Carol Becker opines: >Some Minneapolitans are much more subtle in their racism, people who >wouldn't label themselves racist but when you step back and examine their >outcomes, you have to come to that conclusion. For example, I think much of >the linkage between Brian Herron and Belton was about racism and have said >so repeatedly. No one blamed Jackie Cherryhomes, the council president. EY: The first week of stories on Herrongate focused on Jackie Cherryhomes and her role in getting Vickie Brock in the race (and the story has changed a number of times on that one). In response to this, at the 8th Ward Youth Forum, Brock said she would NOT support Jackie Cherryhomes for council president. >No one blamed Jim Niland, the council member who's ward was right next to >Herron's and with whom Herron worked most closely with. EY: Later stories in the press came out about another council member who was involved -- and there were suggestions that this was Jim Niland. The Basim Sabri angle also smeared Barb Lickness -- who was not involved at all in the criminal stuff -- but had taken contributions from Basim Sabri, his wife and Zack Metoyer, Sabri's employee or contractor at the time the contribution was made. Carol continues: >No, the person who >got all the blame was the one with the same skin color as Herron's. >Coincidence or racism? For every person who linked Belton to Herron in >their minds, I would have you ask yourself why you didn't link Herron to >these other individuals who would have worked much more closely with him. >Was race part of that? EY: People did and still do link Cherryhomes and to a lesser extent Joe Biernat to this scandal. Sayles Belton was linked because her campaign HAD considered using office space provided by Basim Sabri. Carol continues: >For people who are white, I don't think most really have a real appreciation >of the subtle racism that exists in our society. I don't think it is the >things like the KKK that make the minority communities crazy. I think it is >the day-to-day unrelenting disenfranchisement. Of not getting a job you are >qualified for. Of getting the worst table in a restaurant time after time >after time. Of having people talk around you instead of to you. I would >invite people of color on this list to speak about this in their own lives. EY: I would like to hear more directly from people who have experienced this type of thing to talk about it. >And running them against candidates who are women and people of >color. Coincidence or discrimination? If you are a political group in a >city which is 35% people of color and 50.2 % female and all your candidates >are white men, I think you have to ask the question about discrimination. EY: Carol, when a white DFL woman, Gail Dorfman ran against a Black Republican man, Peter Bell would you have said the same? I'm supporting Robert Lilligren for city council in the 8th ward, because I think he's the most qualified person for the job -- not because he is an openly Gay candidate running against an African American woman. >I do believe that racism exists in our city and does play a part in every >election. I wish it didn't. But I have to be a realist and admit to its >impact in the world I live in. EY: That's true -- racism does exist in this city. So does anti-gay bigotry. However, I'd like to hear from the Mayor and the Mayor's supporters why she is the strongest and best candidate for the job -- not the guilt tripping type emotional manipulation that suggests that because RT Rybak is a white man running against an African American woman, supporters of RT must therefore be subtily racist. The question is now: will RT Rybak's campaign aggressively fight for minority votes in the general election, or will he cede minority communities to SSB because of the assumption that the African American community will vote as a block for Sharon Sayles Belton? Since Carol, you say you are not the Mayor's spokesperson, perhaps her campaign manager can weigh in on this. MA obviously doesn't speak for the Mayor or have official connections to the Mayor -- but he does make some interesting claims -- on and off list. One big difference between RT and the Mayor, is that RT doesn't think he's too good to mix it up with the noble freethinkers on Minneapolis Issues, while the Mayor is doing the Rose Garden strategy. Remember what the Rose Garden strategy did to Bush the First. Eva Eva Young Central ----------------------------------------------------- Click here for Free Video!! http://www.gohip.com/freevideo/ _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
