10th Avenue. At 6:AM there were 15 crack heads fighting with each other and
small time dealer user. Fighting about cost and who got what. With the main
distributor in a gray Lincoln town car having one loud argument with a small
time dealer concerning $1000.00 worth of product. Of this group the five main
drug dealers were Black males ; thirteen of the crack heads were Black males,
one was a known Native Prostitute and one was a known White prostitute.
Police were called and the license number of the small gray "drop car" was
given. As well as the description of the Lincoln by the first of the three
women, Janet Graham. The newer gray Lincoln TownCar parked across the street
had no license plate on the front so that number could not be given. She
continued to call as she attempted to get ready for work herself while at the
same time brow beating her husband into waiting for the police before he
himself confronted the drug dealers. (Yes I am more afraid of her than the
armed drug thugs:-) She deeply wanted the main distributor in the one Lincoln
to be caught by the police.
The milling around and fighting continued on the sidewalks and the middle of
the street and after a while some eight to ten druggies going down towards
Franklin Avenue. With numerous 911 calls going out the whole time, begging the
police to please come before the main dealers left. No police cars came. At
approximately 6:30 AM a woman (second working woman) rushing to her job
unfortunately encountered that group of druggies as she went to her work and
was the victim of aggravated robbery. An ambulance was called.
While the ambulance lights were flashing the third woman (also getting ready
for work) had finally had enough. Without her knowing that we were waiting,
hopefully, for a squad to answer the call (after more than thirty minutes to
catch the "distributor")she came out of her house on the corner of 21st and
10th and confronted the dealer in the Lincoln Towncar. The dealer, to our
profound disappointment, immediately took off.
When a police squad came to the scene of the second woman being robbed, three
smaller time drug dealers (one being the one we call "Tan" because he always
wears tan) got out of the small grey "drop car" and walked hastily around the
corner and down 21st Street. A call was made describing these three and
notifying the police that they were probably carrying the small amount of
'product' with them. In frustration working woman number one said, to hell with
this", and went to continued getting ready for work. The second gray or grayish
tan Lincoln TownCar working Elliot Avenue slowly pulled down 21st Street and
left the area.
Without her brow beating me to stay in the house I went down to ask the police
to at least do something about the remaining small grey drop car that parks
there every morning. Walking up to the side of the car I noticed that two of
the druggies who had been out there all morning slumped down in the seats. So I
walked over and asked the officers to please do something about the drop car.
The officer said he new that the car was parked there every morning but did not
have a reason to do anything about it. I then told them that there were two
people in the car that had been out with the drug dealers and druggies all
morning. I said I would be pleased to identify them. The officer smiled and
said Okay. I strolled back to my house and looked to see the officers had
surrounded the car and had the two druggies being put into the back of a squad
and an offer beginning to search the car., so I grabbed my coffee and walked
back. The one office asked
if I would be willing to let him open the car door and have a close look at
the two, and I of course agreed. Which I proceeded to do. Then the officer took
a statement from me, and I assured him that I would be happy to testify or
write a community impact statement if a prosecutor actual finally did something
with the case.
Now here is the problems. There are two few police officers for the number of
Thugs, Drugs, and Hookers in Minneapolis at this time. Second we have
prosecutors who are not aggressively prosecuting, and third and most important
we have a ELECTED Hennepin County Judges that are practicing "Catch and
Release".
Folks, three women getting ready for work or on their way to work should NOT
have to confront by or be viciously robbed by these Thugs. We need those we
pay for "Equal Protection Under The Law" to begin giving us at least minimum
service. If they cannot afford to pay enough aggressive police officers to help
us they need to allow the citizens to more aggressively address the problem
themselves. Some drug thugs have laughed at the idea that we will call the
police, saying the police are there to protect them not us. Sadly they seem to
be correct.
If those three women lived next door to most of those City Council Members,
Prosecutors, Judges, or the Mayor you would have immediate and overwhelming
action right now. We in the Impacted Neighborhoods are simply viewed as NOT as
important as their families. We are discriminated against because we live in
poorer neighborhoods. Those three women are damn sure not afforded the same
protection as their women, and our children are NOT seen as valuable and
precious as their children. This is discrimination at its worst. The media, the
politicians and the Chief get in a lather about some dumb police officers
uttering some stupid racial remarks, but where is the attention to the real
meaningful discrimination against the poor communities of color in this City?
Apparently no where.
And the "Cancer of distrust" of City of Minneapolis politicians grows deeper.
The Quality of OUR Minneapolis is being allowed to go to hell. The poor women
of Minneapolis are on their own, while politicians worry about Billionaire
sports owners and developers. A reminder quality of life in a City starts with
adequate safety for ALL its citizens.
Jim Graham
"We measure the quality of our
community by the way we provide for our children, our elders and our
handicapped. It should be our intent to build community by laying a
foundation on such principles and to organize its structure to
guarantee the safety and happiness of our most vulnerable."