[Mpls] Panhandling

[m1r3201 at aol.com]

I hope my brief correction on my first post for today does not count as a 
real post.

I have recieved an e-mail from Mayor Rybak's staff chastising me for the 
following:

That I had pushed the Mayor to host a listening session to hear form homeless 
persons and that the Mayor has agreed to a listening session and he was ready 
to do it in October. I felt good about this as it looked like progress.
Then, to insure that my voice (having never been homeless) was not the only 
one in on this and to try to bust up the idea of what I call "meetings with the 
special few"...

I contacted Guy Gambill, a staff from the MN Coalition for the Homeless and 
the Human Rights organizer with St. Stephens who has direct contact with HAH 
(homeless against homelessness).  And two men who were instrumental in our 
Decrim Recs who are homeless.

I, myself, Guy Gambill, the coalition staff and the St. Stephens staff person 
along with Cathy ten Broeke and the Mayor's aide agreed that the people who 
must take the lead in organizing such a listening session are the folks from 
HAH and other persons experiencing homelessness.So, in order to allow for this, 
the timing was pushed back to a later date to be determined.

I left those interactions feeling pretty good that maybe, just maybe the 
Mayor was understanding the need to open up the doors so many, many voices could 
be heard and most important the voices of persons living homeless...to speak 
their own mind and experiences.

So, I was more than a bit peeved to find out just a few days ago that the 
Mayor has selected a few people from the provider community to meet with him 
regarding panhandling. 

But no effort on the Mayor's part to follow the example myself and Guy had 
set,,,,a model of inclusion.

I am aware that myself and Guy among others are seen as a bit 
controversial....it gets that way when you get tired of the same old thing and then more of 
it.

This is not the first time the Mayor has had select meetings with certain 
providers.

So, whether the Mayor and his aide are angry with me is truly a moot point. 
If I were in the business of being nice to politicians I would have been 
appointed the Mayor's housing czarina.

And, the fact that the Mayor really should be having these conversations with 
persons experiencing homelessness and with the Hopper Task Force....he just 
does not seem to get it.

I have invited the Mayor's aide to come on to the forum and I would be happy 
to have it out for public discussion as to who was invited to the first 
meeting on addressing panhandling and who was not and why.

Margaret Hastings
Kingfield