It is admirable that candidates speak out about racial
profiling.
however,to speak out with very little knowledge or
understanding, does nothing to better the situation.
In fact, it sometimes makes matters worse. this is the
case with candidate Rybak's comments on this forum
last Thursday.
Both Candidate Rybak's written statement and the lack
of any thoughtful analysis of "the agreement" by media
outlets leave, all of us but especially the majority
caucasian community with the mistaken impression that
real progress was achieved.
The candidate wrote that two keys to the agreement
were that both sides, the police and community of
color, met as equals and with respect for one another
and that it acknowledged that profiling exists and
needs to be attacked.
I would argue that Mr. Rybak is naive when he states
police and community( not communities, interestingly
enough) met as equals.
Balance of power is fundamental to equality. Chief
Finney would even concede that when a group of people,
in this case, the communities of color, are thrust
into a situation where they come before power-holders
as supplicants, there is inherent inequality.
As for the idea of respect, the communities of color
came away with little respect.
The Supreme Court has already ruled that in the case
where an officer believes probable cause exists there
is no need to ask permission to search, therefore this
agreement is virtually meaningless.
In the case where a dim-witted officer cannot come up
with an excuse, he or she need only ask permission
verbally.
Anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of criminal
justice and police procedure knows how easily police
establish probable cause and how lenient our present
courts have been in upholding them.
We also know how often things come down to an officer
saying they did one thing while a suspect or defendant
has a completely different account of their encounter.
At a minimum, there ought to have been provision for a
signed document saying the person searched understood
their rights and voluntarily consented to a search.
Even then, it would be difficult to gauge intimidating
effects brought on by a simple traffic stop if one is
a person of color. This cannot be underestimated.
Candidate Rybak also stated that the new agreement
places St. Paul in the lead on this issue. Competition
between St. Paul and Mpls. is mostly in the realm of
public relations rather than in substantive policy
creation.
The candidate's implicit stance is that SSB is to
blame for lack of leadership. Given candidate Rybak's
predilection for inane statements as opposed to
thoughtful insight I don't expect much better
leadership from him.
In St. Paul, police data was analyzed by the Institute
on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota law
school.
in Minneapolis, Chief Olson asked the Council on Crime
and Justice to conduct an independent analysis.
Just the names alone say something about perspective
and ideological focus.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Council
on Crime and Justice, it is headed by Tom Johnson,
former Hennepin County prosecutor.
The Council on Crime and Justice is under contract to
the Minneapolis City Attorney's office to perform
various services.
Given the historically close ties of Hennepin County
Prosecutors and MPD and the relationship between the
City Attorney and the Council on Crime and Justice I
wonder how likely, or realistic, it is that we could
expect an independent and unbiased analysis of data.
I also wonder if this particular project was put out
for RFP or is it another example of what Candidate
Rybak refers to as the "revolving door syndrome."
Additionally, as Ruben Rosario documented in his
PiPress column on MLK's birthday, Gerard Fergersen, a
highly respected researcher and public policy scholar,
resigned from the Council after only six months on the
job citing tokenism and interference. This may also
say something about the Council's ability to present
an unbiased report.
Indeed, in their initial anaysis, the Council on Crime
and Justice was unable to establish anything more than
an inconclusive pattern.
I suspect these factors and Chief Olson's strong
objection to any data collection plus the political
weight and intimidation of the Minneapolis Police
Officers Federation has as much to do with why
Minneapolis "lags behind" St. Paul as anything else.
Truth be told, St. Paul may be ahead in analysis but
they are in a dead heat with Minneapolis when it comes
to implementing a solution.
Certainly the Mayor's lack of leadership is a factor
but to lay the entire blame at her feet without giving
any supportive detail for that assessment exhibits a
shallow depth of understanding and disrepect.
Candidate Rybak's pronouncements sound good. Examined
more closely, they appear as nothing more than a thin
veneer of studied sincerity and faux leadership rather
than any understanding which might ultimately lead to
real change.
Tim Connolly
Ward 7
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