HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995 10-04 Minutes We the People Rally I
CITIZENS INVEST IN COMMUNITY'S FUTURE AT "WE THE PEOPLE" RALLY
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Over 130 Brooklyn Center residents plus business and City leaders rolled up their sleeves
at the kick -off "We The People" Rally Wednesday, October 6th at Earl Brown's Heritage
Center. The task at hand was starting a grass roots planning process to shape the
community's future past the year 2000. As professional facilitator Ginny Belden stated,
"if we don't know what road we're on, we may end up someplace we don't want to be."
The Rally, the first of four scheduled for Wednesday evenings in October, is sponsored
by the DISCOVER THE CENTER Committee. Last fall, at an open meeting of business,
civic and resident leaders, a commitment was made to put the spotlight on the host of
positive things about our Community and to develop a common focus of actions that will
preserve and add to our community as a great place to live and do business.
Some people came enthusiastic, some with reservations, but all with a common caring
for their Community. Before the evening ended a little before 10:00 pm, all the
participants were wrapped up in a process that made people comfortable in expressing
their opinions, anxious to understand the views of others, and focused on coming to
common agreement. A number of Riverwood residents participated.
Participants were greeted by Brooklyn Center Historical Society members in period
costumes and a display that told of our farming and logging history plus a video "Our
Town" as it grew to the present. The participants' work for the evening started with
creating a "visual history" composed of major events that shaped our community from
1950 to the present. Next, using a Canadian planning model participants worked their
individual dreams and hopes for the Community into clusters with common themes.
At 7:00 pm Wednesday, October 11 in Constitution Hall at 6301 Shingle Creek Parkway,
Rally II will identify obstacles, underlying causes of these obstacles, and potential
strategies. Mary Welch, Rally Chairperson, points out that "although the four Rallies are
connected, each is a distinct part so people need not participate in all four Rallies to be
involved." Organizers were clearly pleased with the first Rally, but hope that the
subsequent Rallies will draw more from the Community's younger families. It was stated
that organizers know that families with young children find time at a particular premium,
but it is extremely important that their views become part of the mix.
Questions about the Rallies can be addressed to Mary Welch at 566 -8650 or Rod Snyder
566 -6631.