I think that this is a great idea. It would give all the organizations that are protesting about the police department opportunity to get even more involved in turning around our police department. I have some experience in event planning in Minneapolis. I am most definitely game to work on this.
I only have one problem or obstacle that I think needs to be address before we get too involved. We would need some type of support and encouragement from the city council and RT that our efforts will not go unwarranted. An event of this magnitude requires a large number of volunteers. They will need to be reassured that their efforts will be for change and not merely for hope of change. If we are able to gain such encouragement from our elected officials, the event is a go. Below is somewhat of an outline of how the event may be brought together. These are just my thoughts of how the event planning could start. To do this right an event planning group should be formed and designation of responsibilities appointed to its participants. Startup Funds: Funds will be needed for permits, advertisement, and other expenses. This could be acquired by a small loan or by receiving donations. I think that I could rase a large potion in donations and have already secured $500. Location: Probably the best location would be one of the many parks in our city. There are a great number of beautiful parks that have all of the required elements for an event (electric, space ect). The parks also have a Mobil stage. It would be great to utilize one of our parks. Question is will activity such as this raise some type of conflict? The other option is one that would require the support that I mentioned before from city council. We could request to close a street for the event. Timing of Event: I think it would be best to have the event for two days. You want to pick dates that are not conflicting with other large events that are planned. Volunteers: A large event requires volunteers to handle everything such as security, setup, takedown, and cleanup. These volunteers will be for the event days but will also need to attend an organizing meeting prior to the event. Those volunteers that are a part of planning and implementation will be required to put in the bulk of time. Entertainment: There are a great number of bands and other Entertainers that may perform for free. But if you want to raise a large amount of funds, you should probably secure a few well-known entertainers that will perform for cost or a reduced. Many times not all the members of a group are willing to perform for free but some of them are, this is what is meant by cost. For an event such as this I think that anyone that is willing to donate their time to perform should have stage time. But it would be best if their performance is family entertainment. Many clowns in the city will no doubt attend. In short, you will have no problem with entertainment as long as you have a good cause. Maybe some of our elected officials would like to address the people. Food: Where there are large amounts of people their is opportunity to make money selling food. There is two options as far as supplying food. One is to rent vendor space to small business. This will assist with the raising of funds but is set and limited. The second is to have the event promoters furnish the food. This option will ultimately raise more funds then renting to venders but requires more startup funding and volunteers. Gate Cost: You could have a set rate of entry. However, for an event such as this I would suggest that you simply have a suggested donation. My reasoning on this is that some people may only be able to show their support by attending, they may not have money to pay at the gate. Alternate Event Date: It is always smart to have a secondary date set that is listed on all advertisement. This is in case it rains or something else causes postponement. Timetable: It is best to have one year to plan a large event. But if you have a large working group of volunteers and support of elected officials, it could be pulled off in 90 days. These are just some thoughts off the top of my head. I know that I could get 20 persons involved myself. This is a great Idea! I have never heard of such a thing happening to assist its city with ridding itself of an unwanted employee. Hey Steve, do you think we could get some press on this? Zachary Metoyer 8th Ward _______________________________________ 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
