Are you suggesting that Mpls parks take on the role of settlement houses? That would be nice, but settlement houses were governed by the particular immigrant groups that they served. In fact they were successful because they were institutions of the various communities that they served.
Your example of the Seward Towers is a little naive. I was the asset manager for the Seward Towers for a couple of years in the early 90's. At that time there was a big to-do about the Ethiopian families who were moving in. The south Minneapolis Scandanvian/German widows were somewhat nonplussed by the smell of the spices that the Africans used. I asked a few of the Ethiopian women to cook some sweets to distribute in the lobby for the general population to sample. (a variation on the recent Mpls Issues list gettogether). The only way you break down barriers is for people to live with each other and work through the misconceptions and sterotypes. I suggest that you learn more about Somali culture before you start interpreting it. That is the best antidote for ethnocentrism. The immigrants will adapt to our society over time. There children will assimilate some things, learn how the society works, and then teach their parents. I'm as politically liberal as the next guy on this list, but I don't see how government--be it the schools, the parks, the city--can legislate assimilation into American society. The Somalis have institutions and a family social structure that will assist them in the process. They will take what they need to become good citizens and adapt it to what is meaningful in their lives. The Catholics did this through their parishes, the Jews in their settlement houses and institutions, and the Moslems through their voluntary associations. Why don't you ask these immigrant groups what the parks can do for them to help support their efforts. I'm sure they have some ideas that they are willing to share with you as a policy maker. Instead of drawing conclusions from what you see in Starbucks while drinking coffee, talk some real live people. They would be delighted and happy to share their views with you. David Wilson Loring Park _______________________________________ 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
