Barb Lickness wrote: The people in the Phillips neighborhood have been complaining for well over two years quite vocally about the concentration of released sexual offenders into their neighborhood. The state maps tracking where many of these individuals live substantiate the "packing" of these individuals into the usual few inner-city neighborhoods in Minneapolis. (snip) I am appalled that the public outrage only occurs when the victim lives in a small town or a suburban area.
David Piehl writes: First, one of the reasons the Dru Sjodin case is receiving an inordinate amount of attention is that the police in North Dakota pursued the situation until they identified a suspect and obtained what appears to be significant evidence against him. I doubt that would happen in Minneapolis. Police in North Dakota still investigate and solve crimes, unlike in Minneapolis where they've been reduced to report-takers through budget cuts, overly lenient judges, and red tape. Even when Minneapolis gangs tried to spread to Moorhead MN, it was Fargo police who busted them. The mentality in Minnesota seems to be that the perpetrator of a crime is the victim, which does little to promote the idea that people should abide by the laws or that law-breakers should be punished. Second, it is true that in many sex offenders are packed into "impacted" Minneapolis neighborhoods. An easy way to see where they are at, or who is near where you live is to check the state website. In Central, there are two; one on the 3000 block of Portland, and another on the 3600 block of Park. Phillips has a huge number on the 2600 block of 13th Ave.; I don't know if it's a half-way house or a landlord issue. Here is the link: http://www.corr.state.mn.us/level3/Search.asp Check it out, and advise your friends and neighbors. If the goal of the Minnesota Corrections system is to punish, then folks could argue that since these folks are out, the punishment didn't fit the crime. If the goal of the Minnesota Corrections system is to rehabilitate, then anyone with a classification that indicates a high probability of re-offending is clearly not rehabilitated. Either way - it's a huge issue, and I'm not sure the death penalty is a good idea. David Piehl Central __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ 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
