Barricades, or containment roundups? That seems to be the false choice offered by the City in dealing with the Black community to provide safe streets for Whites. This columnist, however, stands for safe streets for all, Black and White.
As we have written in past columns, the biggest barricade holding back Blacks and keeping them in poverty and enabling crime is the failure to provide quality education (high drop-out rates, poor quality education, low test scores, suspensions) and quality jobs (related to poor quality of education, poor quality job training programs, and the persistence of public policies of noncompliance and discrimination in hiring).
Separateness is again repeated with the Minneapolis School District’s plan to give high school students a “gold card” to use to ride public transportation back and forth to school, which will also enable a wider restricting of transportation access. The perception by the Downtown Council and politicians is that the most important issue facing this city is White citizens not feeling safe, whether at night or by day. But the really serious issue is young Black-on-Black crime.
The corruption by White cops that led to the demise of such police department units as Safe Streets, Violent Offenders, and the Metro Gang Strike Force units has led to blaming Black officers. Black citizens pay the price.
The Police Research Institute has been brought in as a special advisor to the City of Minneapolis, according a Star Tribune blog article (“Mayor seeks review of youth violence prevention program,” July 30, 2012). So the intense discussion and debate continues within both the public and private sectors of Minneapolis regarding how to handle the “Black youth problem.”
We agree with the mayor that although the number of youth involved in juvenile crime has declined 59 percent since 2006, “That is not enough.” But we disagree with the City’s “Blueprint for Action” solution “to put a trusted adult in the life of every child.”
They don’t need handholding — they need hands-on education and hands-on jobs. The liberal Brookings Institute states that only two percent wind up in poverty if they do three things: finish high school, get a job, and marry before having babies. But the Minneapolis barricades of political correctness and discrimination don’t allow for that.
The Police Research Institute of Chuck Wexler, Washington, D.C., will be coordinating the strategy to deal with the “Black problem.” In fact, discussions within the new school district headquarters at 1200 West Broadway and the seats of power downtown center on a “take no prisoners” strategy as the order of the day.
In light of some the troubling history that came out of the corruption trial of police officers Lt. Andrew Smith and Sgt. Patrick King (July 16 through July 26, 2012), this is a department that is clearly in need of a new blueprint for action as well. The backup master plan for local containment, military style (roundups), as directed from Washington D.C., is a dangerous, unsafe and unhealthy approach.
Instead, we recommend the plans of our website’s “Solutions” section (http://www.theminneapolisstory.com/tocsolu tions.htm).
CRA is gone — no surprise
The Minneapolis Civilian Review Authority (CRA), created 21 years ago to give citizens a sense of involvement with the police department, is no more. The Minneapolis Police Federation lobbied for and got new legislation to eliminate all that the CRA was created to do.
In response, the City’s leadership, including Department of Civil Rights Director Velma Korbel, did not put up a fight to keep the CRA. Even former director Samuel Lee Reid II knew but kept it secret, leaving town immediately for a new job elsewhere when the doors closed.
The demise of the CRA, the turning over of the stadium to the new Stadium Authority, and economic and job development for African Americans and others of color reflect how meaningful citizen participation by citizens of color has gone the way of the dinosaur, as more chairs for citizens of color are taken away from the City table.
The French Revolution’s “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” fought for humanly impossible liberties through eight barricades’events and three revolutions. It replaced the rule of kings with the Reign of Terror and the tyranny of Napoleon and enabled two world wars. The American Revolution fought to preserve liberties it already had.
What will the barricades of Minneapolis lead to? Roundups, or putting chairs back to enable a seat for everyone?
A sad day. A sad commentary. Stay tuned.
Ron Edwards hosts “Black Focus” on Channel 17, MTN-TV, Sundays, 5-6 pm, and hosts Blog Talk Radio’s “Black Focus V” on Sundays, 3-3:30 pm and Thursdays, 7-8:30 pm, providing coverage about Black Minnesota. Order his books at www.BeaconOnTheHill.com. Hear his readings and read his columns, blog, and solution papers for community planning and development, at www.TheMinneapolisStory.com. Columns are archived at www.theminneap olisstory.com/tocarchives.htm.
Support Black local news
Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.