Dennis Plante writes, "It appears on some points, I do agree with Doug Mann. I agree that street gangs do exist in every ethnic segment of our society. It is a plague that affects all ethnicities, white, black, latino, asian, native american. If we can all accept that street-gangs exist in every segment of our society then we must also accept that it is equally bad for all segements of our society."
Doug Mann responds. What? All ethnicities and races in our fair city are equally affected by street gangs? The same logic that led Dennis Plante to draw that conclusion would also lead one to conclude that all ethnicities and races in our fair city are equally affected by poverty, unemployment, police brutality, low quality educational programs in the public schools, racial discrimination, etc. If all ethnicities and races are equally affected by gang activity, why did Rev. Terrill write his sermon about parents saying no to gangs in the form of an open letter to the AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. And the theme of that sermon: individual responsibilty as a solution to crime, unemployment, etc. suggests that the problem is lazy, shiftless African Americans. That's why the Minnesota State Conference of the NAACP and the St. Paul Branch of the NAACP responded to the open letter by calling on Rev. Terrill to resign his post as head of the St. Paul Human Rights Department. Duane Reed, the Minneapolis NAACP branch president has been silent on this matter. COULD THE PEACE FOUNDATION GET A PIECE OF THE ACTION? Dennis Plante contends that Rev. Terrill was merely expressing his feelings about gang activity. However, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Ron Edwards noted that Terrill's reference to gang activities as "terrorism" is consistent with a plan to bring the Patriot Act into play in the war against gang "terrorism" in the Twin Cities. And that would create an opportunity for outfits like Don Samuels' Peace Foundation to obtain grant awards from the Department of Homeland Security. -Doug Mann, King Field Candidate for 8th ward city council http://educationright.com - 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
