Michael Jordan won’t be reappointed as civil rights director for Minneapolis. Are we suppose to like Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak now?
This video tells the “whole” story!
“The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights has not been a community player since 1998. The investigators have a high sense of “southern stratification” and frown on serving the poor and misrepresented in Minneapolis.”
From the murder of Fong Lee to the taser death of Quincy Smith by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights “leadership” and “investigators” barley lifted a finger until R.T. Rybak and Betsy Hodge’s proposed cut of the MDCR Investigative unit. Cases that automatically should have been on the radar of the MDCR went ignored.
“LEADERSHIP.”
On Tuesday, February 2, 2010 as reported by Steve Brandt, Michael Jordan won’t be reappointed as civil rights director for Minneapolis.
Under Michael Jordan’s “leadership,” the department has seen a rise in inner-office relationships; promotions for the least qualified – but most cooperative, and a long series of “oversights” by the departments lack of wanting to assist the community.
“Most of the time I walk in there, they (the investigators) look at me like I’m a germ. They treat me like I’m stupid and have always made it very hard for me to file my case,” says Terry Drakes of Minneapolis.
Mr. Drakes was one of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights cases that IBNN alleges was mishandled, under handled and for the most part given to someone to work on with no experience – like the Fong Lee case.
Terry, who was an employee at the Rainbow Foods on 26th and Lake Street in Minneapolis who’s job was to push the shopping carts from the parking lot back into the store was injured on the job. During his tenure at Rainbow Foods it became evident to Mr. Drake that the company wanted him out. A long time Rainbow Foods shopper reported to the manager that Terry cut her off in the parking lot with his row of carts. The shopper spit in Mr. Drakes face and called him a Nigger. Terry reported this incident to management and things got worse.
Co-workers accused Drakes of waiting in his car with a gun planning to shoot a co-worker. The fact is – Mr. Drakes hasn’t owned a car or driven for over 20 years.
Rainbow released Mr. Drakes.
Mr. Drakes filed a claim over 4 years ago with the MDCR – he’s been hit with “by the book tactics” and a less than cooperative investigation staff.
58-year-old Terry Drakes is a disabled man. On one visit to the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, Drakes was escorted by City Hall security to the civil rights office and then escorted out. The next morning, Minneapolis Police arrived at Mr. Drakes house and arrested him for “terroristic threats” against the MDCR investigators.
Mr. Drakes was released from the Hennepin County Jail with no charges. Mr. Drakes was set up by MDCR Investigative employees – remember, Drakes was escorted by security in and out of the building, there was no threats made.
Drakes said, “I asked the guard: did I threaten anyone?” Drakes said the guard told him “no.”
Sources tell IBNN that Michael Jordan made the call to have him arrested to “get rid of him” from bothering the investigators.
Terry says, “It’s been real hard for me. I’ve been trying to get someone to listen to me for more than 4-years. I have been eating oatmeal everyday for the last month and I’m getting ready to lose my apartment. What Michael Jordan and those ladies did to me was wrong. All I wanted to do was work and they made my life a living shit hell.”
This is just one of many examples of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Investigative Units intended over-sights under the leadership of Michael Jordan and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
For Terry Drakes: His case was found to have “no probable cause.”
Part 6: Minnesota Department of Transportation – Retaliation! The Association of Women Contractors (AWC) requests no Black Media at “Public Meetings”
If the protected class and gender of MnDOT is addressed head-on; and if the questions are asked; “Why are White men and women receiving federal dollars as DBE’s while MnDOT continues to be dismissive of the term minority? By exposing the obvious, the reaction by those involved in secret negotiations of the protected class will surface.
Since the Minnesota Department of Transportation has over 4530 employees with only 95 Black, its obvious to IBNN where the problem is as it pertains to a fair playing field.
IBNN was sure that if we waited in the cut long enough, “White Privilege” would raise its head and continue to exclude, reject, bar, prohibit, rule out, obstruct, derail, deny and try to eliminate important information about the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 17 year trend of failure as it pertains to engaging the minority-ethnic contractors of the state of Minnesota through their Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program and the dismissive behavior of not adhering to CFR 49, Part 26 Goals – which is interpreted, “Make it work, by any means necessary.”
The Association of Women Contractors (AWC) executive director, Barb Christensen sent the following letter to MnDOT’s Bernie Arseneau, Division Director-Policy, Safety and Strategic Initiatives:
The letter reads (unedited): Read more
Why The US Owes Haiti Billions
The Briefest History…
By Bill Quigley / Originally posted on the Dissident Voice
(Editors Note: Bill Quigley represented Pere Jean-Juste many times in Haiti along with the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux in Port au Prince and the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Bill is on leave from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans serving as Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He can be reached at: quigley77@gmail.com. Read other articles by Bill, or visit Bill’s website.)
Why does the US owe Haiti Billions? Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign policy view as the “Pottery Barn rule.” That is: “if you break it, you own it.”
The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years. We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100 million promised by President Obama either – that is Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions – with a big B.
The US has worked for centuries to break Haiti. The US has used Haiti like a plantation. The US helped bleed the country economically since it freed itself, repeatedly invaded the country militarily, supported dictators who abused the people, used the country as a dumping ground for our own economic advantage, ruined their roads and agriculture, and toppled popularly elected officials. The US has even used Haiti like the old plantation owner and slipped over there repeatedly for sexual recreation.
Here is the briefest history of some of the major US efforts to break Haiti.
In 1804, when Haiti achieved its freedom from France in the world’s first successful slave revolution, the United States refused to recognize the country. The US continued to refuse recognition to Haiti for 60 more years. Why? Because the US continued to enslave millions of its own citizens and feared recognizing Haiti would encourage slave revolution in the US.
After the 1804 revolution, Haiti was the subject of a crippling economic embargo by France and the US. US sanctions lasted until 1863. France ultimately used its military power to force Haiti to pay reparations for the slaves who were freed. The reparations were 150 million francs. (France sold the entire Louisiana territory to the US for 80 million francs!)
Haiti was forced to borrow money from banks in France and the US to pay reparations to France. A major loan from the US to pay off the French was finally paid off in 1947. The current value of the money Haiti was forced to pay to French and US banks? Over $20 Billion — with a big B. Read more
Part 4: Affirmative Action is no “Action Jackson” at MnDOT
By Donald W.R. Allen,II – Editor in Chief/IBNN and USA Radical Black
Last week at MnDOT and internal email was sent to select employees at MnDOT regarding the recent stories posted on IBNN.
The email read: (Unedited):
From: Prescott, Mary (DOT)
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 10:47 AM
Re: Part 3 – Who signs off on 0% goals and 0% goals achieved at MnDOT?
FYI for internal use only – this will be discussed at the DBE and Workforce Development Collaborative Group meeting on Friday. Specifically, hopefully, 1) Lennie Chism bringing Donny Allen a newsperson who seemed only there looking for a story and he did not state that this is why he was there; and 2) it was agreed to “no surprises” at the last meeting and this has been the fourth surprise from Mr. Chism; ground roles for media and the hard work going forth with all the project teams.
Note: The email above is just another example of bigotry at MnDOT for the acting civil rights director to single out two Black men, asking questions about a 17 year trend of failure in an attempt to address, solve and recommend a plan of action. This top-of-mind attention is not wanted at MnDOT, hence, 1% in federally funded contracts to minority contractors.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation employee base is a “protected class” of the government workforce. They have the “Cadillac” of benefits that aren’t affected by the current economic status of non-government working-class Minnesotans. Read more
Part 3 – Who signs off on 0% goals and 0% goals achieved at MnDOT? “A message to Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Director Bernie Arseneau, Commissioner Thomas Sorel and MnDOT’s (Acting) Civil Rights Director Mary Prescott
By Donald W.R. Allen, II Editor in Chief-IBNN and USA Radical Black
“Black contractors were award less than 1% of $600 Million on highway heavy projects. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has awarded less than $1 Million in contracts to African-American Contractors of the $600 Million in Federal Transportation Stimulus Contracts.”
Dear Tom, Bernie and Mary:
Do you see the heinous results from the actions by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in regards to the above statement? Read more
Part Two – The Solution? Minnesota Department of Transportation – Executive Order 11246
By Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief IBNN and USA Radical Black
“Taxes are collected in a non discriminatory manner. MNDOT discriminates when they only award contracts to White companies.”
From slavery to the civil rights movement “White Privilege” has sought to hide information in an effort to control, obstruct and delay deployment of “processes” put in place by overseers to avoid catastrophic failures, present and future.
One of the “processes” put in place to assist Transportation agencies across the United States in administering their respective DBE programs is Executive Order 11246. Again, MnDOT sidesteps the language of the order. Read more
Part One: Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Good Faith Effort or an invocation of “White Privilege”
“We declare our right on this earth…to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.” ~Malcolm X
By Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief IBNN and USA Radical Black
“To do something the same way over-and-over again with the same results is insanity.”
.Minneapolis/St. Paul (IBNN/January 4, 2009)…For more than 17 years, Minnesota’s Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has become an institution unto itself, excluding, obstructing and replacing Federal Regulations as it pertains to doing business with minority-ethnic contractors in exchange for internal policies producing the same results that send a clear message: “We (MnDOT) don’t know how to fix it.”
On Monday, December 28, 2009 at meeting was held at the Minnesota Department of Transportation headquarters in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) meeting was to address (in this group) -MnDOT’s, “Good Faith Efforts and Objectives Measures.” Read more
The top 12 “Community Pimping” incidents of 2009: Thou shall not Pimp the Community in 2010!
2009 had its share of examples where “self-appointed” leaders, big name companies, human service agencies and politicians took the opportunity to pimp the community at the community’s expense. This article is dedicated to all of those people who thought they got away free and clear in 2009. In 2010, IBNN will continue to report in real-time on the issues facing the Twin Cities Black community and those involved. Until then, Happy New Year’s!
By Donald W.R. Allen, II Editor in Chief/IBNNNEWS and USA Radical Black
1) In January 2009 the General Mills Foundation in collaboration with the UNCF (United Negro College Fund) repeated the actions of 2008 by refusing to allow minority-ethnic media outlet the opportunity to have a table in the lobby at the MLK Breakfast. The table was a way to let the attendees of the MLK breakfast pick-up a copy of their favorite Black, Hispanic-Latino, Asian and African newspaper. IBNN launched the boycott against General Mills which continues today…are you still buying Cheerios?
2) Also in January, IBNN posted the story, “The Real story why Senator Norm Coleman, the MN GOP and the Republican Party of Minnesota got thrown under the Democratic Bus.” A play-by-play of the 2008 election cycle from a point of view that will make you wonder, “What was the MN GOP thinking?” Read more
Urban League of Greater Cleveland plans to cease operations…?
“In a phone call placed today (12/21/09) to the Greater Cleveland Urban League, we find out the agency is still open – in spite of this May 19, 2009 article. Sources tell IBNN this Urban League like many more across the United States suffer from the same lack of fund-raising, processes and development – like the one in Minneapolis. Could this be the fate of our Minneapolis Urban League?”
Also read Star Parkers, “Gospel of dependence from National Urban League” – I want to show the side of black America for which we ourselves are responsible and which really point to where our problems lie.
Originally By SHANNON MORTLAND in Crain’s Cleveland Business 2:36 pm, May 19, 2009
After 92 years, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland plans to close its doors for good on May 29.
The nonprofit, which provides various programs to help African-Americans enter the economic and social mainstream, announced today that it will suspend all programming on May 22 and will cease operations on May 29. The Urban League currently employs 15 people, down from 30 in 2002. Read more
Big Brothers Big Sisters & African American Fraternities to Develop Bold Plan to Help Black Boys Succeed
This is one of the most anticipated collaborations of 2010.
Atlanta (Source V-Newswire)…Big Brothers Big Sisters and leaders of the network’s Black Fraternity Coalition will meet in Atlanta (Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, 165 Courtland, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) to develop a bold strategy and detailed plan aimed at giving African American boys every opportunity to succeed. Leaders of the nation’s largest donor-supported volunteer mentoring network and their fraternity partners say they will significantly increase the number of African American Big Brothers, beginning in 2010.
The African American Mentoring summit, sponsored by the Arby’s Foundation, is the second step in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ announcement of its unprecedented collaboration with Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi fraternities aimed at getting more black men engaged in long-term mentoring. Recognizing that children of color, particularly African American boys, disproportionately represent children waiting to be matched, Big Brothers Big Sisters and its African American Roundtable (internal and external advisors) have made engaging black men a priority. Read more
IBNNNEW- Michael Jordan won’t be reappointed as civil rights director for Minneapolis. Are we suppose to like Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak now? Donald Allen
- Part 6: Minnesota Department of Transportation – Retaliation! The Association of Women Contractors (AWC) requests no Black Media at “Public Meetings” Donald Allen
- Why The US Owes Haiti Billions Donald Allen
- Part 4: Affirmative Action is no “Action Jackson” at MnDOT Donald Allen
- Part 3 – Who signs off on 0% goals and 0% goals achieved at MnDOT? “A message to Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Director Bernie Arseneau, Commissioner Thomas Sorel and MnDOT’s (Acting) Civil Rights Director Mary Prescott Donald Allen
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