I attended the hearing this evening on HF1829, the bill which (among other things) would raise the amount of cocaine that one needs to possess in order to be charged at the various levels.
It was an interesting hearing, with the testimony originating OVERWHELMINGLY from Minneapolis citizens, representatives, and officials. City Council members Don Samuels and Dean Zimmerman were both in attendence to offer testimony, and it was interesting to note that while Samuels spoke against the bill, Zimmerman spoke in favor of it. Several of Zimmerman's constituents were there, all of whom spoke against the bill. Perhaps the most fascinating thing, which was astutely noted by Mary Watson of Ventura Village, was the fact that the folks who showed up were (basically) only from Minneapolis. This drug issue, particularly in view of the recent increase of outstate methamphetamine production and use, should be a statewide concern. I am curious as to why no one showed up from other communities, and suspect it's due to the fact that they just didn't know about this bill. Thanks to Mary for pointing that out, and I hope that some of the journalists on this list might take note and investigate how the issue can be brought to a wider audience. At any rate, it certainly IS a Minneapolis issue, and I was pleased to see so many familiar faces in the hearing room tonight. I hope that the committee will take all of the citizen testimony to heart. Connie Nompelis Ventura Village Some __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what you�re looking for faster http://search.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
