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2008 Blog Entries
August

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August 29, 2008 Blog Entry #28: Brilliant decision that moves diversity forward in the GOP

The Obama campaign has to be very careful how they play the brilliant game changing decision of John McCain to pick Alaska Governor Sarah Pallin as his Vice President. Say what you want about George Bush, he elevated Colin Powell and Condi Rice. And say what you want about John McCain, he has picked a woman after Barack refused to, and he picked a woman married to her high school sweetheart who is an Inuit (Alaskan native, 1 st American, Native American, or whatever diversity label you want to use). We have yet to find out where she stands on conservative issues we might not agree with. But regardless of what liberals say, she has invited women of America to help her blast through the glass ceiling with the 18 million cracks put into it by Hilary Clinton which the Obama team chose to ignore. Again, the Obama team has to be careful how they attack her. She symbolizes the notion that the Rs act without gender bias and show they are not afraid of a strong woman. Sarah Pallin fought the good ol boys in Alaska, fought the corrupt Republican croynism, and hunts moose. Her oldest son, in the Army, heads for Iraq in November. Obama spent the primary trying to beat a woman and now he'll have to spend the general election trying to beat another woman, all the while asking women to help him do it. It is a whole new ball game.

Posted August 29, 2008, 8:54 p.m.


August 29, 2008 Blog Entry #27: Violence Update

At approximately 3:02 am, in downtown Minneapolis (at the popular club Whispers, 418 3 rd Ave North, in the Warehouse District), police found an African American shot and killed, and a second shot but rushed to the hospital by friends at the same location. Double shooting, same location, one fatality, no suspects yet.

Posted August 29, 2008, 8:42 am.


August 29, 2008 Blog Entry #26: Gang - Police shootout. The domino effect from August 14.

There was a shoot out last night. 39 th and Portland. As police got out of their cars, gang members opened fire on them. Lots of shell casings on the street. Details are scant under the strict pre-convention security. What we know is that a civilian related to members of the Blood gang was wounded: gang members stormed the hospital last night, resulting in every squad car in the area being called to the hospital to provide protection there. Needless to say, tensions are running high.

Posted August 29, 2008, 5:22 a.m.


August 14, 2008 Blog Entry #25: Three shootings in 30 minutes tonight

In three precincts: 3rd (Officer involved one at 1800 block on 14th Avenue South. A somali citizen was shot, in what police say was an underover operation. A significant manhunt is underway. ), 4th (an African American woman), 5th (cab driver shot). We don't know much more in this information restricted enviroment prior to the convention. Lots of inexperienced police are on the street as veterans pull garrison duty prior to the National Republican Convention next week. This comes on the heals of an independent European film crew being arrested and their camera equipment confiscated early Tuesday morning in Northeast Minneapolis.

Posted Tues, 8-26-08, 11:55 p.m.


August 14, 2008 Blog Entry #24: Safety alert: violence out of control as gun battles continue

4 shot in 2 different areas, in 2 separate gun battles in a 40 minute period, as two were shot in Cedar Riverside in Southeast Minneapolis and two downtown, with, aledgedly, one suspect apprehended and one gun recovered in North Minneapolis.

Posted 8-14-08, 3:08 am


August 9, 2008 Blog Entry #23 Another gun battle, more deaths. Who will protect us?

The neighborhood went into voluntary shut down, cowering in fear, as gunmen ran back and forth across the streets shooting. It could just as easily been a picture of urban war fare or an action movie.

The police have no suspects. And as this was probably done by retaliatory shooters from Chicago, they are probably now long gone. The Mayor's office was warned but refused to believe. They seem too concerned with spending time trying to figure out how to avoid punishment for years of discrimination against Black police officers than spending time figuring out how to support the security of our Minneapolis neighborhoods, leaving them vunerable.

There are not enough police for three separate crime scenes. With the routine need for additional police at the Republican National convention in St. Paul, September 1-4, what kind of coverage will we have available to us in Minneapolis? Will Governor Palenty have to declare a state of emergency?

Last week, The New York Times, in an article, Denver Police Brace for Convention, meaning the Democratic National Convention in Denver, August 25-28, reported that " Federal and local authorities are girding for huge protests, mammoth traffic tie-ups and civil disturbances," which will include "self-described anarchists who the police fear will infiltrate peaceful protest groups to disrupt the weeklong event." And even though both conventions will be enlisting thousands of additional officers to help with security," that is fine for the convention areas. What about the rest of our city?

The same NYT story reports that St. Paul's 600-member police force will "grow nearly sixfold with about 3,000 additional officers arriving from around Minnesota, as well as from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and the Dakotas."

So you can see, this is not crying wolf, as the NYT report continues: there have been "concerns about whether local police in each city had enough officers to deal with a wide range of threats, including terrorist attacks or a lone gunman," where "The most pressing fears, particularly in Denver, are that as many as 30,000 demonstrators may sweep into the city to disrupt the convention." So again, what about St. Paul? What about Minneapolis?

Posted August 10, 3:03 a.m.


August 8, 2008 Blog Entry #22 Baby shot, gang shootouts, and death on Minneapolis' dangerous streets: not the kind of Progressive Evening we want to offer the Republican National Convention September 1-4, 2008.

The police chief and mayor are too caught up in their eagerness to avoid being sued for their discrimination against Black police officers that they are in fact also discriminating against the safety of the citizens of they city as they focus their gaze at their collective turf belly buttons instead of on the neighborhoods that are the beating heart of the city.

Posted Aug 8, 2008, 2:58 a.m.


Ron hosts “Black Focus” on Channel 17, MTN-TV, Sundays, 5-6 pm. Formerly head of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission and the Urban League, he continues his “watchdog” role for Minneapolis. Order his book, hear his voice, read his solution papers, and read his between columns “web log” at www.TheMinneapolisStory.com.

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