| Progressive Calendar 02.17.10 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001 tc.umn.edu)
|
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| Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:23:04 -0800 (PST) | |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 02.17.10
Chief Dolan/CRA issue
1. Alliant vigil 2.17 7am
2. No more Dolan 2.17 9:30am/1:30pm
3. MN census/TTT 2.17 11am
4. Davidov/Masters 2.17 7pm
5. Sheila Regan - Mpls Chief Dolan reappointment sparks controversy at CRA
6. Anon/MGross - Comment/clarification on above (#5)
7. Dave Bicking - Writ of Mandamus directs CRA Bellfield to obey law
8. Dave Bicking - Executive Committee
9. Dave Bicking - Letter to Gordon re Executive Committee
10. Cam Gordon - Reply to Bicking re Executive Committee
11. Michelle Gross - Judge orders CRA chair to comply
12. Dan Dittmann - Do NOT re-appoint Tim Dolan
13. Bob Schmitz - Mpls police
14. Dave Bicking - Media coverage of CRA
--------1 of 14--------
From: AlliantACTION <alliantaction [at] circlevision.org>
Subject: Alliant vigil 2.17 7am
Join us Wednesday morning, 7-8 am
Now in our 14th year of consecutive Wednesday
morning vigils outside Alliant Techsystems,
7480 Flying Cloud Drive Eden Prairie.
We ask Who Profit$? Who Dies?
directions and lots of info: alliantACTION.org
--------2 of 14--------
From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
Subject: No more Dolan 2.17 9:30am/1:30pm
[Contains a timeline useful when reading items #5-14. This is all
happening in the very next days and weeks. -ed]
On Wednesday, February 17, 9:30am, the Executive Committee [of the Mpls
City Council] will meet and actually decide whether to put Dolan's name
forward for the entire City Council to consider. This may actually
generate some discussion or even controversy, and that could be a very
important meeting to watch, to get a sense of where members stand.
Remember that in 2006, Dolan's appointment almost got stopped at this
point. It would be very important to contact the members of the Executive
Committee before this meeting. They are: Mayor Rybak, Council President
Johnson and Council Members Gordon, Glidden and Lilligren. It takes 3 to
send the nomination on, and Rybak and Johnson are nearly certain to back
Dolan, so it is important to concentrate on the other 3.
Later that same day, February 17, at 1:30pm, the Public Safety & Health
Committee receives the nomination and sets the public hearing for their
next meeting, two weeks later.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1:30 PM: PUBLIC HEARING. This is THE time to
mobilize everyone we can. Everyone, especially those who can not come,
should contact the committee members before the meeting. They are: Don
Samuels (chair), Cam Gordon, Barb Johnson, Diane Hofstede, Betsy Hodges,
and Meg Tuthill. At that same meeting, just after the public hearing, we
can expect the committee to vote whether to send the appointment to the
full council.
Friday, March 12, 9:30am Full council meeting will vote on appointment.
A simple majority (7 votes) is needed. The Council approves almost
everything that comes to it from Committee, but a high profile item like
this can be different. Before the meeting, contact all Council members,
especially your own.
If Dolan is NOT approved, the Mayor and the Executive Committee commence a
search. Dolan continues to serve until another Chief is appointed.
Let's start a movement for justice and accountability!!
[And see items # 5-14 below. -ed]
--------3 of 14--------
From: Andy Driscoll <andy [at] driscollgroup.com>
Subject: MN census/TTT 2.17 11am
TRUTH TO TELL 11AM - FEBRUARY 17 CENSUS 2010: Minnesota's Critical Decade
KFAI - 90.3FM-Minneapolis/106.7FM Saint Paul and STREAMING at KFAI.org
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 - 11:00AM
CENSUS 2010: Minnesota's Critical Decade
From all indications, we can't take the need for an accurate count of all
our state's residents too seriously. At stake could be the millions of
federal dollars and, ultimately, the strength of our representation in
Washington DC. An undercount could reduce the size of Minnesota's
Congressional delegation: we're on the cusp of losing one of our eight
seats in the House of Representatives if our real numbers fail to meet the
threshold - as few as 1,100 people undercounted. Many communities -
especially students and suspicious minority and immigrant communities -
are badly undercounted - and for good reason: few people trust the
government. Period.
Advocates and community representatives are scouring neighborhoods for
every person to complete the Census form when it arrives at each
household, especially in the Twin Cities where many new Americans and
minority community people may need convincing that this is an important
time to be counted. Meetings are held. Jobs offered. Speeches made. An
all-out campaign to be included.
TTT's ANDY DRISCOLL and LYNNELL MICKELSEN explore the issues and why this
decade's Census is one of the more critical in our state's history.
GUESTS:
INVITED: KEITH ELLISON - Congressman, 5th District
TOM GILLASPY - Minnesota State Demographer
HANNAH GARCIA - 2010 Census Project Director, Minneapolis 2010
Census; EMAIL
ANGELA BURKHALTER - Lead Census Executive for Saint Paul; EMAIL
ARNETTA KABA-PHILLIPS - System Navigator, His Works United,
Stairstep Foundation
--------4 of 14--------
From: Women Against Military Madness <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Davidov/Masters 2.17 7pm
Marv Davidov and Carol Masters Reading: You Can't Do That
Wednesday, February 17, 7:00 p.m. Unity Church, 732 Holly Avenue, St.
Paul. Activist Marv Davidov and his biographer Carol Masters discuss his
biography, You Can't Do That: Marv Davidov, Non-Violent Revolutionary. "In
this full-length biography, we follow the career of Marv Davidov from his
years in the Army (he received an honorable discharge 'for the good of the
army'), living among the Beats on the U of M campus, participating in the
Freedom Rides that helped bring racial integration to the American South,
and on to the rallies, conferences and demonstrations in Minnesota,
serving to raise public awareness of locally-manufactured bombs and
weapons designed to kill and maim. 'I write good letters from prison,'
says Davidov, who has been arrested 50 times for acts of civil
disobedience'" - book description. Biographer Carol Masters is a long time
anti-war activist and writer and serves on the Board of WAMM. Endorsed by:
WAMM.
--------5 of 14--------
[I think every move should be made to NOT reappoint Dolan, and to back
Bicking and his vision of the CRA. -ed]
Minneapolis Chief Dolan reappointment sparks controversy at Civilian
Review Authority
By Sheila Regan
TC Daily Planet
February 15, 2010
The recent in-house hullabaloo at the Minneapolis Civilian Police Review
Authority (CRA) went to court February 12, as CRA member Dave Bicking
filed a writ of mandamus asking the court to require Minneapolis Chief
Dolan to comply with the ordinance relating to disciplining police
officers for sustained complaints made to CRA and to require CRA chair
Donald Bellfield to notify the city council that Dolan is "failing to obey
his mandate."
Two CRA seats have expired and are up for re-appointment, at the same time
that Police Chief Tim Dolan faces a reappointment vote in the city
council. CRA chair Donald Bellfield has called for CRA member Dave Bicking
to resign, because of Bicking's criticism of Dolan.
The purpose of the CRA is to investigate and makes determinations
regarding complaints brought against any Minneapolis police officer,
according to its website. When a complaint is investigated by the CRA,
the hearing panel makes a determination whether or not to sustain the
complaint within 30 days of the hearing. If the complaint is sustained,
the matter is referred to the Chief of Police who will decide whether or
not to impose discipline. When the Chief has made his decision, he must
provide his reasons in writing to the mayor and the CRA.
In December, the CRA published a performance review of Chief Dolan
covering 2008 and the first three quarters of 2009. According to the
report, most sustained cases that the CRA has submitted to the chief have
not led to discipline. The report states:
During the evaluation period, the CRA has received discipline decisions
from the MPD on 25 cases that were sustained. In only 3 cases (12%) was
any discipline imposed on the officers involved. 4 Some cases involve more
than one officer. Of the 37 officers who were found by the CRA to have
engaged in misconduct, 5 officers (14%)were disciplined: three received
letters of reprimand, two received oral reprimands.
The report also indicates (In Appendix B) that the CRA does not approve a
majority of the complaints. The report's statistics show that during an
evaluation period involving 55 cases, 60% of them were not sustained by
the CRA board.
According to the Star Tribune, there was a CRA hearing on January 6 where
the group presented the 18-page performance review. Clearly, the official
stance of the CRA is critical of Dolan, but for Chair Donald Bellfield,
Dave Bicking's statements outside the CRA have gone too far.
Dave Bicking ran for city council against Gary Schiff this fall, is a
vocal peace, justice and civil liberties advocate, but fellow CRA member
Justin Terrell said that in his work with the CRA, Bicking has adjudicated
complaints fairly and has been "very neutral." Terrell said that Bicking
is very good about approaching each CRA case "as adjudicate, not
activist."
CRA Chair Donald Bellfield asked Bicking in an email not to attend a
January 26 New Broom Coalition Forum on "Minneapolis Police Chief Dolan:
should he be reappointed?"
"Your role as a member of the CRA and as a participant in this forum may
be a violation of the CRA's mission to remain neutral," Bellfield wrote.
"This seems to be a conflict of interest and misrepresentation of the CRA
committee." Bellfield's email continued: "If you plan to participate, you
will need to resign your membership from the CRA. Please let the Board
know your intentions."
Bicking responded to Bellfield's email with an email of his own, in which
he asked Bellfield if he would withdraw the ultimatum if Bicking promised
to represent his views at the forum as his own and not of the CRA.
Bellfield then replied to Bicking, again copying all CRA board members,
stating: "If you plan to participate, you will need to resign your
membership from the CRA."
Bellfield said in an interview that he couldn't respond to whether he
asked Bicking to resign. As far as Bicking's activism, Bellfield said:
"People can do what they want to do."
CRA member Justin Terrell said that the email Bellfield sent to Bicking
"was a personal email" and wasn't meant as an official action. "When Don
found out about the meeting," Terrell said, "he was upset because Dave
associated himself with the board. That creates a perception that we're
okay with that whatever input he has about the Chief."
On January 28, the Star Tribune published an article that quotes Bicking's
criticisms of Dolan and identifies him as a member of the CRA. Following
the publication of that article, Bellfield wrote a letter to Mayor Rybak
and the City Council with a complaint that Bicking "is featured as a
member of the CRA opposing the reappointment of Chief Dolan." Bellfield
wrote: "I am deeply disturbed at Mr. Bicking's comments and lack of
respect he is showing for the Board and staff of the CRA."
Bicking said that that at the most recent CRA board meeting on February 3,
he attempted to have emails Bellfield sent be retracted. "Those are public
documents," Bicking said. "That's public information." Bicking said that
he's aware that the expiration of his term and the fact that he is up for
re-appointment have caused controversies to heighten recently. "Even
though [Bellfield] has no authority to kick me off," Bicking said, "[The
City Council] are the ones that vote on my reappointment."
On Friday, February 12, Bicking, along with Communities United Against
Police Brutality (CUAPB) took action against Bellfield and also Chief
Dolan by filing a writ of mandamus, to "force Minneapolis police chief Tim
Dolan to discipline cases sustained by the CRA" and to force Bellfield to
file a notice to the City Council's executive committee "regarding Chief
Dolan's repeated violations of the CRA ordinance," according to a CUAPB
press release.
Bicking said that his action on Friday was as an individual, not as a
member of the CRA. Bicking said that Dolan is violating the ordinance that
compels him to discipline cases passed by the CRA. Bicking said that the
fact that Dolan is up for re-appointment is part of the reason he and
groups such as the CUAPB have been so vocal against him.
Jesse Garcia, spokesman for the Minneapolis Police, said that CUAPB and
Dave Bicking's cause "lacks credibility" and that "Chief Dolan's office is
the most stringent of any previous police chief." Garcia said that Dolan
also receives pressure from the Police Federation for being too harsh in
disciplining officers.
Copyright: 2010 Sheila Regan
Sheila Regan (sheila [at] tcdailyplanet.net) is a Minneapolis theater artist
and freelance writer.
--------6 of 14--------
Comments on the above from the Daily Planet web:
1. The Civilian Police Review
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2010-02-14 16:24.
The Civilian Police Review Authority is a joke. What good is all the so
called "work" the board does if it has no results? It's filled with
benchwarmers who are completely stymied into inaction by Dolan showing up
at one of their meetings and saying a few words.
2. reply - Clarifications
Submitted by Michelle Gross, CUAPB (not verified) on Sun, 2010-02-14
23:18.
Thank you to Sheila Regan for writing this article and explaining this
complex issue well. However, there are a few items that need
clarification.
I was a panelist at the New Broom forum at which Mr. Bicking was also a
panelist. At all times, he made it clear that he was speaking about this
own opinions and was not representing the CRA board. Further, Steve
Brandt with the Star Tribune wrote a letter to the CRA board stating that
Mr. Bicking had made it clear during the interview that he was only giving
his personal opinion, not speaking for the board. Community members of
boards are entitled to hold and share their personal opinions and nothing
in the CRA ordinance prohibits them from doing so or allows the chair to
demand their resignation when they do.
On the other hand, Mr. Bellfield issued a letter to the mayor, city
council members, civil rights director and others ON CRA LETTERHEAD and
represented that he was speaking for the entire board when he excoriated
Mr. Bicking. The board had not met to approve such a letter. Therefore,
he actually broke the rule about not representing the board without
permission - the very rule for which he incorrectly called out Mr.
Bicking.
A second item that needs clarification is the issue of Chief Dolan's
discipline of sustained CRA cases. The chief does have the option to
decide on the level of discipline or even not to discipline. However, he
has to make the decision within 60 days and it has to be based on the
facts as determined by the CRA. What this chief has done is refuse to
discipline these cases, stating that he doesn't believe the CRA or that he
finds the community member not credible, etc. These reasons for not
disciplining are violations under the law. Further, in cases in which it
could be proven that the police officer lied to the CRA, he has failed to
take action.
When the police chief fails to follow the ordinance, a provision states
that the CRA board chair "SHALL notify the executive committee [of the
Minneapolis city council] of the chief's failure to comply." After over 3
months of trying to get the chair to make this report, CUAPB finally
decided to take legal action to force the chair to follow the law. We
asked Mr. Bicking to join our action. As a CRA board member, he has a
fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the board upholds the law and
serves the community. He is meeting this responsibility and serving the
community through this action.
As for the rest of the CRA board, they seem to feel that showing up for a
monthly meeting and sitting on an occasional hearing panel is the extent
of their responsibilities. Not so. The ordinance clearly intends for
them to make policy recommendations, participate in the chief.s
performance review and engage in other actions that increase police
department accountability to the community. Despite our best efforts to
work with this board, Mr. Bellfield and some others on the board have
resisted doing what the law tells them they must. That.s the reason we
felt compelled to go forward with this action. No one is above the
law - including the police chief and CRA board.
--------7 of 14--------
From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
Subject: Writ of Mandamus directs CRA Bellfield to obey law
Success in Writ of Mandamus action
News flash - much more to come later tonight when I have the documents and
the time....
Late this afternoon District Court Judge Susan Burke signed a Writ of
Mandamus directing CRA Chair Don Bellfield to obey the law - the CRA
Ordinance saying that he SHALL notify the Executive Committee of the Mpls
City Council of the failure of Police Chief Dolan to follow the section of
the CRA Ordinance regarding the issuing of discipline in sustained CRA
cases. He must submit that notification to the Executive Committee by
10am tomorrow morning (Wednesday, Feb 17), OR appear in court to show
cause as to why he has not done so.
We couldn't have asked for anything better.
He is being served with that order tonight at his home. It will be up to
him which course of action to choose. If he makes the notification, it
will happen before or during the Executive Committee meeting which starts
at 9:30am. We will be prepared for the court hearing, at which both sides
may make their case. The court hearing is open to the public, in the
Hennepin County Government Center - check with the assignment desk if you
want to come.
This is a granting of the first half of our "Petition for Writ of
Mandamus", which is directed at Bellfield. The second half asks the Court
to order Chief Dolan to comply with the law, or show cause at a court
hearing. That is less urgent - though more important - and will be
decided later. This ruling is a good sign, though.
This is a small but significant step toward restoring the authority and
purpose of the CRA.
Dave Bicking
--------8 of 14--------
From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
Subject: Executive Committee
The reappointment of Police Chief Dolan will be considered by the Mpls
City Council's Executive Committee tomorrow morning, 9:30am. This will
probably be a rubber stamp of the mayor's recommendation, but it shouldn't
be.
Partly in preparation for this, I watched the Executive Committee meeting
two weeks ago. At that time they were giving similar consideration to 8
other department heads. I got quite a surprise.
I have been meaning to report on what I heard at that meeting, but as you
all know, I have been a little distracted by another issue. I also wanted
to follow up with Cam Gordon to get some clarification of what I heard.
That Executive Committee meeting started with a discussion of the
performance reviews of the major department heads. I expected they would
go into closed session for that. Instead, the mayor talked about the new
process started several years ago, called 360 degree reviews. The term
comes from trying to get as much perspective from as many different angles
as possible, from as many as 20 external "stakeholders".
The mayor wasn't going to discuss any individual performance reviews or
ratings, but he could give a "topline" report. In general, across all
department heads, highest ratings were in these four areas: ethics and
integrity, customer relationships, technical competence, and enthusiasm.
Lowest ratings (collectively) were in human resource development, fiscal
management and analysis, delegation of work, and communication with
subordinates.
Well, that is only moderately interesting, and hardly the kind of
information a person would need before voting on reappointments to these
positions.
So, Elizabeth Glidden, who is new to the committee (the other four have
been on it for the last four years), asks an innocent question: "It's
great that we have a standard way of measuring performance. But how will
we know more about the department heads' performance for reappointment -
for someone like me who was not a participant in these performance
reviews?" Thank you, Elizabeth! I guess she "hadn't gotten the memo" -
that she and the Executive Committee are just window dressing to cover the
power of the mayor.
The City Coordinator Bosacker, the Mayor, and the City Attorney Susan
Segal started hemming and hawing and doing their little dance around the
issue. Obviously, performance reviews are personnel data, and thus
private data under the MN Data Practices Act. But just as obviously, that
doesn't keep them from being made available to authorized members of the
governing body, City Council. But they really wanted to avoid saying
that.
Cam Gordon spoke up and said he has never seen an actual performance
review during his 4 years on the Executive Committee. There was a vague
agreement to "continue to talk".
At that point, the mayor moved the issue - the sending of all 8 department
head nominations to the appropriate committees of City Council for public
hearing and a vote. It was quickly approved unanimously.
Clearly, it is our desire that the action on Chief Dolan tomorrow morning
not be such a formality.
As I said above, I wanted to check my facts with Cam Gordon to make sure I
understood correctly, before sending out this report. Below I have
forwarded our email exchange: my inquiry at the bottom, and his reply
above that.
For those who might wish to contact the Executive Committee, the email
addresses are:
mayor [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us
barbara.johnson [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us
robert.lilligren [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us
cam.gordon [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us
elizabeth.glidden [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us
I think there are plenty of reasons why Chief Dolan does not deserve
reappointment. On top of that, there is a procedural concern: the
Council members on the Executive Committee should refuse to act until they
have access to the Chief's performance review. That's what I would do if
I were on that Committee. "Uninformed consent" is no way to govern, and
no way to fulfill the responsibility of representing one's constituents!
Dave Bicking
--------9 of 14--------
From: Dave Bicking [mailto:dave [at] colorstudy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 2:21 PM
To: Gordon, Cam A.
Subject: Executive Committee [Bicking to Gordon]
Hi Cam,
I watched the last Executive Committee meeting, almost two weeks ago. I
was quite surprised by Elizabeth Glidden's question regarding how she
could get information on the performance reviews of the department heads
you were voting on.
Did I understand you correctly to say, that because you are not a
Committee Chair, you have never seen a department head performance
review?? How do they expect you to function as an informed member of the
Executive Committee?
It seems to me the mayor and City Attorney were spouting nonsense and
dancing around the issue. Yes, there are data privacy issues with
performance reviews and other personnel issues. But, as Council members,
those issues don't apply - and they know it.
The Executive Committee should have some substantive power, not just be a
rubber stamp for the mayor. Otherwise, what is the purpose? I believe it
was formed for exactly that purpose, so the mayor didn't have sole power
to determine who the Council got to consider when voting on appointments.
The mayor has access to all the performance reviews, and I would imagine
Barb Johnson would also as Council President. But what about the other
three Executive Committee members? Is this an exercise in "uninformed
consent"?
Please quickly let me know if this is the case, that you are expected to
vote on department heads for which you can not (or simply have not?) seen
the performance reviews.
The department heads approved for nomination at the last meeting are now
water over the dam. But tomorrow comes the big question on Chief Dolan.
Have you seen his performance review? Have other committee members?
I hope that the Chief's reappointment will at least be considered as a
substantive matter tomorrow morning, not just as a procedural formality.
Thanks for any info you have time to provide,
Dave Bicking 612-276-1213
--------10 of 14--------
Subject: RE: Executive Committee [Gordon to Bicking]
Date sent: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:41:53 -0600
From: "Gordon, Cam A." <Cam.Gordon [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us>
To: <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
Yes,
This is the case. I think they should all come to exec, but as you could
see from the last meeting I was out numbered. We were also told that they
would figure out a process for getting the information out. I think the
entire Council should get all the reviews, but again I am not sure if
there is agreement. I have requested the reviews and especially the chiefs
and do not have it yet. If I do I will likely be unable to share it.
These reviews are new. No such things were done before I was elected. It
is good that we now have a formal way of conducting the reviews. I
supported and pushed for that. Now, however, we need a way to get them to
council embers. I have suggested closed meetings in committee with the
heads, but this does not seem to have much support.
All that said, we have and councils in the past have had, plenty of things
to use to evaluate heads. We also have results Minneapolis now which is a
good tool. Since I haven't seen them I have no idea how useful the 360
reviews are anyway. Still, I want to see them and think that getting them
to the Council members is the best thing to do.
Cam Gordon
Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
673-2202, 296-0579
cam [at] camgordon.org
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
http://secondward.blogspot.com/
--------11 of 14--------
From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
From: Michelle Gross <mgresist [at] visi.com>
Subject: JUDGE ORDERS CRA CHAIR TO COMPLY
Communities United Against Police BrutalityTM
3100 16th Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407
612-874-STOP
www.CUAPB.org
COURT ORDERS CRA CHAIR TO FOLLOW LAW
February 16, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Michelle Gross 612-703-1612
Late this afternoon, in response to our writ petition filed on February
12, Judge Susan Burke issued a Writ of Mandamus ordering CRA board chair
Don Bellfield to submit notice to Minneapolis City Councilīs Executive
Committee of Police Chief Tim Dolanīs failure to follow the discipline
section of the CRA ordinance (172.130). The order also requires Mr.
Bellfield to inform the Executive Committee that Chief Dolan's failure to
follow the ordinance can subject him to discipline. Mr. Bellfield is
required to provide proof to the court that he has issued the notice or to
appear in court at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning before Judge Burke to show
cause as to why he failed to comply.
The timing of this notice is critical, as the Executive Committee will be
voting on the chiefīs nomination for reappointment at their meeting at
9:30 tomorrow morning.
Attached please find [not included -ed] a copy of Judge Burke's order
along with a copy of our petition requesting this order, which provides
ample evidence of Chief Dolan's failure to follow the CRA ordinance.
Judge Burke did not take up the second part of our writ petition, which
would compel Chief Dolan to follow the ordinance. Judge Burke has been
hearing a jury trial for the last several days and in a separate
communication, we informed her that this was the less urgent part of our
petition. She is expected to rule on this second aspect of the petition
in the near future.
"We are gratified that the court has ruled that Chair Bellfield is not
above the law," stated Michelle Gross, President of Communities United
Against Police Brutality. She added, "This ruling validates the role and
mission of the CRA. We look forward to an order compelling Chief Dolan to
follow the law on disciplining sustained CRA cases."
--------12 of 14--------
From: Dan Dittmann <dan [at] dandittmann.org>
Subject: Do NOT re-appoint Tim Dolan
In the upcoming vote regarding the re-appointment of Police Chief Tim
Dolan, please vote against re-appointment. A very clear case has been made
on disciplinary grounds that re-appointment should not occur.
A vote for re-appointment will lead to years of additional financial bleed
due to out of control city employees. A vote against re-appointment will
signal the City is serious not only about its finances, but the conduct of
its employees as well.
Before concluding, I thought I should mention the fact that I worked for a
long time in the retail sector. The positions worked ranged from the floor
up to management. I have seen many good people terminated after having a
bad experience with a hostile customer. City employees are quite literally
killing people, and not only getting away with it, receiving commendations
for doing so. Putting it as simply as possible, this is not right.
I have a very difficult time in reconciling how it is that a retail
employee can get terminated for telling off a customer while a city
employee can tell off that same person, follow it up with a beating,
mercilessly taser or even kill that person, only to receive
administratively required time off?
How is this possible? Why is such an inequity allowed to persist?
Dan Dittmann Ward 8
--------13 of 14--------
From: allibobi [at] comcast.net
Subject: Re: Mpls Police
I talked briefly with Cam Gordon at the winter meeting. After hearing of
police brutality directed at the housing activists, I became curious, and
asked Cam what % of the Mpls police officers lived in the city. He said
about 10%. 90% live in the suburbs and exurbs, thus have no loyalty to the
city other than the job. I know the city can not discriminate and dictate
where an officer lives, but I would think they might find ways to provide
incentives to take up residence in the city that pays them.
I am more familiar with St Paul, while much more humane than the MPLS
police over the years, I observed a freightening incident of police
brutality recently, and am concerned about the same climate developing in
St. Paul.
If there is some way to reward officers for living in the city without
running afoul of the constituion, we should do so.
Bob Schmitz
--------14 of 14--------
From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
Subject: Media coverage of CRA
For your reference. I've compiled a listing of news articles and their
links, to send to the other CRA board members. I thought you might be
interested, particularly if you are looking for a particular story.
Probably the best single story covering the controversies is the one in
the Daily Planet. Tom Cleland's blog is also very helpful, including many
comments which just keep coming. Terry Yzaguirre's first story at Mpls
Mirror is also helpful, giving a thorough compilation of documents, plus a
video of part of the New Broom forum. Finally, while I don't agree with
him, Johnny Northside has helpfully provided a link to a scan of the
complete Petition for Writ of Mandamus.
Dave Bicking
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com>
To: [CRA Board]
Subject: Media coverage of CRA
Copies to: Samuel.Reid [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Send reply to: dave [at] colorstudy.com
Date sent: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:21:16 -0600
Hi all,
I have compiled all the recent media mentions of the CRA that I can find.
For better or for worse, there has been a lot of attention paid lately.
Some of the articles are much better or worse than others, but instead of
giving preference to those I like best, I'll just list them below roughly
in order of the "size" of the organization they come from.
Other than participating in the press conference set up by attorney Jill
Clark on Friday, I have not been seeking any media coverage for myself or
the board. I have been responding to requests for information from
journalists who have contacted me. Of course, I have ALWAYS made clear
that I am speaking only for myself, not for the board.
1) WCCO TV Channel 4: They came to the press conference on Friday,
filmed it all, and took a copy of the legal Petition. I understand that
they ran a segment on the legal filing near the top of the 6pm news that
night, and possibly on their other evening broadcasts. I did not see it,
and it does not show up in print from a quick search of their website. I
imagine there is some way to re-play their broadcast from that evening.
2) KSTP TV Channel 5: Same as WCCO.
3) MPR: Brandt Williams was at the Friday press conference and taped it
all. I heard from a friend who heard about it on the radio, but I didn't
hear it myself, and I'm not finding it in a quick search of mpr.org.
4) Star Tribune: I believe I have already sent a link to the article
that prompted Don Bellfield's letter to the City Council, etc. That was
Jan. 29, written by Steve Brandt. The article is titled: "Slow Going on
Minneapolis Police Chief's Nomination" (a title that almost immediately
became outdated!) See it at:
http://www.startribune.com/local/82994112.html?page=1&c=y
To my knowledge, there has been no additional Star Tribune coverage yet,
but I think we can expect it to show up in future stories, because Steve
Brandt came to the New Broom forum on Jan. 26, and to last Friday's press
conference. I have also responded to further requests for information
from both Steve and from Matt McKinney.
5) City Pages online blog: Andy Mannix of City Pages has posted twice
about the CRA on the City Pages blog.
a) "David Bicking Asked to Resign from Civilian Review Authority", dated
Feb. 9, at: http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/02/david_bicking_a.php
b) "Tim Dolan, Minneapolis Police Chief, Accused of Ignoring City
Ordinance", about the legal action, dated Feb. 15, at:
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/02/tim_dolan_minne.php
6) Twin Cities Daily Planet: "Mpls Police Chief Dolan's Reappointment
Sparks Controversy at Civilian Review Authority", dated Feb. 13, by Sheila
Regan. My personal feeling is that this is the best article treating all
the aspects of recent controversy: Don's email and his letter to the
Council, and the legal action. Note the comments as well. Available at:
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/02/13/controversy-cra
7) Southside Pride: "Dave Bicking Censured by CRA Chair", in most recent
edition (online and print), by editor Ed Felien. Frankly, I don't think
this one is particularly well written or accurate. Ed did not contact me
or get any information directly from me. (The photo is an old file
photo.) Online at:
http://www.southsidepride.com/2010/02/articles/Dave_Bicking.html
8) Indymedia: Two articles:
a) "Exercising Free Speech Leads to Threats Against CRA Board Member",
dated Feb. 2. Essentially a reposting of an article in the CUAPB online
newsletter. At:
http://tc-imc.serve.com/2010/feb/exercising-free-speech-leads-threats-agai
nst-cra-board- member
b) "Community Takes Legal Action to Force CRA, Chief Dolan to Follow
Law", dated Feb 11. A reposting of the press release for the Petition for
Writ of Mandamus. At:
http://tc-imc.serve.com/2010/feb/community-takes-legal-action-force-cra-ch
ief-dolan-follow- law
9) Mpls Mirror: Terry Yzaguirre has posted three stories on this online
news site:
a) "Silence, Dave Bicking, the CRA and Chief Dolan's Review", dated Feb.
8. This is a very long article, with complete documents and
correspondence on the issue up until then. It also includes a video of
the part of the New Broom forum when I am speaking. You can watch that
and decide for yourself whether my participation was appropriate. At:
http://www.mplsmirror.com/joomla3/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl
e&id=511:silence-dave-bicking-the-cra-and-chief-dolans-review&catid=35:local-politics&I
temid=104 OR, for easier linking, a shorter URL:
http://tinyurl.com/yf89xqu
b) "Community Takes Legal Action", dated Feb 12. A reprinting of the
press release for the Petition for Writ of Mandamus. At:
http://www.mplsmirror.com/joomla3/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl
e&id=515:co mmunity-takes-legal-action&catid=34:local-news&Itemid=103 OR,
for easier linking: http://tinyurl.com/ylphh3h
c) "Do Your Job: Petition for Writ of Mandamus", dated Feb. 15. A very
long article, with commentary about police accountability in general. It
also includes at the bottom a video of some or all of the Feb. 12 press
conference (I haven't watched it yet). At:
http://www.mplsmirror.com/joomla3/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl
e&id=519:do-your-job-petition-for-writ-of-mandamus&catid=34:local-news&Itemid=103
OR, for easier linking: http://tinyurl.com/yb2pq7t
10) Tom Cleland's weblog: Tom came to the CRA board meeting, and has
been interested in police issues for some time. He has written a long and
comprehensive post, with additional information in comments, including
comments by Justin Terrell. His post, "CRA Abandons Bicking" is dated Feb
5, but comments continue to come in. At:
http://tomstream.blogspot.com/2010/02/cra-abandons-bicking.html
11) Johnny Northside blog: "JNS Blog Exclusive: PDF of the Recent
Lawsuit Against Dolan", dated Feb. 14. As stated, it has a link to the
full document: Petition for Writ of Mandamus. At:
http://adventuresofjohnnynorthside.blogspot.com/2010/02/jns-blog-exclusive
-pdf-of- recent.html
12) Minneapolis Issues List: This listserve read by many politically
involved people in the city has had quite a few posts on the issue.
Some, but not all, are available under the heading, "CRA Abandons
Bicking", available even to people not on the listserve, at:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/topic/1u9TOpDaPFj8icdq
Mon6O0
13) Youtube: There is also a youtube video of the first few minutes of
last Friday's press conference. It covers just the part with Michelle
Gross speaking. It is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6mLx67F6po
That's all I know of for now. I just wanted to compile these so that
everyone could have access to the same information if they are interested.
Dave Bicking
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