T H E M I N N E A P O L I S O B S E R V E R A Weekly Digest of All Things Minneapolitan www.mplsobserver.com Vol. 2, No. 4 September 3, 2002
This is a preview copy of The Observer. To subscribe to the full-meal deal ($12/yr.) simply hit 'reply' and state your intentions, and we'll set you up. You can check out a sample issue at www.mplsobserver.com. Thanks. ********************************************************** THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER: * Mediator: We Can Work It Out * Amazon on the Ropes * Beautiful Libraries; No Staff * Too Much Affordable Housing? * Whitewater Park Moving Ahead * Melissa Schmidt LRT Stop? Plus: Abbott Hospital at 100, local playwright hits it big, Lowry Hill and Lyndale burglaries, a princess on Franklin, $7,000 manhole covers, an ode to tomatoes, and two cheers for major league baseball. ********************************************************* WE CAN WORK IT OUT, SAYS FEDERAL MEDIATOR Federal mediator Patricia Campbell Glenn, who arrived in town after the uprising in the Jordan neighborhood last month and received a chilly reception from some black activists, says mediation has worked in other cities and can work here. Glenn told Shannon Gibney in the Spokesman-Recorder that, despite skepticism from activists like Spike Moss, the process will include ample representation from the black community and will result in a workable solution to recent tensions. "Mediation is a methodical process. Ultimately the aim would be a written document that both parties could live with," she said. And to concerns that city officials would control who represents the parties in the process, Glenn stressed that it's the community--not the mediator--who sets the parameters. "That is the responsibility of those people in the leadership," she explained. "Historically, we define leaders as people who represent other people's viewpoints. We never define leadership for a community." But longtime black activist Ron Edwards said the mayor is playing too big a role in defining the debate in this case. "The mayor and his administration have been trying to control all aspects of this deliberation," Edwards said. "The mayor wants to get 'the right kind of people' on this mediation panel, which means people they can control." Glenn presented her thoughts on the issue to the full City Council on Thursday, and Fifth Ward Council Member Natalie Johnson Lee said she believes her colleagues will vote to work with Glenn. "We're at the point now where we have to respond as a city; we have to act," she said. "We must put forth a real effort, and I think that mediation is the first step toward that." AMAZON FACING TOUGH TIMES Three years after making national headlines with its suit against online powerhouse Amazon.com, the venerable Amazon Bookstore Cooperative is struggling for survival. BEAUTIFUL LIBRARIES; NO STAFF? Minneapolis voters in 2000 approved a $140 million referendum to build a new Central Library and improve its community branches, but Mayor Rybak's proposed budget allocates $1.8 million less than the Library Board requested this year, a bit of ironic fiscal reality that may force significant cuts in service. RIVER WHITEWATER PARK PLAN MOVING AHEAD Whitewater enthusiasts and other interested citizens met last month with officials from the state Department of Natural Resources, the Weisman Museum, and the Army Corps of Engineers in the latest round of talks designed to determine whether a whitewater park should be built on the Mississippi River downtown. ****************************************************** The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2002 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription. Editor: Craig Cox Deputy Assistant Senior Managing Editor: Sharon Parker Contributing writers: Chris Dodge, Leo Mezzrow Online technical assistance: Christopher Pollard Equine consultant: Nora Cox Perspective: Martin Cox Thanks to: Dennis Shapiro ******************************************************* Fight media consolidation! Support the independent press! Pick up your neighborhood newspaper! ******************************************************* _______________________________________ 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
