Many of you probably have recently heard discussion over mediating the community concerns over police conduct (i.e. recent shootings of the mentally ill, minors, african-americans, etc., and other incidents of excessive force). The goal of such a mediation is an enforceable plan for improvement in police training, procedures, and conduct. Many are calling for federal mediation, but other voices (the mayor and many council members) are calling for private mediation.
Private mediation will solve nothing. Many community members inherently distrust private mediation because the choice of mediator can be manipulated to determine the outcome; ergo, any private mediation will be seen as a sham, conducted for the sake of appearances. Federal mediation has a process and a senior federal mediator (Patricia Glenn) for our area with over 30 years' experience; a private mediation would likely call for an agreement first on process for the mediation, causing delay & allowing for manipulation of the outcome, and would require agreement on a mediator (also a delay) who will likely not be anywhere as qualified to conduct this type of mediation. Federal mediation will create a binding agreement between police and the community, and that agreement is monitored by the mediator thereafter for compliance; private mediation has no monitoring mechanism, and the quality of any that might be created under the agreement is dependent on the choice of monitor. Under federal mediation, if the agreement is not followed the federal government may take court action to enforce it; under private mediation, community members would have to attempt enforcement, which as you know is complicated, expensive, and unlikely to succeed (particularly within a meaningful time frame). Federal mediation is free; private mediation will cost a lot of tax dollars. In other words, private mediation is seen by many as the choice of elected officials and police who want to make certain that nothing will change as a result. Folks, if Minneapolis can stand behind its police training, procedures, and leadership, there is nothing to fear - let's go with federal mediation, make a good, enforceable agreement, live by it, and start healing the rift between community and police. If Minneapolis isn't so certain that its nose is clean, then let's get cleaned up with the help of the feds in the best process available. But if we take the route of private mediation, there will be no trusted solution, and perhaps no solution at all. We can only expect more conflict and more mistrust. Please be a voice for federal mediation. Contact the mayor & your council person. Attend the city council meeting when the decision on federal mediation is supposed to be made - September 13, 9:30 a.m., City Hall, Room 317. Heck, if you're feeling riled up enough, make your feelings heard by joining the rally to demand federal mediation on Monday, September 9, 4:30 p.m., at City Hall. Shamelessly agitating, Roxana Orrell Central _______________________________________ 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
