I don't even know Frances; I have just heard the same kind of malevolent things said about Hartford from reactionary people. Although an anti-liberal, anti-union and anti-ACLU agenda was quite apparent. I haven't read this study, but would like to. The comparison that seems appropriate right now between the two cities is what happens when rural and suburban legislators are either threatened by -- or so indifferent to the interests of -- urban dwellers that they gut the financing mechanism that has enabled urban communities to begin to develop some meaningful control over their own economic, cultural and political destinies. I don't think that Hartford residents were ever allowed to even get a taste of neighborhood-based political and economic power, as the city began to burn in the 60s. The same forces of racism and homophobia that drained cities across the US and created auto-emissioned wastelands are some of the same who continue to exploit cities for cheap labor, entertainment and dumping; zipping in and out of the safety of glass towers on high speed roadways. And who bears the tax burden that provides for the comfort and safety of the commuters and sports fans? While Minneapolis is certainly not immune to this same phenomenon, it is nothing like Hartford. At least not yet. Tom Borrup Brad Rickertsen wrote: > Obviously you consider Frances Sanches a right wing idealogue. > > Tom Borrup wrote: > > > I'm not sure why it occured to you to compare Hartford and Minneapolis. I, > > too, grew up outside of Hartford and have lived in Minneapolis now for 21 > > years. I visit there frequently (I'm flying there tonight). If I listened > > to my racist suburanite family, I too, would think Hartford is a horrible > > place, and it certainly has it's problems. In the early 1970s, I commuted > > from the suburbs INTO Hartford to go to a public high school, where I > > became friends with other kids of many races and economic backgrounds. I > > visit there now and am thrilled by the lively Puerto Rican community > > centered around Park St. and the exciting older Italian neighborhoods. > > Hartford's problems go way back beyond the recent history you cite. I think > > some of them do have a lot to do with the frightened, hateful suburbanites > > and the corporate headquarters that are build like fortresses, completely > > detached from the streets. > > > > Tom Borrup > > > > br wrote: > > > > > Hartford, Connecticut: a future reality for Minneapolis? > > > A Tale of Two Cities, revisited. > > > > > > FYI , I'm a transplant from that area; been here in > > > Mpls for 20 years now, raised three kids, and now > > > getting ready to escape. I like this study because I'm going > > > to let the traditional Democratic leadership, in this case > > > the elected officials of Hartford and the heavily Democratic > > > Connecticut Teachers Union make the case here. > > > > > > Let's take the basic stats of Hartford, CN, state capitol, > > > separated by ten years, from the period 1983 to 1993 > > > > > > A very pro-liberal democratic city, prounion, powerful teacher's > > > organizations. Oldest newspaper in the USA. > > > > > > In 1983 it was the wealthy city in the wealthiest per capita > > > state; had > > > an abundance of corporate headquarters. The older downtown area boasted > > > > > > highly maintained historic architecture, high rentals, yuppie condo > > > development over gourmet coffee bars and thriving high tech spinoffs > > > from Boston and New York. People were putting tons of money > > > into making condos in the 19th century downtown buildings instead of > > > buying much more affordable new condos in the suburbs. > > > > > > In 1993: 1/30 of its buildings are listed as 'abandoned'. It has > > > > > > the crime rate of Newark. The tax base is non existent, the downtown > > > corridor is being boarded as stores closed after the middle class has > > > left. The school system is 97% minority, with over 90% of the > > > students failing the state 6th grade tests, and over 40% even after > > > remediation. The ACLU is taking the state to court to force busing > > > to the suburbs in a closely watched civil rights case that will be > > > pivotal to the litigation of forced busing. (It failed, sep story, > > > state took over schools, no improvement) > > > > > > I became interested in Hartford because I grew up near there > > > and could not visualize it as how relatives describe it now; > > > and discovered on the net that the ZPG, in a city livability > > > study, included it in the 5 worst cities in US. (The others are > > > Detroit, Gary, Ind, St. Louis, MO, Newark) Great company! > > > > > > Using the ZPG's data I found parallels with Minneapolis, > > > particularly > > > its inner city zip-code crime rates, which are comparable with Newark. > > > Then I began to find others. > > > > > > There aren't any short answers on why a city implodes. The school > > > system, threats of mandatory busing, crime rates etc; are fairly > > > constant > > > for cities during that period. One thing Iv'e noticed in crime stats > > > using the > > > website Crime.com is that by themselves they don't predict which cities > > > are > > > still operable. It's because middle class people don't commit > > > measurable > > > crime. In fact after the middle class has abandoned a city the crime > > > rate is > > > likely to dip because the predators don't have easy access to their prey > > > any more. > > > This allows city administrations to point at charts indicating how > > > successful their > > > new programs are. The Hartford area did have a lot of job loss during > > > the > > > 50's through the 70s as clothing manufacturers relocated overseas. > > > But its white collar and high tech industry never stopped thriving, it > > > just moved > > > to the suburbs. So what happened? > > > > > > The city's newly elected leadership in 96 seemed to know. One of > > > the first > > > things they did in 1996 was sponsor and pass 8-0 a piece legislation > > > that > > > would halt the spread of non profits, the quoted 'poverty industry'. > > > > > > The deputy mayor who authored this legislation is quoted in a New > > > York > > > Times article by a reporter who obviously didn't like the story. But > > > even after he interviewed all the non profit administrators who told him > > > > > > how awful and unfair it was to 'blame the poor' he did give Mrs. Frances > > > > > > Sanchez a few sentences. She did a walking tour of the city, how it > > > was in the 80's, how it is now after, as she puts it, 'Poverty Inc' > > > took it over. > > > > > > I looked up her biography, Frances Sanches is an immigrant from > > > Puerto Rico with a bachelors in Chemistry from the University of PR, > > > then took a Masters in Spec Ed in this country, a lifelong family and > > > children activist, retired from 34 yrs of pub school teaching, > > > keynote speaker in 96 Demo convention, and grandmother who has lived > > > 25 years in the city. > > > > > > I also noticed in the makeup of the reform ticket that most were > > > long > > > aware of the city's downward path, but social workers, police, teachers > > > had careers to protect. Notice that Ms Sanchez began to speak up and > > > run > > > for office only after she retired. > > > > > > The accompanying literature shows that no dramatic improvement is > > > expected, because these imploded cities are remarkably resistant to > > > change. Basically to entice the middle class back in, you have to > > > remove the current population who drove them out. > > > > > > Here's some of the points of interest. The leadership of the > > > non profits, reacting to being held responsible for the city's decline, > > > aren't blaming their clients of course. They blame the middle class > > > who doesn't even live there any more. They were supposed to stick around > > > > > > to pick up the tab. Theyr'e not even IN the city any more and are > > > blamed for its problems! > > > > > > The organizations fighting Deputy Mayor Sanchez' limits on non > > > profits > > > are of course our old friends who rose to defend the drug dealers we > > > tried to evict and singlehandedly changed the demographics of > > > Minneapolis, Legal Aid and Lutheran Social Services. > > > > > > The powerful teacher's union that the ACLU included as expert > > > witnesses in testifying how bad the schools are, damaged their own > > > case by showing that the city's family and cultural environment was > > > so toxic the kids were handicapped even before they started school. > > > (court briefs on request) > > > > > > So of interest to me were these parallels, that were early > > > warnings in 1983 if anyone in Hartford were to notice. > > > In fact I can refer to a Harvard study in 1965 that predicted > > > trouble for Hartford because of the growing differences between > > > city and suburbs. > > > > > > > One-party rule, with the always present non-elected non profits > > > as a second form of government, whose leadership are political > > > appointments from the same party. > > > > > > * Our non profits are also powerful, the NRP, MCDA, McKnight, > > > Lutheran Social Services, Catholic Charities and numerous others > > > have a big impact on our community, but are not elected. Lutheran > > > Social Services shows the same militant social engineering attitudes > > > I see in the NY Times article quoting the non profits in Hartford. > > > They are staffed by people who see charity as a career path. > > > And how does a non profit grow? It provides no service or product > > > that people pay for. It can only grow by increasing its caseload, > > > and thus its budget and salaries. > > > > > > > Hartford tries to prevent middle class parents from removing > > > their kids and putting them in suburban schools. > > > > > > * Minneapolis did the same thing, stopping it only when a study > > > showed it was counter productive, young families moved to suburbs.. > > > > > > > A high child poverty rate. > > > > > > * Minneapolis shows as actually poorer in its inner city zips than > > > cities like > > > Newark. A huge percentage of the kids qualify for free lunch programs. > > > > > > > A much higher number of schools and students who failed the state's > > > > > > elementary grade testing. > > > > > > * Recent school test scores in December for Minneapolis were > > > dismal, > > > much lower than hoped for. > > > > > > Hartford county's crime rate wasn't and isn't bad, but its inner city > > > > > > zip codes were an order of magnitude higher. > > > > > > * Hartford County crime rate is .94, but its > > > inner city zip codes average 336. 100 is national average. > > > > > > * Hennepin County crime rate is 1.4 but its > > > 8 inner city zip codes average 338. > > > > > > For those interested in legal landmark cases is > > > the foundation for the ACLU's appeal of the case they lost > > > the first time, was when they tried to bus ALL the students to > > > the suburbs despite records amounts of money spent on > > > the inner city schools. . > > > > > > The Education Union officials who were called on as witnesses > > > for the ACLU's case said Hartford had become such a toxic > > > environment that the kids were emotionally damaged before they even > > > started school. > > > > > > So, liberals can learn, but it seems they have to see their city > > > destroyed first. I wonder if that's what we need to do. > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy > > > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > > > http://e-democracy.org/mpls
