Robin is for Minneapolis

I have lived in the Twin Cities for nearly 15 years, and Minneapolis for nearly 14. As a resident of the Longfellow community, and Cooper neighborhood, Cam Gordon has been a faithful representative for our community, he has served on the city council since 2006. Cam appointed me to serve on the Minneapolis Arts Commission, has been responsive to my questions, and has been an active participant in many neighborhood meetings. Cam is decent man.
Peter McLaughlin, the former Hennepin County Commissioner representing Longfellow for 28 years, was also a good representative for issues in in our community, attended meetings, and is a decent man.
What these two men share, aside from being White men, with long terms, is their inability to read the room. Or maybe they fail[ed] to acknowledge the obvious; they are two White cis-gendered men, who perhaps do not recognize that what they represent, and who they serve, were/are people that look like me. White men of privilege. Oh, I am fully aware, Longfellow is more than White men of privilege, and I am aware of the class issues that exist in our community, our city, and our state. I do not think Cam can solve those issues alone, but I do expect more from our city council members.
I think all city council members representing South Minneapolis failed not only George Floyd, but our community, our people, our city, by not standing with the people most directly affected by the violence perpetrated by police in our communities. They were reactive, and not proactive; they stood on the sidelines, instead of standing for the people. What makes their inaction during the early days even more egregious is this simple, glaring fact: in a city with a system that prioritizes a strong city council, over a weak mayoral system – the city council punted responsibility to a police department, plagued with racist cops, looking to utilize military weapons and tactics, to terrorize our community.
Robin Wonsley Worlobah has a plan for Longfellow. It includes equitable, affordable housing, fully funded equitable education, a real public safety plan for all, strengthening workers rights, ending our city’s involvement with ICE and CBP. Robin is for ending the free ride private institutions, and Fortune 500 companies have had in our city, and for the funding of a just social safety net.
Cam’s successes are well documented, and very well appreciated, but his failure to deal with our police department, housing issues, and equity in our community render his accomplishments into the furthest recesses of my mind. Now, we need Cam Gordon to see this; it is time for Cam Gordon to read the room, and see that Robin Wonsley Worlobah is the best person, for this moment, for the future of Longfellow. Robin is for ALL of Us. Robin is for Minneapolis.
Ken R. Koens
Longfellow