Star Tribune Editorial Excerpt: 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. --------------------------------------------------------
JSK - It is ashame that powerful interests continually advocate creating police state conditions and sacraficing civil liberties under the guise of making people more safe. This is a repeat of the "CODEFOR" practices of the late 1990s which resulted in extremely disproportionate stops, searches, arrests and other intrusions on people of color. Most searches and arrests under such conditions are baseless, and results in many people being searched by police and frequently going to jail without having broken any laws. Even if the police find drugs, the cases are likely to thrown out of court because there was no probable cause for the searches. This all means that if one lives or works in a poor neighborhood, the Bill of Rights does not apply. Why can't the Strib be creative enough to propose aggressive and legitimate crime prevention and law enforcement techniques that do not trash freedom? Hopefully, McManus and company can do better. ------------------------------------------------------ Next Strib excerpt: The police also need more information from neighbors and more intolerance -- not toward the police but toward criminals and their drug-buying customers. ------------------------------------------------------ JSK - this might be easy to say, but not practical to carry out. The typical result of this attitude is the conclusion by police that everyone in the neighborhood is a criminal until proven otherwise. --------------------------------------------------------- Next Strib excerpt: 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. ----------------------------------------------------- JSK - Ok, so lets see the Strib propose such aggressive policing techniques in Edina, Golden Valley, Minnetonka, etc. to get at all the druggies who are creating a market that leads to organized crime in Minneapolis? Its not going to happen. Police could not politically get away with suspending the Bill of Rights in the suburbs. Other than in the central city, the police actually work for the people who live in their towns. People would not put up with living in police state conditions in the name of stopping crime. The central city should demand no less. Jordan Kushner Golden Valley former resident of West Bank, Stevens Square and Powderhorn 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
