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. 19 December 23, 2002
To subscribe ($12/yr.), just hit "reply" and state your intentions, and we'll set you up. Thanks. ********************************************************** THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER: * Employees Allege Discrimination at Medical Center * Local Peace Activists Travel to Iraq * Gang Crackdown Expected After Edwards Killing * African American Men Commission Swears In 100 * City Drafts Legislative Priorities Plus: Minneapolis as the center of the knowledge industry, Jon Bream on Lorie Line, meditation as a crime-stopping tactic, and a 21-gun salute at Fort Snelling. ********************************************************** EMPLOYEES ALLEGE DISCRIMINATION AT MEDICAL CENTER Eight current or former employees of Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) filed suit last month against the hospital, charging racial discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that hospital administrators condone a work environment in which racial slurs are ignored or inadequately challenged, reports Koran Addo in One Nation News (http://onenationnews.com). Hospital representatives said they "take any and all allegations of this kind very seriously." HCMC chief executive officer Jeff Spartz said he was unaware of any institutional discrimination at the hospital, noting that some 22 percent of the workforce is African American, a number expected to rise to 30 percent by 2007. But a hospital worker who asked not to be named said the numbers have nothing to do with the patterns of discrimination. "It doesn't matter how many of us there are. If this place was 50 percent black, it would not mean that discrimination doesn't exist. It isn't right. The problem is a lack of education and awareness." The suit is the second in two years filed against the hospital. Last year, two African American security guards went to court, charging that HCMC "maintains a generally racial hostile environment for racial minority employees, patients, and visitors." LOCAL PEACE ACTIVISTS TRAVEL TO IRAQ Two Minneapolis peace activists spent two weeks in Iraq earlier this month as part of an international team hoping to normalize relations with the Iraqi people and counter the current U.S. appetite for war. GANG CRACKDOWN EXPECTED AFTER EDWARDS KILLING The murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards has sparked a renewed push by local police to crack down on gangs. AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN COMMISSION SWEARS IN 100 A hunderd supporters of Hennepin County's African American Men Commission swore their commitment to the project December 7. LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES DRAFTED The City Council's Intergovernmental Relations Committee has drafted a list of priorities for the 2003 legislative session. ********************************************************** The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2002 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription. Editor: Craig Cox Deputy Assistant Senior Executive Editor: Sharon Parker Contributing writers: Chris Dodge, Leo Mezzrow Equine consultant and correspondent: Nora Cox Perspective: Martin Cox Thanks to: Sam Bergman ******************************************************* Fight media consolidation! Support the independent press! Pick up your neighborhood newspaper! ******************************************************* _______________________________________ 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
