I watched Mayor Rybak (on T.V. last night) talk about respect in response to Clyde Bellecourt's and others of the Indian Community talking about the total lack of respect shown to them over the generations...
I am not sure why Mayor Rybak thought it was such a big deal that apparently two police respresentatives "have been up since 4:30a.m. this morning." Apparently that deserved respect.
Over time I have been puzzled that one of the most-used defenses of more privileged folks is the RESPECT conversation...usually directed at groups of people who are fed up with being treated like dirt...and quite understandably angry.
Lacking is acknowledgement of how disrespectful it is:
1. To have residents of Mpls. forced to sleep in the streets or crappy shelters
2. Have laws that make it against the law in Mpls. to sleep in the streets (ignoring the fact that there is no where else for hundreds of people to go)
3. Slash the NRP money designated for low income housing and give it to subsidize home owners.( I am still waiting for Commissioner's McLaughlins response about his voting for this)
4. Have politicians serving the interest of those who finance their campaigns at the expense of the broader public interest.
5. Continue to practice racist policies that target people of color for abuse by police
6. Have political careerists who have no genuine interest in serving the people of this city, county.. but rather they are busily engaged in making connections, developing power bases and selling out to domed stadiums, gentrification and corporations that are allowed to get huge subsidies.
7. Ram the 35 W access project through poor neighborhoods, destroying homes, the community and displacing people who have few resources to relocate.
A little less focus on Miss Manners and a lot more focus on the very real insjustices happening in our city would be the respectful thing to do.
Margaret Hastings-Mpls-Kingfield
