Michelle, I am not sure Dennis' remarks were aimed directly at you. The remarks are probably more a sign of frustration. Frustration that those living in "Impacted Neighborhoods" have with the in general "Crusaders" who come to destroy our neighborhoods in the name of helping others. "Crusaders" who wish to concentrate poverty in neighborhoods but who would never think of opening their own neighborhoods for poor people and people of color to live in. "Crusaders" who come into poor neighborhoods riding moral highhorses to tell those poor people that they are morally bankrupt and NIMBY's. Calling them that because neighborhood residents demand that the City follow its own zoning codes and STOP concentrating "Supportive Housing", concentrating criminal sex abusers, drug dealers and users, and crime in general in their neighborhoods. It has been proven statistically across the country that such concentrations are hurtful to people yet the practice continues.
It is no secret why Randal Bradley will no longer be on the Minneapolis Planning Commission. A Black man recognizing that concentrations of poverty into certain neighborhoods is wrong as well as being criminal and who is willing to speak out just cannot be tolerated by Minneapolis. It doesn't matter that he is correct, or that "Good Planning" dictates that this NOT be done. All that matters is that Bradley's willingness to fight the issue gave validity to the arguments against concentrating poverty in communities of color. That could NOT be tolerated by the powers that be. Bradley was getting in the way of their plans to exploit those poor neighborhoods with more multi-family rental "institutions". It's OK to have a Black person on the Planning Commission, but not OK if that Black man starts using his mind and actually "Planning". Bradley would probably still be there (being a pain in some people's butt) if he had been willing to say "Yas suh, we sho could use more poverty and poo folk's housing up there on the Noath Side." Thank you Mr. Bradley for having the integrity to stand up against that injustice. It may lose you your position but it sure raises you in our estimation. CM Barb Johnson is hopefully going to carry on your fight. Sometimes you have "Good" Christian organizations such as MICA treating neighborhoods like the enemy if the neighborhoods protest having concentrations of poverty and "Supportive Housing". Leading MICA representatives have stated publicly that they consider "Neighborhoods to be the problem" in Minneapolis. MICA, whose members church memberships could just as easily advocate for their own neighborhoods to be opened up for such housing. Bringing children into good neighborhoods and breaking the culture of crime and poverty is the answer, not creating strife and suffering. I do not ever remember MICA advocating for "affordable" homeownership. Aren't the benefits that those good "Christian's" have good enough for poor people? Or is it that the poor people are not good enough to own their own homes in their neighborhoods? (GMMHC has shown you can build quality homes cheaper than the subsidy for apartments that MICA advocates. I do remember MICA attacking others for wanting a stop the concentration of poverty. The good people from MICA probably need to learn that the Christian way is not to "Throw stones", but to be good "Samaritans". Be good Samaritans by welcoming the unfortunate into their OWN home neighborhoods. Charity should begin at home. But there is about as much chance of that happening as "a camel passing through the eye of a needle". You have both MICA and an organization supposedly dedicated to neighborhood's interests that attack "Neighborhoods" as "the Problem" as often as possible. The hypocrisy is very evident to those residents living in poor neighborhoods. An example is a recent document sent out regarding NRP. The Center for Neighborhoods and MICA are apparently upset because neighborhood residents are empowered by NRP. MICA and Center for Neighborhoods seem to be upset that neighborhood residents (who have to live in those neighborhoods) want to control NRP themselves, so they can indeed "Revitalize" their own neighborhoods. This apparently is a threat to the continued institutional patterns of concentrating poverty and supportive housing in a few designated "Black Zones". So these organizations come up with a rigged alternative plan for "solving" the neighborhood problem by taking NRP decision making from the people in neighborhoods. Why, because the people in those neighborhoods might use that power to prevent further victimization of those poor people and neighborhoods. Luckily several smarter City Council Members recognized the Center for Neighborhoods and MICA attempt for what it was. An attempt to introduce one more level of bureaucracy and one more chance to create waste and miss-use of NRP dollars. Thank you all to the City Council Members who saw through this naked grab for the money. Thank you to Barb Johnson, Robert Lilligren and others, but especially to Barrett Lane. While we may have had some past differences with Barrett about NRP, Barrett Lane had the insight and integrity to see this proposal for what it was. And Barrett you are so right when you said that (paraphrase) "you set guidelines and you follow them, and you don't condemn people for following the guidelines you have set. Set better guidelines!" NRP is the only real dollars poor neighborhoods get to make their communities better places to live in ways that ONLY they have the expertise to know. Know because they live there every day and night. Residents don't just visit to make themselves feel good or to make money from exploiting poor people. What the police officers are expressing when they say to a person in a poor community, "If you don't like it move" is in fact the institutional position of Minneapolis. Good people and people with resources are encouraged to move out of "Impacted Neighborhoods". The very people who have the resources, and connections for opportunities, that could offer hope are "encouraged" to leave the communities where they might offer the only hope. Those people offer not only opportunity resources but also act as a positive role model so that young people can believe there is hope. It is well known that most employment opportunities do not come for social services and "Agencies", but from those in your social world. It is one of the major handicaps that poor people and especially poor children labor under. They do not have the contacts with those who can offer opportunities that more affluent children have. Even the brightest poor child is worse off than a dim-witted upper middle class or rich child when it comes to success because of this handicap of not "knowing someone". The bright mind is there, but there is just not the "Opportunity" to use it. And we wonder why those children turn to crime? Minneapolis very much needs for its Police Officers to become part of the communities that they serve. Police officers by virtue of the power they wield cannot be allowed to be "just employees doing a job". Minneapolis needs to find a means of training these officers to be part of the community and both to encourage them to identify the communities as "Theirs" and be identified by the community as the "community's". This has proven to be the most effective policing tool that has been used in Cities where it has been employed. It increases public safety and reduces crime at the same time as it drastically reduces incidence of police brutality and misconduct. It is also the most cost effective means of increasing both "Protection" and "Service". Jim Graham, Ventura Village >"There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies, revolution into minds, and people into homes." 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
