Racial balance is being lost
The facts of the last 40 years reveal Minnesota is not, when it comes to African Americans, liberal and progressive. It is illiberal and regressive, openly and defiantly not complying with federal or local civil rights laws and rules, adopting purposeful amnesia to counter such inconvenient memories.
• 1972: the federal court in the State of Minnesota, imposed sanctions on the Minneapolis Fire Department and the City of Minneapolis for such violations.
• 1979: a request sent by this columnist, as chairman of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission, to the federal court for a review of its 1972 decree. The court did so and imposed sanctions on the City of Minneapolis and its fire department, appointing a special federal oversight committee.
• 1989: based on the investigation by the court’s oversight committee of continued violations, serious sanctions of $1 million were imposed on the City and its fire department and, thus, its tax payers.
• 1989: the City of Minneapolis said it had learned its lesson and would comply and honor the requirements of the law — another lie. The City, comfortable in its violations of federal requirements for integrating its fire and police departments, despite occasional sanctions, has not employed any significant number of African Americans in the last two employment hires.
• 2000: the city agreed that the Civil Rights Department would monitor and undertake due diligence regarding compliance, and report and update the racial composition of the fire and police services. The Civil Rights Department has not made a report on this in 10 years, enabling continued undermining of African Americans in the fire and police services.
• 2014: two weeks ago, the fire department quietly hired 19 new fire fighters; only one was a person of color.
• 2014: Three days ago, as of this July 22 column submission, the City of Minneapolis and its Human Resources Department, over the objections of the Police Federation under Lt. John Delmonico, finalized the next class of officers to be hired, bragging of hiring 30 percent people of color when, in reality, they again short changed people of color:
Category of Hires # of individuals # of individuals
Reported Tested Reported Passed
Black males 34 4
Black females 9 3
Hispanic males 10 3
Hispanic females 0 0
Asian males 24 2
Asian females 1 0
Native American males 3 1
Native American females 0 0
White males 49 29
[after adjusting by adding 10 more]*
White females 20 18
[after adjusting by adding 8 more] *
Totals:150 60
* assumed, given lack of clarity in city numbers
While city government talks about equity, diversity, affirmative action and all of the other glossy liberal terms that are as meaningless as the vows by liberals that they will open the doors of opportunity, they used a new formula to enable Whites to pass over African Americans, moving African Americans toward becoming endangered species in the police and fire departments. Liberals, for fellow Whites, are “progressive.” Liberals for the African American are, quite simply stated, “regressive,” using the twisted guise of “fairness” to continually make it difficult for African Americans and people of color to be treated fairly and equitably.
Velma Korbel, director of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department, was notified that due diligence was needed. She declined to be diligent and declined to conduct the due diligence needed to offer protection and opportunity for the African American community and other people of color.
Therefore, my conclusion is this: it is time that the fire and police services again be placed under federal administration, and that the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department, another purposefully failing bureaucracy, be unceremoniously disbanded.
Stay tuned.
For Ron’s hosted radio and TV show’s broadcast times, solutions papers, books and archives, go to www.TheMinneapolisStory.com. To Order his books go to www.BeaconOntheHillPress.com.
Support Black local news
Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.