Thomas Thai admonished me to: > Stop riding RT Rybak's back. Let him do his job as mayor given that he > has 24 hours a day. If he succeeds at it, great. If he fails, don't > re-elect him. Give him some credit for trying, and being there. > > As far as repeated police brutality, we need leadership that demand > zero tolerance.
That leadership starts with the Mayor. As for riding his back, RT Rybak asked me, (and other community leaders who supported him before most Minneapolitans even knew who he was), to "ride his back" in order to make sure he did a good job as Mayor. I think I treat RT as fairly as possible given that he made that request to us. I actually admired his request, and assured him I would. While I have sometimes praised RT, I have also not hesitated to, as you say, "Ride his back". I believe that I, and other leaders who talked people into supporting RT, have that obligation. My suggestions about cultural sensitivity and missed opportunities I view as not riding his back, but as suggestions on how to do a better job. The suggestion of a "Native Liaison" is very much in keeping with Tony LookingElk's offer to meet with the Mayor to specifically sensitize RT before that "feast" meeting. Tony, his co-chair of MUID, and Gordon Thayer were very respectful with the Mayor and every person attending the meeting. The problem was one of cultural differences, which could have been easily overcome with a fifteen-minute orientation with the Mayor. I did not mean to imply that this became a catastrophe. It was more in the nature of a lost opportunity. Tony and the "Young" leaders of the Native Community have too much class and understanding to allow that to happen. Tony's statement that, "We would be foolish, if our expectations were that a Mayor or anyone would have moved from knowledge to understanding in this period of time. We would also have been foolish in thinking we could have made more progress than we achieved that night considering the issue. We did present a position that we are expecting an answer within a designated period of time. However, we do believe we are engaging those responsible and will continue to pursue a relationship that is respectful, sustained and accountable." shows both the respect and mature understanding of people interested in actually solving problems; not posturing for public relations. I hope everyone was as impressed as I was with Tony LookingElk's letter and the mature statesmanship it demonstrated. In my view the problem is more of a staff failure. RT's staff seems to have a problem prioritizing issues, prioritizing RT's meetings, and in briefing him about those issues prior to a meeting. One gets the feeling of a staff that has more interest in public relations than in content. It is true that the Mayor has a lot of demands for his time, but that is why it is so critical to have a staff that understands the difference between showing up for PR face and real issues that demand attention. A history of discrimination against Native people in Minneapolis, and the last month's issues, makes this more than showing up at the local street fair for a photo-op. I have no doubt that Tony LookingElk, Gordon Thayer, and other Native leaders will be tolerant and help the Mayor through this issue. Native leaders have historically been very tolerant and forgiving of our political leaders. I would say too forgiving, but Gordon Thayer would probably admonish me that you cannot be too forgiving to someone who asks for it. Jim Graham, Ventura Village Some Native wisdom: >"We can only be what we give ourselves the power to be" > - A Cherokee Feast of Days >Good judgment comes from experience, >and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. >- Will Rogers 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
