MessageYes, you could place cameras at hot spots and move them as the "Stars" move. In fact that was the idea. There is a police substation located in the middle of this epidemic, on Franklin and 12th Avenue. The perfect place for an officer to monitor it and call his buddies on the street with probable cause. The real impact would be on political leaders. A hit television show might convince them that the residents in parts of Minneapolis do not receive their constitutional right to equal protection under the law.
Chief Robert Olson was very supportive of the camera idea. Even agreeing to use police provided cameras so that evidence gathered by them could be used in court. Amy Klobuchar also agreed that evidence gathered by police cameras would be useful and admissible. What would be interesting would be live shots with occasional flips to mug shots and descriptions of those convicted for drug dealing in that area. Might be better than the "Real Cop" shows that seem to be popular in the media. Sorry about the spelling of gente. I also misspell in English as well as Spanish. I type with two fingers watching the fingers and not the screen. This can cause problems for someone who occasionally does not spell check. We who are computer and typing challenged have a hard time communicating. Now if I can get one of my children to show me how to put things in plain text, I will be able to add readable material to the "List". Ventura Village has recieved absolutly nothing from Jesse for having a simular name, so I am not sure Barb Lickness' suggestion about renaming it Moe Town would work. Ventura Village was actually named for goodluck, not Jesse. The governor's staff seemed to be ignorant about the meaning of the word when we informed them we had not named ourselves after Jesse. Jesse will be gone this year, or in four years, but the Hispanic people who accounted for 40% of all home buyers last year will be here for a long, long time. Franklin Avenue and the Ventura Village area have for over one hundered years offered "Good Fortune" for new Minnesotans. We are justly proud of our history and our future. A future that we have made ourselves, with very little assistance, and a great deal of hinderance, from the downtown "powers that be". So while Barb's suggestion of Moe Town would be appropriate, (cause our people care and do "Moe"), we will stick with Ventura Village. Thank You. Jim Graham, Ventura Village Neighborhood Buena Ventura por Buena Gente "If you would be a person who that achieves great things you must first have been great dreamer. All others are doomed to failure or at best mediocrity. So Crickets dream and become the Dreamweavers for others." - MASTER TOE ----- Original Message ----- From: Blanchett, Neal J. To: 'JIM GRAHAM' Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 10:01 AM Subject: RE: [Mpls] (no subject) Your camera idea is great. Couldn't you post a webcam at selected places, or maybe shifting places, and broadcast it on a website. Anybody with a 911 link and an internet connection could assemble evidence for trial just by logging on when the call came in. A cop at an internet coffee shop could establish probable cause by logging on at the coffee shop, then go arrest and search in a few minutes. Neal Blanchett Lynnhurst -----Original Message----- From: JIM GRAHAM [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2002 9:12 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: mpls issues Subject: [Mpls] (no subject) Answer for Tom Donaldson: In a related matter Ventura Village's Crime and Safety Chairs Jim Graham, Mary Watson, along with other Ventura Village business and resident leaders meet with Minneapolis and Hennepin County Police Officials on Monday April 29th. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss specific plans for addressing the new drug epidemic that is concentrated on Franklin Avenue between Chicago Avenue and 13th Avenue. Attending the meeting were Chief Robert Olson, Inspector Sharon Lubinski, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar and her staff Pete Cahill, Metro Transit Police Captain Dennis Larson, and Council-member Dean Zimmerman. Mayor Rybak was invited to attend the meeting, but staff said he was too busy that day. The problem drug dealing was very apparent with Zimmerman calling 911 during the course of the meeting to report several drug deals going on just outside of the window of the room in San Miguel School, where the meeting was being held. Chief Olson was very happy to engage the community in the planning effort, and leaders from the Somali, Native and other communities were in attendance and participated in the planning effort. A comprehensive coordinated plan, and early results will be discussed in the next issue of the Alley. It is expected that RT will take a very personal interest in addressing what has become an emergency. On the day after his election, at a news conference on the corner of Franklin and Chicago, Mayor Rybak assured the community that because of his family's ties to Franklin Avenue he would never forget the community and allow a return to such crime levels. With those on the "List" making him aware of it, I am certain Mayor Rybak will be actively involved on a personal level to address the problem. Drug dealing now is approaching the level of 1997 when this same community asked to be declared a "National Disaster Area" due to the blight of crime and the murder of children in gang and drug related activities. Fortunately we have a new Mayor and a new City Council who will not allow us to continue to be the "Forgotten Orphans of Minneapolis" Suggestions for plan: 1. Have a contest to see who can catch the largest number of drug dealers in one shift. Winning team gets one week paid vacation a plane ticket to Cancun next winter, and all the Bruggers bagels they can eat for two weeks. 2. Have the cable company wire five quality cameras at unspecified locations on Franklin Avenue and broadcast the show on cable access. Might be more interesting than some city council meetings. Give judges free subscriptions to cable if they promise to watch. 3. Create a real Drug and Crime Task Force made up of Fifty (50) dedicated officers whose job it is to hunt drug dealers each and every day they come to work, no matter where or what precinct that drug dealing moves to. Give command of the task force to someone who they respect and who they will follow. I suggest Captain Mike Martin as the one, and possibly the only commanding officer who both the police and the public would sufficiently trust to do such a job at this time. 4. Start an effort to have every businessperson and resident in Ventura Village call on each and every drug dealer or prostitute they observe. This includes car and cell phone patrols and the city not punishing storeowners who call in drug dealers. (One problem, how will anyone else be able to get through to 911 with that volume of calls?) So Tom Donaldson let me know when you want to start. I am already doing it, so we can coordinate. Jim Graham, Ventura Village Neighborhood Buena Ventura por Buena Hinte _______________________________________ 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
