According to tomorrow's Star Tribune Article, County Board chair Mike Opat ordered that the Black History Month Exhibit in the lobby of the Government Center remove a large picture of the notorious mob lynching of three black men in Duluth in 1920.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3631791.html Opat's compromise was to allow a much smaller picture of the event, apparently so that it would not draw people's attention. "We're not an art museum, so we don't get into provocation," asserts Opat. The article states that even the compromise did not completely satisfy Opat, indicating that he would have preferred that the public not observe this atrocity at all. While Opat did not want the public, and especially juries, to see evidence of Minnesota's atrocious racial history, I believe that it is most pertinent in the building that houses one of the most racist institutions - the Hennepin County criminal courts, which are most responsible for Minnesota having the highest racial disparity of Black prisoners of any state in the country. This is a typical Minnesota "Nice" response to racism - hide and minimize it as much as possible, and definitely do not deal with it. Jordan Kushner works downtown, walks through Government Center almost every day, and would appreciate seeing a meaningful statement for a change. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ 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
