Adding to this thread, see G.R. Anderson's recent CITY PAGES story regarding Minneapolis Police Chief candidate Charles Moose. The story asks the basic question: should the new chief be an insider or outsider? Also, the story states Mayor Rybak has said he wants the new chief to be a woman or person of color. I understand this is an assumption most folks have, however, has the Mayor explicitly said this? Has it been published in quotation marks? (I could not cut and paste the URL due to the limitations of my email system. If you do not want to open the attachment, you can find the story at citypages.com. Bill Dooley Kenny
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeanne Massey [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Fri 11/28/2003 10:22 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc:
Subject: [Mpls] New police chief and protecting protesters
The news of local police brutality against protesters coming out of the
recent FTAA protests in Miami and School of America (SOA) protests in
Georgia are very alarming. It seems as though police forces throughout the
country are developing a common strategy to fight, bully, and intimidate
(through force) protesters - nonviolent protesters. In the name of fighting
terrorism and with new powers granted by the Patriot Act, local police
forces are gearing up to squelch dissenters and protesters at home.
This issue is critical as Minneapolis choses its new police chief and should
be a prime discussion during the search/interview/selection process. The
new police chief's values and policies should establish police training and
procedures to protect - not threaten and harm - democratic and nonviolent
protests as a basic right of Minneapolis residents and visitors.
Warren Goldstein, in an editorial in the Star Tribune this week, retold the
story about how Yale University President, Kingman Brewster, embraced a
major protest in 1970 that threatened to bring down Yale University. In his
words, the president opened lines of comunication with the protesters,
securing their commitment to nonviolent protests. Endorsing the tradition of
dissent, he welcomed the protesters, and it worked. The protests remained
peaceful.
Our police leadership and its force should adopt just such a position.
There is never a need to antagonize, provoke, threaten and injure peaceful
protestors. That's against our democratic rights and principles.
From the City's web site Mayor Rybak has outlined the criteria he will use
in selecting a new Chief of Police:
Maintaining Public Safety. The number-one job of the Chief and every police
officer is to keep Minneapolis safe.
Strong Leader. The Chief must hold officers accountable, reward exceptional
performers and delivering immediate consequences for unacceptable behavior.
Strong Manager. The $100 million police budget needs innovative, efficient
management with measurable outcomes.
Demand respectful, consistent service in all communities. This includes
aggressively diversifying the department.
Visible leader who builds partnerships with the community. The Chief and the
force he commands should empower all members of the community who want to
continue to build a safer city.
Protecting protesters fits in none or all of the above criteria, depending
on how you want to interpret them.
We shouldn't take for granted that a police chief candidate would view
protests as a right and a necessary part of our democracy and, thus, we
should make this criterion explicit as we move
forward in the selection of a new chief.
Jeanne Massey
Kingfield
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