South Minneapolis Neighborhood because quite honestly it did not seem to
matter. Politicians simply do not care to address the problem or even
acknowledge the problem that it is. And of course the Minneapolis Police are
ORDERED not to bother the drug dealers, and the Minneapolis City Attorney will
NOT charge those actually bothered by the police. The County Attorney seems to
be also part of the problem and NOT focusing on this issue as well.
Some politicians claim the problem is not as bad as the old days of
Murderapolis because the there are not as many people being shot. What they do
NOT add into the equation is the number of people who die due to overdosing.
Something that has been epidemic in some parts of Minneapolis. In my opinion
those also should be put on the ledger of the politicians who are ordering the
police to NOT enforce existing laws or ignoring the problem.
Of course we hear how the Mayor and Council are addressing this problem by
adding all those additional officers to protect the business interests of
Downtown Minneapolis. What an utter joke that is played upon the poor and
minority Neighborhoods that suffer from the lack of proper police services to
protect their communities. My question is which block downtown had five drug
dealers working out of their cars this morning selling drugs with apparent
immunity from police interference. And the shameful thing is that it was
taking place under an evidence quality camera that is supposed to be monitored
by a police officer.
So for a measly, paltry $150,000 from the Downtown Council they get ALL the
extra police coverage that will suck what little police service we have from
Impacted Neighborhoods? The Minneapolis Politicians have made arrangements to
have Hennepin County Sheriffs more involved and even the Minnesota Highway
Patrol working in Downtown Minneapolis for the next several months. Folks,
what the hell is going on? Could there possibly be a more clear example of
systematic and systematic discrimination against poor and minority communities.
The poor and minority people in Impacted Neighborhoods are systematically NOT
provided "Equal Protection Under The Law".
As a Democrat I am at a loss. We have a DFL Mayor, we have a DFL Council
Member, we have DFL and Democrat State Representatives, Senators, Democrat
Governor, Democrat U.S. Congressman and Senators ALL supposedly supporting
poor and minority people and their interests, yet WHAT are they doing to
actually represent the interests of the poor and minority people in Impacted
Neighborhoods and Communities? Sending extra police into Downtown Minneapolis
to protect Business interests when there are such active public safety issues
ongoing in other poor areas of the City. All to show those are protecting the
interests of Ziggy, Downtown Business, and the NFL because of the Super Bowl.
Putting "Business" interests before the interest of the people...Sure as hell
sounds Republican to me.
This morning five drug dealers on one side of the block of 10th Ave. between
Franklin and 21st. doing business as if it was a "Farmers Market". People in
the streets buying and selling. Mostly Black males but one woman who was
either white or possibly Native in a redish Jeep Lic # 781 TPH being quite
active. Across the street from all of them comes the distributor in his large
grayish Cadillac with what appeared to be Wisconsin Licence # 543 ZDU
distributing to them and staying only 20 or 30 minutes. It really is like a
"Drug Store" drive through, with cars pulling through, getting curb service and
leaving with their morning "medicine" and some walk up traffic walking up to
get theirs.
Finally I called, just to be told by the 911 dispatcher to call the "Drug Tip
Line" at 673-5706. I explained that I had several times and even asked people
on the Minneapolis Issues List to help us out by doing the same. Finally the
Cadillac "Distributor" leaves. Followed by one of the drug dealers cars. Now
a Metro Transit Cop pulls into the Parking lot an parks beside the "Drug
Shelter, ignoring the dealers cars, and two more of the drug dealers cars pull
away. Now finally a Minneapolis Police Squad pulls in beside the Transit cop
and they talk. Now the Jeep Lady dealer finally drives away. She knows that
the cops have ruined business for a while. But probably had NO fear of arrest,
even with that expensive camera the neighborhood paid for with the supposed
police monitor, she knows the police with their orders to not bother the
dealers and customers, really will not actually do more than scare customers
away. And even if an officer with embarrassment at what is allowed does bother
her and the other drug dealers she works with that the City and County
Attorneys will not charge them.
And one last thing Political thing in my morning rant. If I owned and
controlled a rental property with the same level of constant criminal activity
going on in and around it. I would be prosecuted and put in jail for
controlling a "Disorderly House" under Minnesota Statute and Law. Yet the Met
Council's Metro Transit "Drug Shelter" erected to protect the Drug Dealers a
year or so ago is free to house and be a center of crime activity. Clearly
the worst offender of the law IS the Metropolitan Council. So the worst "Slum
Lord" and "Problem Property Owner" in my community is the Met Council.
By the way while I was waiting on my porch, the man who was getting the
Norwegian Lutheran Church ready for morning service came over and asked if I
had called the police as well. I assured him I had. He then said he calls
several times a week, but he just gets told to call the "Drug Tip Line", which
he has been doing but the police do not do anything about it. I told him that
I do as well and some of the Mpls Issues form have told me that they do as
well. He suggested that perhaps a "Camera" would help and was surprised to
learn that there was a supposed police monitored camera right over that entire
area. He did not understand why Metro Council maintained that "Bus Stop", and
commented that the only people who used it were drug dealers and users. That
bus riders did not dare use it and had also seen the small Latina women running
to catch the bus, so they did not have to stop there. (The police officer
later confirmed that several of the small Hispanic women had been robbed at
that corner and we should maybe demand that the Met Transit take that shelter
and bench out of there.)
So folks help us out, please call 612-673-5706 and give them the tip that there
is drug dealing going on at that block and that bus stop. The last time
people outside the community did that we actually got better police service for
a week or two. :-) And folks remember when you Caucus demand answers from
politicians about why they support taking the little police service we
Minneapolis voters have away to support downtown business interest of people
who do not even live in Minneapolis, and a billionaire who does not even live
in Minnesota.
Jim Graham