I wish I would have been there. It sounds like it was more exciting than Henry V and "Once more into the breach!" Surely our grandchildren will ask us, "What went on in Ventura Village that evening?"
I appreciate the calm and sensible tone and content of Barb Lickness and Jim Graham's accounts of the events. I still have a concern and a question. My concern is that Somali participants at the meeting felt disenfranchised. They were not allowed to speak because they were not conforming to Robert's Rules of Order. We have eliminated poll taxes and literacy tests because we know they were used to disenfranchise African Americans in the Deep South. In a like manner, we should understand Robert's Rules of Order is a tool to facilitate communication: it should never be used as a weapon to suppress it. Efforts should have been made by the Chair to work to include those who might have felt excluded. Instead a polarization occurred, and (based on all the reports I've heard and read) some of the responsibility for that polarization must rest with the Chair. My question is procedural. What should a meeting do when a Chair walks out of the room in a huff? If a duly constituted chair refuses to conduct a legitimate meeting of an organization, then the next ranking officer should assume that responsibility. If no ranking officer is available or willing, then shouldn't the body elect a temporary chair? It has already been agreed that this was a public meeting. Anyone could speak. Anyone could propose an agenda, but only members could vote. The argument seems to be that anyone but Basim could have proposed electing a temporary chair. If Basim did it he would be taking over the meeting. Once again, we are all in the same very small boat. And it's leaking! And I'm grateful to anyone who wants to help bail. Ed Felien Powderhorn 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, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
