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. 17 December 9, 2002
********************************************************** THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER: * Civil Rights Chief Under Fire Over CRA Flap * County DNA Testing Has MCLU Concerned * Indian Education Group Split Over Spending Claims * WAMM Celebrates 20 Years of Peaceful Hell-Raising * University Towers Coming Down Plus: Honoring Natalie Johnson Lee, remembering Dave Ray, the straight dope on a local "terrorist," what firefighters really do, and understanding the corporate tax dodge. ********************************************************** CIVIL RIGHTS CHIEF UNDER FIRE OVER CRA FLAP City Council leaders, grumbling about the clumsy redesign of the Civilian Review Authority (CRA) may be shifting their ire from the Police Federation to a City Hall insider who should be an ally. As G.R. Anderson Jr. reports in City Pages, last month's decision by the council to approve a watered-down version of the much-maligned CRA had council members seething over the performance of Civil Rights Department director Vanne Owens Hayes, whose job it was to bring the redesign plan to the council. Second Ward Council Member Paul Zerby complained that the council didn't receive the plan in time for the city to request specific action at the legislature in order to implement it and that Hayes' recommendations ignored significant components discussed at length during a summer's worth of task force meetings. "The plan as brought forward completely guts the intent [of the task force report]," he said. Council vice president Robert Lilligren (Eighth Ward) called Hayes' recommendations "unsatisfactory," and complained that Hayes "tends to respond with the status quo. It's not surprising, because she is within the system." For her part, Hayes argues that CRA redesign is really up to the council and that she has only been following its directions. "I pride myself in doing things right and doing them professionally," she told an October 30 meeting of the Health and Human Services and Public Safety and Regulatory Services committees. Hayes will now embark on a lengthy implementation plan designed to integrate the new CRA into her Department of Civil Rights, a prospect that clearly pleases few council members. COUNTY DNA TESTING HAS MCLU CONCERNED A Hennepin County paternity testing program that collects DNA samples may threaten the privacy of local African American men and children, says the head of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union. INDIAN EDUCATION GROUP SPLIT OVER SPENDING CLAIMS Advocates for improved Indian education are feuding over an alleged misuse of funds, reports Daune Stinse in The Circle (www.thecirclenews.org). WAMM CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF PEACEFUL HELL-RAISING Women Against Military Madness celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. UNIVERSITY TOWERS COMING DOWN A familiar feature on the skyline of the east bank of the Mississippi will soon vanish. ********************************************************** The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2002 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To check out a sample issue, visit www.mplsobserver.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
