Council sets criteria for April 18 mediation deadline
Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune
Published March 22, 2003
April 18 is the deadline for Minneapolis
community members and police to get it
together on federal mediation, or the City
Council will look for other
options.
The council set the deadline and the
criteria on a 12-1 vote Friday.
If the date comes without progress,
Council Member Barbara Johnson said,
"Then I'm going to move to drop it.
It's like, get off the dime, because
we're at a stalemate."
Johnson, who has opposed mediation,
paired with mediation supporter Paul
Zerby to sponsor the resolution. Only
Council Member Barret Lane voted
against the proposal.
The resolution sets three criteria:
� That a community petition filed in
Hennepin County District Court demanding
the start of mediation be dropped.
� That credible community groups be
brought to the table.
� That the Department of Justice sign
off on the arrangement.
When those three criteria are met, the
resolution states, the council will direct
Police Chief Robert Olson to bring the city
to the table to meet with the community.
Community members are skeptical of the
plan, although the lawyer who filed the
petition expressed a little dose of
optimism about Friday's vote.
Zerby said he'd be willing to go beyond
the deadline date if the sides appeared
to be on the verge of progress. But if not,
then he would be willing to drop it and
look for another way to get police and
community members talking about
long-simmering tensions.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3773456.html
Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood
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