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 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
Google News Alert for Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights: FBI looking into Minneapolis Police Department after beating
… Civil rights laws. In addition, Dolan has referred the case to the department’s internal affairs and training units for a review of arrest procedures…
Al Flowers, DFL Mayoral candidate, has been on the front line talking about police brutality and misconduct for years. This time is no exception. In a statement from the Al Flowers for Mayor campaign, Mr. Flowers makes the following statement:
“Whether it is the case of Fong Lee, or Minneapolis police officers accused of raping 17 year-old girl, or Daryl Jenkins, we need reform now in the Minneapolis Police Department and we need a new administration to show leadership in that reform.”
Flowers criticizes the current mayor to being “too busy running for Governor” to be addressing this issue. The current mayor is rumored to be a potential DFL Gubernatorial Candidate. Flowers states, “I am asking that all citizens to ask for healing and pray for Mr. Jenkins and his family.”
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North Minneapolis Businessman and Ward 5 Candidate, Lennie Chism states, “The attacks on Black men in north Minneapolis have to be addressed with Chief Dolan. We must have intelligent dialog with the Minneapolis Police Department, the community and local agencies to stop the unnecessary killing and beatings of African-American men in our community.
Furthermore, the current Ward 5 City Councilman has not sealed cohesion between the groups, rather being in favor of stating statistics of crime being “lower.” If you live or work in north Minneapolis, you know that’s not the case.”
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This brings into question another City of Minneapolis department.
Will the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights get involved with these cases? The MDCR Investigative Unit has sat quiet – the current beating of a Black man is a violation of his civil rights, yet no official statement from the City’s guardians of civil rights…
Read more information about this topic: Read more
North Minneapolis Politics: Part 3: What is the Strategic Plan for the Empowerment Zone? Where has it “worked” in North Minneapolis?
On 2005 12/01/2005 the Minneapolis Empowerment Zone (EZ) announced the release of a $1 million Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purpose of spurring private investment in North Minneapolis. “The idea is to encourage businesses and organizations to locate on or expand in the Northside for job creation and increase economic development,” said Jonathan Palmer, former head of Minneapolis EZ (circa 2005).
In a phone call today (7/16/09) to Maria Conley, EZ Project Coordinator, who says the EZ has “no money,” it makes you wonder what really happened to millions of dollars meant to build, brand, and grow a blighted community. One of 14 areas zoned by the Federal Government as an Empowerment Zone, meant to uplift and build blighted areas like north Minneapolis. (City of Minneapolis Empowerment Zone Areas)-(Link: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ez/docs/ez-map.PDF)
When viewing the list of recipients, payments and status as of 2009, (which you can view “everything” here: http://ibnn.org/ez – Excell Workbook) it would seem that the EZ missed its mark as it pertains to the mission of assisting groups challenged by racial disparity and poverty, while race and class paid a huge part on who actually received the dollars from the Empowerment Zone.
Take a visit to the City of Minneapolis website visit the section titled The Minneapolis Empowerment Zone at (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ez/govboard.asp), when you arrive at the page, click on the link for “Strategic Plan.”
There is no “Strategic Plan” – file not found.
Could this be another example of the City of Minneapolis flying by the seat of its pants and failing Minneapolis along with other catastrophic failures like the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights?
Minneapolis is long overdue for a “better breed” of politicians, representatives and even self-appointed leaders who will address the issues, not covertly throwing “hams” to people that don’t live in north Minneapolis or don’t look like us.
North Minneapolis residents (Black and White) must be “frosty” and pay attention to the plans of City Hall for our community. Still as we move forward, no “official” statement from the 5th CD Congressman, who could flex his perceived political power and address many items.
Secondly, we have to address agencies that are “business focused” like the West Broadway Business Area Coalition, whom for the most part is carrying water for the Peace Foundation and a couple of local politicians. It is IBNN’s position that this non-profit be dissolved or re-structured to be an effective entity for Businesses in north Minneapolis.
When we read the description on what the EZ does, it comes to question who in the area challenged by racial disparity and poverty are they talking about? North Minneapolis or NoMi has not changed much, despite the Billions of dollars over the last 10 years pumped in for programs, roads, buildings and to build capacity for residents that are $12,000 under the median income of the City of Minneapolis as a whole.
The website goes on to say, “The majority of Minneapolis’ minority population resides within the EZ, and close to one-third of all EZ households are on public assistance. The extreme poverty of EZ residents coupled with racial discrimination directly affects the health of EZ children and their families.
The Minneapolis Empowerment Zone or EZ, has for the most part completed projects like the Midtown YWCA which according to them, located at 21st Avenue and East Lake Street, the facility lies in the heart of this underserved community and gives residents a chance to improve their health more conveniently than ever.
The Empowerment Zone and rumors of multi-forgiveness’s makes us wonder, what is the plan; who is part of the plan and looking at North Minneapolis: “Where are the deliverables to the community?”
Banana Republic: Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, Minneapolis Urban League block Information to the community with secret Pipeline meetings
“With the arrest of Terry Drakes on Friday, it’s clear that the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights(MDCR) Investigative Unit and the Compliance Unit is using the Minneapolis Urban League’s (MUL) Pipeline meetings to present false propaganda to the community while neglecting to reporting on what is actually happening to people in the system. Mr. Terry Drakes has repeatedly become a casualty of the MDCR for their lack of concern for the “least of thee.”
“Make them do what they have written on paper…Dr. King”
Again, IBNN uncovers another layer to the deception of the Dream that the Minneapolis Urban League continues to exploit the sacred trust of social justice by cannibalizing the Minneapolis Urban League’s Pipeline, or Minnesota Pipeline. The Pipeline’s original intent was to be a collaboration of forums and discussions in a “community” setting, allowing input from members of the community to voice their views and opinions in a safe and respectful forum, to help bridge decades of distrust and misinformation to encourage transparency in governmental and civic affairs.
The Minnesota Pipeline has addressed issues like “Making Minnesota’s Children a Political Priority in the 2008 Election” to reverse these inequities and change the lives of children of color in Minnesota and other noteworthy causes in an election year that would flow with the “pipeline” of the current Democratic infrastructure in Minneapolis.
“If the Minneapolis Urban League’s Pipeline, would ask the real questions and work as advocates rather than social facilitators, incidents of injustice would be key and top-of-mind for the community, versus a social meet and greet.” Read more
Minneapolis Mayor wants to eliminate Department of Civil Rights, but intent is to eliminate African Americans’ access to city resources and stifle our voices
On Monday, April 6, 2009 a camera crew from Poor-no-More with producers Donald Jackson and Chris Patrick followed NRI”s Ron Edwards and V-Media’s Don Allen to Minneapolis City Hall to obtain information on Contract Compliance and the “activity” report on the Fong Lee case. Of course we were denied the information. In this “breaking news video” a department investigator tells us to look it up on the Internet.
Mayor Rybak:
I use a public platform to contact you about the concerns I have because this way I am assured you will view my messages. In the past, when I communicated with you via e-mail, it seems you and your communications director denied receiving my messages.
The point I wish to make in this message is too important to be ignored.
Community uproar and controversy continues to escalate since your announcement regarding the elimination of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Investigative and Compliance Units. But you don’t hear the community’s cries. I truly think that you have turned a blind eye to what dismantling the two units means to communities of color in Minneapolis. It’s also worth noting that 92 percent of the claims to the department last year came from African Americans and Somalis.
The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights investigates allegations of discrimination against protected classes and complaints of police misconduct, as well as overseeing affirmative action goals on City-funded projects, among other things.
In a previous e-mail message (one that was posted to my blog and neither sent directly to you, nor intended for you), I commented that by dismantling the investigative and compliance units and transferring the work to the state level will create a failed state government: 1). City level issues will overwhelm and backlog state-level government. As a result of the backlog, issues pertinent to Minneapolis residents will be slow to process, will be overlooked or denied the appropriate attention they deserve. 2). A backlogged state government, facing financial shortfalls, will be unable to hire additional staff and investigators, or effectively serve its Minneapolis and St. Paul residents. Low morale eventually will permeate the unit forcing staff and investigators to resign. 3). Once Minneapolis residents realize that state-level government is ineffective at handling civil rights complaints, they will voice their complaints elsewhere, or not at all (which is probably Rybak’s ultimate goal).
I argue that by eliminating the compliance and investigative units of the Department of Civil Rights, you are eliminating the Black community’s access to city resources as well as stifling our voices to claim justice.
In your 2009 Mayor’s Supplemental Budget, p. 34, you suggest that “reductions in the budget areas specified will have the general impact of reducing the level of visibility of the Department of Civil Rights.” Oddly enough, the budget areas specified include the city’s support for African-American businesses and events.
Your supplemental budget points out that there will be a reduction “… at certain annual, community events, such as the Urban League Family Day or Juneteenth. Secondly, participation at such events as the Urban League Annual Meeting, the Minnesota Justice Foundation annual meeting and the Minnesota Bar Association annual meeting, Employment Bar Division, will be reduced. Third, advertising support in community newspapers (e.g. Minnesota Spokesman, Insight News and Asian Papers), which was primarily for the purpose of communicating hiring opportunities will be reduced. Fourth, partnering with community agencies and/or other governmental agencies to conduct training sessions or other community building opportunities would be severally curtailed. An example of such an opportunity would be the recently canceled schedule of activities, hosted by Minneapolis and Hennepin County, for Black History Month. Finally, attendance at national “industry” related events, and the hiring of certain content-specific experts, to enhance the skill/knowledge of our management staff will be reduced, or perhaps eliminated.”
Of the number of activities and events you chose to cut, I question why you did not consider the Aquatennial parade, the Holidazzle parade, the Do-the-Town shopping promomtion, Pride, Cinco de Mayo and Sommerfest?
Notice that all of the events — the events that are not set to experience a reduction in support — are serving the majority, or the (White) population in Minneapolis. Your obvious attack on the Black and minority-ethnic community, services, businesses and events shows that you don’t care, have never cared about the economic success, development and viability of Minneapolis’ communities of color.
I find it humorous that you say that ‘Minneapolis is a city that works.’ How can Minneapolis be a city that works (or functions well) when it has a civil rights department that for years has been in mired in bureaucracy and backlog? How can Minneapolis be a city that works when police barge into the wrong home and are later commended by the chief? How can Minneapolis be a city that works when five high-ranking black officers file a discrimination suit against the city and chief and win? How can Minneapolis be a city that works when the very Departments responsible for investigating civil rights complaints will be eliminated?
Obviously, Minneapolis doesn’t work.
I question whether eliminating the compliance and investigative units will make Minneapolis work better? I don’t think so.
“Any failure in the process set forth by a local city or state government to have ‘seamless’ methodology of true investigation with community engagement is a failure for all people, not just people of color.”
The City of Minneapolis Fails at hiring Minority Contractors!
The City of Minneapolis – Department of Civil Rights and elected officials have ignored a 2007 study on the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Contract Compliance Unit, making it impossible for minority-ethnic contractors to have a fair chance at social and economic goals with the City of Minneapolis.
Our Men and Women Need Jobs!
The Executive Summary reads:
- Page ii – MDCR “Community” Evaluation Report, May 2007:
“The City’s diverse community deserves to have a government committed to fulfilling the social and economic goals of the Civil Rights Ordinance and the intent of the Civil Rights Ordinance through effective implementation and evaluation, thus ensuring that the civil rights policy has the impact it was designed to produce.”
- Page ii – MDCR “Compliance” Evaluation Report, May 2007:
“Governmental and non-governmental entities governed by the Civil Rights Ordinance are NOT in full compliance with the hiring, contracting, reporting, monitoring, and enforcement mandates described in the contract compliance provision of the ordinance.”
# # #
On Friday, March 20, 2009 the Independent Business News Network provided a link to the May 2007 Evaluation of the City of Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Contract Compliance Unit Report.
Unfortunately the link to the city website that held the report and City of Minneapolis Council member Cam Gordon’s email alert to others was cut.
Today, you can read, review and print the report here or copy and paste the URL below in your web address browser.
Evaluation of the City of Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Contract Compliance Unit – May 2007 – the link to this report is http://v-newswire.com/MDCR.pdf. (We recommend Firefox for the download of these files.)
If you ever wondered why we never saw any Blacks, Hispanics-Latinos, Asians, Somali or other minority-ethnics on City of Minneapolis construction sites, this report explains why.
Comments are welcomed at info@ibnn.org.
Minnesota Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations Oppose Rybak Budget Proposal Cutting Complaints Investigation Unit
"Yellow, Red, Black or White R.T. wants to ignore the plight"
Submitted by: A Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations
A coalition of prominent Civil Rights Organizations announces their opposition to Rybak’s budget proposal which cuts the entire Complaint Investigation Unit at the City of Minneapolis Civil Rights Department. Rybak is calling it a “transfer” but this proposal is to cut five full time minority attorney investigators, two contract minority attorney investigators and one supervisor, minority law school graduate of Thurgood Marshall Law School, who has been in the unit for over eight years.
Protection of civil rights within the City of Minneapolis can be traced back to an executive order issued by Mayor Hubert M. Humphrey. In 1967 the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance was passed. In 1974 the investigative powers were strengthened with subpoena power, less than 10 cities have this power with such power in the nation. In 1991 a new section was added to provide for Domestic Partner registration at City Clerk.
“Cutting this unit is discarding decades of civil rights history and ignores the growing need to service Minneapolis’ increasingly diverse population,” said George Brandon, from the Council of Black Minnesotans. “We cannot stay quiet; citizens of Minneapolis must rally to have their voices heard by contacting the Mayor’s office and City Council Persons, because cutting this unit means that it will never come back.”
For the first time in the department’s history, they have an all minority attorney staff doing this legal work and have closed 100% more cases in 2008 than in 2007. The Complaint Investigations Unit has seen a backlog of cases from its inception, which is a sign of the amount of discrimination complaints that make it through its doors.
There are over 450 open and active cases and it is highly unlikely that the Minnesota State Department of Human Rights can absorb all of these cases as they face cuts also. Additionally, there are jurisdictional and time limits issues which may make transfer of these cases impossible.
“I truly believe the Department’s role in investigating and adjudicating complaints affords access to justice for people who otherwise feel they have none, “explains Amy Johnson, Executive Directory of OutFront Minnesota who served as an attorney Civil Rights Commissioner.
“Investigators can come and go but at the end of the day, it is the people of Minneapolis who will be disenfranchised and their voices will not be heard because Saint Paul is just not as accessible to citizens of Minneapolis like this department is,” said Toni Newborn, former President of the Black Law Students Association – William Mitchell College of Law chapter.
The Ways and Means Committee Meeting is on March 2, 2009 at 1:30 PM and full City Council meeting is on March 6, 2009 at 9:30 AM.
Civil Rights Coalition includes: Council on Black Minnesotans, Council on American-Islamic Relations – MN Chapter, Jewish Community Action, MN Dakota Conference NAACP, OutFront Minnesota, and the Minneapolis Urban League.
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Contact: Taneeza Islam 651.587.4712 taneeza@yahoo.com; Toni Newborn 205.919.7895 tdnewborn@gmail.com
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