assuredly a none-too-hidden
>undercurrent is the racial profiling debate...or can anyone say cincinnati?)
>which is why i was disappointed in not seeing a stronger presence by RT's
>campaign. as we might expect, SSB staffed a booth, had high visibility. i
>would like to have seen RT reaching for a deeper connection to this
>community. admittedly, i wasn't there to note if he was in the earlier
>parade (and i'd bet he was), or out shaking hands at some point - although i
>did see lots of his blue campaign flyers littering the streets. even if he
>had, a staffed booth to get his message out and increase his profile,
>would've been a more, shall we say, integrated approach.
>
>this is not <necessarily> meant to be an indictment of RT or implied support
>of SSB - at this point i favor neither. it is merely a statement that race
>relations are serious s**t and we need leadership with the character and
>credibility to address it, someone with chutzpa to bring it to public
>discourse despite the volatility and ugliness. i'd like to see more
>discussion by all candidates and activists on race and strategies to bridge
>the communities.
>
>beth solle
>ward 10
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>Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy
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>
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