I have spoken to several kids at De and kids in soccer and other sports from around the city who have attended MRPB meetings and support the playing field on Nicollet Island. They shake their heads and just can't understand the level of vicious personal attacks against the park commissioners. They are dumbfounded at the behavior of adults (the ones who call themselves reformers) and even some of the "reform" commissioners behavior at the meetings. To them, this is an exciting opportunity for a field that will benefit a large number of kids in the city, something positive to work toward, and something everyone who cares about kids will support. Here are some comments from Nick Coleman about an incredible De student, Quentin Liggins. Nikki Carlson, Linden Hills ------- Nick Coleman: Time for Park Board to help DeLaSalle get its athletic field October 18, 2005 Quentin Liggins will be on crutches today when he speaks to the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. He'd rather be playing football. But he has a lot on his mind. He'll be speaking on behalf of a century's worth of kids. Liggins, a senior, plays quarterback for DeLaSalle High School's homeless football team which, like Moses, has wandered for generations, looking for a promised land. In this case, the promise came not from God but from the Park Board, which only thinks it is God. The board pledged 22 years ago to help DeLaSalle get a field for the 106-year-old school on Nicollet Island, which is mostly owned by the board. But a nasty fight has been waged against the plan by island residents who want peace and quiet on Bali H'ai. To restate my view: A field for one of the most diverse schools in the state, which also would be enjoyed by city park kids, is as valuable to the well-being of this place as the undisturbed bliss of privileged insiders who live on Park Board property. More, even. "It is ridiculous that this is a big issue," said Brother Michael Collins, president of the Catholic high school. Collins says the field has become a "litmus test" in the election for Park Board seats as opponents campaign against a plan approved by an advisory committee earlier this month. Which brings me back to Quentin Liggins, a National Honor Society member with a 3.5 GPA, a dream of playing college football, a plan to be a lawyer and a shattered right leg. He got the leg last Friday, during a "home" game which, like all DeLaSalle "home" games, was played somewhere else. This one was at Breck and DeLaSalle won 76-54 (the 130 total points set a new high school record). Near the end of the game, Quentin dropped back to pass just as a Breck defensive end came barreling through on a blitz. Quentin's foot was planted awkwardly in the turf as he fell, and he heard the snap as the tibia and fibula broke. While the ambulance was on its way, the two teams knelt around Quentin and prayed. He told jokes. "Are you going to start singing 'Kumbaya' and start swaying around and all that good stuff?" he asked. Then the pain kicked in. Just as he was about to lose it, a peaceful feeling came over him. He says he felt as if someone was watching over him. "In the great scheme of life, this is just a little test that God put in front of me," he said. "I'll be alright." The way I see it, maybe God wanted to be sure Quentin was free to give the Park Board a piece of his mind. Instead of playing in another DeLaSalle "home" game today at Hamline University in St. Paul, Quentin will be at Park Board headquarters for a 5:30 hearing on Nicollet Island. Instead of quarterbacking, future attorney Quentin Liggins will argue - as he did very articulately at a similar hearing last spring - that it is time the board kept its promise to DeLaSalle. "The process has been a little slow," he said, which comes from a kid who wasn't born when the promise was made and who will graduate before it is fulfilled. "I guess the bigwigs who oppose this are thinking more about themselves than anyone else. We are a high school, and we just want to have a normal high school experience." So listen to Quentin Liggins today. This is a young man for whom bigger things than football may be waiting. He will be on crutches, standing tall. Nick Coleman 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
