Apparently, I am not being understood-or perhaps I have not provided enough clarity-on the subject of Part I and Part II crime. Again, the confounding of the issue. Law Enforcement is (and should be) exactly what it says: the Police Should enforce the laws on the books. I have had the pleasure of working with many members of the MPD and would never say they don't do an effective job or that they don't-organizationally-care. They obviously do and I would be the first to say so. My observations address the larger picture: does the current system provide a lasting resolution to Part II criminal activity? The answer is a resounding "no". People are right, I believe, in asserting that crime statistics should serve as one tool that can be utilized to fight crime. No argument. My concern does not rely solely on BCA, UCR or other data-collection methodologies tracking crime. My concern is that, for Part II (other) criminal activity, nothing is resolved for a large percentage of those arrested and incarcerated and the enormous cost of the process. The data I have been utlizing has not been drawn solely from the UCR and BCA statistics...regarding homeless top offenders in particular, and part II (other) offenders in general. I utilized data drawn directly from the MPD's NPA (No Permanent Address) weekly reports and the SIP (Subject-in-process) files publicly accessible on the first floor of the County Government Center downtown. In a cross- reference of these systems, I pulled the top 100 NPA offenders and ran them through SIP...erroneous is the assertion that most of these men and women engage in consistent felonious behavior. In the previously mentioned instance of the man who was arrested 47 times under misdemeanor offenses during 2003-2004 (and only under the 4 Ordinances I cited in a previous post) not one felony appears. Of the top 100 offenders, only 3 for the period were incarcerated for felony offenses. For most of these people, arrest and incarceration provides no solution.. only an enormous cost...most have been appearing for years for misdemeanor offenses. Most of the top offenders for petty crime do not consistently appear as being arrested for felony offenses. Many are arrested, for example, for multiple counts wherein combinations like "loitering, public consumption, and trespass" are more the norm than the exception. At any rate, I have the SIP files for these 100 people, the tracking data from the Mental Health Court, the MPD-NPA and UCR stats, BCA stats, the City Attorney's various policies and plans, all of the Council on Crime and Justice reports and a ton of additional information on the topic. I have personally met with City Council members, representatives from the MPD, the City Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, members of the District Court, a County Commissioner, the admin of the Mental Health Court, Legal Aid, HUD, and many others on this topic...I have researched the matter exhaustively. Once again, if anyone can provide information refuting my assertion that the current system doesn't effectively provide a lasting solution..I'd like to see it. I am not hording this information. If anyone contests my assertions and seriously wishes to objectively examine the data...by all means, contact me. I am not dealing in shallow assertions without factual basis...I am just telling people how things really pan out through the system. Any sincere interest expressed by anyone on this list who wants to find out the truth for themselves...well, I'd be the last one to hesitate in providing assistance. If you can show me, based on the data available, that arrest and incarceration is an effective strategy for dealing with this population...by all means, bring it on.
On Comm. Peter Mclaughlin vs. Mayor Rybak: I have met with many in City and County government and from many private agencies and organizations. I'll never find another human being with whom I agree on every single viewpoint, that much is certain. I can tell you, however, as a person engaged in the issue of homelessness and housing from every possible angle, that at least Peter Mclaughlin knows who I am...at least he has taken the time to talk to me...at least he says, "Hello". Choose between someone who treats me as an abstraction vs. someone who treats me as fellow human being...it's a no-brainer. I was appointed to the Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis Advisory Board on Homelessness last June. I also sit on other private boards and organizations. I have met with State Senators and Representatives, many City Council members, with Commissioners, Judges and many officials during the course of my work on homelessness. Peter Mclaughlin has taken the time to listen...I still have never met Mayor Rybak. This fact alone says it all. Guy Gambill (Uptown) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.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
