The following article by Susan Du was published in City Pages Online on May 23, 2016.
Look at the Stats, and the Minneapolis Parks Board Doesn’t Seem Very Racist
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The NAACP’s Nekima Levy-Pounds and the University of St. Thomas’ Community Justice Project believe Minneapolis Parks and Rec is racist. What are their specific allegations, and is there evidence?
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When Nekima Levy-Pounds of the Minneapolis NAACP crashed the Parks and Recreation budget meeting on May 11, she unloaded a slew of racism charges against the nation’s largest parks system.
She accused the board of allocating more money to the parks in white neighborhoods than those in black and brown neighborhoods. She accused the board of hiring few people of color, and then treating them differently on the job.
Looking around at the nine board members, all she could see were white faces – indicative of white supremacy, Levy-Pounds concluded.
Caught by surprise, Parks board president Liz Wielinski flipped out and fired back. She screamed at Levy-Pounds for stealing center stage during a meeting where there had not been time set aside for public testimony.
To continue reading, click on the link to City Pages
http://www.citypages.com/news/look-at-the-stats-and-the-minneapolis-parks-board-doesnt-seem-very-racist-8292245
