Michelle:
I fail to understand how the police engaging in the withholding of services could be construed as a reason for the under-reporting of crimes on the west bank area. Wouldn't the crime have to be reported for the police to selectively withhold services?
Also, how to the "gentrification forces" on the west bank stop these crimes from being reported? Is it an internal (within city government) conspiracy where the calls (by the victims) are actually made, but the internal forces just don't respond to, or does the "gentrification force" actually have undercover people that strong-arm victims into not reporting the crimes?
In all fairness (and I can only speak for my immediate neighborhood), on a daily basis, I witness numerous incidents (for which I call 911) of illegal activity and not only are they ALL responded to. MOST (not all) of my minority neighbors choose to turn a blind-eye. Seems to me that the issue is more an issue of trust (hopefully seating a new chief will help) than it is of conspiracy. Am I part of the gentrification force? My wife who is African American and native american, would be very surprised to find this out.
Dennis Plante
Jordan
MSN 8 helps ELIMINATE E-MAIL VIRUSES. Get 2 months FREE*.
--- Begin Message --- At 12:59 AM 7/23/03 -0500, BARBARA L MURRAY wrote:
Formerly of the West Bank, which I an now too ashamed of to claim as my neighborhood. Lots of stranger assaults going on here, teens grabbing purses and knocking women down. For some PC reason, they are not being reported. We sure can't make folks "uncomfortable", or be seen as "anti" something by identifying thugs!
I don't think there is any "PC" reason for this. Two reasons why these crimes are being underreported:
1) Police in the area are engaging in selective withholding of services for those crimes while at the same time focusing on harassing residents of the "towers," especially immigrants/new arrivals (I'm basing this on reports CUAPB gets from that area)
and, relatedly
2) The gentrification forces on the West Bank do not want these crimes to be reported as it would impact their image and gentrification efforts
Michelle Gross
Bryn Mawr
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
--- End Message ---
