I'm glad City Pages is swarming this story. However, I think the packaging and emphasis of G.R.'s story is far too melodramatic.
A piece headlined "Busted: Is Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson trying to stop federal mediation?" hangs on one paraphrased quote from another newspaper. The article recounts Olson's quote to the Strib that he would delay mediation unless the NAACP and Urban League were part of the panel representing the community affected by police brutality. G.R. says Olson "played a divisive trick" (I assume the label is G.R.'s conclusion, because it is not sourced.) Such melodrama set off this reader's alarm bells. Olson's statement might have been divisive - even foolish (there's an old political aphorism that you don't get involved when your opposition is flailing) but a "trick"? Please. Tricks are more clever than this. It is possible - just possible - that Olson was articulating a reasonable view: the problem with community mediation isn't that mediation is unnecessary, but that getting a truly representative team is a nightmare process that subverts the promise of mediation....and one that the Community Negotiating Team has handled poorly. (To wit: ONE community meeting to pick representatives? Dyna, apparently the DFL isn't the only organization that schedules conventions inconveniently.) To G.R.'s credit, he cites two main problems with the Team: moving too fast and moving in secrecy. And along the way, he quotes Ron Edwards, Spike Moss, Keesha Gaskins and Jerry McAfee, all of whom have problems with facets of the community-selection process. There's some interesting speculation about the close relationship between Olson and Moss, but it's clear that the chief is not the only one with a problem here - many others outside of the police do, too. The problem with the anti-Olson side is that THEY didn't have their ducks in a row - and going into (negotiating) battle, was their responsibility to do so. So why does Olson bear the brunt here? It's City Pages orthodoxy that those with insider power get ripped - and that's the right ethos for an alternative weekly to have....though occasionally, it can lead you astray, and underplay the mistakes of those confronting power. On that note: while I think Ron Edwards often has the goods on the system - and have used him as a key source as recently as two months ago - I wish Britt's published interview included one question about Edwards' own power grabs and polarization and how it may have subverted the principles of community empowerment that he has proclaimed so well and worked so hard for. David Brauer King Field Editor, Southwest Journal & Skyway News > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of > Shawn Lewis > Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2002 5:47 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Mpls] Is Minneapolis police chief Robert Olson trying to stop federal mediation? > > NEWS . VOL 23 #1151 . PUBLISHED 12/25/02 > > Busted > > Is Minneapolis police chief Robert Olson > trying to stop federal mediation? > > by G.R. Anderson Jr. > > On December 3, Spike Moss called on his _______________________________________ 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
