Krasnov: "They are? Please explain."
Read a book on anthropology. It's not my job to educate you. Krasnov: "Obviously it's not benign. Participants on this list complain about the violence. It exists. West Bloomington is different from West Broadway in Minneapolis." Of course. But if an individual takes a job as a police officer, that individual must be expected to deal reasonably with his or her fellow human beings, whether on West Broadway or West Bloomington. If a given cop does not feel comfortable with that expectation, he or she is in the wrong business. Krasnov: "They are enforcing the law: that is what their duties are." No. Some of them are breaking the law by illegally beating fourteen year old boys. To try to excuse such behavior by saying the level of crime is "horrendous" in North is as inexcusable as blaming the victim of a rape by pointing out the length of her dress. Besides, don't the police have something to do with the level of crime in a given neighborhood? Many of the posts I've read about crime on the Northside criticize the police for taking too little productive action. As CUAPB has pointed out repeatedly: denial or restriction of police services is the flipside of police brutality. Krasnov: "Patrolling a ghetto is not the work of a Constable, it is the work of a Soldier." This mentality is exactly, precisely the problem. Certain MPD officers behave as if they're occupying Baghdad. This is extremely, dangerously counterproductive. Such thinking endangers the lives of the cops themselves (see the City Pages article on Duy Ngo) as well as the lives of innocents. It unilaterally reduces the cooperation between the community and the MPD, with a collateral reduction in effectiveness. Please tell me you're not a cop. If you are, please find a different line of work. Krasnov: "Got any facts, instead of opinions?" Have you been reading this list for the last week? Has anyone given any reason to doubt the "anecdote" of the woman whose son was beaten without provocation? Have you read anything about Abu Kassim Jeilani, Barbara Schneider, Duy Ngo? Have you read or heard what the police did at the ISAG protest, the March 2002 Critical Mass, the first of the U of M riots? Were you there for any of these events? Did you attend any of the Civilian Review Authority community meetings last summer? I attended all but one. I heard dozens of first-person accounts from victims of police violence, none of whom I have any reason to doubt. The residents of the Cedar-Riverside towers know to leave a situation as quickly as possible if a police car with a certain number rolls up - to avoid being beaten and abused. Hell, one brave man even brought his son into a City Council meeting to show the bruises he received from officers of the MPD. It was televised. But you weren't watching, were you? Krasnov: "Endemic? Because you say so? Because of anecdotes?" Endemic because hundreds and hundreds of people say so. I've heard them. I've actively sought out opportunities to listen. Have you? I've noted that folks who want to place their heads in the sand (or some other dark place) on this issue dismiss any incident of police brutality, no matter how well documented, as "anecdotal." The word, unfortunately, does not make the experience less real. What would convince you? What would rise above the level of "anecdote"? How about millions of dollars in settlements reached by the city with victims of police violence? Krasnov: "The Bill of Rights, both State and Federal, are restrictions on the government, not individuals." There are two problems with this comment. First, no one mentioned the Bill of Rights. I was speaking of laws. There are laws in this society which restrict the action of individuals. No matter how I feel, for instance, it's not legal for me to punch you in the face. That's a restriction. The other problem is that your point supports my argument, not yours: the ability of government or agents of government (such as, say, a police officer) to violate the rights of the individual (by, say, beating on him) must be curtailed at all costs. No matter what neighborhood the individual in question happens to live in. And, finally, Krasnov: "You're pushing the envelope here. Tread very, very, carefully...Madam." And you just crossed a line. Not only would that reference to my gender not be appropriate in any circumstance, you didn't even get my gender right. I happen to be a... Mr. Just goes to show what happens when you assume. Robin Garwood Seward TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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
