I am concerned about the problems the new police/media rules may cause for neighborhood organization meetings. For example:
As part of the outreach to the Hmong community sponsored by the Hawthorne, Jordan, and Cleveland neighborhoods, a series of informational meetings have been organized. At many of these meetings members of the Minneapolis police come and talk on topics ranging from using 911 to protecting yourself from dog bites to improving relations with Hmong teenagers. We also have reporters come to our meetings from time to time, both local and metro. In fact, we have had reporters come to meetings where police were giving presentations and/or talking with Hmong residents. And we have had comments end up in print If we have a meeting where a police officer is talking and a reporter walks in, what are we supposed to do? Make the police officer stop talking? Make the reporter leave? Close the meeting down? Would the police officer be required to leave according to these new rules? If the police officer continues to talk, could she be subject to some sort of punishment? If the reporter walks in and the police officer is allowed to continue to talk, could the neighborhood groups be liable to some sort of sanctions? We also have a couple of people who are reporters as a profession and live in the neighborhood and who have come to meetings and events as neighbors. Do these same rules apply when reporter/neighbors show up? If the police officer is speaking in Hmong, and the observing reporter understands only English, is the police officer still breaking the rules? (not a joke, this has happened before) This is not theoretical. We expect this situation to arise before the end of February. Any guidance would be helpful. And this problem will confront any neighborhood group which has, say, CCP/SAFE at a meeting along with a member of the local newspaper, which I am sure happens regularly. Jay Clark Cooper 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
