Good idea Dean, I have two "Good News" things great to report.
1. Minneapolis graduated a class of new police officers Last night. I do not know about all the new officers, but I do know of one who is going to be such a great addition to our department. His dream was to become not just any police officer but to serve his community, this community. His dream was to become a Minneapolis Police Officer. I challenged Mayor RT Rybak to help this young man's dream of serving Minneapolis come true. Just as many of us had helped RT's dream of serving Minneapolis come true. I thank RT Rybak and Chief Olson for helping to fulfill that dream. He is a young person of color who grew up in south Minneapolis. One of our own who now serves his community. Todd Kurth is one of my kids who I am incredibly proud of. (They are still my kids even when they are over thirty and have kids of their own). Quality people make for a quality organization and the Minneapolis Police Department is a little better organization tonight. Never let anyone tell you that Minneapolis has to search elsewhere for quality people to be our police officers. Our inner city produces some of the best. They just need a chance. There are already others, from Todd's extended family in South Minneapolis, who are following Todd's example and path to become Minneapolis Police Officers. Some of Todd's extended family attended the graduation; some of the others were busy with the Coalition of Impacted Neighborhoods Meeting on the same evening. The other half will, hopefully, help Todd celebrate at the party on Saturday. Doug Grow might remember Todd as one of those little kid boxers at the old Southside boxing gym. It's a strange world, some of those Southside kids went to jail and some become police officers. Well we saved most, and that is good news. Other Good News, - Last nights COIN meeting 2. Approximately 125 to 150 people came out last night to the Crown Roller Building to start a dialogue about how to end the pattern of discrimination that has existed in Minneapolis for some time. The highlights of the meeting were: A) Randall Bradley's presentation of his "Impacted Neighborhoods Overlay District" to begin to end the discrimination that has become a pattern in Minneapolis. Bradley's "Impacted Neighborhoods Overlay was offered as a beginning to the discussion of how to address fulfilling the spirit if the Hollman Decree. B) Zelle & Hofmann Attorneys Adam Gislasen and Chad Snyder gave a presentation on Federal Fair Housing Law and how Minneapolis is violating this law by their efforts to concentrate Supportive Housing. How Minneapolis recognized this problem and attempted to address such patterns of discrimination with its original 1/4 spacing rule. How Minneapolis has systematically misapplied this Federal law to further concentrate such housing in a few neighborhoods rather than to open "Fortress Communities" so handicapped people could indeed have locational choice in housing. C) Council Members Robert Lillegren, Don Samuels, and Dan Niziolek attended the meeting. As noted earlier "quality people make for a quality organization". Minneapolis is lucky to have those people who are interested in their neighborhoods and willing to listen to this important dialogue. I have to commend Dan, even though he might disagree with some of the neighborhood ideas, he still comes and listens. The problem with some other Council people is that they are so smart their glass is full, so there just is no room for any new ideas but their own. Dan always comes with a half empty glass. Audience members noted that the Mayor and some on the Council are presently planning an attempt to repeal the "1/4 mile ordinance". The Mayor and Council possibly recognize that neighborhoods and people will use it as a base for lawsuits if Minneapolis continues to only apply it against poor neighborhoods. In my opinion repealing the ordinance would be an indication that Minneapolis intends to willfully violate Federal Fair Housing. As such they would be subject to large punitive damages from future successful lawsuits. The good news last night was that neighborhoods and residents already recognize this attempt, and are beginning to discuss how to prevent such violations and its subsequent legal costs to Minneapolis taxpayers. Whittier resident Barb Lickness did a great job of providing food for everyone. If you need something catered Barb is your lady. With no offence meant to the vegetarian fair she included, the meat and pasta hot-dish was great. Apparently a lot of other "carnivores" also thought so because it did a quick disappearing act. Neighborhoods actually called to complain they were not included in the Coalition and to demand they are included. Which we are happily doing. At the meeting one person from a neighborhood without any supportive housing stood and requested that the City site a supportive housing facility in her neighborhood. This is what the Fair Share Housing Solutions concept is all about. Each neighborhood caring enough to do its FAIR SHARE. It appears last night was just the beginning of that organized problem solving and this is indeed "GOOD NEWS"! Jim Graham, Ventura Village >If you board the wrong train, >it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction. >- Dietrich Bonhoeffer >I think Dietrich must have looked at the attempt to repeal the 1/4-mile rule. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. 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