Eva, the ad cost a couple of hundred dollars. Show me a suburban house seat that was lost because of a couple of hundred dollars.
Eva and I talked about this offlist last week and she knows the story behind the ad. The DFL Party wasn't forced to do anything, and the money doesn't sit in one big pile waiting for people to decide what to do with it. The DFL (state) spent a lot of money in Mpls on all of the endorsed candidates, including sample ballots, lit peices, PSAs, and radio. Besides, the Parties are limited to $5,000 per candidate.
Duane Reed didn't 'scare' or 'force' the Party into this Independant Expenditure, his campaign tactics made it necessary. As a matter of fact, Duane Reed was the one using scare tactics by ridiculing Ellison's religion and playing to the perceptions that some whites may have about Blacks who practice Islam. Reed did that to the newer residents on the Riverfront. On the Near North Side, he tried to paint Ellison as negatively as he could by tying Ellison with some faceless "man" (as in "the man") and institutions (such as the DFL) whom he (Reed) claimed to not have their interest in mind, therefore Ellison will not have their interest in mind. Yet, Ellison had people working for him who were at complete odds just the previous year over the City Council. Where some work for Cherryhomes(DFL) and others worked for Johnson Lee(Green), they found common ground to work for Keith Ellison. That should have been the end of the DFL 'pawn' talk.
When he couldn't get any steam or a groundswell of support, Reed went after several instituions which have served the community well over the years such as, the Urban League, Insight News and KMOJ's Public Policy Forum. N'er mind the fact that these organizations have been serving the community forever, even back when Reed was working his way up the coporate ladder. He then put out a statement on one of his peices stating that the voters should know who is behind those who want to represent the community. So, I thought Northsiders should know who was supporting who. Ellison was running as a DFL endorsed candidate, no secret there. Reed claimed to be independant.
Eric Mitchell
Maple Grove
Still working in North and South Mpls
Eva Young <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
The following was quarter page ad was put in Insight the day before the
election:
Duane K Reed says he's ready to represent the comunity of district
58B. Yet he enjoys the support of such anti-community groups as the
Property Rights Action Committee. This group of landlords own some of the
most run-down and dire property on the Northside. This group has made a
fortune over the years off of the poorer members in our community.
This group believes that landlords are the victims of criminals, deadbeat
tenants, a mean spirited Inspections Department and noisy drugged-up
tenants. [http://www.propertyrights-mn.com]
EY: This is what the site actually says:
Editors Note: We landlords are a scapegoat group for the criminals that
aren`t arrested, the tenants that don`t pay, an Inspections Dept. that is
mean-spirited at its core (and has no common standards), noisey-drugged
people that the police won`t confront etc. And so we`re mad as hell and
fighting back! We`re telling the world at this site and someday the playing
field will be level again because liberty and freedom, if one pays the
price, will happen. I`m enjoying this effort to show our groups battle to
preserve our US CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS at this site which I`ve
developed--Long may our flag wave-- but only if it represents freedom.
Respectfully, John W Penterman , A proud Minneapolis Landlord
The ad continues:
Keith Ellison has worked for the rights of renters and ALL people of
district 58B. Ellison has developed and advocated for public policies and
legislation in the areas of juvenile and criminal justice, racial
profiling, education, tenant rights, and record expungements. As a civil
rights, criminal and employment law attorney, he has advised and
represented over a thousand members of our community, helping to defend
their rights.
Who do you trust to represent you?
A candidate for fights for the rights of people, not property!
Vote Keith Ellison
House District 58B on November 5th
For more information on how and where to vote, call 651-265-9601.
This is an independent expenditure not approved by the candidate, nor are
they responsible for it. Prepared and paid for by the Minnesota DFL Party
255 Plato Blvd., St Paul, MN 55107
=======================================
EY: Obviously the PRAC is in the State DFL's radar -- and seen as a major
threat to DFL hegemony in Minneapolis. This ad was an attempt to bash the
group clearly.
Sure there are some landlords who are slumlords who are members of this
group. But it is unfair to paint all landlords with this type of broad
brush -- and this type of ad does nothing to help create more affordable
housing in Minneapolis.
I might agree with Keith Ellison on some of his positions on criminal and
juvenile justice (I tend lean more liberal in those areas - and do believe
in rehabilitation more than lock em up and throw away the key) however, I
do not support things like record expungement unless there are clear signs
that the person has done things to reform from some of the behaviors that
gave the person a bad record in the first place. I would never want to
own rental property and deal with the headaches that go along with
it. There needs to be more appreciation for the good landlords in the city.
The property rights group isn't about property and not people. It's about
the rights of people to their own property. I wonder if the DFL believes
there should be no private property?
When Jackie Cherryhomes lost, she blamed PRAC for her loss. The city of
Minneapolis is still paying for her loss -- most recently in that lawsuit
where a liquor store won a settlement from the city because of the
Cherryhomes pushed roadblocks that hurt business at the liquor store.
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_______________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Do you Yahoo!?
U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive medley & videos from Greatest Hits CD
