[Mpls] Speaking up for Rybak-Tyesha Edwards' Mother

[Shawn Lewis]

Letters from readers 
September 5, 2004 

Speaking up for Rybak

In his Aug. 29 Op Ex article, "Inner-city blacks must 
protest cutbacks in cops," Dwight Hobbes said it was 
doubtful that my family had dinner with Minneapolis 
Mayor R.T. Rybak and his family. Until now, we've kept 
our families' friendship private, but to set the record 
straight, we've spent nearly every holiday together 
since my daughter Tyesha was killed, most recently July 4th.

We will be together again on Sept. 18 for the PEACE Ball 
event, whch is focusing public conversation on the 
realities of violence, calling the broader community to 
collective action and supporting street-level solutions 
to local violence (http://www.citypeaceball.org).

I was a member of the mayor's historic community advisory 
board in the selection of William McManus as Minneapolis 
police chief. McManus has received incredible support from 
all communities of color. So when I read that Hobbes 
believes that Rybak does not care about the concerns of 
"inner-city African-Americans," I need to say that he 
is wrong. Rybak is an excellent mayor for the entire city 
and a good friend to my family.

Linda Longino, Minneapolis.

Posted by Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood


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