The Spokesman editorial on the Johnson Lee Victory and Black Leadershop on the Northside states:
>But the carrying on since the election has >also been embarrassing -- Bill English, the co-chair of the Coalition of >Black Churches and African American Leadership Summit, was recently quoted >in the "Star Tribune" threatening to bring "legal action" if Johnson Lee >continued to insist that his organization supported Cherryhomes. This is what this is referring to: Bill English, cochairman of Coalition of Black Churches and African American Leadership Summit, said his group remained neutral during the campaign but acknowledged that he personally had pledged to support Cherryhomes before Johnson Lee entered the race more than a year ago. "Bill English made a decision to support a candidate before he knew a black candidate was running. I don't make an apology for that," English said. "But if there is a continued effort on their part to say that organizations supported Jackie, that's going to prompt some legal action on our part, because it's not true." He suggested that Johnson Lee work with everyone to improve the ward. "You never have permanent political enemies. You never have permanent political friends," he said. "You only have permanent political interests." from Cherryhomes victor Johnson Lee overcame powerful forces Mark Brunswick; Star Tribune; Nov 11 2001 =================================================== EY: That's certainly true -- however, Bill English is poisoning the well with making heavy handed legal threats against Johnson Lee. If you look up Bill English in the Star Tribune there is also an article that talks about him opposing the "feminists" who were supposedly pushing for McKinley Boston's firing with the cheating scandal at the University of Minnesota. The same group was also defending Clem Haskins. (I thought it interesting that Haskins wasn't fired when it came out that he told women who had been assaulted by basketball players at the University to call him, Haskins rather than calling the police about it.) http://www.startribune.com/stories/512/50131.html It's rather interesting: English expressed anger that about 35 university demonstrators, mostly women, called for Boston's firing. "We understand that feminists have already sent a message to [university President Mark] Yudof that they want [Boston] gone, and they're protesting," he said. "Well, I'm here this morning to say that if they want to declare war, we're prepared to battle, because in this instance, we're not going to permit [Boston] to be run out of town. He's entitled to due process, and we're going to demand it." Nikki Wright, who helped organize Monday's protest on campus, said the issue is violence against women, not race. She said women were not adequately represented at Tuesday's forum at Lucille's. "The whole thing about black women, and women, period, was ignored today," said Wright, an advocate for victims of violence on campus. "This is not a black and white issue. This is about rape," said Wright ======================================== EY: All this reminds me of Cherryhomes' bullying tactics against David Strand -- and having her husband threaten to sue Strand if he didn't retract the statements he made on the list -- and not accepting the original appology as enough. What English is really mad about is that he no longer has such an inside track in City Hall any more. Then ofcourse there is that City Pages article that talks about the money trail and the Holman Redevelopment: http://www.citypages.com/databank/22/1086/article9831.asp Another panel, the Community Oversight Committee, is responsible for making sure the city keeps its promise to give priority for Hollman construction jobs to applicants who were displaced during the demolition. Four of that committee's ten members hosted a fundraiser for the council president this past spring: Bobby Jo Champion, former Minnesota assistant attorney general; former state lawmaker Richard Jefferson; Minneapolis Public Housing Authority board member Carol Batsell Benner; and local businessman Bill English. The Spokesman Editorial continues: >Please! What does it matter what Johnson Lee says about who supported who in >the election unless English and others were supporting the big business >agenda rather than the interest of the brothers and sisters struggling to >make it every day. Of course, then we can understand his consternation. >It's time that our Black leadership woke up to the fact that no one can >serve two masters; they will wind up hating one and loving the other. I think the City Pages article made it pretty clear whose agenda Bill English was supporting by supporting Jackie Cherryhomes -- the agenda of Bill English. I'd say this editorial misses the boat a bit -- the Johnson Lee victory shows an up and coming group of new Black Leadership on the Northside. That's the real story here. Eva Eva Young Central _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
