NewsNight Minnesota; 5036; NewsNight Minnesota Episode from 10/30/1997; SD-Base

NEWSNIGHT Minnesota is a production of Katy CA with the stations of Minnesota Public Television. Tonight on NEWSNIGHT the governor keeps stumping for a new stadium. The police start fighting Charter Amendment 1 46. Minneapolis students start going to a private school on the public domain and religious folk wonder have we gone too far with hollow Wein. It's NEWSNIGHT for Thursday October 30th. Welcome to NEWSNIGHT. Pro sports teams up for sale to report on today that we know of. So we're going to begin with the news summary Lou Harvin has that beginning with the latest on attempts to build support for a new ballpark is that right Lou. That is right Kathy it is not dead yet that is what stadium supporters of the Minnesota House said after a private meeting with Governor Carlson with two weeks to go before the legislature reconvenes there is no new plan on the table yet. But supporters are trying to figure out how to take another run at financing a deal to keep the twins in Minnesota. And in a new ballpark the governor's so-called global solution that would include a plan for baseball football NHL

hockey and football team was apparently the topic of the meeting. But at least one lawmaker says you may have to add an expanded Minneapolis Convention Center to the mix as well. We talked about a global problem. Think we're going to have a global solution and the convention center is when the primary concern is the primary concern for the city of Minneapolis and so I think it needs to be discussed. I think people are telling us now when we lose twins we lose the Vikings. What is this place turn into and you know I think people want us to handle this issue about professional sports at one time and be done with it. One idea the governor says he's open to put the new NHL team in the Target Center and the new baseball park in St. Paul. But lawmakers say that is still just a concept not a plan. One Other Side note on the stadium debate Tuesday night long after most of us have stopped listening to what was going on in St. Paul some bills were agreed to and passed including one that just about doubles the money for illegal immigrants in the state have been cut off the federal

food stamp programs last spring. State lawmakers had already stepped up to the plate by giving illegal immigrants 38 dollars per person per month. Monday night they increased that amount to $63 which is equal to what U.S. citizens receive. A couple of business notes mation did not have a good quarter the printing and imaging company a spin off from 3M lost thirty eight million dollars. It plans to lay off 15 percent of its workforce with cuts coming from throughout its worldwide network. And you all will soon be home to a new billion dollar a year company. But don't expect any new hires. The dairy cooperative known as associated milk producers has been there all the time however delegates of the National Co-operative met in Bloomington today and decided whether to split the company in half the southern half based in Texas will merge with other dairies in the southern part of the country. The Northern producers will strike out on their own and be based in New all good news bad news for Minnesota's school breakfast program that provides early morning and noon time meals to kids who need them. The good

news is that the program has quadrupled in the past 10 years and 1987 12000 kids receive meals throughout the state. Last year more than 54000 took part in the program. However the bad part is that many kids in the program are getting a lot of flack from fellow classmates who make fun of the fact that these kids are poor. The children who go to school breakfast are stigmatized because it is known that they are the people who are the poor they're the low income who are eligible for free and reduced price lunches and therefore. They are poor and those kids know it. They know that the other kids have labeled them. The recent study also shows some of the new staggered school hours is making it tougher now to serve consistent and timely meals and Kathy That's the news summary. We're going to send it right over to you. All right. Thank you Lou. Well next Tuesday Minneapolis voters will decide the fate of two charter amendments. The Twins stadium funding amendment has got a lot of

attention. The other one hasn't tried to even up the coverage a little bit tonight. Amendment 1 46 would change the Minneapolis city charter so that all city employees including police officers would be liable under the city's civil rights law since the 1970s. Police have been exempt from Civil Rights Commission oversight. Her supporters say that it's time for the police exemption to go away. Police Union officials say there are good reasons for the exemption. Bob Sikora is a former civil rights commission chair who is heading up the charter effort. Also here is a charter opponent Albury minutes with the Minneapolis Police Federation. Welcome to both of you. But on the set with you first some of us in the newsroom are surprised to learn that police are not liable under the city's civil rights law. Why is that. Well one of the reasons you find it surprising is that it is the only police force in the state that has such an exemption and may even be the only police force in the nation with such an exemption and in order to understand it you need to consider two background points. And that

is generally anyone with a civil rights complaint including police officers themselves can ordinarily choose between going to local city civil rights to file their discrimination complaint or go to state human rights. That's the first of two very important things the second thing is nobody gets two bites at the apple. No one in the history of the state has ever been able to go to both agencies. And what happened 20 years ago when this amendment came into play in these sort of. Law and Order phase that followed the civil unrest of the late 1960s. Everybody who has a complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department is no longer able to choose their local civil rights department to filed a discrimination complaint. They are forced to go only to the State Department of Human Rights. This is a disadvantage for people who are economically disadvantaged who might not have a car or a phone or a stable mailing address and I want to hear from Albury men on this how do you justify not having the police under the city's civil rights.

Right no right now there are 11 agencies that can look at variance various issues concerning police misconduct. This would be adding the twelth agency there's a fight federal civil rights. There is a state's civil rights that the accessible to everybody. We have a survey interview with Already we have an I.D. Plus the investigative agencies of the federal government on civil rights issues the state the Minnesota the city Minneapolis and had been County we have leavened agencies right now. It was so everyone I met as well what they had. The problem is this 12:01 and Suburban to the city Minneapolis economic burden right now people if there is a if there was an issue by the way no police would believe that there shouldn't be a review on just causes of civil rights infractions. That has never been our statement never We've talked about in BB and I have talked about this for eight nine years you understand this is a burden of 250 to a million dollars a year in the city of Minneapolis taxpayers buy an ice chest would you please include police officers under this umbrella us besides investigatory information invest to rework the defense of the police officer in the case which the city is responsible to do any punitive damages assessed by the by the civil rights department would be paid

by the city to the tune of two hundred fifty two million dollars a year. But and that is money that comes out of taxpayers dollars. But right now police departments and cities across the nation and across the state can survive without this exemption. There is no earthly reason why the Minneapolis police force is unusual and that it would need such an exemption. And let's look at it from an arithmetic standpoint. Let's take the 11 agencies. One of those 11 agencies is the State Department of Human Rights. And I mention that nobody gets two bites at the apple. The state law and the city law each say hey you file in front of the other and you can't file in front of us. So out of those 11 let's call them apples. You got 11 apples. Pull out the State Department human rights. Put in the city Department of Civil Rights. How many apples do you have. Eleven apples. We're not adding an agency or simply substituting option ran a bureaucracy to police officers that are already under a lot of different microscopes and we're on a dollar

amount that were not acquainted with the cost the city we know it's going to cost between a quarter million a million dollars a year but that central costs are there today I know it's not right now. And right you can go to the State Department human rights today is not there right now in the investigatory cost of the investigatory work on this is huge too. But object to the taxpayer are subject to taxpayers this and by the way to the point that I think it's important for the public know is over the last 25 years the majority of time has been a Democratic mayor and Democratic city council never once have they voted this in Democratic city councils over the last 15 20 years over the last eight nine years and Bob and I have talked about this every drek rejected this issue is no other way to go large and you have to answer in a word no other way by a one vote margin. A few very vocal people decided the only way to do it is to take a shorter Commission have a meeting in the charter commission when three absolute opponents could not be there with an unscheduled meeting after it was tabled and then voted to put it on the charger. Now it was I found a way to put it in the chart and it wasn't a one on our cat.

Go ahead respond. Well this has been discussed in front of the city council for the last I don't know probably 10 years you and I have talked about it for the last in 20 actually but two times in my tenure as a Civil Rights Commission in Minneapolis we had in front of the city council two times it failed by one vote and I suspect that has a lot to do with the very political nature of the city council and the very good work that police officers do when they give their endorsement to city council members they work hard they knock on doors when we were there as well so one person we don't want to lose that interest we've only doors for city council members so this will be repeated going around and around for years and you need to get yourselves you've been talking about this for what 10 15 20 years you know whatever why is it going to run around is it politics. The trouble is it Bob and others to try to get this voted in by the City Council even though he says it's only a vote one against it. The city council in the mayor from Don Fraser to Sharon voted to decide it was not an important issue to bring up and have decided not to bring it up and when they did it was done very unfair and Mayor Sayles Belton have both supported this issue then why was it not clear that the council but twice in the last

15 and you'll notice now the chief of police isn't here saying this is a problem. So the Chief of Police is playing a guy by the mayor. OK 20 seconds left. Do you what's your gut feel that's going to pass. I believe that well I think so. I believe people say yes to civil rights they can see that ours is a country. Anyway let me just say justice no way. And there you have it should be known it's important the public to know that members of the community of our police community mayhaps community and regardless of gender regardless of race because of sexual preference are opposed to this and have come out OK. Most of this. Very good thank you Gentlemen good luck. Louis over to you. Thanks Kathy. Education reform is another one of the hot topics on the political scene and often the conversation turns confrontational over such ideas as vouchers bussing or diversity curriculum. But some reforms are happening quietly such as an experimental kindergarten program in Minneapolis that involves public school children going to private school. Ken Stone has that story. Some people might disagree. Before these children started school this year they were tested and

found to be behind other students entering kindergarten. What we find is children that may come from low income families they may not have been given a lot of school skills before they even hit kindergarten. And unfortunately if the school doesn't take that into account and give them a very structured systematic program those are the children that fall behind academically they're behind in kindergarten and never catch up. Exactly. One who has absolutely no preschool experience of a limited preschool expand no concept of colors numbers shape. Any of that. They have no foundation but the market would say these kids will succeed at their school. The seed Academy. But these children are not typical seat Academy students. Notice they're not wearing uniforms. That's because their public school students they go to half day kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary a public school and spend the other half of the day here.

I met with Carol Johnson the new superintendent in time and talked about how I wanted to focus on students that were low in and meet behind academically because we really believed that we could address those problems there particularly. And we came together and developed this collaboration that we believe is going to be very successful. We should be a bank you're Mahmoud believe it will be successful for several reasons. Like many private schools seat Academy has stricter discipline than most public schools. There are other private school advantages such as in addition to the typical teacher parent conference at school. LMR says she plans to meet with parents in their home. I think it's important for the students to see you outside of the classroom. I know when I was little the thing that struck me most about my teachers were that they weren't afraid to come to my house and they sat down my parents in my living room and talked about me. So I knew that there was

a partnership formed between a teacher and my parents. I think it's important that the students here know that there's a connection although they go to Lincoln in the mornings and harvest in the afternoon. There's a triangle connection between Lincoln harvest in the painter you know and I think they need to see that outside of the classroom. But most of all the marking would say the key to the success is the curriculum they're using the education consultants that develop it call it direct instruction. Some people might call it the old fashioned drill. It involves a lot of repetition it might done. Your time get ready. Students must repeat and repeat and repeat in both groups and individually. What they found was that the more you say something the longer the laugh in their memory. So you'll see a lot of repetition. You say the sound. Maybe 50 times in one day. And then they began to memory I mean their memory stores that information.

It is a phonics based curriculum that is used at various schools around the country. Seat Academy only started using it three years ago when they did a test scores which were pretty good to start with skyrocket. What we're really talking about is a systematic explicit her room phonics based program that will make these children successful. It's really nothing inherently about C that had me it's going to make them successful. It's really the system of instruction which is beautiful because that means that any school or any classroom can use this program and be affected by the market's hope that Minneapolis Public school teachers will notice how well these kids do and become believers as well. I'm hoping that we'll take this curriculum idea concept and spread it throughout all of Minneapolis public schools. It doesn't have to be seat academy that that's necessarily implementing it through our facility. But we know this curriculum works.

It's proven effective so I think it's something that should be established in Minneapolis public schools. Ideally you know we'd like to be involved in that. But if we're not it's no big deal to me. I just think all children need and deserve a right to learn how to read do math and speak proper English. The Mahmood say these kids many of whom did not know their alphabet only a few weeks ago will soon be reading. It almost guarantees that of course who we think should be reading. So it's a progression no curriculum in 14 14 you should be reading guaranteed 14 weeks from now which is in late January we'll be back to see for ourselves the folks in the Minneapolis Public schools are also watching in Minneapolis can St.. NEWSNIGHT Minnesota. So what is the cause Minneapolis to send kids to the state academies kindergarten program. Well twenty five hundred dollars per child per school year which is right in line with the cost of educating kids at the

state academy is about $5000 per year for a full time for through sixth grade student. Next up Kathy and a timely discussion of religious discussion. It being the day before Halloween. No it's not just over broad imagination of dollars. Tell the tale all the way it is becoming a more popular holiday and a more adult holiday retailers are happy about that but not all religious folk are. Earlier this afternoon I had a chance to sit down with the minister and some other spiritual leaders the increasing popularity of hollowing and the backlash against the celebration of evil. Some people describe it was topic number one for this week's religious panel. Let's start talking about Hala Wayne. Now there is some religious significance. Reverend

Peggy Riley to haul a wing that seems to been lost especially recently why is that. I I am so glad that you asked me to come on this evening to talk about this because this one just sort of sends me up in the air when I think about it. Originally it started out as a religious holiday. And I think of any other holiday in this country we celebrate this is a joy to it. There's gift giving there's mirth. And now to read the Pioneer Press this morning and have seen that now Halloween in terms of retail sales is the second largest day of retail sales. And when I think about what people are glorifying they're glorifying blood they're glorifying goop. They're glorifying all kinds of things. And in my mind Biblically speaking that satanic worship because you take a look at witches and you take a look at it all of those things as a matter of fact what I what I think is even sadder. Is the emphasis isn't even so much on the children celebration the retail sales increase in adult sales and Halloween parties starting in September. And I'm looking at this and I'm saying what happened and why would we

glorify something that's so dark and so ugly where you know when I was a little kid I was a witch. And my brother was a devil and it would make a difference. It wasn't like you were consciously glorifying Satan or witchcraft it was a fun thing. I don't think that most children do no I don't think that most people really know and understand really what they're glorifying. The costumes now for children still tend to be in those areas and some of the children is cartoonish but now does move more towards the macabre and more towards a tan and I'm wondering here Pastor Christine Holmgren from Northfield Minnesota. What do you think about what the river Reilly is talking about over here. Well I respect the position. I do very much on the other hand I take a different one and that is that I think there are a lot of things in the world that are a lot scarier to me for children then hollowing. I think that one that the fact that one out of five of Minnesota children live in poverty and that the number of children entering the foster care system in Minnesota has increased so rapidly in the last five years that's a lot more frightening

to me than children dressing up in costumes and going out trick or treating on Halloween. I do know that a lot of school districts influenced by the conservative religious organizations have backed away from celebrations of anything related to Halloween in the school system they're now doing things called Fall Festival right out of hollowing. And you know that's fine too I think the main thing that especially little children appreciate about how Wayne is the opportunity to give up the the good boy or the good girl image and put on the go is costume or to become a transformer or whatever you know some of these bizarre characters that kids like to be and go out in the world in knock on the doors and neighbors get to see their neighborhood children and Dr. Sawney I'm curious you're with the you know society of Minnesota in Hinduism is always celebrated or they don't. First of all. If this happens to see you Ali. Happens to be at the same time of the hollowing fist really. And what is that. The reason why it happens to be at this time is the Hindu calendar is a lunar calendar.

Whereas our American Galut is a solar calendar. So the hollowing is fixed on thirty first of October and that is that the Wyly varies from year to year. It is in the last three days of the seventh month of the United calendar. And picks up the first two days of the next eighth month called cutting. And it is one of the darkest time period. In India. And darkness signifies ignorance. And the people are really deep I mean slight. Limits at all. But always of light support all over and basically putting on the lights signify it's the victory of knowledge. Or the ignorance. You see tell us you're between this Hindu holiday event and how we are not really ok. But there is a time because when we talk about the kind of costumes or the kinds of. People that the children or more so the adults are trying to replicate. That's also darkness.

Me talk about Satan being the Prince of Darkness and so we want to do is be light what's into interesting Second Corinthians 11 it says that even Satan attempted to masquerade himself as an angel of light. But I think on the other hand what is interesting is. During the devolving festival the purpose basically is to emulate. The super been doing jewels to set the example from the society. Rama who conquered the South defeated RA and the person who was your model on ethical and I tyrant in Sri Lanka Ceylon. He brought together north and south. That is the same time period. Krishna. Was the King of the distant province of India the daughter went all the way. And defeated the tyrant would get sixteen thousand young damn souls from his prism. Release them and give them independence. And respect in this society. You know we've covered a lot of ground here just somehow we don't want to

switch horses ever so briefly and talk about this stadium debate and I bring it up because now you're laughing regularly but you know there was a religious coalition that came out and said no stadium we want to spend money on education and kids in that like I have not heard much from them during the stadium debate here in the special session. I have no idea where they are at this point which Now this is a really interesting my concern about not hearing from them goes to Judy's concern is one of every five children in Minnesota in poverty. And look at the hundreds of million dollars that will be spent on a sport potentially on a sport. And you've got children being hungry. Quick last comment from you. I think that the stadium the fate of the stadium is already laid. I think that the people of Minnesota have spoken and I think that the legislators have heard. I think what's going to happen to professional sports in Minnesota in the next few years is going to be very interesting. I think what we're all looking for is religious people in Minnesota is a transformation of a value system behind professional sports. All right thank you panelists We'll leave it right there. Thank you.

Well now isn't quite your style you might consider another holiday happening this weekend that's Dia de los Muertos the day of the dead Mexican Americans draw on ancient Chicano traditions and mix in a little Christianity. And that's for commemoration of the dead and a celebration of life. Well that one of the traditions involves the creation of old friend does artistic displays which memorialize past generations every year are today in South Minneapolis features of the splay of a friend as an artist. Rodriguez shared one of hers with us. In Auckland. My old friend that is dedicated to my grandmother. She was the one that kept the cool dude of the culture in our family from India. She never spoke English and it was like a rebellious kind of thing and I wanted why

she wouldn't learn English when she had it around her for the most part. You can't get away from it but this is her way of keeping the culture growing I have. Polo there or you make tortillas and that's something that I wanted to save from her because we used to make this for two years and things like that. And so for her I dedicated the the a friend of her because she is the one and all of this possible. When she came to get away from the revolution back in 1910. I was asking my mother or grandmother was it that my grandmother would like you know her brother I have a silver platter to put forward something that she likes and of course he had I have coffee and bubble up is her favorite soda and what surprised me was that she loves Frank IGS and think he's going to want chicken mole a you know they are. Anything else you know. But she was thank yous

to me I can't give her. Enough on. The first day for El Dia de los more of those is for the Ninos the babies and that is celebrated mostly with white flowers because of the purity of the children and the second day of LDA they loads more of those is for the adults. And then you have more colorful yellow different flowers red bright colors that will bring these souls to us and that's the whole idea of a little more of those. We want to bring their souls to visit us for that particular day. It's like Memorial Day here in the United States. And yet it is nothing like hollowing. It's a celebration of the Life and Times of those people that are deceased. So for me I'll probably be up all night. And that's OK so I'll be celebrating just as much as I possibly can.

Interesting if a bag of hollowing traits is your bag you might consider bringing some rain where along your trick or treat route. The National Weather Service forecast predicts cloudy skies with a chance of rain all day across the state as a run from the low 40s in the northwest to the middle 50s in the southeast. But do not go out trick or treating until after you watch Almanac which some consider to be scary enough experience tomorrow night. One word sure to be uttered more than any other stadium. Eric Escalade me tomorrow night 7:00 o'clock until then. When I head over to Korea arctan check out the our friend does. Either way enjoy your weekend.