Hi I am a resident in the Longfellow community, and I was first made aware of this list several months ago, when one of the people posting here directed the list to another online forum I participate in. The attention focused on the other forum wasn't really appreciated at the time, but we do get over these things. I believe this individual was trying to make the point that there are sub-communities of Mpls residents whose concerns sometimes reach beyond those of local governing agencies, and whose interests and needs remain unfulfilled by the agendas of local politicians and their immediate constituents.
Since that time, I've been receiving this list, in an attempt to learn how people in the immediate communities here feel about - and deal with - issues regarding politics and ethical practices which affect us all. While I appreciate that there are some very informed and concerned individuals who do what they can to share this kind of knowledge with others here, the political system here remains a mystery, and I cannot help but feel at times that this is intentionally so, in order to keep it self-serving, rather than reaching out to the needs of the residents of the communities here. Sadly, I am hearing stories of just as many allegations and implications of corruption in office as when I was younger, and vowed I would have nothing to do with politics. Now in my forties, with the perspectives afforded by having raised children, and paying a mortgage, it seems impractical to shut out a socio-political system which affects me whether I like it or not. I havent seen any discussions of this nature on this list; which might provide some insight as to how those of us whose interests seem to fall outside of the norm people who are somewhat limited by constraints of time and money, for example, yet still consider ourselves concerned citizens - might be able to take an active stance in local political issues, and be able to believe that our voices are in fact, being heard. I have read the policies describing what is appropriate for discussion on this list, yet there are issues which have come up in my own community that have not been discussed here, and I am unclear as to whether this is an appropriate forum for such discussions. Recently, for example, I received a flyer notifying neighborhood residents of a Level III sex offender, who is residing less than a block from our home. We attended a meeting with law enforcement officials and other concerned individuals, and a number of questions were raised, for which the authorities present seemed to have neither sufficient answers nor resources for information regarding the situation. I was shocked to learn that the offender in question has already taken up residency in our neighborhood, as the flyer we had received implied that this was still a pending issue. Even more surprising was the discovery that this individual had not only violated the terms of his registration process, and that he had repeatedly failed to successfully complete a rehabilitation program, which seemed key to the fact that his crimes involved substance abuse. From what information we were able to gather, the bottom line was that he had served his time a mere 44 months of incarceration for a particularly vicious offense - and was no longer required to remain under intense supervision. My girlfriend made a few calls after the meeting, and learned that no businesses in the area were made aware of the presence of this individual, such as the flyer we received on our door. This seems odd, as there is a liquor store and a bar within less than a block of the offenders place of residence. No one seemed to be able to tell us whether or not passing out additional flyers to such businesses is an acceptable course of action, or if this might be considered an act of retaliation, which would possibly jeopardize the continued existence of notification programs, such as the one which brought the matter to our attention in the first place. Another question raised at this meeting, was whether or not the presence of community members might be able to attend the forthcoming hearing for this individual, in regards to his registration violation; and may have an opportunity to speak out, in the hopes of creating an impact on the outcome of the hearing. Is this the type of issue which may be discussed here, or is there another forum which might prove to be useful in answering some of our questions? I look forward to hearing any of your comments regarding these issues. J. Free Longfellow neighborhood Is your boss reading your email? ....Probably Keep your messages private by using Lycos Mail. Sign up today at http://mail.lycos.com _______________________________________ 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
