On 3/10/05 2:18 AM, "Pamela Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> PT: The message has been stated loud and clear for decades. However, the > people you want to hear the message have insulated themselves from the loud > din with custom fitted ear plugs. Or maybe the message is not as loud and as clear as some think. Remember that these same people who folks want to hear the message about crime in our "impacted neighborhoods" are getting plenty of messages from plenty of other folks who also want or need something. Is the problem really with custom-fitted ear plugs or are there other folks who are just more organized and thus louder and clearer with their messages? Personally, from what I have observed, I think the messages coming from the "impacted neighborhoods" have been somewhat fractured. There's some folks focusing on getting more cops, some folks focusing on the courts, some folks focusing on police brutality, etc, etc, etc. And sometimes these messages fit together and sometimes they clash head-on. > And, although people want justice to be served, and it is their right to have > it, they get mighty tired of having to get up and go to work during the day, > then come home and don their super tights and cape and fight crime after dark, > too. Those folks involved with MADD DADS, PEACE Foundation and NRP committees > should be commended for their efforts on our behalf, but it is not their DUTY > to commit these random acts of kindness and courage. Do you see people from > the non-impacted neighborhoods out wearing Batman type tool belts equipped > with cameras, pepper spray, walkie talkies, etc. Let me make this perfectly clear: I'm not advocating for folks to personally confront criminals or play superhero in any other way. However, since my point hasn't seemed to get through, I'll try again using an example of just what I am advocating. I hope folks will bear with me, since some history is probably needed for perspective. A few years ago, a group of folks representing neighborhood organizations and environmental groups got together to form the Clean Energy Now! coalition. The individual groups had previously focused on doing various things like showing up at public hearings and organizing letter campaigns, etc. with varying amounts of success. The coalition, however, developed a united front around the common goal of pressuring Xcel Energy to clean up their utility plants in the metro area and ideally, push them to generate more of our electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar. Members of the various groups in this coalition met regularly to hash out strategies, messages and so forth to make sure that everyone was on the same page and seeking the same thing. They got a boost from the state Legislature passing a bill that would allow Xcel to recoup their investment from ratepayers if they embarked on a project that would reduce emissions from their metro-area plants (Riverside in Minneapolis, High Bridge in St. Paul and Allen S. King in Stillwater). So the coalition worked together to put pressure on Xcel to take maximum advantage of this opportunity and reduce emissions as much as possible. Lo and behold, Xcel comes out with a proposal to convert the Riverside and High Bridge plants from coal to natural gas and upgrade the pollution control equipment at the King plant. While this was not viewed as the perfect solution, it was far better than any of the coalition members ever expected to get from Xcel. This became known as the Metro Emissions Reduction Project (MERP) proposal. Now, some folks at this point probably would say that the coalition had "won" - they got much of what they wanted just from Xcel's proposal. But savvy group that they were, the coalition realized that because the proposal would require approval from the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC), that it was no slam-dunk. As might be expected, large industrial customers of Xcel's were not too keen on the proposed rate increase and initially, the proposal was opposed by influential groups like the state Chamber of Commerce. So the coalition now refocused their efforts on the PUC. They reached out to more neighborhood groups (like mine), reached out to city elected officials, reached out to legislators and all of those various audiences got the same message: "We want the PUC to approve Xcel Energy's MERP proposal." The coalition badgered the PUC to hold public hearings in the actual cities where these plants were located, rather than just expect everyone to come to downtown St. Paul in the middle of the work week like they usually do. So hearings were scheduled in Stillwater, St. Paul and both North and Northeast Minneapolis and the coalition got hundreds of people to turn out to these hearings, all of them speaking with one loud, clear voice: "We want the PUC to approve Xcel Energy's MERP proposal." And they did. And now if things stay on track, we're going to have significantly cleaner air in the metro area in about five years when the work is done at all three plants. >IMHO I see no reason to rail against Jim's very well stated points. I'm not trying to "rail" against his points - I agree with most of them. I'm just pointing our that however well-stated they may be, however repeatedly they are made and however good they may make Jim feel to write or others to read, they're really not accomplishing much of anything. It's going to take more than well-stated points to get something done. Barb Lickness has posted a few times about the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC) and based on her description, it would appear this group could do a lot of good, except that nobody (besides Barb) seems to know anything about them or made much effort to influence them. So how can people influence the CJCC? Do they have a regular meeting schedule? If so, is it open to the public? If so, are there folks who might be interested and able to attend meetings and do something along the lines of the ParkWatch that Chris Johnson and others have undertaken? How can we get the various groups working in or with the "impacted neighborhoods" to create a "Stop Crime Now" coalition or some such thing similar to what the Clean Energy Now coalition did? This is what I'm trying to encourage: Work together and make sure that your message is truly loud and clear. Mark Snyder Windom Park 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
