Without question, some areas in North Minneapolis needs some help-NOW!!!! New voices and new leaders need to be tapped into not the same old people. ___________________________________________________________________________________ What to do? Vigils, flowers and prayers aren't enough. Minneapolis needs a police crackdown.
Chief Bill McManus says he'll soon deliver one by returning proactive policing to the hottest crime zones. It's high time. For months, the north neighborhoods have been calling for more aggressive law enforcement, to no avail. They deserve better service from their Police Department. Proactive policing means that cops will question loiterers and jaywalkers, stop cars for minor violations and get into the faces of more people. It's a proven tactic: Stopping petty offenses also stops major ones. But it also requires the cooperation and understanding of neighbors. They should expect cops to be reasonable and respectful. But they should also expect them to be aggressive and to make an occasional human mistake. The police also need more information from neighbors and more intolerance -- not toward the police but toward criminals and their drug-buying customers. Mayor R.T. Rybak is right when he says that every suburban party boy with drugs in his pocket is aiding the cause of killers. The North Side gets the bodies and the fear, but the whole regional drug market is culpable. So are the Bush and Pawlenty administrations for their drastic cuts in local government aid. Those cuts have cost Minneapolis 120 police officers and numerous jobs programs that might have deterred youngsters from taking up the gangster life. Crime's greatest ally is a kid who lacks hope. Neglectful parents hurt, too. City Council Member Natalie Johnson Lee was right to scold them: "Mom, if you don't know where your kids are, find out; Dad, if you're not taking care of your kids, take care of them." With heroic work by corporate, community and state leaders, Minneapolis remade the once-notorious Phillips neighborhood over the last decade. Now that energy must turn northward. Criminal gangs have been a part of the American scene for 150 years. But that's no excuse for tolerating gangland violence in north Minneapolis, or anywhere in Minnesota. It's time for a crackdown -- from police, from the neighborhood, from the wider community. http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5278748.html Shawn Lewis, former resident of the Field Neighborhood -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
