[Mpls] Commissioner Stanek resigns - back to Minneapolis?

[Andy Driscoll]

> At 04:19 PM 4/16/2004, David Brauer wrote:
>> Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek, a former Minneapolis police
>> officer, resigned today after a 1992 deposition revealed he has used a
>> racial slur about African Americans.

> EY:  MPR was reporting that Pawlenty said he had not heard these
> allegations before. I called Pawlenty's office last year when Stanek was
> first appointed to express my concerns
> 
> Good for Pawlenty for taking quick action on this after this press
> conference.
snip
> From the article:
> 
> Stanek, appointed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, faced a contentious
> confirmation in the DFL-controlled Senate. Lawmakers were prepared to
> question the Minneapolis police officer about police brutality lawsuits he
> has been named in, as well as his comments about racial minorities.
> 
> EY:  I also brought Stanek up to many democratic Senators - including Scott
> Dibble last year during Pride.  What outraged me is the Democrats - led by
> Matt Entenza made a huge deal over Lindner's words - while turning a blind
> idea to Stanek.
snip
> Hopefully Minneapolis doesn't have to take him back.  This does put McManus
> in the hot seat.
> 
> 
> Eva Young
> Near North
> 
Once again, Ms. Young finds it necessary to skewer Democrats who had nothing
to do with Stanek's appointment or his confirmation even as she attempts to
take credit for raising the issue of Stanek's remarks above.

All we ever seem to hear from Eva are attacks on organizations like Family
Council and the Taxpayers' League - Republican groups who advance the
anti-gay Republican agenda at all turns - but never the elected officials
who actually vote that agenda into policy.

Then, when it becomes obvious that this Republican governor and Republicans
in the Senate ignore clues to their racist Republican colleague's history as
he asks for confirmation to one of the state's most sensitive posts
involving even-handed law enforcement and justice, this active Log Cabin
(Lesbian) Republican turns her back on her party members' behavior and
expresses "outrage" over House DFLers' denunciation of Arlon Lindner's
ill-considered and bigoted outbursts and not Stanek's?

Eva herself denounced Lindner's anti-gay tirades at the time, but attacked
Minority Leader Matt Entenza for his attempts at censure, which I opposed on
free speech grounds.

Mr. Stanek is an unfortunate example of yet more of what constitutes police
attitudes toward ethnic and racial subgroups of the communities he's been
assigned to protect. It is his boss - a Republican, Eva - who, despite his
attempts at distancing himself from an appointee's well-known background -
nevertheless made that appointment clearly believing that it would never
come to haunt that appointment.

This is the same Eva Young who, in the face of Republican attacks on and the
House Republican majority's refusal to approve the negotiated settlement
with state workers following a strike over retention of domestic partner
benefits, nevertheless blamed AFSCME's leadership and DFL legislators,
including Rep. Entenza, for the loss of those benefits - negotiated IN by
those she attacked.

Anything but holding her own party's representatives accountable for running
roughshod over her rights and those of the caucus she represents - the
Gay/Lesbian/BT community.

It's time to place responsibility for the continued promoting of racism,
gender discrimination, sexism and economic classicism in state and local
public policies where it belongs: on the rabid rightwing elected by general
pluralities - not majorities - to statewide and some citywide offices in
Minnesota.

Richard Stanek no more deserves to be a police officer again in Minneapolis
than he is to be Commissioner of Public Safety.

Andy Driscoll
Saint Paul