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Mounds View City Council January 24, 2000
<br />Regular Meeting Page 4
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<br />not a very flattering one. As one person told me, “Mounds View is made up of two types of
<br />people, those who don’t care, and those who are fervently opposed to basically everything.”
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<br />I recognize such comments are unfair to the many people who do care about, and work towards
<br />making this City a good place to live. There is an entire audience full of Lions’ Club members
<br />that speak to this. However, we can not completely discount the perceptions that others have of
<br />our City. I personally have witnessed individuals crossing the line from policy discussions into
<br />personal attacks, even wishing harm to come to particular people, and that is not just wrong, that
<br />is evil.
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<br />Along with the City facing elements of apathy and irrational anger, I am also concerned that we
<br />face increased racial prejudice. In the past year or so, I have heard an increase in racial jokes and
<br />slurs. I have even received some telephone calls from people who are also concerned about this
<br />problem. Mounds View, in the past few years, has become home to individuals and families of a
<br />variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, however, let me remind you that diversity is not a goal,
<br />it is simply a fact. None of us had a choice as to who are families are, where we were born, or
<br />what color God painted us. Intolerance should not be tolerated in Mounds View.
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<br />How do we combat the elements of intolerance, apathy and anger that is in our community?
<br />There are no easy answers, however, I would like to make a few suggestions. Communication is
<br />the key to understanding. The more opportunities we can provide for people to interact and get
<br />to know each other, the better, and through this interaction there will be far less fear and mistrust.
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<br />This Council has provided many new and unique ways of communicating with the residents,
<br />however, we must all realize that it is everyone’s responsibility to stay informed, and to have
<br />confusing information explained. Some of the negative responses to items that have been
<br />considered by this City and this City Council were the result of misunderstandings and lack of
<br />education on a subject. We can provide all of the information in the world, through the
<br />televising of meetings and the Internet, however, if residents do not take the time to understand
<br />that information, the goal of communication falls flat.
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<br />In addition to our yearly Festival in the Park get together, I believe there are other ways that
<br />residents can interact with each other at different times of the year. One suggestion I would ask
<br />the Council consider helping to coordinate, would be an all-City garage sale. On a selected
<br />weekend, all of the residents wishing to participate in an all-City garage sale would have their
<br />garage sales listed in the City newsletter and in the local newspaper. Not only would this
<br />provide a citywide event in which the residents can participate, it would also provide a positive
<br />view of our City to our surrounding neighbors.
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<br />Finally, and most importantly, we must recognize that hearts and minds will not magically
<br />change, just because we want them to. We need to seek the face of higher wisdom for help and
<br />guidance, and today I would call upon the local churches, their leaders, and their membership, to
<br />join together to help sponsor a series of prayer breakfasts here in Mounds View. In an era when
<br />so many social ills plague our society, gathering churches together to pray for our community
<br />seems like something that is long overdue. In the meantime, I would ask that those inclined to
<br />do so, please pray for our community.
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<br />This is a good community, and at its core there are good people, wonderful people, who call this
<br />City home. Let us all pray that the best of who we are can continue to flourish in Mounds View.
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