Jim Graham wrote: ---Mr. Miller is not credible here unless he was one of the people that PPL and Steve Walsh attempted to mobilize to vote fraudulently at a Ventura Village meeting (in an attempt to stage a coup similar to the one they had staged in Central Neighborhood). I searched the sign in sheets for the meeting, and the only Miller signing in claimed to live in South Phillips. Exactly where do you live Mr. Miller?---
[GDL] I've hestitated to pipe in on this thread because discussions like this always turn so personal and destructive, as we are now witnessing, but I have to jump in at this point. I was at the meeting Jim Graham describes and spoke about the inherent unfairness of changing the rules so that people could not participate and vote. It was obviously done to prevent support of CVI, a PPL-sponsored project. In addition, many people (primarily African American people in the neighborhood) simply left without signing in and I assume that's Mr. Miller's point or reasoning when he says he couldn't vote or participate. Jim Graham continues: --Also, readers should be advised that prior to that meeting, Ventura Village had been notified by its NRP Policy Board Member that State Law required that non-profit corporations must not allow voting by people who have not been a member for the previous 30 days, if that organization has monthly meetings. The NRP newsletter and Robert Miller verified this notification.--- [GDL] People later challenged this voting change (which came from Ventura Village and not from NRP), and NRP Director Bob Miller wrote Ventura Village, stating the following: "I find that Ventura Village's actions to set a record date for the April 10 membership meeting to be inappropriate. I further find that the motions concerning [disapproval of] Collaborative Village Initiative be considered null and void." Since then, Ventura Village has again changed its membership requirements so that you must either live in the neighborhood or own property in the neighborhood, thereby eliminating Project 504, the Indian Child Welfare Law Center, Somali Youth Association, Van Zandt Distributing, Black Mesa Coffee, Minneapolis American Indian Chamber of Commerce, Northland Native Products, Breugger's, and countless others who obviously contribute to the neighborhood but nevertheless are not considered members of the neighborhood group because their organizations don't own property (kind of reminds you of the original US Constitution). Wasn't the purpose of NRP to open up participation to those who "live, work, learn and play" in the neighborhood. Hmmm ... seems like a new neighborhood group is ripe for starting in these parts of the woods. How about a North Phillips Neighborhood Association? More from Jim Graham: ---One last neighborhood concern. Mr. Miller seems to believe there are "Black Neighborhoods" in Minneapolis. There are NO White neighborhoods in Minneapolis. There are NO Indian neighborhoods in Minneapolis. There are NO Hispanic neighborhoods in Minneapolis. And there are no Black neighborhoods in Minneapolis. There is no neighborhood that does not have all races of people. . . . It might also surprise Mr. Miller to learn that in Ventura Village no race is a majority. Presently the largest percentage is White, but that is quickly changing to Hispanic. Forty percent of houses sold last year in Ventura Village were bought by Hispanic families.--- [GDL] Census data figures from applicable census tracts: Total population: 6,769 White: 2,103(31%) Black: 2,312 (34%) American Indian: 718 (11%) Asian: 296 (4.4%) Other Race: 543 (8%) 2 or 2+ Races: 790 (12%) To be honest, I took Mr. Miller's use of quotes around "Black" neighborhoods to mean that it is how the neighborhood is perceived by others but not by him, but then again I'll stand corrected if wrong. I applaud Mr. Miller's participation here and think it is unfortunate that, after raising a powerful argument, he's accused directly and indirectly of being an "ignorant racist" and "fraud" when, from what I can perceive from his original post, he was raising a concern about over-hyping the drug "war" because it leads to loss of his (and others') civil liberties. There. Gregory Luce Now living in St. Paul but still working in Phillips _______________________________________ 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
