MG Writes:
Dennis, short of conducting expensive surveys, I don't know how in the world we would have measured the sentiment of the majority of the community. Frankly, I'm not interested in what most white folks have to say on the issue, since this is a question of who will represent the Black community. What we got was the sentiment of the hundreds of Black folks who cared about the issue enough to either show up at the two big community meetings, smaller neighborhood meetings, or who talked to us as we went door-to-door in the neighborhoods. But you need to know that these folks were passionate about their position--to the point of folks standing up and saying it over and over. Beyond the issues/demands to be raised, the most common concern was who would represent the community and folks were adamant that it not be the "poverty pimps" (their term) and they named the very people that Kinshasha put on the "community" team.
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BR>DP Writes:
If you're goal is to seat representatives that voice the concerns of the majority of the community, you ought to be concerned with the sentiment of the "majority" of the community. If you haven't achieved this very basic goal, you should feel that you've failed in your core objective. I am particularly incensed that you feel that the majority of the blacks that "care enough" either listen to the radio stations you listed, read the newspaper you mentioned, or got the Strib on the day you mentioned. As far as the "thousands" of flyers that were distributed, I nor none of my neighbors (that I know of) received one. Be they "black" or "white".
What exactly makes you think that you have to be "black" to have real concerns with how MPD discharges its duties? How do you ever expect to achieve a credible position with that attitude? It might behoove you and your camp to start caring a little more about what "most white folks" have to say on the issue. Not only could "they" become important allies for the cause, "they" ("white folks") unfortunately, still wield a lot of political power at the city level. Oddly enough, a large part of the problem that has prompted the need for mediation is caused by the _expression_ of the EXACT SAME RHETORIC - from both sides of the issue. To dismiss someone (by calling them "white folk") from either the process, or voicing their concern over the process, is very indicative of the position you're taking and is quite possibly, responsible for the failure (to date) of the process.
One thing I've learned during my 44-years on this planet. Listen to the rhetoric and let your "gut" take you to somewhere in the middle of both sides.
If you were willing to list the names of individuals you and your camp were opposed to (for the community team), for every detractor (from the community) for the so-called "poverty pimps", I could also easily list a supporter(again from the community). Apparently however, because they didn't "care enough to attend your meetings, their voices don't count. To dismiss someone's voice, BECAUSE they don't agree with your voice is exactly what got us here in the 1st place. It appears that's Kinshasa's failing.
There are MANY supporters (both "black" and "white") of the need to overhaul MPD, they ALL need to allow myriad of voices on the issue to exist.
Dennis Plante
Jordan
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