As Mr. Oines says "He was not there" and so he speaks from hearsay, with NO personal knowledge of the facts. "Speaking at a meeting" as he claims is VERY different than sitting on a stage reserved for the "Development Team". Basim Sabri was certainly acknowledged as part of the "Development Team" or he would have been escorted from the building by a police officer who was present. (The area CCP Safe Officer I believe) As I previously stated, "We got a picture of the stage and the development team", as well as about a hundred eye witnesses to what actually happened. Not someone who works for the questionable organization starting an argument about what he believes happened because some of his bosses told him how it happened. As I have often done in the past I am willing to give references, and in this case that is a whole room full of people.
I am surprised that Mr. Oines has chosen to personally start this argument again. An argument about this would surely raise an inflammatory issue to the forefront of public awareness again. Assuredly, any discourse on motives imputed to PPL on my part is just my opinion. I have never presented it as anything more. The question of the actions of Sabri and other members of the "Team" that evening in this circumstance are fact, however, not supposition. The rationale and motive for those actions are of course supposition. But when you hear hoof beats in Minnesota its logical to expect horses to come around the corner and not zebras!
As I say, I am surprised that an employee of PPL would continue to stir this pot. Stirring it can only get some awfully smelly stuff on PPL's stick. I had allowed it to lay for a long time, and simply answered a question about it. There are possibly others who will now take the opportunity to talk about the relationship between Sabri and PPL. As Eric and most readers know they first attempted the CVI project in Central Neighborhood. That is probably where the relationship between Steve Walsh, Sabri, and PPL started. I think both Steve Walsh and Sabri took credit for the Central Neighborhood takeover. Who was actually the most responsible I am not sure. Walsh went to California and Basim Sabri may go to jail after next weeks Federal trial, so perhaps both will soon just be gone leaving PPL with their story intact. Central Neighborhood residents fought the project and that is possibly part of the reason for the takeover of that neighborhood. I do know that the brag was that they had taken Central and that they were going to shove the CVI project down Ventura Village's throat and there was not a damn thing the neighborhood residents could do to stop them. Sabri seemed to think he "owned" some political power and that they would give him and PPL what they wanted. Unfortunately, some presently sitting City Council Members made that threat more than just brag.
I guess when you find a dog eating with wolves on the carcass of your cow you could believe that it is just a dog taking advantage of the kill and trying to help clean up the mess. Personally I think that if you run with the wolves and take advantage of their predation that you should not howl to loudly when people think you are one of the wolves. Course now, I am just an old country boy, and perhaps that old dog called reason just don't hunt in these Minneapolis woods anymore.
It is indeed a sorry situation, however, and I must say I am deeply saddened that I ever went to Jim Schiebel with plans for PPL to partner with Carlson Printing to develop that Chicago-Franklin block with affordable housing and retail development. It was like showing that dog the carcass! I was warned at the time to not trust PPL. Warned that it was not the same organization that had started in the neighborhood with "Father Joe". I had replied that PPL was a product of the neighborhood and PNIA, and that it should be given the chance to return to being a valuable resource for the neighborhood. I must humbly admit that I was wrong and apologize to my neighborhood. Still I have hope that PPL can one day return to being a responsible organization that can ethically do good work in some neighborhoods. My optimism and faith in redemption once got my neighborhood saddled with CVI, still that same faith and optimism compels me to believe that all PPL needs is responsible leadership to return to that public service that it was originally envisioned to be. Perhaps we all just need a little more faith, but at the same time keep a healthy skepticism until PPL proves itself to be different.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village, Phillips Community, Sixth Ward of Minneapolis, in the soon to be frigid state of Minnesota
"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment."
- Will Rogers
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
