A couple of years back this problem occurred regularly on my block in south Minneapolis until finally getting fed up enough to bring media attention to it. An old man over a hundred was dying from the heat of 100 degrees each day. His children who are in their sixties and suffering different infirmities themselves had set up each night fanning him and rubbing him with ice as he lay in a coma without the use of his oxygen tent.
This moral outrage did not move Excel, we were told repeatedly we would have to wait until the heat went away for electricity to be restored. Finally in desperation I contacted the media and arranged to have a story on the six o'clock news. When an Excel executive was informed of the media coming to do a story on Excels business practices and the human suffering they created, within and hour a truck with new transformers was in the alley working. Get in touch with Kirgiss at Channel Five or one of the other stations. I am sure they need a human interest story, and you need your electricity back on. Ask any Excel employee, off the record, and they will tell you how bad it has become. Excel has cut the work force so completely and made working conditions so bad for remaining employees that it is a system ready for collapse. What has happened to the union that represents the workers interests, and indirectly ours? As a public utility, with monopoly rights to Minneapolis, this company has responsibilities. We need to explore other alternatives or get better service from Excel. But we need to be outraged NOW. Jim Graham, Ventura Village ----- Original Message ----- From: Sue Ponsford <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 8:16 AM Subject: [Mpls] Power out > As one of the 3500 people whose power is out, I have > to say, I'm ready to start some sort of action against > Excel. I've lived in my house for 4 years and each > summer, whenever it gets hot, the power goes out for > 12-72 hours at a stretch. Adding insult to injury, I'd > say that the majority of the people on my block don't > have AC--so we aren't even the people who are causing > excessive drain on the resources. > > Seems to me, Excel would notice the pattern and > consider doing some real work in our area instead of > having to repeatedly fix us. > > Perhaps I'm paranoid but it seems to me that little > old south Minneapolis is low on the Excel priority > list--I wonder who we've got to suck up to to get them > to care. > > > Tired of melting while others bask in the cool, > > Sue Ponsford > Bryant > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup > http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.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 > _______________________________________ 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
