Checked out that D of J site. It is pretty exciting. After all, in Minnesota we have CHRONICALLY sent more money to Washington than we got back. And a big reason for that is the relatively low amounts we get in Pentagon Pork. But here's a way to affect our streets NONVIOLENTLY and get federal bucks back for doing it. Of course, I can see the new Congress hacking this to get money for high-income tax cuts. But until that happens, there is NO EXCUSE for not applying to get money for anti-gang programs. I notice the conservative southern states are enthusiastically going after that money. No talk of "big government" when it's time to get money from Washington, I guess. _____________________________________________ In response to list participants who try to make points WITH SUBJECT HEADINGS ALL IN CAPS. I just went back in the list archive for July and August of this year. I did page searches on "gang" and "drug". What I found were NOT about gang or drug activity in Philips or Central. They had to do with the confrontation in Jordan. That was about the tendency of police to shoot first and explain later. That is NOT the type of coverage I was speaking about, and I was well aware of that coverage at the time. HOWEVER, since no news source gives constant attention to the state of affairs, it was worse than useless when it suddenly chose to focus on the situation and show up IN FORCE which they never seem to do otherwise (and thereby help foment the riot?) So list participants should get more specific. By the way, it occurred to me that when I went to Mindekirken for a Christmas service, I was so silly as to park my car right in the heart of the jungle (to listen to list participants). Didn't even get touched. So, what are we Scandinavians anyway, chopped liver? Pretty secondrate violence problem, if my experience is any guide. Face it, I am NO cop lover, but if I'm giving them grief, it won't be some little personal issue. It'll be when they shoot kids in the back, as happened a few years ago in Inver Grove Heights. I want them to have CREDIT when the de-escalation of problems is as marked as in the late 90's (Hear that, Chief Olson, good job!) _____________________________________________ As regards all the subsidies to developers, I don't think you can sell bonds to fight drugs. The debt we have is for building various facilities. I happen to share the notion that a lot of those facilities are second-priority items for which we should not have indebted ourselves. But the fact IS that the money to pay off those bonds comes from the same pockets. Still, the mistakes made by the SSB/CH regime affect our credit rating, whereas the money for controlling crime doesnt come from debt.
One thing to remember. In the Clinton economy, we had more than enough money. But, then, when we had the money, the main story was "crime is down". So, why would we feel a special need to appropriate more money? _____________________________________________ As far as harassment is concerned, I have heard some fairly humorous stories about playing Barry Manilow to drive loiterers crazy. And targeting johns had some effect with men propositioning prostitutes. I'm not so sure about how you approach this with armed thugs. Certainly, you'd want to be careful, though perhaps if you told the local precinct commander that you were going to patrol areas where there was constant crime, he or she'd be concerned for your safety and sent a car down to those points. I suppose if someone asked if you wanted to buy drugs, you could ask for their name, address and phone nuber in case you changed your mind later. Creative thinking might produce some ideas for these street contacts. You might also collect physical descriptions including clothing and identifying marks and turn that over to the vice division. Any sort of organized documentation might be more helpful than what the vocal list members have posted here. ______________________________________________ No question that in certain times and places you are dealing with clans who have crime as a family business. That is what is traditionally called "organized crime". But to confuse that with the main problem we have in street crime is a mistake. The Crips, Disciples, and Bloods have committed most of the violent street crime. Organized crime tends NOT to get involved in showy violent crime if it can possibly avoid it because what it does is BUSINESS. It isn't proving anything to anybody. It is more like the drug crime that whites commit in the suburbs. _____________________________________________ The Minneapolis police force must have hundreds of employees in uniform whose names are never mentioned in brutality complaints. And it must occur to the captains and the chief that there are reasons why certain names show up again and again. I think it warrants some consideration. The work is hard enough without bad apples spoiling the image of the force. And there's no way the other people in uniform are going to complain about someone who carries a gun and might be their backup someday. Too many of those "stray shots" and "mistakes". I think an anonymous tip line is a good idea. Sure it will attract a lot of garbage. But it might also reveal, for the permanent record, some facts that will become critical later on. Compare it to the value of a tipline in followup of 9/11. We know now that lots of facts just got buried. Suppose they could be dug up now. ________________________________________________ Jim Mork -- Cooper Neighborhood -------------------------------- "Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government." ---Henry Kissinger, 1992 __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________ 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
