BY ED FELIEN
A friend wrote on the Mpls Issues List that he’s discouraged about going to his precinct caucus: “Before, precinct caucuses were in the precincts or very close, but after the caucuses went consolidated, no longer could one walk to a caucus. One would have to drive and compete for the handful of parking spaces. So the DFL has gone from ‘inclusive’ to ‘exclusive.’ ”
Party officials claim the logistics and expenses make it more practical to consolidate all the precincts from one ward into one space.
The expenses of the city DFL have once again become controversial. Four years ago Southside Pride was critical of Dan O’Connell, the chair of the Minneapolis DFL, giving out envelopes full of hundred dollar bills to those members of the City Council who voted in favor of the Vikings stadium. This year Dan is getting public criticism for spending $2,000 of the city DFL treasury for a poll in the 2nd Ward to see if his wife could beat Cam Gordon, the Green Party incumbent.
The Democratic Party used to be a lot more democratic. One hundred fifty years ago when Minneapolis first began as St. Anthony Village, there were three council members from each ward. Then, up to the 1950s there were two. Now there’s only one. Don Fraser “modernized” city government by increasing the terms of office from two to four years, thereby canceling more elections than a Latin American dictator. All these anti-democratic tendencies discourage participation at all levels. People voted for “reforms” to reduce the amount of representatives to vote for and for increasing the terms of office from two to four years because it meant less work. They would only have to go to the polls and think about this once every four years and they’d have half the positions to consider. It was sold as a labor saving device.
The caucuses on April 4 are the one time in four years that we will have a voice in choosing who we want to represent us in the November elections. Delegates chosen on April 4 will nominate candidates for City Council, mayor, Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Park Board.
The Ward 8 Convention will be April 29. The Ward 6 and 9 Conventions will be May 6. The city DFL has not yet determined where the caucuses or conventions will be held. The city DFL Convention will be on July 8.
We asked candidates for City Council and mayor:
“Would you support allowing the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission to review complaints about police misconduct? The Commission is a civilian body that has the power of subpoena; they can compel witnesses to testify under oath, and they have the power to award damages. They have the power to review citizen complaints about abuses of civil rights that may occur in any other city department or business operating in Minneapolis.”
Tiffini Flynn Forslund, candidate for City Council in Ward 6, answered:
“YES. Ward 6 and it’s constituents deserve to live in a safe cohesive community. Right now, today, there is a huge disconnect between the police and the people on our streets. Many residents fear the same police sent to protect them. As difficult as they will surely be, I would like to hold community forums between the police and our Ward 6 residents. I promise to organize these in different areas of our ward, for citizens to speak, one-on-one with our police, to share and discuss the front and center issues. There needs to be accountability, and trust, where everyday interactions between the protectors and the protected do not make the nightly news. I would like to see more diversity in our police force, and external reviews of any and all disputed altercations between an officer and a civilian.”
Mohamed Farah, candidate for City Council in Ward 9, answered:
“Thanks for reaching out again. My answer to your question will be YES.”
Gary Schiff, candidate for the 9th Ward, answered: In 2012 the State Legislature prohibited civilian review boards “from making a finding of fact or determination regarding a complaint against an officer.” Until 626.89 is repealed, the Civil Rights Commission cannot review police misconduct cases. Minnesota needs an independent prosecutor—external to law enforcement—to determine whether criminal charges are justified against a police officer. We also need a new police chief—I would not have voted to reappoint our chief after the 4th Precinct debacle. As council member, I pushed to put body cams on cops, but we need to do more. We must demilitarize law enforcement.
Sparrow, candidate for Mayor, answered: Yes. I would support allowing the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission to review complaints about police misconduct. While I think the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) has improved under Mayor Hodges and Police Chief Harteau, I don’t think all of the problems involving police brutality and racism have been solved. I would support having the MPD investigated by the United States Justice Department, or at least I would have prior to donald trump (I don’t capitalize his name intentionally) becoming POTUS and before Jeff Session became the attorney general.
Go to your precinct caucus on April 4. It’s your one chance each year to meet with your neighbors and talk about problems in the neighborhood, the city, the state and the country.
The older you get, the harder it is to exercise, but we know: If you don’t use it, you lose it.
