RE: truth in taxation
--- Dean Zimmermann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Re: Park Board Funding > now, certain council members have been making noises > of unilaterally > changing the agreement, and to keep part of the Park > Board.s share. Dean, Please disclose for the list which council members have made these noises. Thnaks Jon Kelland Bryant __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Proposal to discuss police conduct
I am not sure why this issue of police parking and the abuse of power it implies has not yet been tied into the Mpls police dept's FIFTH KILL OF THE YEAR (though police might argue that three of those should not count since they were mentally handicapped). What ever happened to that old-fashioned movie-style cop/"criminal" interaction where the cop does not shoot to kill, but instead shoots to slow down or incapacitate (though I would argue that they should not be shooting). There is obviously a very serious problem generating steam in Mpls, and it is that the police are not being held accountable, much less seriously questioned about tactics and intentions. Funny, but in this latest killing, the police were on a drug buy, and no drugs were on the two "drug dealers" or in their car, and when the apertment of the dead man was searched they found "small amounts of marijuana and metamphetamine"...I would suspect that if the amount was anything over casual use levels that it would have been reported. We will brush aside police actions at highway 55, hard times, sisters camelot, isag, etc...these all are serious manifestations of police arrogance and unaccountability. Mpls police have killed 5 people this year. This is unacceptable, and especially given the circumstances of each killing. This is a real and horrifying manifestation of the abuse of power which rears it's ugly head by a cop parking on the sidewalk, from a cop saying "i could give you a ticket for that", from a cop driving on the median with his brother in the car (just to impress him!!), from a cop turning on lights to speed through a red light, from a cop... Cops are not being held accountable in minneapolis and this has to change! this should start with the firing of chief robert olson and a serious review of all officers who have killed a person. Can we please have a discussion on this list about proper police conduct and how we can hold police accountable for deviations from proper conduct? jon kelland bryant --- Robb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Regardless of what any pro police person says. > > Police abuse power. > > This is a very simple fact of life. I dont like > it...tim connoly doesnt > like it...and for some godforsaken reason, luther > krueger is paid to (or > chooses) to legitimatize it. > > How about some names? > Amadou Diallo > Malice Green > A name i cant remember from South Minneapolis last > week (30+ bullets?) > Countless others... > > Need some more examples? How about driving 80 miles > per hour through > traffic and busy streets to catch an offender in a > chase...Why are police > held unaccountable for endangering the safety of > residents, at times as > much or more than individuals suspected of crime? > This issue goes much > further than the police just parking where average > citizens are not > allowed. This is about the abuse of power, and I am > glad someone else > brought it up. > > The fact is, in the eyes of police officers, people > are seen as "potential > offenders". They choose to refer to themselves as > peace officers to > persuade the common folk, aka the stupid idiots who > see no other recourse > but to put up with it, into not having a problem > with their actions. > > This message comes from someone who has observed > police injustice in > several different ways. While I do not affiliate > myself with the > rentaprotesters who constantly assault police > aggression of people, i > believe such a cause has a place, because there > arent too many people doing > it. Ive listened to an officer say to me "I CAN DO > WHATEVER I WANT". > These things do not go in any job description in any > place in this society. > Especially not that of our boys in blue. YET, as a > society, we put up with > this abuse. > > Luther, while you may argue "I welcome any > suggestions as to how we can end > our department's systemic parking abuse". > > The question is, what the hell is anyone on the > force going to do about it? > > Im tired of watching police forces all over the > country use their badges as > an excuse for "being the law" rather than enforcing > it, which IS what they > get paid to do. Its very simple. > > If police officers feel they are "damned if they do > or dont" maybe they > need to find a different line of work, and i > guarantee you...then they will > be expected to follow the same rules of everyone > else. > > Robb Clarksen > Still searching for a police force that conducts > itself ethically. > SE minneapolis > > > > __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/
Re: Candidate School
I too think this is an excellent and amazing idea! One important thought I would like to throw in is that these classes be free. If the classes are not free it obviously sets up another hurdle for the poor to become involved in the system. I think we all would agree that this would be an amazing community service, and that something like this OUGHT to be free. I would imagine that former office holders/staff would see the importance of this and volunteer their time. I think we all can see that this type of "school" could get away with charging quite a lot - hopefully this will be avoided. Which runs into my second thought - how are people enrolled? My first thought is to have an "enrollment window" and depending on demand, and the number of "educators" have a lottery for all admittance. If admittance is first come, first served - people in the know (connected people) will most likely make up the class. If admittance is on a type of "service seniority", those admitted that have been involved in community planning and government for a long time already, this will bias against younger people and a certain non-political freshness that might manifest from not having been a system-player. As above, hopefully there is no money passing hands - for all the reasons we understand too well. Recommendation by parties - once again, this will harm independants and non-partisians - and runs into the status-quo perpetuance. Is David actually going ahead with planning on this, or is there someone else (or a group) who is willing to take up the reigns? What do those in the system think of this? And is it correct to assume that anyone on the council now would not have the time to invest in this - so we should aim for past officeholders & staff? One last thought...it seems like this would be a good thing to hit cable access with... jon kelland bryant --- Barbara Lickness <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I would welcome the idea of candidate classes. > > I have spent many years preparing for this job in > both > my volunteer activities in Whittier and my > professional life as NRP staff to 13 South > Minneapolis > neighborhoods. I feel that "I can hit the ground > running" as they say. > > However, I am sure there is a vast amount of > knowledge you need and gain only from the inside or > from gracious insiders who decide to share it with > you. > > All you intellectual pundits out there who are dying > to train in a better class of candidate can start > with > me. I am willing to be your guinea pig on any > seminars, or classes you want to put together. > > I think it would be interesting for you to organize > past council members so we can pick their brains. > After all they have been there done that. Who > better > to get the real life accounting from. > > The only other thing I ask is that this be organized > at the grassroots level. (O.K. maybe with the help > of > the League of Women Voters) No think tank > organizations please or groups pushing specific > agendas. > > So.go for it David and whoever. Give me the > where > and when. I'll be there. > > Barb Lickness > Whittier > Ward 6 > > __ > Do You Yahoo!? > >From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts > has your answer. > http://experts.yahoo.com/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one Place. http://shopping.yahoo.com/
affordable housing on greenway
some thoughts on the greenway housing project: first and formost is the gentrification (or beltonization, as my wife says) of minneapolis. we have around 100 townhome units being sold for 95-250k. i think it is safe to assume that the market for these units is milktoast liberals who can enjoy the ethnic offerings of eat street (or even the proposed greenway level hispanic and asian markets). this project does not sit well with me. aside from whatever deal the city has made (will announce) with kmart and the tif package, setting this very white project down in the middle of a racially and ethnically diverse, primarily working class neighborhood, effectively inserts a "model" for these communities to buy-into, emulate, or impart the sense of not being welcome. imagine the owners in their $250,000 townhomes being plopped into the middle of that neighborhood as it is now...there are obviously more changes in store for the neighborhood before someone is willing to plop that kind of dough for a close-up view of kmart. this further worries me - what else is planned and not being discussed for the "(re)devlopment" of this neighborhood. the fact that devolpments like this cannot be fully committed to affordable housing is a major problem in this town, but i fear it is more than that, i fear it is the tell that this town has no real interest in affordable housing. (sure, there are folks who commit time and energy to affordable housing, but the fact that a marquee project such as this routinely occurs, and cannot commit itself fully to affordable housing is the real issue.) imagine a true affordable housing project - 100% of the units, and that project being developed on the shores of lake of the isles, smack dab in the middle of kenwood, tucked back in the comfortable southwest corner near 50th-france...it would never happen. but every time that a new and >20% project goes into development, it seems to aim at gentrifying a "blighted" neighborhood, and by doing so it pulls the welcome mat out from under the already disenfranchised communities which are not only essential components of the city's economic foundation, but real people treated as if they were merely problems to solve on the way to creating a better city. that said, the blueprint for the project looks pretty cool:) jon kelland bryant > http://www2.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisStory=82840023 The 400 housing units would be grouped on both sides of the greenway. About 300 rental units in four-story buildings would slope down to it. Many of the 100 owner-occupied units would be in townhouses fronting it, some with walk-out access to its paths. The owner-occupied housing would sell within a range of $95,000 to $250,000, Dovolis said. He said the development would more than meet city requirements that 20 percent of rental units be affordable to low-income tenants. __ Do You Yahoo!? >From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/
Re: Online Mug Shots
I certainly hope that neighborhoods do not start making these mug shot sites. And especially if it is merely for a charge, and not a conviction. Do we then start putting mug shots of bad cops on neighborhood sites - when police have complaints lodged against them? How about bad neighbors that don't cut their lawn, or are caught drinking in their back yard? How about setting up committees with local real estate agents to get the names of potential incomming neighbors and checking with old neighbors and credit bureaus? I think that there are already many laws in place to deal with people who break the law, and instead of creating vigilante groups to dole out additional punishment for suspected wrong-doers, how about brainstorming policies for positive policies that create community and work with the assets of the neighborhood, instead of pandering to the base instincts of further exclusion, retribution, and punishment. Jon Kelland Bryant --- Ross Kaplan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > No, he was charged, and already has several felony > convictions on his record -- see Dave D[elvoye]'s > more > detailed post. Also, if I recall from my law school > days, defamation requires a reputational injury. > This > character has no reputation to injure; quite the > contrary. There may be some close cases with > respect > to defamation, but this guy, and this case, isn't > one > of them. > > Ross Kaplan > Fulton Neighborhood __ Do You Yahoo!? >From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/
Re: Not too busy are ya....................
two points, first, keep the school board and get rid of the public school system and create a full network of charter schools where schools are small enough to most likely operate in the best interests of all of the students, but if they do not prove that students are making progress, the schools are shut down, and the students go off to another school with a proven record...the fact that charter schools will probably be much smaller makes the impact of shutting one down much easier to justify (and handle) and it makes all public schools accountable, obviously impossible in the current system (imagine if you try shutiing down a 1000 student behemoth that allows failing students to pass..). second, i am more than happy to see our council spending some time on "global issues". the fact that our city supports the rape and torture of humans should not be supported by our doing business with the villians, but should be addressed with purchasing guidelines. this seems obvious, and entirely appropriate. do you suppose that our city should not have standards by which purchasing and contract decisions are made? and don't you suppose that if a business partner of the city is known to kill and rape it is an obvious decision to terminate business with this villain? the narrow thinking of people who do not agree with the "politics" of "boycott" and "human rights" deny the humanity of others and show themselves as the xenophobic, and parochial-paranoids their coded hate-speech tries to hide. the fact that niland and herron (and whoever else) spent some of their time on these issues does not mean that they are not putting another 40 or 60 hours per/week on local issues that burns and others would (possibly) agree is appropriate. jon kelland bryant --- j burns <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It is dumbfounding to me (emphasis on the DUMB)that > in a city where most > school age kids LUCKY enough to snag a part-time job > at the local > SuperAmerica can't make change to save their lives, > that the Minneapolis > school board finds the time to publicly, and in a > lengthy, "I know what's > good for you" conversation no less, chastise a > private organization like the > Boy Scouts, and THEN has the nerve to ask for more > money to continue what > seems to be a less than mediocre performance. > Further, as a resident of the > Cleveland neighborhood, I was shocked that the new > Lucy-Laney-Let's-Argue-about-the-Namey school even > opened this year what > with all the controversy about the name! > I no longer wonder (as our elected council and > boardmembers deal with hot > potato issues like organic food and Bhurma) why > issues like grafitti, crime, > affordable housing, and the never-ending garbage > along Portland Avenue > remain on the proverbial back burner... > > J Burns > Cleveland, formerly Nokomis, formerly Camden > __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE. http://im.yahoo.com/
Re: McKinley Boston's $120,000 contract
The most troubling aspect of Boston's employment with the city, is that his check is drawn from contributing corporations who volunteer to make his salary a reality! It is bad enough that a position is created and no application process is opened. It is also rightfully concerning that Boston will have oversight of essentially the same thing he had oversight of at the U. I am not blaming him for what happened, and I do not know if he had any knowledge of what was going on, and I assume that he did not. That said, it still makes no sense that he is handpicked for this role when there is more than a little uncertainty surrounding his ethics. To the main point, I do not think the city should have the authority to hire an employee without an open application process. I do not think that any employee should be payed with non-public dollars, and especially not corporate dollars - what kind of accountability will McKinley have and will he feel beholden to the corporations that pay his check - I assume so! I would love to hear from Councilmembers, or anyone who knows, if this is a legal process and the Mayor has the power to create positions for city employees and have them paid by outsiders. It is just another move that our government is making away from its citizens, and just another position of no accountability created. Jon Kelland Bryant --- Alan Shilepsky <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I just saw this item on StarTribune online: > > "The Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board > unanimously approved a > $120,000, one-year contract Wednesday for former > University of Minnesota > administrator McKinley Boston to serve as a > consultant coordinating > programs." > > And read in the Minnesota Daily yesterday that his > job will be to > develop a city-wide athletic strategic plan, working > with the University > and the city of Minneapolis. > > All I can say is wow, that seems like a lot of > money--assuming it is all > to him and doesn't include other staff or resources. > > > And what exactly does an athletic strategic plan > look like, and how does > it differ from the planning that currently goes on > at the park board and > school board. And is the lack of a athletic > strategic plan one of the > major problems of our fair city? Is there an > athletic strategic plan > GAP that I missed, that needs to be filled before > the mayoral elections > next year. (I remember that Kennedy rode a supposed > Eisenhower > Administration missile gap into the Presidency in > 1960.) > > Obviously I doubt that Boston's retention by the > city was based on a > pressing city need. I also question whether it > sends the right message, > given where Boston is coming from. > > I know there is plenty of blame to go around in the > UM cheating > scandel. And hypocrisy too. > > (I was shocked, shocked to learn there was special > treatment of > athletics at the U, and especially shocked, shocked > to learn that > Haskins knewn more about it than he originally let > on! And the federal > prosecutors--wanting to make the whistle-blower a > felon--give me a > break. Will the cheating students then be indicted > on felony charges > for defrauding the US Govt by getting scholarship > money on false > pretenses--that's what the feds said Gangelhoff's > (sp?) felony was > abetting. The players benefited more than she did > by the, ah, crime.) > (NB--I despise academic cheating--but selective > enforcement is unfair.) > > Anyway, what example does retaining Boston set, > given that he left the U > in the wake of the scandel. (Without reference to > his actual role.) > For most of us who never were or never will be > professional athletics, > athletics is about building values we should carry > into the rest of our > lives--persistence, teamwork, sportsmanship, > integrity. Youth athletics > should be as much about character-building as > building physical prowess > or skill. > > Boston may have gotten a raw deal in the scandal--I > don't know, I didn't > follow the details closely enough. But is it the > city of Minneapolis' > responsibility to make things right and take care of > his transition. > (It is just the transition, right. I assume this > really is just a one > year project. How long does it take to do a > strategic athletic > plan--and does that include the public participation > aspects.) > > Alan Shilepsky > Downtown. A Minneapolis taxpayer. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Re: Graffiti and Edina
I work on the Edina side of the same intersection and there is some graffiti over there (mostly parking ramps), but it is always gone the same day (actually over night). jon kelland mpls --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > The other night going through the 50th and France > intersection, I noticed > graffiti for the first time. And sure enough it was > on the Minneapolis side > of the street. Do you suppose it will jump over > into Edina? > > Jan Del Calzo > Lynnhurst __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Niland's office & police
Here's an update on the post below (concerning last Friday's Critical Mass). One of the people involved called their councilmember, Mr. Niland, to let him know what had happened and the way the police had treated those gathered, of course, they were not able to talk to Niland, so left a message. Lo and behold, some mpls sargeant (I think a sargeant) called my friends house to tell them if they had a problem they should go to the civilian review authority!!! Aside from the obviously horrible action by the police at the event, this raises two more troubling threads - the further illustration of the police's bravado (calling the home of someone complaining about them)!!!, and secondly, the fact that someone in Niland's office gave this information out, and especially to the police. So, Mr. Niland, are you responsible for giving out my friends' phone number to the police, and is this the policy when one of your constituents has a complaint against the police? I assume that you are not personally responsible for this, but I am shocked that it happened, and would like an explanation. jon kelland bryant --- jon kelland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > last friday there was a scheduled critical mass ride > downtown, as is customary for the last friday of > each > month, but when the riders arrived at loring park, > they were met by droves of mpls' finest on bikes, in > squads, in a van, the bikers were told if they left > the park they would be arrested. the cops were > apparently very irritated from the get-go (i was not > there but had the story recounted) and threatened > people with taking their bikes away (because the > cops > assumed they were unregistered), ticketing for not > having a light on the front of the bike after 4 or > 5:00...and generally being aggressive idiots. it is > one thing to be a cop and harass a group of people > once they do something wrong, but until they do they > should not be treated like criminals. the bikers > were > never told what it was they could do but when asked > what they couldn't do a cop responded 'you'll know > when you do it' > > this type of behavior absolutely needs to stop - > what > do you folks out in mpls-issues think? > > ever since the wto protest in seattle the police > have > been on a mission to suppress any voices that are > counter to mainstream commerce culture. hard times > (with the help of the city council and the mayor, of > course), isag, sisters camelot, other critical mass > rides, other gm protests, the list goes on and on > > so far we have seen no reprimands for the police > responsible for mistreating citizens, and i think > mpls > residents need to speak up and make it known that > the > police do not have the authority to arrest citizens > who have done nothing wrong - leave out your > pathetic > arguments that these people have done something > wrong > and just admit to the fact that every person has the > right to not be arrested if they do nothing wrong - > right? we need to first agree that this is the way > our system should and does work, and then we can > assess police(/judge/jury) actions as they come up > and > hold each offending offecer responsible as > violations > of rights occur. though i fear this is less an > indivdual police problem than a systemic mpls police > department problem... > > jon kelland > bryant > > > > __ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 > Free! > http://photos.yahoo.com/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Wed. city council committe mtg on police conduct
The City Council's Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee (the committee that held the public hearing about police/city conduct at the ISAG protests, at which so many folks testified) will hear a proposal by Council member Jim Niland on a new City policy regarding police conduct at political demonstrations. Niland's proposal is based on the testimony offered at the earlier public hearings and other discussions he had with folks involved in the ISAG (and other) protests. Jim feels it would be important to have a noticeable public presence at the hearing, even though it will not be open for public testimony (two or three people will be allowed to speak), to show Council members that the issue has not gone away and that there continues to be a demand for a City policy that respects the right to protest. If you can, please come to the hearing. It will be Wednesday, October 4, in room 319 of City Hall. Niland's proposal will be discussed at 4:00 pm. forwarded by jon kelland bryant __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Re: Light-rail and Metrodome games
All of you glass half empty types lighten up...the Vikes have 8 games a year (add acouple for playoffs)...the 240 two-car capacity is more than enough to handle the 80+ each Twins home game gets! jon kelland bryant --- David Brauer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > > --=_NextPart_000_0002_01C02D28.A4EB4E00 > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > > A few days ago, I referenced a story on the limited > carrying capacity of > light-rail. The PiPress Rachel Stassen-Berger > generously forwarded me the > original piece, below: > > LIGHT RAIL WON'T TAME TRAFFIC AFTER VIKINGS GAMES > Published on 08/16/1999 > > If you were hoping the new $548 million light-rail > line slated to stop at > the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis would ease > traffic after a Vikings > game, expect your hopes to be dashed. > > The one line - which is planned to run from downtown > Minneapolis out of the > city and along Hiawatha Avenue to the Mall of > America in Bloomington - won't > help much in shuttling folks from Dome events. The > line can only handle > about 3,000 people over the course of an hour - and > that's only if every > single rail car works and is filled to capacity. > > ``I don't want people saying light rail will empty > the stadium,'' said > William G. Stead, of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & > Douglas Inc. in > Minneapolis, a project consultant on the Hiawatha > Light Rail line slated to > be open by the year 2003. > Only 120 people, at most, can fit in each light-rail > car. Currently, > planners have budgeted to run two-car trains instead > of three-car trains > along the light-rail line as a cost-cutting measure. > That means every three > to seven minutes, 240 people - at most - can board > the trains. > > Compare that 240 to the more than 60,000 people who > pour from the Metrodome > after most Vikings events, and the future of transit > looks very much like > the present. > > ``Washington Avenue is at a standstill for quite a > while'' after Vikings > games, said Sharon Lubinski, inspector of the > Minneapolis Police > Department's Downtown Command. ``It happens, and I > think folks expect that > .. Minnesotans don't use mass transit. They use > cars.'' > > In the post-light rail world, cars will continue to > dominate the post-game > traffic. > > ``Light rail is not the answer to clearing out > everybody that is the > Metrodome because there is a limited capacity,'' > said Bob Winter, light rail > planner for the Minnesota Department of > Transportation. > > But every little bit of traffic diverted onto mass > transit helps, said > transit planners. > > ``It will give another alternative, obviously, to > anyone that wants to use > that alternative,'' Winter said. > > If 3,000 people use light rail after a game, that > means about 1,500 fewer > cars rushing onto the roads after dome events. > ``That's going to help ... I don't want to > over-promise what light rail can > do or under-promise either,'' said Stead. In Boston > or New York City, where > Stead has worked on mass-transit projects, multiple > lines in several > directions have made a major difference to traffic > congestion, he said. That > possibility doesn't exist with just one line. > > To make light rail more accessible to Metrodome > attendees, there also is > talk, in the Minneapolis Department of Public Works, > of building an > additional ``events only'' platform on the north > side of the dome with a > pedestrian bridge to the stadium. However, an extra > platform won't guarantee > that people will want to ride the light rail trains. > > Planners have images of the mass transit of the > future - with several lines > criss-crossing the Twin Cities - but that will not > happen for at least a > decade, said Winter, in the most optimistic > estimates. Until then, the Twin > Cities will only have one choice. > ``Since we have one line that goes off in one > direction, everyone who leaves > the Metrodome is not going to want to go in that > direction,'' Winter said. > > --Forwarded by David Brauer, King Field Ward 10 > > --=_NextPart_000_0002_01C02D28.A4EB4E00 > Content-Type: text/html; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > > xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" > = > xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = > xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> > > > content=3D"text/html; = > charset=3Diso-8859-1"> > > > 9"> > href=3D"cid:[EMAIL PROTECTED]"> > RE: PRT > >
Re:Herron & steam
does anyone know if Herron is running for reelection next year? there seems to be a lot of unhappy people in his ward. jon kelland bryant --- kaforbes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello everyone, a lurker comes out of the closet, > > With graduate school and a job I have little time to > respond to all the > posts but I hope you will indulge me a few brief > moments as I blow off steam > regarding Brian Herron and the MCDA. As I am so > angry at how decisions are > made about what happens in our neighborhood. I had > this silly belief that > Brian and the MCDA considered the neighborhood's > wishes when making housing > decisions, but after what happened today in > operations committee has totally > changed my mind. Bear with me as I vent with the > history. I will try and > be brief. First PRG a non-profit developer approach > the block and want to > build a house on our one vacant lot. They wanted > the take advantage of a > program they have to reduce vacant lots in the city. > They would offer a > subsidy to those entities who would build a house on > one of their long > vacant lots. So after a couple neighborhood > meetings we decide that we like > their plans, we even have a petition with 23 > signatures that are in support > of the PRG house. In August PRG stated that MCDA > had accepted their offer > and we all had the impression that PRG building a > house on a block was going > to happen. Until the beginning of September when > the block was flyered with > a notice that a private owner wanted to build a nice > 2story house on that > lot. When I called PRG to inform them of this flyer > they had no idea that > anyone else was even interested in the lot. > Apparently MCDA ignored the > offer made by PRG for this private party. When we > went to the CNIA housing > meeting, the neighborhood supported the residents > but MCDA didn't support > us. The developer who wants to build the house was > there and had no idea > there was anyone else interested. The house they > want to build is a"modular > home" that comes in 4 pieces. This company makes > trailer houses. This will > not fit in to our block with 3 story 100 year old > homes. We tried informing > people on the operation committee of our concerns. > We were told that it was > up to the council member Herron to decide. We > e-mailed him and as per usual > he did not return any calls. He didn't bother to > talk to anyone prior to > today's meeting. Council member Cherryhomes went > down the hall when the > item came up on the agenda and returned to say he > did not support the > residents but the MCDA because of the subsidy > involved. He never bothered > to talk to anyone on the block and I bet he never > even looked at the plans. > He just voted the MCDA party line which does not > care about neighborhood > input. When it comes to funding projects downtown > it the money doesn't seem > to matter. But when it comes to housing all of a > sudden they can't spend > money. Also the MCDA does not seem to care how they > treat non-profits such > as PRG. At the meeting today PRG was told they > would get bumped and they > would have to find different lots. The MCDA can't > be trusted to be up front > in their business deals. Councilmember Herron can't > be trusted to get input > from his constituents or return phone calls. > > Thanks for allowing me to vent, > > Karen Forbes > Central Neighborhood > __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
minneapolice state
last friday there was a scheduled critical mass ride downtown, as is customary for the last friday of each month, but when the riders arrived at loring park, they were met by droves of mpls' finest on bikes, in squads, in a van, the bikers were told if they left the park they would be arrested. the cops were apparently very irritated from the get-go (i was not there but had the story recounted) and threatened people with taking their bikes away (because the cops assumed they were unregistered), ticketing for not having a light on the front of the bike after 4 or 5:00...and generally being aggressive idiots. it is one thing to be a cop and harass a group of people once they do something wrong, but until they do they should not be treated like criminals. the bikers were never told what it was they could do but when asked what they couldn't do a cop responded 'you'll know when you do it' this type of behavior absolutely needs to stop - what do you folks out in mpls-issues think? ever since the wto protest in seattle the police have been on a mission to suppress any voices that are counter to mainstream commerce culture. hard times (with the help of the city council and the mayor, of course), isag, sisters camelot, other critical mass rides, other gm protests, the list goes on and on so far we have seen no reprimands for the police responsible for mistreating citizens, and i think mpls residents need to speak up and make it known that the police do not have the authority to arrest citizens who have done nothing wrong - leave out your pathetic arguments that these people have done something wrong and just admit to the fact that every person has the right to not be arrested if they do nothing wrong - right? we need to first agree that this is the way our system should and does work, and then we can assess police(/judge/jury) actions as they come up and hold each offending offecer responsible as violations of rights occur. though i fear this is less an indivdual police problem than a systemic mpls police department problem... jon kelland bryant __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Do Sabo & the Strib support giving EU $4-6billion/year?
the answer is yes. since i was reprimanded for my non-mplsness post (which i understand and was admittedly not even thinking of...sorry, though i think the two aspects i highlight below were both represented in the initial post, and are germaine...) i will reframe the discussion to make it explicitly germaine to mpls issues... mpls' own US rep, the honorable blah blah blah sabo, voted to represent those of us in mpls with a vote to give the EU a $4-6 billion tax subsidy/year (HR 4986, which will assuredly benefit only major corporations...) framed this way, what do you mpls citizens think about your representation in the US house??? additionally, i would like to pick on mpls' own local corporate rag, the strib, for failing to note this rather immense piece of legislation (as it will assuredly ignore the senate's debate and or adoption of this corporate welfare). in fact, i think the strib has been doing a monumentally cruddy job of reporting issues of the corporate globalizing movement and the resistance it has been facing...look back to the coverage of the WEF (world economic forum) in australia earlier this month (a get together of the 1,000 richest corporations in the world (and the protests against it))...look at the strib's coverage of the IMF & world bank meeting in prague (and the massive protests against them)...look at the completely unreasoned, yet supportive editorials of the generous, concerned and helpful IMF & world bank, the benefits of gm agribusiness, the wto, nafta, the list goes on and on and on and onif you look back to the wto seattle shindig and check the coverage, you will see they did a much better job (though still stilted, but you can't expect more than they delivered then...) of cevering the wto itself and the protests against the wto...since then the entire strib story climate has either ignored issues of corporate managed global domination, or glossed over it, and usually ignoring the protest element or making them out to be misguided, small numbers, or otherwise inconsequential the strib is a shameless promoter of corporate managed trade and this is something that nobody is willing to talk about. hopefully this is seen as a mpls issue, if we cannot discuss the politics and framing of our local paper of ill-repute and the effect that such propaganda has on the citizens of this great village, then what is the use of talking about any of this junk? jon kelland bryant __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Re: Do you support giving EU $4-6billion/year?
> As you have not already learned from the Strib or > PiP, > HR 4986 rolled trhough the US House Sept 13. > > What is HR 4986, and why do I care? > > HR 4986 is business as usual, and it will give the > EU > 4-6 billion per year in either tax breaks for its > exports, or the ability to create sanctions on US > imports. > > Why is this? you ask. Because the US has a tiny > little program (the FSC - or Foriegn Sales > Corporation) which provides $4-6 billion/year in tax > breaks for US corporations such as Microsoft, > Boeing, > etc. Being the watchdogs of fairness, the WTO > (World > Trade Organization) has ruled in a case for the EU > that the US must grant the same amount of benefits > (or > sanctions) for the EU or scrap its benefits it gives > to US corporations. > > When the US House voted, MN delegates Guteknech, > Minge, Ramstad and Sabo all voted to give the > massive > tax breaks to the EU, Oberstar, Peterson and Luther > voted against and Vento did not vote. > > Call me old fashioned, but it seems to me we should > be > pushing to get rid of the tax breaks for Microsoft > et > al and not worry about weather we should allow the > EU > to give breaks to their own or create sanctions for > certain US industries. The easiest (and smartest) > solution is for the US to scrap the generous > corporate > welfare for US corporations so the US does not have > to > provide for the EU (and rest of the world to > follow). > > The US Senate is playing around with approving HR > 4986 > but trying to keep any riders from being attached > (minimum wage increases, less military spending, > etc) > becuase it is assumed that this tax break for the EU > is a done deal and Lott et al do not want deal > breaker > riders or unrepublican measures sneaking > through...so > there is probably a decent window of opportunity to > raise awareness about what is going on and try to > create some resistance to this corporate welfare. > > When given the opportunity see where Grams and > Wellstone stand on the issue as well as Gibson and > Dayton. > > HR 4986 - good for major corporations, bad for > everyone else. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
Re: Police Budget for Technology?
didn't the po'lice just dredge the sofa cushions to come up with a little extra somethin' for that not-protest in july? if i recall they did spend over one cool million to corral and spray and beat up on about 75 civic minded citizens...if i recall they had a bit o' technology to help 'em out there...and not riot trained horses which made an untrained cop fall down go boom... jon kelland bryant --- Ross Kaplan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > One of the actions taken last night at the Fulton > Safety Committee meeting was to recommend donating > $300 to the Mpls. police department to buy a digital > camera. The camera would be used to help track > graffiti. Apparently, neighborhood money was > previously used to help buy the police a radar gun > to > help slow down traffic on 50th and related streets. > > With a police budget between $85 - $100 million (no > one at the meeting was quite sure), why is it > necessary for neighborhood groups to pitch in for > these items? With the city budget now under > discussion, how about a serious look at where police > dollars are -- and aren't -- allocated? > > Ross A. Kaplan > Fulton neighborhood > > > > > > __ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 > Free! > http://photos.yahoo.com/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
prt & lrt
What do any of our councilmembers or state legislators have to say on PRT?...and Mr Minn? thanks Jon Kelland Bryant __ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/
PRT & LRT
I am also very interested in PRT and am rather amazed that it is perpetually going nowhere. I have not visited taxi 2000 for probably a year, and do not know where the rhetoric stands, but as of about a year ago they were claiming that a test track could be built and tested for around 5 million...if this is the case, why hasn't it happened yet? If this system is as good as it sounds, I would suspect that getting grants/investments to cover this initial outlay would be immensly easy...what gives? This seems to be a case that if in impressive enough test track were develpoed with reasonable costs, it would catch the popular imagination and sell itself. Instead, we have LRT being rammed down our throats, without having federal dollars committed as of yet. I suppose that any PRT development at this point will have to work off of the assumption the LRT will be in place (at least this initial line) and work as feeders and then cover the rest of the metro area...which might not be a bad deal (for the taxi 200 folks, not the general public) since the (assumably) private investment will work well off of the publicly financed line from downtaown to the airport and mall. At least we will have our olympics-ready LRT from airport to the downtown and MOA cash-points... Jon Kelland Bryant --- "Steven C. Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm a supporter of a system called Personal Rapid > Transit, > PRT. PRT is an idea that's been around since the > 50's, > but has yet to really be implemented anywhere. It > consists > of a network of elevated guideways - small, about a > 3'x3' > (90cmx90cm) cross section - carrying small, > low-occupancy vehicles. > Because the vehicles are light weight (1000 lbs = > 450 kg), the > guideway is small, light, and inexpensive to build. > > All the stations are "offline" - that is, on a > separate switching > from the main track. If you don't need to stop at a > station, you > just roll by. And the computer-controlled vehicles > can switch > between lines, delivering you to anywhere on the > network. > > So to ride this thing, you would walk into a station > anytime, day or > night, and buy a ticket to another station anywhere > on the network > (using an electronic ticket machine). Then you get > into the next > available vehicle and you're on your way. (During > rush hour, you > might have to wait a couple minutes.) You get a > non-stop trip at > a constant speed of, say, 30 mph. > > No schedules to worry about. No transfers. 24-hour > on-demand service. > Faster than your car for many applications. And no > traffic hassles. > > This is an innovation that will get people out of > their cars. > > Professor Ed Anderson of the University of Minnesota > pioneered a complete > redesign of PRT from the ground up. This technology > was spun off from > the U, forming the Taxi 2000 corporation. They have > a thoroughly > engineered design - they know where every cog would > go, and they have > complete and independently audited cost estimates. > > Because of the lightweight design, the total > estimated cost per mile > of construction is less than $10 million - for the > guideway, all vehicles, > and 2 stations. This compares to $45 million (and > counting?) per mile > in the Hiawatha Light-Rail project. > > Also because of the light weight and the lack of > unnecessary starts and > stops, these little electronic vehicles would get > energy efficiency > equivalent to 85 miles per gallon. The operating > cost, per passenger, > per mile, is estimated at 15 cents. > > We could put a system like this in downtown > Minneapolis - 9 miles of guideway > in a couple big loops, putting a station within 4 > blocks of any location. > Cost: $90 million. But the benefits! There could > be a station leading > directly into the skyway. Workers, shoppers, > whoever could park their cars > on the outskirts of downtown and get an immediate > ride to their office - > thus reducing the stress on more central parking > areas. Buses could link > up with the PRT system on the outskirts as well, and > not clog downtown > streets. Such a system could pay for itself in less > than a decade - without > any subsidies for rides. > > You can find out more about this proposal at > http://www.SteveAnderson.org/issues/prt/minneapolis.html > (Complete with a map of the proposed guideways.) > > We could do a similar system in downtown St. Paul. > See a map of that on > the "Citizens for PRT" site at > http://www.cprt.org/page4.htm > (Citizens for PRT is a small charitable, educational > organization.) > > Once that'
Re: Ventura tap plan/school plan
First, full state funding, as I understand it, is merely the state providing the full per-pupil allocation itself. Thus it would not include football, soccer, etc. - but i do not know how these dollars are detrmined and how they are used...does anyone out there? Second, the district disparities in income could be partially addressed with open enrollment but we would need a better commitment to bussing...though, I really think there needs to be a bigger picture discussion about community schools and who gets them and where does this money come from. there was an article in city pages within the past few months about the push from southwestish parents to get a community school built for their kids, the class/race issue was glossed over with a 'we're just more committed to our kids and better organized' type dismissal, which i don't see as honest. my guess is that if a group of 200 white affluent parents want a school and a group of 200 poor minority parents want a school - it will be the white affluent parents who get the school. Third, there has rightly been a lot of concern about the state's role in micromanaging the schools/districts (and someone brought up the idea of a statewide school district:(...I think we need to make sure the state does not get its fingers in the decisions of schools/distiricts any more than they currently do. schools typically perform better when they are able to react as they deem appropriate to THEIR students - we have all witnessed the chaos and heard the horror stories of our current Profile...and don't get me wrong, this does not mean that schools should not be accountable or there should not be high expectations for students...the fact is when students are challenged they perform better - so we need teachers who are not afraid to challenge students with work many might see as too difficult - not the case. teaching students in any standardized way will either dumb them down or not reach them...anyway keep the state out of the decision making processes as much as possible. Lastly, I think the state already pays the full amount 70ish% and then the rest gets distributed later for some other reason...i obviously want to know how the money is currently distributed and why...let me know thanks:) And Fran is right about needing to sidestep any increases in regressive taxation and let the taxes come from the highest income bracket. jon kelland bryant --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > The idea of state funding of public k-12 schools is > worth discussion. > > Most posters have, with good reason, focused on the > question of balancing > taxes and debates on regressivity. The idea of > full state funding will > involve lots of other education/city issues, too. > For example: > > 1. > How do you decided what full funding is? Does it > include football, soccer, > lacrosse, water polo, International Baccalaureate, > industrial arts, Java > programming? GLBT coordinators? Smaller class size? > > Is it simply a flat sum to follow each > student...which would hardly be fair. > > Back in 1995 a long-forgotten group called the > Coalition for Educational > Reform and Accountability, trying to rationalize > state education > fundingproposing the state fund 100 percent of the > core work tried to > decide what is essential and what is a frill...and > couldnt do it. > > 2. > Any new plan could have major metropolitan > significance beyond property > taxes. One example: assuming districts would still > be allowed to allocate > funds and to float referenda, you could get some > interesting, but potentially > harmful, entrepreneurial reactions that might > affect housing decisions. With > the new clarity of funding, could districts be even > more open about > branding themselves, e.g., the district that > invests a higher percentage > of its resources in gifted education or the arts, > creating some > self-fulfilling prophesies? > > 3. > Central cities have different and expensive needs. > Youd need some serious > philosopher/statistician kings to develop an easily > understandable formula to > address that. (A lot of the complexity now works to > the benefit of > Minneapolis and what most of us would describe as > social justice for kids > with the longest odds.) > > 4. > The Minneapolis school boards mildly restrained > reaction to the Profile of > Learning was an example of districts as > laboratories of democracy. What > happens when the state funds it all? Would it be > left to those bureaucRATS? > What would/should school boards do? Is local control > viable today? > > None of which is to say that a kids education > should depend upon the > property wealth of the district in which her > p
Re: Mom and the Ventura Tax Plan
--- Fran Guminga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Let's get > serious and recognize that ability to pay means you > pay more if you make > more. Some of us have fogotten the admonition that > to whom much is given, > much is required. I think we heard it from our > mothers. That notion is not > popular these days, but that doesn't make it any > less true. True Dat! What is the highest income tax rate in the state? And what was the highest rate historically? Jon elland bryant __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/
