Since Sally started running for his second term I noticed that outward racism and racist remarks seem to be more out in the open, then I started to see it seep into the dialogue of National politicos, then podcasts and now even in small government policy.
Pretty crazy you would do this to discourage (the only candidate running) from running, who happens to be black and has oodles of law enforcement experience (not sure what his record is? Maybe that will come out in the campaign?) And heck, the current pay isn’t even that great! Then to cut it by $30K a year! Wow. Were you wearing hoods when you voted on this? ‘Pretty obvious to me they tryin’ to run em outta town, yah see.’
Ironically, he would probably be the best damn Sheriff the county has ever had. He has tons of experience and is in his prime, who wouldn’t want that? Maybe this is why he doesn’t have challengers? Did you ever think of that?
It reminds me of the black mayor of Mitchell, SD. He was one of the most popular mayor’s they ever had. I think he did a brief national TV interview talking about it, and he said something clever about how he doesn’t feel black, he just feels South Dakotan (I think he was born and raised in Mitchell).
Don’t let your hate blind you Turner County Commissioners.
As we know, Trump supporters are always trying to say DJT is NOT a racist. I know, laughable. But when you try to appoint people that are blatantly RACIST your true colors show;
The Fox News host who President-elect Donald Trump just announced would be his nominee for secretary of defense was not allowed to work security at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration, supposedly because of a tattoo that military higher-ups believed might have been an extremist symbol.
According to PeteHegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host and potential future defense secretary, the tattoo was a large Jerusalem cross on his chest. The Jerusalem cross originated with the Christian Crusades nearly a millennium ago. These days, it can be a simple marker of Christian beliefs ? or, in some settings, a symbol for the conquest and domination of Muslims or non-white minorities.
If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a racist.
Before the election and after the election I have told several people that even if Trump’s economic policies were solid, I still couldn’t support him because of his racism. I really believe that RACISM is true evil and it will ultimately destroy this country.
Would they ever work with the city again on a project? They’d never completely count out the idea, the artists said.
But, Hernandez added, “the experience was pretty horrible.”
These fine young artists aren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to suffer the consequences of ‘horrible’ city policies and leadership and blatant CENSORSHIP.
There is also another concern. Do we have RACIST elites in this community influencing city hall policy?
Speaking of suffering, the city has asked the courts to dismiss the Federal housing discrimination lawsuit. Just your typical dragging out the clock games they play. Of course, we know that is likely NOT going to happen.They have an incredibly solid case.
One of the most frustrating things about our supposed local news isn’t that they are fake news, but that they don’t tell the full story after passing off press releases as a news story;
Sioux Falls grew again, according to the city’s planning and development department.
The new estimated population for 2020 is 195,850. That’s an increase of 5,100 from the 2019 estimate of 190,750. The new number was released Friday afternoon by the city.
The Planning and Development Department calculates its year-end population estimate based from data released by the U.S. Census Bureau annually in July.
While this is all fine and dandy in a year without a census, I find it odd that no one asked the city why they didn’t just wait until the official census is released (hopefully SOON)? I have argued that I think that number is high and fudged so the city has more bonding leverage. I am NOT sure what it is, but I think we need to wait and see once the official Census is released.
“Sioux Falls continues to demonstrate our resiliency and optimism as evidenced by the steady growth of the past year. This confidence, along with our City’s ability to improve and expand infrastructure and manage our land resources has been a proven formula of growth for many years,†Jeff Eckhoff, director of planning and development, said in the news release.
“For me to sit here as the mayor and say, ‘Well, that doesn’t exist here in Sioux Falls’ would be naïve, because certainly some of the same racial tensions that we saw bubble up in Washington and some of the slogans we saw on shirts can certainly exist here,†TenHaken said. “What I can do as mayor is just continue to promote a message of unity, of inclusiveness.â€
“Last summer, we’ve had it before, we’ve had KKK fliers distributed around our community, we, people found them in parks and things, and I’ve always wondered, is that just a prank, is that a teen trying to get a rise out of someone, or is it very real,†TenHaken said.
Whatever the intent or the maturity behind such imagery, the Ku Klux Klan stands for real, documented hate.
“I think that’s the sort of thing we just can’t tolerate, there’s just no place for that,†TenHaken said. “There’s no acceptance of that.â€
I have often thought there is a correlation between racism and economics. I’m not sure how Amazon or an egg roll factory will solve our low wage job issues in the community. Studies have shown that Amazon actually drives wages down. Recently I was asked if I thought Noem or TenHaken had anything to do with bringing them here. My answer was simple, “Sure. They got the Hell out of the way.” Only one entity made the decision to come to Sioux Falls, and that was Amazon based on logistics of their operation. I have often chuckled about how politicians like to pat themselves on the back for bringing in business but rarely say anything about trying to prevent harmful businesses from coming. I think trickle down economics doesn’t work. In fact the founder of them, Ronald Reagan and his administration has proven that nothing trickles down to us. The rich have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer and main street is disappearing. I have even predicted that in 10 years or less, large corporate retail stores will be virtually non-existent.
So back to economics and racism. The state and the city can do more to combat racism, they can do it by building up communities starting at the bottom and working up. Besides cute messaging and education they can start investing tax dollars into the core of our city to provide more affordable housing they can also recruit businesses that will be locally owned and provide living wages. I had to cringe a bit last week when Planning Director Eckhoff made an interesting comment about affordable housing. He was referring to the practice of tearing down small houses in the core of our city, essentially saying they were obsolete because people want houses with two-stall garages now. He was basically saying the city’s housing department isn’t interested in rehabilitating smaller affordable houses. I have no doubt in my mind that the city’s housing and planning department (who have merged in recent years under the direction of TenHaken) has been in cahoots with contractors and developers to eventually wipe out existing affordable housing in our core (houses that are smaller with either no garage or a one-stall and one or two bedrooms) that can cheaply be fixed up because developers have seen that multi-housing units are where the money is to be made. I have suggested mini-TIFs to homeowners and small apartment owners to fix up our core neighborhoods essentially investing in people instead of big developers and international low wage corporations that never trickle it down to rest of us. (FF: 1:18:30)
If we are going to combat racism in Sioux Falls, it starts with economics, that means creating living wage jobs and affordable housing in our core. Giving millions in TIFs to egg roll factories isn’t a very good plan.
I don’t know if I have ever blogged about this before. One of the main reasons is because I am white. I have close relatives that are Asian, Hispanic, Native American and African American. People I love, not because of their heritage but because they are FAMILY.
Does their color matter? Nope.
I may have shared this a few times, but I lived with my father for a few years in a working class suburb of Seattle when I was in 10th and 11th grade in High School. We lived a few miles from the largest Boeing plant in the company and the largest manufacturing plant in the world at the time. The doors on this place were the size of football fields. FOOTBALL FIELDS!
The school I attended was Mariner High. One of the most diverse schools in the region.
Being a small town white farm boy who never saw a ‘colored’ person in my life, except on TV, was eye opening. I had African American friends, Native friends, Asian friends, but it never occurred to me they were any different. They had the same goals, love of life and interests as me. It never was a revelation, it was reality. I also had gay and transgender friends (this was the late 80’s). I also hung out with metal heads, preps, jocks and punk rockers (I actually made a little coin finishing art projects for the football players).
I guess I never understood hatred based on identity. Sure I dislike certain people, but it was never based on their color, religion or sexual preference.
Some people would accuse me of being a liberal because of my beliefs towards others, I’m not a liberal, I’m a human being. Everyone should believe in equality, it is just being a decent and compassionate person.
And while you struggle with your white privilege, never apologize for it, use it to make other lives better. Speak out against injustice. Don’t apologize or be embarrassed, use your privilege to privilege others. We all need to get along and love each other, it is of the highest importance. We are all in this together. Jesus said it best (or someone who claimed to know Jesus);
“Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.†– Psalm 41:1
And don’t just think police violence and domination is towards minorities. Over the past year I saw a drunk WHITE man get mauled by a dog while a SFPO kicked him, I saw another WHITE guy get tackled for flipping the bird and yet another WHITE jailed for weeks because he used hyperbole towards the mayor concerning 5G. None of us are immune folks. George Floyd is any of us, remember that.
These injustices affect us all as Americans. The police have become the judge, jury and to often the executioner. This is not their duty, their duty is to maintain peace, and arrest suspects and let a court and jury of peers decide if they are guilty of a crime.
I could point my finger at a lot of people, but today I will only point my finger at you as a citizen. Freedom is FREE, Speak OUT! It is one freedom they will never take from you unless you allow it!
l3wis