Black Lives Matter, The Police, etc.

[Snelbian]

Hodges and Ellison pretend to be progressives. Meanwhile, Yang and Johnson have removed their skinmasks to reveal their glittering scales and multifaceted occular stalks.

[Snelbian]

Is it safe to assume that Yang, Johnson, and MPD arranged last night's theatrics to coincide with this morning's eviction?

[grant1simons2]

And unfortunately there's no local election until 2017. I don't really want to know what we'd see from them in the next 2 years.

[amiller92]

Is it safe to assume that Yang, Johnson, and MPD arranged last night's theatrics to coincide with this morning's eviction?

Sure seems like it.

[David Greene]

Seems there is no hope for Betsy and Blong doing anything important vis-a-vis racial equity.

Betsy may have sealed her fate WRT re-election. I'm less sure about Blong because his constituency seems to be different.

[MNdible]

David, serious question:

Do you really think that the majority of Minneapolis voters wanted the BLM protest to continue indefinitely? While I'd say that a very large majority are broadly supportive of the overall goals of BLM, I'd expect that when you start drilling into the specific demands and actions, most voters are closer to Hodges than you realize.

[Snelbian]

Could be. Hodges' issue won't be the general populace, though. It's the base that got her there last time, that does the calling and knocking and rallying. How many of them will be as enthused about campaigning for her re-election?

[twincitizen]

To bolster MNdible's point, look at voter turnout among the various wards. Turnout is abysmal in North (Wards 4 and 5). I suspect it will be higher in 2017 due to stronger organizing efforts and likely running candidates aligned with or endorsed by BLM, but it will still be abysmal. Not to mention the endorsing convention is still 1.5 years away (June 2017).

Blong Yang might be a 1-termer, but ranked-choice voting can make some funny things happen. If there is more than one strong challenger, splitting the anti-Blong vote, he'll probably survive.

[David Greene]

Could be. Hodges' issue won't be the general populace, though. It's the base that got her there last time, that does the calling and knocking and rallying. How many of them will be as enthused about campaigning for her re-election?

That's exactly right. She's not going to have the manpower she had last time. I'm not saying someone to the left of her is guaranteed a win because they'll capture all of the BLM-sympathetic vote. I'm saying that any mildly liberal candidate is a serious threat because she won't have the strong backing of institutions that got her elected last time. Those institutions, by and large, are not centered in North Minneapolis.

[MNdible]

But she's also the incumbent.

Look, I've said my piece before about Hodges. I've been disappointed with her, too. The reason she won last time (I think) didn't have much to do with "the machine" or anything -- I'm a pretty engaged voter, and I didn't see meaningful evidence that she benefited much from that. I think the reason that she won is that she successfully presented herself as both the 'good government' candidate and the progressive candidate.

It turns out that it's hard to be both of those things, as evidenced by her actions regarding BLM (and also by the budgets she's submitted).

My point is that if she loses, I don't think it will be because she didn't accede to every whim of the BLM leaders.

[David Greene]

I think the reason that she won is that she successfully presented herself as both the 'good government' candidate and the progressive candidate.

It turns out that it's hard to be both of those things

Hard, but far from impossible.

My point is that if she loses, I don't think it will be because she didn't accede to every whim of the BLM leaders.

Of course not. But you're discounting the role of organizations like SEIU and TakeAction. There was indeed a machine behind her win, it just wasn't the DFL machine.

I won't be horribly shocked if she wins again (as you say, incumbency matters) but it will be much tougher the second go-'round.

[trigonalmayhem]

I won't vote for her again and I really hope Yang and Johnson get ousted too. The mayor can't have it both ways and refuses to commit, but the two CMs just really seem to not represent their constituencies. Barb belongs either in the 1960s or the suburbs, maybe both.

[David Greene]

I won't vote for her again and I really hope Yang and Johnson get ousted too. The mayor can't have it both ways and refuses to commit, but the two CMs just really seem to not represent their constituencies. Barb belongs either in the 1960s or the suburbs, maybe both.

Barb is definitely serving her constituency. She is the guardian of White North.

Blong is serving a portion of his constituency, which is part of the whole systemic racism problem.

[trigonalmayhem]

But with Barb isn't it more a matter of a smaller population that is just more active at the polls? I can't imagine her district is actually mostly old white people. If it really is, I guess at least they'll die off soon enough.

[David Greene]

And...so what? She's serving her constituency.

[mattaudio]

While it's clear Jamar Clark was no angel, seems suspicious how MPD volunteered his July mug shot despite "forgetting" to release the mug shots of the white supremacist terrorists who shot at peaceful protesters. They're trying to "create a context" to justify their extrajudicial killing of Clark. http://www.startribune.com/jamar-clark- ... 361147991/

[mattaudio]

But in case anyone was wondering what Martin Kroontje of Magnolia thinks...
http://www.dglobe.com/opinion/letters/3 ... n-protests

[Sacrelicio]

But in case anyone was wondering what Martin Kroontje of Magnolia thinks...
http://www.dglobe.com/opinion/letters/3 ... n-protests

Wow, he wants to hold the NAACP accountable? Are they at all related to BLM? Or does he just think they're all the same?

I know many states have a rural/suburban/urban divide, but ours seems to be especially pronounced in this state. Like two totally different worlds.

[kirby96]

But in case anyone was wondering what Martin Kroontje of Magnolia thinks...
http://www.dglobe.com/opinion/letters/3 ... n-protests

Wow, he wants to hold the NAACP accountable? Are they at all related to BLM? Or does he just think they're all the same?

I know many states have a rural/suburban/urban divide, but ours seems to be especially pronounced in this state. Like two totally different worlds.

I'm not sure it's necessarily any worse. I originally moved to Oregon based only on visits to Portland, so naturally thought the state was basically Portland, Eugene, and small towns of those descended from commune hippies. Boy was I wrong. Out in the high desert or down in, say, Grants Pass?

<shudder>

[EOst]

I'm not sure it's necessarily any worse. I originally moved to Oregon based only on visits to Portland, so naturally thought the state was basically Portland, Eugene, and small towns of those descended from commune hippies. Boy was I wrong. Out in the high desert or down in, say, Grants Pass?

For real. People in Eastern Washington routinely talk talk about seceding from the Puget Sound because it's too liberal/distant/gay/whatever. You don't get that kind of talk here (so much).