Barbara Nelson writes: "Don't we already have the kind of surveillence of places that are likely spots for violent crimes to be committed? I'm speaking, of course, about convenience stores. Sure, those places are private property, the cameras installed by owners/renters, but it's basically the same thing. We also have cameras in the stairwells of parking ramps (public and private). We're already there, folks. I say, bring on the cameras -- let's use technology to our advantage -- people are being killed on our streets and this is not a trivial matter".
Others wrote on this vein also, the privately owned cameras. While I'm not overly thrilled about these either, the difference is in that they are privately owned. As such, they are: 1) decentralized and of use only to a specific person in a specific context. Furthermore, these tapes are usually discarded or recorded over within a very limited amount of time, and 2) Sam at the Easy-Way on Johnson Street in Northeast Minneapolis doesn't have the authority to directly arrest me if I do something he doesn't personally like, regardless of whether it's currently illegal or not. Yes, there are already a vast number of cameras. They are also already being used in various manners like Linda Mann suggested. However, that doesn't automatically justify the use. Two wrongs doesn't make a right. One post also argued that cameras work well in Germany. I'll again make the point there's plenty of government cameras in China. Were the citizens of Beijing able to speak freely, I'm not sure if they would believe the payoff of far less crime is worth the cost of personal freedom. I understand the governmental structure is different in China were there is vast difference in what those cameras are used for, but state the Communist party had to establish themselves to limit personal liberties gradually. So it could go with the innocuous photo cop. The biggest problem in this is the photo cops have many beneficial uses that speak to our hearts. How do we answer those heartfelt concerns without sacrificing things we ultimately value as much, if not more? I'll have to keep thinking about the answer. However, I'd say as horrible as people being hurt by traffic scofflaws is, the answer isn't a step towards limiting personal freedoms- either directly with the government using these cameras to police currently unpopular but legal activities or by simply with the chilling effect of someone watching you. Jeremy Brezovan writes: "I noticed two cameras attached to poles at 9th and Hennepin downtown for the first time today: one in front of Bravo, and one in front of Rock Bottom Brewery. Does anyone know why those two cameras are there? They don't seem to be aimed at the intersection, but more at Hennepin itself". I remember these cameras being installed in downtown, if they're the same ones I'm thinking of. There's actually a fair number all around downtown. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled about these any more than any others. I believe they were installed to watch the level of traffic in the same manner we have the freeway cameras seeing where the traffic jams are. However, while you can watch the freeway cameras on public access, I've never seen these cameras images published on public access. David Brauer writes: "There's an even greater, long-term skyway disconnect...the good folks at Marshall Field's, who close their skyway connection much earlier than everyone else, and have, frustratingly, for years". It is immensely frustrating. However, speaking from my experience of many moons ago as security at then Dayton's, I'm not blaming them. Shoplifting is an immense problem for any retailer, and a retailer with as much space as Dayton's/Field's has the problem is magnified all the more. The cost Field's incurs is just too great to justify keeping the second floor open without the eyes of salespeople to assist security any more than it may be now. The only way I could see them doing it is if they were to build some sort of floor to ceiling gates around every department and escalator that wasn't the main aisle between skyway entrances. I see no way Field's would put out that expense and trouble. Oh, well� Finally, Lisa McDonald talks about the new restaurants to Block E from her officer acquaintance. Come on, Lisa, what's wrong with Red Lobster? It could have been White Castle (and I'll openly admit I eat the sliders)! Gary Bowman Audubon Park __________________________________________________ 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
