Whining about drug dealers and do something about it. Oh really!!!( Actually
that statement did manage to piss me off even if Ed was trying to be helpful. )
Ed, actual people who live on their block  should do that organizing themselves
You need to get real and experience a little real life in the hood. Â Ed, where
the hell have you been when I fought the "wars" to save not just my
neighborhood but those across the City. Â Not theoretical crap from an old
commie, but actual praxis. Â Created the largest "Block Club" organization in
the history of Minneapolis. Â And an activist one at that. Â Not bullshit meeting
for coffee and rolls while paid block club "leaders" got paid. Â Actual people
who live here doing it .
Whine Ed, how many times have you stood nose to nose with a drug dealer
threatening you with a gun? Â Not many; Â I would bet not. Â Ever had a price put
on your head for interrupting the drug trade? Â I would bet not! Â Some people
TALK Â about what you should do, as if they even had an idea of actually doing
anything; some people actually do. Â Have you possibly had any awareness of
real community organizing around livability in the City of Minneapolis over the
last twenty years Ed. Â If so you would not have made such a foolish and naive
comment? Â Of course you have Ed, not in actual praxis I am sure, but in theory
as you write about social and political  theory.  But unfortunately Ed and
many do not seem to have much interest in being part of the actual ground
fight. Â Sort of like the football expert sitting in the easy chair
pontificating about how what Tom Brady should have done and did not do. Â If you
do not play the game Ed, you should not attempt to call the plays. Â Or as the
old saying goes down South, Ed, you need to teach your grandmother to suck
eggs.
When we organized about "Drug Dealing Gangs" and organized the large Anti-Drug
March from Sabathani in the Central Neighborhood I do not remember you being
there, when I helped Eric Mahmoud organize over north, and even went to the
City Council to demand that the drug "candy store" on Plymouth be shut down,
did not see you. Â When I helped start PNBC (Phillips Neighborhood Block Clubs
if you do not remember). Â I do not remember you ever being there. Â The actions
around MY organizing that is what made the National news.
Along with, and at the suggestion of, Clyde Belllicourt we took a couple of
hundred people down to City Hall to wake up the Council with a little "Civil
Unrest". Â Without about three network cameras focusing on it I would have been
hauled away by Jackie Cherry-Holmes' police goons for that fun. Â Do not
remember you being involved when I organized the media to focus on crime and
drug gangs. Â Do not remember you being part of the Drug and Crime Task Force
that then U.S. Attorney David Lillihaug with my help brought police forces from
across the Metro area to address "Murderapolis". Â (which was successful for a
long while.) Â Do not remember you being anywhere around when I, and a couple of
real hard working women, organized to change our community and created Ventura
Village. Â Do not remember you being involved when I, and a couple of other
great ladies, organized "The Heart of The City" parties" to address drug and
gang crime on the North side just a few years ago.
Much of that you can find from simply doing a search on just this site, or a
media google if you are a real "journalist". Â No offense Ed, but you should
KNOW better,
All this was not "brag" Ed, but verifiable fact. Â And there are really a few
people on this "List" that might remember it. Â But Ed, I have been away from
that "organizing" for a while, and I am damn tired of having to do it all over
again, and almost on my lonesome. Â Minneapolis became Murderapolis before
because a Mayor and Council did nothing about the rise of organized criminal
gangs in Minneapolis because of "political correctness" misapplied. Â Then
allowed it to go wild. Â Then in order to protect the Whittier Neighborhood that
had become a real problem, they actually sought to concentrate ALL the
Southside drug dealing and street crime in the Phillips Neighborhood. Â They
were to a large extent successful in the effort. Â That is NOT questionable
either because former Deputy Chief Mike Martin then a lieutenant in the Fifth
Precinct was the one directed to do that. Years later he admitted it was a fact
in a public meeting in front of about a hundred people. Â With the efforts begun
by, yes me, and later with David Lillihaug making us "His Community" we changed
that. Â Well it has come back a little. BUT it will get worse if not nipped in
the bud NOW.
Sorry Ed, I will not attempt to tell you how to organize a Socialist Movement
or run a small neighborhood publication, so please do not tell someone how to
do something altogether different. Â And someone that absolutely DOES NOT need
any paid Block Club "leaders". Â What an unbelievably silly idea. Â Almost sounds
like non-working office people who never worked a real job in their life being
"Labor Union Organizers". Â Really silly and funny!!! :-)
But maybe it is time to do a bit of organizing again. Â We would likely need as
many people as possible to have that "Class Action" against the City of
Minneapolis for discriminating against poor communities with large minority
populations. Â Or to demand that the Hennepin County Sheriff Stanek do his duty
to give other Citizens and tax payers of Minneapolis some "Public Safety" that
HE is paid for. Â At the Hennepin County Sheriff's site their logo is:
"Dedicated to increasing public safety through leadership, integrity, and
strong partnerships"
Seems to me we NEED a bit of that "dedication", we sure as hell could use some
"leadership, integrity and a strong partnership" for a change to get a little
of the "Public Safety" we pay you for. Â We actually got that from the past from
Sheriff Pat McGowan when he sat on the Drug and Crime Task Force. Â So Mr.
Stanek please step up and show a little of that leadership for your OWN voters
and constituency.
Jim Graham
P.S. Ed, Trump really is non-consequential in Minneapolis right now. Â He might
become a problem for us later, but he will have to become something more than
the "future" problem now. Â Get over that silly election, we in Minneapolis
chose Bernie and Marco you might remember. Â And I am sure not enough
Republicans voted for Trump in Minneapolis to elect a State Senator, let alone
a Congressperson. Â Sure you feel bad about it, a whole lot of people do.
Righteousness will get you nothing more than a long arm and a sore back from
patting it for your "righteousness" . Â By the way did you vote for Hillary? Â If
NOT people need to stop whining, and shut up about Trump. Â But don't worry Ed,
I know you are a dedicated Trump hater and China lover; and you will get a LOT
to hate in the future since he seems to be about to cause us to sever relations
with Communist China. Â And who even can predict what else. Â Where the hell is
WalMart going to get all that cheap crap American consumers love to suck up.
But that is altogether a whole new thread for a State of National Forum. Â :-)