Yes indeed Omar, here we go again. It reminds me of my youth on a cotton farm when Mr. "Somebody" would trot out a sharecropper to tell how generous and helpful Mr. Billy or Mr. Eddie was for helping everyone to "share" in the crop and for the tarpaper shack to live in. Shucks, we didn't know how we would have gotten along without Mr. Billy loaning us money when the winter was hard and we didn't have food, and we never seemed to be able to pay it all back but Mr. Billy let us stay on. Give the wrong answer and Mr. Billy would throw your family out and make sure the "bought law" did not let another Mr. Eddie take you in.
Yes, here we go again. List readers might read "And Their Children After Them". For me it was dreadfully painful to read the stark reality of my youth and my escape form that. I read it recently and those painful memories reminded me of sitting with a group of Somali women as they told Amy Klobachar of their own exploitation, and their fear of retribution for talking to someone. Also, their belief that the "law" was possibly owned by the people exploiting them. Some advice for Mayor Rybak. Check to see how much in rent the Somali people pay per square foot for their shops in the Somali Malls. You will probably find it is more than in some prime commercial buildings. If RT wants good advice on helping the Somali community he should talk to Omar Jamal, Fisal at the Somali Chamber of Commerce, or perhaps to one of the Somali women who met with Amy Klobachar about their abuse at the hands of unethical Mall owners. Heck RT knows Amy, he can talk to her about the experiences the women relayed to her without endangering those same women. You do not get advice about the needs of the sharecropper and tenant farmer from Mr. Billy or Mr. Eddie the plantation owners (or from one of their house servants). You also do not get advice on the needs of Somali business people from the people who own and run the "Sharecropper Malls". Though the Somali business person may only get a small share of what they earn laboring each day! You also must ask in secret because each will be thrown out and lose their only means of living if they do so openly. Even an exploited business is better than no business. The Somali business people know their families need to live. Though each may lose most of their earnings through exploitation to Mr. Eddie, or Mr. Billy, or Mr. Basim, they will not jeopardize what little they can make. The cotton croppers once needed a mechanical cotton picker, or selling themselves to the military, to free themselves from that "Tenant" exploitation. Perhaps RT and the City Council should look at creating more commercial space alternatives for Somali people. Alternatives such as Sears, so the Somali people can also be freed from exploitation. Free to make a better future for themselves and Minneapolis as a whole. Jim Graham, Ventura Village, Phillips Community Planning District, Sixth Ward of Minneapolis >"It is always an utter folly to underestimate the lure and attraction of a great evil. The whitened bones of their victims litter the highways and byways of mankind's history. Stopped only by the few willing to pay the ultimate price and make a stand." - Toe 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
