The Star Tribune Editorial Board refused to publish this even though they asserted in a recent editorial that police community relations in Minneapolis have improved. This editorial refutes that contention. Feel free to distribute this widely to all those who are interested in this issue. Thanks, Mark Anderson
Editor: Everyone in Minneapolis has a stake in effective police-community relations. Everyone. We are signatories to the two-year-old US Department of Justice mediated agreement between the Minneapolis Police Department and a spectrum of community organizations. We have spent countless hours sitting with the Mayors representatives in good faith over those two years. But the promises made in this agreement, with at LEAST 82 quantifiable action-items, have been largely forgotten by the current city administration under Mayor R.T. Rybak. The trouble with not having the Mayors active support to implement provisions of this agreement is that we, the signatories, do NOT collectively have the power to make some of the most critical changes necessary to improving police community relations. For example, we are powerless to increase the size of the police force or expand its diversity. Even the mayors top brass, Chief McManus, has acknowledged that the city has fallen short by at least 100 officers. And when it comes to diversifying the police force in order to improve policing with our growing minority populations, we simply cannot act unless the real support of the administration is behind the effort. What makes this circumstance even more frustrating is the Mayors apparent amnesia and claims of credit for two years of inaction. He proclaimed last week at the Urban League mayoral debate to have signed the agreement: in reality, he never did. His appointee to the Police Community Relations Council (formed to monitor implementation of the agreement), presented a chart to the City Councils Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee two weeks ago, which made it appear as though much of the agreement was current or on-going: we could not disagree more. The city has sat on its hands and found a million excuses for not discussing concrete implementation of the agreement. Their failure to work with or even respond to the community groups are an affront to the time and effort we have put into trying our best to make real change. We cannot and will not sit by and let this mayor try to spin his way out of his utter lack of concern for this basic function of city government. His attempts to hire himself out of the deficit of over 100 officers in the last months before his reelection are too little, too late. Minneapolis police department remains grossly understaffed, undiversified and unable to undertake effective community policing. We need more than words, we need action. This mayor is not leading, hes not treading water, hes taking us backwards. Sincerely, Rev. Ian D. Bethel Sr. C0-Chair, Police Community Relations Council Pastor, New Beginnings Baptist Tabernacle Chair, Minnesota State Baptist Convention Sgt. John Delmonico Member, Police Community Relations Council President, Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis Mark Anderson Member, Police Community Relations Council "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead 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
