While it may be interesting to get Jim Diers take on "community
empowerment", it is a bit like hauling coal to New Castle. Interested in how
both Seattle and Vancouver handled carriage houses and accessory units I,
and some other Ventura Village Neighborhood and a group of American Indian
folks, have studied the two Cities extensively. Vancouver of course is the
model of what "Citizen Participation" and community empowerment in Planning
can accomplish. It makes a fun vacation to go and dig into each of these
Cities. The Native culture in Vancouver is particularly rich and welcoming.
In meetings with Seattle's planning department we were immediately struck
by how much more involved our own Minneapolis neighborhood and community
groups were than Seattle's . In fact a couple of the Seattle planners were
also not only amazed by how much further ahead Minneapolis was, they were
downright envious of our NRP program. So hopefully some of the Minneapolis
neighborhood people will be able to attend the session Becky mentions and
there will be an opportunity to share our own brand of "empowerment" with
Mr. Diers. Of course everyone can learn something from others. Hopefully,
Center for Neighborhoods will go out to our own neighborhoods sometime and
bother learn what we in Minneapolis do, and in fact do better than almost
anyone. Then perhaps they may become supportive of our own "community
empowerment". After all we have so far won in our fights with City Hall in
this administration's attempts to kill NRP, and limit citizen participation.
-----------------------------
On an entirely different note, Anne McCandless and Kayla Smith are correct
in their assessment of the ridiculous comparison of the Pease Foundation to
a "gang". Perhaps someone should venture out into a real impacted
neighborhood with real bullets flying before making such an unfounded
statement. No matter how distasteful one might find the political cronies,
you still do not have to worry about them pulling an illegal pistol and
shooting your child. Perhaps not adequately fund the Police Department, but
not randomly shoot up your neighborhood.
As for Kayla's disappointment about people making hidden political
statements on behalf of some candidate, perhaps the reason the person making
the statement supports a particular candidate is that they already hold
those opinions themselves. Most people are fairly clear about who they
support. Of course in the reverse, many are as opposed to a particular
candidate because of a history of bad management as they are FOR a
particular candidate. Remember, the very heart of the Rybak campaign four
years ago are now just as strongly opposed to him. Of course employees
pandering to their political bosses is another story. But then they are
usually "outed" by someone else on List before too long. And believe me
there has been far more support for the DFL on List than there has been
opposition to it. Heck, 90% of the List is from the DFL. Several people
who were critical of DFL, such as Vicki Heller ,have been so savaged by
rabid DFL'ers that they do not even bother writing any more. Too bad,
because their opposing opinions offered both perspective and entertaining
discourse.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village Neighborhood of Minneapolis
"We can only be what we give ourselves the power to be"
- A Cherokee Feast of Days
"The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our
liberty."
- Thomas Jefferson
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