RB: Since the installation of the system, I have not gone downtown
without making an attempt to conceal my appearance. I don�t think the
screen-watchers are particularly interested in me (I�m boringly
law-abiding), I�m just trying to protect my public anonymity to the best
of my ability. In fact, after some deliberation, I eventually changed
the bus route I take to work so as to avoid downtown on a daily basis.
My walk to the bus stop is a little farther, but because I don�t have to
transfer, total travel time is actually less. My new bus route borders a
�bad� neighborhood, but the remote threat of crime is far less harmful
to my mental health than having to deal daily with concrete proof of
corporate rule. (There is an allegory here to the national situation,
but considering that this is a local-issues list, I won�t
elaborate.)Nicollet Mall was never the Champs-Elys�es, but since the
installation of the surveillance system, I wonder how much spontaneity
will eventually be lost from our downtown lives. Anyone who has written
in a journal at a sidewalk cafe�, kissed a lover on Nicollet Mall, or
gone openly into a gay bar in the past may be reluctant to do so now.
Although we may not be individually Targeted, we are being officially
watched, and knowing we are watched ultimately has an effect, however
subtle, on human behavior. There has been previous discussion and debate
on this list about consumer boycotts, with some contributors supporting
them and others refusing to be �inconvenienced� by them. The
unfortunate fact is that, in early 21st-century America, we have more
power as consumers than as voters. Until we can replace the majority of
Minneapolis elected officials who are lost in Target�s deep pockets,
boycotting is our most potent form of peaceful protest. If you are
concerned about corporate rule and civil liberties, please boycott
Target, Marshall Field�s, and Mervyn�s, and let Target corporation
executives know why. If anyone on the list wants to boycott but can�t
imagine life without Target, please send me an e-mail
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) for advice: I haven't been a customer of the
Target corporation since the corporate-center controversy, and it�s
helped me become a more conscious (and conscientious) consumer.
PS: What's so ironical about this is that I have heard several reports
of downtown crime going up since the installation of the surveillance
cameras. I, myself, feel less safe downtown at night than I did a eight
months ago.
When former mayor Sharon Sayles Belton gave a speech in 2001, seeking the
endorsement of the DFL party for her reelection bid, many of Rybak's
supporters held up TARGET signs, rightly taunting her for the millions of
dollars that she, Jackie Cherryhomes and Joan Campbell gave away to the
corporation. I wonder what Mayor Rybak's position was on the
installation of surveillance cameras. Perhaps we should be holding up
TARGET signs (along with signs that say Allina, Smith Parker and 35W).
In all fairness, I must acknowledge that CM Gary Schiff, did not vote
along with CM Barb Johnson on this issue.
Peter Schmitz CARAG
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