Earlier this week I attended a County Board meeting. I was there as a property owner along the Lowry Corridor Project, to partake of three minutes of open microphone to address eminent domain issues.
As I sat at my ringside seat; I heard a presentation on the DT Safe Zone Initiative(name?). It was fascinating, as described, how our County and City, along with private stakeholders DT, had identified the dual problems of crime, and the perception of crime DT. Further, it was fascinating to me how they had come together in collaboration to address, remediate, and solve these two, equally important, issues. I learned the County had previously approved funding for April through July 31, to put Deputies, on the walk, patrolling DT. They were to collaborate with Mpls. cops and private security DT to create a safe environment for DT. They were sharing a specially funded common radio frequency(?) and other goodies and candy and toys, and funding. And the statistics being presented to the Commissioners showed it was all working just swell; and can we have some more dough? Yes, bravo, approved; was the roll call. And that is as it should be. My surprise and disappointment was that this spirit of jovial collaboration; clarity in identifying the crime problem and safety issues DT, and funding the battle has not found a path out of DT and into the Siege Neighborhoods. These Siege Neighborhoods are the close in/urban core neighborhoods that suffer under the assault of violent criminals, and the unsafe perceptions these violators leave in their constantly churning wake. The neighborhoods are a collective of individual families that cannot let there kids play outside. The neighborhoods are a collective of people who can't sleep at night because of the gunfire. Near North, Hawthorne, Jordan, Phillips, and other non-DT neighborhoods have begged for equal protection under the law for a decade; yet when DT perceptions dip this year, here comes the cavalry. Here comes the well heeled amalgam of money, guns and liquor, among others, that make our DT great. The County ante's up; and this week ante's up again for a swell collaboration; DT. When will sheriff deputies on the beat, and other candy come to our hood? Keith Reitman NearNorth 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
