First Email sent to neighbors: Well I am writing this email with a heavy heart. Aaron, my fianc�, was skateboarding home from his martial arts class when he was shot in the back of the neck with a pellet gun in front of 1707 26th Avenue N. He is doing ok, but whoever shot him is not. They are very emotionally disturbed. Now, I am sitting here at my computer, crying, and begging for help. Not only because Aaron was shot, but also because there is many others who have suffered the similar kinds of violence and are not empowered enough to speak up about it.
Our neighborhood is suffering from a break down of all order. It is chaos, anarchy, and around here it is not safe for a child to ride a bike or a grown man to ride his skateboard. No one is safe here. Back when I was optimistic I use to contend that the majority of mishaps in life were accidents, some happy other not so much. However, the state of Jordan is clearly not an accident. It is a gaping wound on an arm of Minneapolis that has been ignored for too long and now is horribly infected, so badly infected that the drastic measures must be taken. My favorite philosopher, activist, Noam Chomsky once wrote, "One of the things people in power want is a passive, quiescent population." He also wrote that it is the job of activists to make life uncomfortable for them. How - by asking questions, demonstrations, writing letters. He also claims that change is easier on a local level. So here I am trying to follow his advice and sending out another email for everyone to open and hopefully read and feel uncomfortable. It is time for constructive action. For the Policy Makers this is a challenge to think creatively! Please don't claim that you understand, because unless you live here you don't. For the Police this is a plea to do your job, protect the people who live here, stop claiming that your hands are tied because the courts are not prosecuting your arrests. There is non-stop drug dealing and violence here everyday and WE NEED HELP NOT EXCUSES. For the County prosecutors I am pleading for you to do your job! If there is a reason that you are not able to prosecute these cases than educate the police on what you need from them. Think creatively - Sentence to serve, restorative justice, mentoring, electronic monitoring, whatever - JUST FIND SOME ANSWERS!! For Governor Pawlenty, who has been ignoring these emails and ignoring Council Member Samuels requests for a meeting. YOU ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE! Your structural deficit is a result of actions you took as a house representative. Now, as you cut Local Government Aid yet again remember that. Clearly, you have already demonstrated your ability to ignore problems (the way you delayed LGA payments, etc.). I challenge you to prove me wrong...I doubt you will. Kelly Phillips 2619 James Avenue North 612-813-1313 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
