tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74669912024-03-07T15:21:52.506-08:00Minneapolis ConfidentialThe Trial of Former Minneapolis Councilman Dean Zimmermann and Other Tales of Corruption in the City of Lakes. Send tips to ken.avidor@gmail.comAvidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-23826731831550692572010-12-02T14:07:00.000-08:002012-01-11T18:43:07.651-08:00Dean Zimmermann Pushing Pods at MnDOT Workshop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_Frt2ou1S1FG2Kd04auCSCoIPCWqc7AWTV5ou8fTzgL0SKI0ufQy7RsZpsvBRgqsm6KK2t_VMtsOvCwfNqojqzDn4CrqPXGE7aoUkN1T7dbxy_TpCYoD_5EZBJ4BMSuvcSUJAQ/s1600/zim.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_Frt2ou1S1FG2Kd04auCSCoIPCWqc7AWTV5ou8fTzgL0SKI0ufQy7RsZpsvBRgqsm6KK2t_VMtsOvCwfNqojqzDn4CrqPXGE7aoUkN1T7dbxy_TpCYoD_5EZBJ4BMSuvcSUJAQ/s400/zim.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546213518399878866" /></a><br /><br />From <span style="font-style:italic;">Personal Rapid Transit Workshop 2010, A Summary Report</span> (Aug. 18, 2010, <a href="http://www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/prt/PRTproceedings_wb.pdf">PDF</a>)<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">Former Minneapolis city council member Dean Zimmerman:</span> People love their cars for three reasons: 1) It’s sitting there waiting for you when you’re ready to go; 2) It goes where you’re going; 3) It gets you out of the weather. Everything else about cars we love to hate … PRT satisfies those three elements and totally erases every other single reason you love to hate the automobile … So, if you build a transit system that mimics the reason why we take the automobile and takes out the things you don’t like, people will switch from the automobile to that system.In terms of cost, the legislature is willing to spend all kinds of costs to subsidize all these kinds of transportation. No one is dif-ferentiating between capital cost and operat-ing cost … Every single vendor in here will tell you if we build this system, it will pay back its cost with revenue. Light rail takes $10 million a year of public subsidy. The bus system, 25 percent paid for by users, and let’s not even go into the automobile, the most heavily subsidized transportation system. PRT is the only system mentioned that will pay for itself in terms of operating cost.</blockquote><br /><br />Not mentioned is the fact that Dean Zimmermann was <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/08/10/deanzconvicted/">convicted on 3 counts of bribery in 2006.</a><br /><br />This <a href="http://prtboondoggle.blogspot.com/2010/09/san-jose-podcar-conference-newsletter.html">San Jose Podcar conference newsletter</a> also has a PRT map created by Zimmermann.<br /><br />Click on the screenshot to make it bigger:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBzbzSJdysZjlnzM6QqeR6_-atccQnxa89BZ16GO0G28nhJK1WqGKBg7hyphenhyphenJlxbB40XvCG2BUMfr75PT0LAs_4DZ_sX8WZiiorkv77BbatmgcpEs7szziXOhOUH1UDt70A0mDrvw/s1600/MnDOT_PRT(redacted).jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBzbzSJdysZjlnzM6QqeR6_-atccQnxa89BZ16GO0G28nhJK1WqGKBg7hyphenhyphenJlxbB40XvCG2BUMfr75PT0LAs_4DZ_sX8WZiiorkv77BbatmgcpEs7szziXOhOUH1UDt70A0mDrvw/s400/MnDOT_PRT(redacted).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520612543786350402" /></a><br /><br />In addition to taking bribes, Dean Zimmermann tried to convince real estate developer and government witness Gary Carlson to invest $250,000 in PRT:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://blip.tv/play/AaPXTQI.html?p=1" width="550" height="442" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AaPXTQI" style="display:none"></embed><br /><br />Last year, I videotaped Zimmermann protesting reality-based transit and promoting Personal Rapid Transit at a transportation forum. Zimmermann gave me a tortured explanation for accepting cash from FBI witness Gary Carlson and refused to sign a waiver for the FBI tapes shown at this trial:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGHyCMC.html?p=1" width="550" height="442" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AYGHyCMC" style="display:none"></embed><br /><br />Members of the LRT-hating/pod-promoting Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit (CPRT) also spread the nonsensical conspiracy theory that Zimmermann was framed:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://blip.tv/play/AbXyLwI.html?p=1" width="550" height="442" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AbXyLwI" style="display:none"></embed><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-4816004539108083112010-02-26T13:53:00.000-08:002010-02-26T14:24:51.872-08:00Enough Already! Sign the Waiver! Release the Exhibits!Every now and then, somebody on the Mpls Issues will claim Zimmermann was framed or persecuted <a href="http://minneapolisconfidential.blogspot.com/2010/02/urban-legend-zimmermann-absent-minded.html">as posted Wednesday</a>. <br /><br />The debate continues:<br /><br /><blockquote>The subject being discussed was the city council being in the pocket of monied interests and developers. The reason I specifically mentioned Johnson-Lee and Zimmerman is that there is have been some claims that the Greens on the city council have been no more populist or resistant to corporate influence than the DFLers and I didn't feel that the examples we have had show that.<br /><br />As a person who most closely aligns with Libertarian Socialist political philosophy, they certainly haven't been as progressive or radical as I would like to see, but I suspect that any politician who was progressive or radical enough to make me happy would not represent their ward.<br /><br />I included Zimmerman because, while he clearly screwed up (and paid for it), I believe that he represented his constituency far more than he represented corporate interests.<br /><br />I say that even though I leaned towards Ken Avidor's perspectives regarding PRT (although with decidedly less vitriol on my part). I didn't feel that his conviction was relevant to the question at hand, but since its been brought up, one might suggest that the nature of the crimes he was convicted of support my adding his name to a list of those not in the pocket of monied interests or developers.<br /><br />One example is the lack of a quid pro quo on the "accepting a gratuity" issue. Yes, accepting a gratuity from someone who has business in front of the city is (and should be!) illegal and Zimmerman shouldn't have taken an envelope of cash and especially not taken anything from someone with business in front of the city. However, while former CM Zimmerman was convicted of accepting and using money from a developer, the case also established that he did not vote in favor of that developer's interests.<br /><br />Also, IIRC, wasn't one of the things he was charged for basically leaning on a business who wanted some sort of zoning change? My recollection was that he wanted them to supply materials for a retaining wall that would mitigate a negative aspect of their requested change and that he intended to do the labor himself. Yes, again, this is the wrong way to go about it - he should have taken the process of letting them know that unless the wall were part of their application, he wouldn't be able to vote for them when their appeal came up or something like that. It may have been the wrong way to go about it, it may have been illegal, and it may have been part of what landed him in jail, but it strikes me as the sort of action made by someone who cares about their constituency and neighborhood.<br /><br />Anyway, it has been a while so I may be misremembering the details here, but these recollections are part of why I included Zimmerman in my list of examples of people who were not owned by developers or monied interests. It was not my intention to reopen discussions about the trail or conviction nor was I claiming him to be a paragon of integrity, but his conviction did not seem particularly relevant to the discussion at hand. Had he accepted money and then acted in that party's interest, it would be a different story.</blockquote><br /><br />Another opinion from former Senate candidate Michael Cavlan:<br /><br /><blockquote>First of all, as the saying goes in political circles in Ireland<br /><br />"Even the dogs in the street know"<br /><br />That Dean Zimmermann was set up and was in fact one of the more honest and courageous members of the Minneapolis City Council . He sure as hell would not have rolled over on supporting Chief Dolan or RT Ryback. Like I said before, what happened to Dean was one of the more shameful moments in Minneapolis City Council history.<br /><br />However, when we speak of Cam Gordon being courageous and principled, I will have to interject another perspective.<br /><br />At the time of the Dean controversy, myself and others set up a meeting. We were discussing just how to deal with it. The meeting took place at Deans House on Clinton Ave. What I am about to talk about Dean Zimmerman or in fact Jenny probably do not know about because they were not present. At this meeting 15 people gathered. We talked about how to deal with it in the public. We decided to hold a Press Conference outside his house. The person chosen to speak on our behalf, in support of our friend, Dean Zimmermann was Farheen Hakeem.<br /><br />However, there were three people who opposed it. They were Cam Gordon, Annie Young and Dave Burger. Cam and Annie had been decades long friends of Dean Zimmermannn. They said that their concern was that "it may affect 'my' campaign." None the less, the issue was decided consensus style with the majority agreeing to publicly supporting Dean.<br /><br />I remember that a young lady present gave them all a good tongue lashing and pointed out that she was a Democrat but still supported Dean.<br /><br />However, it was what happened then that really stank to high heaven, in my own humble opinion.<br /><br />Apparently Dean's good friend Annie Young decided to call around and talk to any to discuss this further. However "fortunately" the only people she could get a hold of was Cam Gordon and Dave Burger. They decided, right there to create a new consensus. They cancelled the Press Conference that had been set up to give public support to their friend Dean Zimmermann. At a moment that he and the broader movement so desperately needed it.<br /><br />I know about this because I was there.<br /><br />So. like i said there are other perspectives on who has courage and integrity in the Minneapolis City Council.</blockquote><br /><br />And so it goes... on and on... year after year...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2LYZ7UVQDuFJMMkMwGTwT224FBgMLZmRN065dru0iUScvtc3Zp7jqFR104A9_CTjfQLl1Bzxpv02XAFpG9CevDhQzFthMz_si0_JoUKaHBnhmIeVdIFXmnN5E2aJU_RlIbOAkA/s1600-h/Zimmermann.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 248px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2LYZ7UVQDuFJMMkMwGTwT224FBgMLZmRN065dru0iUScvtc3Zp7jqFR104A9_CTjfQLl1Bzxpv02XAFpG9CevDhQzFthMz_si0_JoUKaHBnhmIeVdIFXmnN5E2aJU_RlIbOAkA/s400/Zimmermann.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442679146394702898" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPvVnbhny9JuOLnDEFQF3En9jb1m99gdcB8CxnQ67B46DMWn52WnSblvjXERkCmIPcMCl8dtfQWyhzpL0fC4SHxblSkb2VOxaPUeJUAe80ZzG8oPKVumdFMDu-85H94BphRRWMw/s1600-h/Zimmermann-1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPvVnbhny9JuOLnDEFQF3En9jb1m99gdcB8CxnQ67B46DMWn52WnSblvjXERkCmIPcMCl8dtfQWyhzpL0fC4SHxblSkb2VOxaPUeJUAe80ZzG8oPKVumdFMDu-85H94BphRRWMw/s400/Zimmermann-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442678340474826322" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-57480807644435781832010-02-24T08:32:00.000-08:002010-02-24T09:33:19.268-08:00Urban Legend - Zimmermann "Absent-Minded and Somewhat Foggy"It's been four, long years and the urban legend of Zimmermann's political persecution continues on the <a href="http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/topic/4M21SzrQ3IHsNfw6JReLfW">Minneapolis Issues forum:</a><br /><br /><blockquote>.... A man named Carlson was heard to brag in a local bar that he was the one who set up Dean Zimmermann deliberately. It was a one-shot deal--not repeated.<br /><br />Zimmermann was not noted as the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but he was-- and is--noted for being absent-minded and somewhat foggy on details. Zimmermann also spent two years in federal prison, whereupon he has paid his debt to society. He also made restitution for his mistake, as per the terms of his sentence. The figures put forward were maybe $5,000.00, though it could have been less. Carlson got nothing from the city council in return for his money.</blockquote><br /><br />--snip--<br /><br /><blockquote>Also at work during that time was the Republican Party's aim to break the DFL stronghold in Minnesota. Part of that skullduggery was to taint the DFL in Minneapolis. As we have observed during Nixon's administration and subsequently<br />seen in the national news, the GOP is not above misuse of various agencies of the federal government in order to gain and keep ascendency.</blockquote><br /><br />Here's audio of an Assistant U.S. Attorney describing what's in the Zimmermann trial exhibits to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals:<br /><br /><object width="150" height="150"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rc0OKCnEAcE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rc0OKCnEAcE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="150" height="150"></embed></object><br /><br />Too bad those tapes are not as available as <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/mn/petters/petters_info.html">the exhibits in the trial of Tom Petters</a>... it would clear up a lot of misconceptions for the folks on the Mpls Issues forum.<br /><br />Of course, Zimmermann could sign a waiver to release the exhibits - but he won't:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKiHTiVOF3g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKiHTiVOF3g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-23933683160408285572009-10-12T05:46:00.000-07:002009-10-12T12:16:35.905-07:00Dave Bicking and the The Enduring Legacy of Dean ZimmermannOver at the <a href="http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls">Mpls Issues,</a> supporters of <a href="http://davebicking.org/">Ward 9 candidate Dave Bicking</a> are posting stuff like this about his opponent:<br /><br /><blockquote>I have never seen a smoking gun like Schiff-gate in Minneapolis politics. A developer basically describing how a council member shakes him down for campaign contributions.<br /><br />If this were chess, it would be a clearly won endgame for the Bicking campaign right now. But alas, it is not a chess game. Lit must be dropped, and the word must be spread.</blockquote><br /><br />...and this...<br /><br /><blockquote>Dean Zimmermann was convicted and sent to prison for "accepting a gratuity." He accepted a campaign contribution from someone who had a development issue in his ward. He went to prison even though he voted against the developer's issue when it came before the Council.<br /><br />I certainly don't want Gary Schiff or Steve Minn to go to prison. But the way the FBI reads the law: any politician who accepts anything from someone having business before the City, no matter how they vote on a given issue, is accepting a "gratuity." As the Zimmermann case proves, there doesn't have to be a quid pro quo. <span style="font-style:italic;">The fact that someone gives you something and has business pending before the City is all it took to put Dean behind bars for over a year.</span>...</blockquote><br /><br />Dean Zimmermann was busted for asking for under-the-table contributions and accepting a large amount of it in cash and that is <b><i>NOT</b></i> the same as elected officials asking for and accepting legal political contributions. Here is an audio file from Zimmermann's appeal hearing that explains exactly what Zimmermann did and why it was illegal:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="65"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rc0OKCnEAcE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rc0OKCnEAcE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="65"></embed></object><br /><br />The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously against Zimmermann, That ruling was not contested by Zimmermann who served his sentence. In April I videotaped Zimmermann protesting LRT and promoting Personal Rapid Transit at a transportation forum. Zimmermann gave me a tortured explanation for accepting cash from FBI witness Gary Carlson and refused to sign a waiver for the FBI tapes shown at this trial:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKiHTiVOF3g&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKiHTiVOF3g&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />Members of the LRT-hating/pod-promoting Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit (CPRT) also spread the nonsensical conspiracy theory that Zimmermann was framed:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />According to <a href="http://www.cprt.org/CPRT/Home.html">the CPRT.org website</a>, the CPRT meets at Dean Zimmermann's home every month.<br /><br />Dave Bicking, like Zimmermann is a fierce opponent of reality-based transit and big supporter of the pods. This is from his son, <a href="http://blog.ianbicking.org/dave-bicking-for-city-council.html">Ian Bicking's website</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>... Dave has followed PRT for some time and he knows quite a few of the people involved in CPRT. Dean Zimmerman, who is a Green City Council member in Minneapolis (neighboring ward) has been a strong proponent of PRT during his time in office (and like all the councilmembers, he's also up for reelection).<br /><br />I get the impression there's conflict in the Green Party over this, as some see PRT as a dig on traditional mass transit like Light Rail. I'm personally very excited about PRT, <span style="font-style:italic;">as mass transit just doesn't work well. It's not even very good for the environment</span>....</blockquote><br /><br /><i>"mass transit just doesn't work well. It's not even very good for the environment"</i>.... <span style="font-weight:bold;">WTF?</span><br /><br />Has Bicking's positions on LRT and PRT have changed since 2005?<br /><br />Does Bicking still believe what he wrote in this <a href="http://lists.cohousing.org/pipermail/mn-prog-events/msg00441.html"> petition for Zimmermann?</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>***In Support of Dean Zimmermann***<br /><br />We, the undersigned, protest the investigation, conviction, and imprisonment of Dean Zimmermann. As he begins his 30 month sentence in federal prison, we stand in support of an honest man who has dedicated his life to helping others, both personally and politically.<br /><br />We are convinced that Dean is innocent of the crime of bribery - a crime that requires intent. Dean has shown no signs of personal ambition; it is unthinkable that he would participate in corruption for personal gain. Indeed, his imprisonment is the result, not of corruption, but of his activism and his integrity. The FBI set-up is the culmination of over 40 years of FBI surveillance of Dean's political activities.<br /><br />This was a set-up, in the most literal sense: The cash, the witness and his script, the cameras, and the locations were all provided by the FBI. Unlike someone truly soliciting a bribe, Dean never asked for nor expected the contributions in cash, nor did he ask that they be given to him directly. The FBI never showed that Dean did anything for Gary Carlson that he would not do for anyone else. The prosecution could not find one other business person nor developer who would testify that Dean had asked for money in exchange for a favorable vote for their business or project.<br /><br />This is not the first time that the FBI has taken an interest in Dean.<br /><br />Dean Zimmermann has had a long history of political activism. He opposed atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the 50s. He participated in the Civil Rights movement in the 60s, working on voter registration drives in Mississippi. He was an early opponent of the Vietnam War. He helped create the natural food coops in Minneapolis. As an elected member of the Minneapolis Park Board he promoted sustainable ecological practices. In his four years on the City Council, he worked on homelessness issues, for immigrant rights, for greater accountability to end police brutality, and continued his work for a better environment. As he puts it, his focus on the Council was "to make life easier for poor people, and to leave behind a planet that is fit for our great grandchildren to live on."<br /><br />The FBI also has a long history, and it is a history of dirty deeds inopposition to all the causes that Dean has promoted. An FBI agent even remarked what a low FBI number Dean had, indicating that his file goes way back. The infamous COINTELPRO program was created to, in the FBI's own words, "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" dissident movements. In addition to keeping extensive files on activists including Dean, the FBI encouraged the selective prosecution of movement leaders, and worked covertly to incite violence and to split groups apart and pit one group against another. After Congressional investigations in the mid-70s, COINTELPRO was formally disbanded, but many of the activities continued, and the files were kept.<br /><br />Recently, new tools such as the PATRIOT Act give the federal government even more power. Surely the FBI, overseen by torture defender Alberto Gonzales, is as determined as ever to repress dissent. The persecution of Dean Zimmermann can be seen as nothing less than a warning to any elected official who would dare repudiate the Bush administration's repressive agenda. Even as Republican leaders have engaged in demonstrated acts of corruption and violation of the public trust, the US Justice Department under Gonzales has gone after more non-Republican elected officials than any other in modern American history.<br /><br />We will probably never fully know the motivations and circumstances thatled the FBI to set up a sting operation to try to entrap Dean. But if we think that Dean's case has anything to do with a sincere concern about ethics or municipal corruption, we have fallen into the trap set for us by the FBI. Ideally, investigation and prosecution should be a search for the truth. By their record of deception and distortion, the FBI has shown, its true intent.<br /><br />A centerpiece of the FBI's case is the famous "money, money, money" quote. To obtain a search warrant, the FBI deliberately deceived the judge by depicting this as Dean's response to Gary Carlson at a "meeting in a restaurant". They did not reveal that this was a perfectly innocent quote, given the context that this "meeting" was one of Dean's many conversations during a large public fundraiser for his campaign. When they raided Dean's house, the FBI confiscated not just evidence, but nearly all of his campaign materials. His re-election campaign was crippled by this loss of mailing lists, phone numbers, address labels, etc., perhaps revealing their true intent.<br /><br />Any credible news source would readily expose these injustices, but the corporate media has been complicit in deception that influences the public's view of this case. Even after the trial was over and the true facts were known, the Star Tribune printed the transcript of the conversation with the "money, money, money" quote without revealing that it occurred during a fundraiser.<br /><br />Dean's unjust conviction and imprisonment will not negate the legacy of his decades of service. Like many true freedom fighters, Dean is paying a high price for his activism. Our hearts go out to him and his family., This hurts not only Dean, but all of us. It hurts the causes Dean works for, and it unfairly tarnishes the reputations of the groups he works with. The timing of the FBI investigation and raid also tampered with the democratic process. We miss Dean's leadership on the Minneapolis City Council.<br /><br />We stand in support of all political prisoners including Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and the Cuban Five. Dean Zimmermann is a political prisoner and we appeal to other groups, national and international, to recognize him as such.<br /><br />Dean has not asked for personal support; he asks only that we "continue the struggle". We will do that, while keeping in mind that part of that struggle is to defend our allies from persecution, and to support the right of activists to work without fear of retribution.<br /><br />Dean says it best: "Speaking on behalf of the poor and oppressed and generations to come is not always popular, but it is necessary. It is my life's work. It is my work as a public official and it's work I intend to continue." Thank you, our friend, for your inspiration and for your life's work. We look forward to your continuation of that work, both in prison, and when you are able to rejoin us afterward.</blockquote><br /><br />If Bicking still believes that Zimmermann is innocent, I hope he would urge Zimmermann to sign the waiver to release the tapes shown at his trial to the media so voters can decide for themselves.<br /><br />And when it comes to casting stones at candidates who have accepted donations from developers... (click to make bigger):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SQzdhK4Fm470wz1fBHejuaqju5EcadpRo-s9ERsiMpu-fx2-6tVncF-Xk5IPyZe9En0ssn_2iT0drhKy235XfdJrH1AF28UN8O-VLuvOPSabc8Q8f1_jw47Z_SVulDD6F4u2DA/s1600-h/bicking.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SQzdhK4Fm470wz1fBHejuaqju5EcadpRo-s9ERsiMpu-fx2-6tVncF-Xk5IPyZe9En0ssn_2iT0drhKy235XfdJrH1AF28UN8O-VLuvOPSabc8Q8f1_jw47Z_SVulDD6F4u2DA/s400/bicking.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391762220054392306" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFaVRyUyXxjgGiFSSU0DAFDBDEYFZ-53OudGsIYy8dfLPuA_mz94-qWKERhcuFNC3yurA7vK1ZYv_KMqz0ewNrel6IRTib1cfHfcDm5gFN0Srqho-ExPP3NexTP5_5a_m03jJWQ/s1600-h/Farheen_Text.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 370px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFaVRyUyXxjgGiFSSU0DAFDBDEYFZ-53OudGsIYy8dfLPuA_mz94-qWKERhcuFNC3yurA7vK1ZYv_KMqz0ewNrel6IRTib1cfHfcDm5gFN0Srqho-ExPP3NexTP5_5a_m03jJWQ/s400/Farheen_Text.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391774477828979762" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-64676096378731100662009-06-06T19:08:00.000-07:002009-06-08T07:53:27.503-07:00Dean Zimmermann Protests LRT and Promotes PRT in North MplsI wasn't expecting to see Zimmermann today at a transportation meeting in North Minneapolis... but there he was in the audience dissing light rail and promoting the pods along with CPRT director Margaret Beegle . I asked Zimmermann a few questions.. listen:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKiHTiVOF3g&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKiHTiVOF3g&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/05/pod-people-wage-war-on-light-rail-other-reality-based-transpo-projects/">Pods on Streetsblog</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-70550314459062860842009-04-22T03:32:00.000-07:002009-04-22T05:05:18.782-07:00Pod People Meet at the Scene of Zimmermann's CrimeIf you go to the Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit website (<a href="http://www.cprt.org/CPRT/Home.html">CPRT.org</a>), you'll notice they had a meeting recently at 2200 Clinton Avenue South in Minneapolis, the home of convicted felon <a href="http://apps.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/PiApp/GeneralInfoRpt.aspx?PIN=118521">Gary Dean Zimmermann</a>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhjY-mfuzCp7XnjzwnEoTxqEnbu-2othpz5vyd7lRdCpNQP8OAADoj414nRyUdFPeEX6jMVdqAANfFrIEVWLg-gCykR6oa4myioBZEQuOfjYbGspEixqTD11octhGU3cx5vvhjw/s1600-h/Z_CPRT_Meeting.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhjY-mfuzCp7XnjzwnEoTxqEnbu-2othpz5vyd7lRdCpNQP8OAADoj414nRyUdFPeEX6jMVdqAANfFrIEVWLg-gCykR6oa4myioBZEQuOfjYbGspEixqTD11octhGU3cx5vvhjw/s400/Z_CPRT_Meeting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327462038381623042" /></a><br /><br />2200 Clinton is where Zimmermann was caught on video <a href="http://minneapolisconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/08/notes-from-zimmermann-trial-day-3.html">accepting a cash gratuity from government witness Gary Carlson</a> on August 31st, 2005:<br /><br /><blockquote>Carlson says they need to get Zimmermann elected, then hands him an envelope and says “that’s for getting us the zoning over there.” [This envelope contains $1000 in the form of 10 $100 bills, given to Carlson by the FBI.]<br /><br />Jenny Heiser, Zimmermann’s wife, comes in and Carlson asks for a campaign t-shirt. Carlson has a discussion with Heiser about line-drying their t-shirts and Heiser exits.<br /><br />Zimmermann tells Carlson, “this guy down here [in the 9th. ward] is running against Schiff, Dave Bicking…[Schiff is a?] significant obstacle, this’ll be in his ward. He [Bicking] could use a little promotion, he’s got an uphill battle, but he’s got no relation with Hamoudi and those guys,” even though he met with the Sabris. One of them [I don’t recall if it was Zimmermann or Carlson] mentions Sheila Delaney, a candidate Hamoudi [Sabri] and his friends promoted, who withdrew from the race. <br /><br />Carlson then says he thinks there are three people running in Zimmermann’s ward. Zimmermann replies by saying the “other guy” [other than Lilligren] is a “straw man we put up so there’ll be a primary.” He says the campaign wanted to have a primary to see “where we stood.” [I believe he also said something about his whole campaign knowing about this “straw man,” James Gorham.]</blockquote><br /><br /><br />...2200 Clinton was <a href="http://minneapolisconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/08/notes-from-zimmermann-trial-day-5.html">raided by the Feds</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>After lunch the prosecution continued its questioning of Agent Bisswurm. In response to questioning, Bisswurm explained that repetitive portions of the tape we just heard had been edited out, but the full and unedited version was supplied to the defense. He said a federal search warrant of Zimmermann’s home at 2200 Clinton was served on September 8, 2005. He explained that money was indeed found in the desk drawer: $1200 cash in four envelopes (Exhibits 34-37). He said all $1200 was there, but there was no trace of the $5000 or the original $1000. Docherty asked him is any of the original $100 bills (other than the $1200 in four campaign envelopes) were found in the house, and he said no. <b>He said Zimmermann was asked where the $1000 was and he replied “all over the place.”</b></blockquote><br /><br />The CPRT has no problem with law-breaking, <a href="http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/search?q=cprt">having broken IRS law to help get Zimmermann elected in 2005</a>.<br /><br />Here's Margaret Beegle of the CPRT at the Living Green Expo last year:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-81747092610495174342009-02-12T20:29:00.000-08:002009-02-12T20:59:58.440-08:00Dean Zimmermann is Back and He's Boring...<a href="http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/topic/1E3MXo0X3oh7PB6l4oklgU">Mpls Issues</a> had a notice about a "Community Discussion and Forum". One of the speakers was Dean Zimmermann:<br /><br /><blockquote>Dean Zimmerman is a former Minneapolis City Council Member. A well known and respected member of the local progressive peace and justice communities, Dean is considered a hero by many people and has always been a champion of poor and oppressed people.</blockquote><br /><br />A very small group of people listened to Zimmermann drone on and on about stuff including, of course the pods:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OaGfS6wuXeE&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OaGfS6wuXeE&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-17245704453411746872009-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:002009-02-07T08:05:12.094-08:00AG Holder: "We Must Restore the Credibility of this Department"<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3070493&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3070493&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3070493">Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the Department of Justice</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/whitehousevideos">White House</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090203.html">Transcript:</a> <br /><br /><b>"Remarks by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to Department of Justice Employees":</b><br /><br /><blockquote>Good morning.<br /><br /> It’s a privilege to speak to you today, both as the new Attorney General and as your returning colleague. I am deeply honored to have the opportunity once again to work side-by-side with all of you here at the United States Department of Justice.<br /><br /> The Justice Department has aptly been described as the “crown jewel” of the federal government. It has attained this distinction not because of any laws or regulations, cases or controversies, buildings or equipment, but rather because of the quality, integrity, and dedication of the people who work tirelessly to carry out the Department’s vital mission. Simply stated, you – the employees of the United States Department of Justice – are the backbone, the heart, and the soul of this great agency.<br /><br /> The honor of serving in the Justice Department is very real – and so too is the responsibility that accompanies it. Citizens from across this nation look to us as the standard bearers of justice, fairness, and independence. At all times, and in all ways, we must demonstrate that we merit their confidence. We must fulfill our duties faithfully, and apply the law evenhandedly, without regard to politics, party or personal interest.<br /><br /> I owe much to you who serve in this Department today, and to those who served in years gone by: <br /><br /> When I was in the Public Integrity Section more than 30 years ago, it was you – or people just like you – who served as my mentors, my colleagues, and my friends. <br /><br /> When I was the United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, it was you – or people just like you – who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me as we fought against violent crime, drug trafficking and corruption. <br /><br /> When I was Deputy Attorney General, it was you – or people just like you – who worked with me to protect our fellow citizens and the ideals upon which our country was founded.<br /><br /> And now that I am Attorney General, it is you – and precisely you – who will serve as the Department’s faithful troops as we engage in a daily battle for justice.<br /><br /> We have much work before us. <br /><br /> We must strengthen the activities of the federal government as we protect the people – the American people – from terrorism. Nothing we will do will be more important. We must use every available tactic to defeat our adversaries – and we must do so within the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. There is not a tension between the ideals that formed this nation and that which we must do to keep it safe.<br /><br /> We must restore the credibility of this Department, which has been so badly shaken by allegations of improper political interference. Law enforcement decisions and personnel actions must and they will be untainted by partisanship.<br /><br /> We must reinvigorate the traditional missions of the Department. Without letting our guard down in the fight against global terrorism, we must embrace the Department’s historic role in fighting crime, promoting civil rights, preserving the environment, ensuring fairness in the marketplace, and protecting the interests of all of our fellow citizens.<br /><br /> Our task will not be easy. Our days will be long and our challenges will be great. But I know that because of your professionalism, your integrity, and your hard work, we will succeed in our vital mission. And I pledge to you today that throughout the days and months ahead, I will work with you, I will listen to you, and I will learn from you as we go forward.<br /><br /> And so, my friends and colleagues of the United States Department of Justice, I say to you today – let’s roll up our sleeves, and let’s get down to work.<br /><br /> It’s good to be back.<br /><br /> Thank you. </blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-52008386019641834812009-01-23T21:49:00.000-08:002009-01-23T21:57:47.036-08:00Unsolved Crime - Vandalism of Congress Members' Homes and GaragesSome possible clues <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1/23/13031/6521/403/688100">HERE</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPmLyoK18Z2CX5a-jviKNZv05sJb9Q9TDZdDcBE81sBylhSUEs2xJi-UbD6qPw5b3BsXiH97TN7fdEKSzq2obx5i9I5jEV0b_HpaP2I7dZMNFM4NDcroa1dL7evKixx0bkIhDng/s1600-h/Bacarget1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPmLyoK18Z2CX5a-jviKNZv05sJb9Q9TDZdDcBE81sBylhSUEs2xJi-UbD6qPw5b3BsXiH97TN7fdEKSzq2obx5i9I5jEV0b_HpaP2I7dZMNFM4NDcroa1dL7evKixx0bkIhDng/s400/Bacarget1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294735239777320354" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-11691737908790993912008-12-03T15:30:00.000-08:002008-12-03T16:42:31.655-08:00OSC: Rachel Paulose Retaliated Against John Marti<a href="http://www.osc.gov/documents/press/2008/pr08_11.htm">Office of Special Counsel press release</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>WASHINGTON, D.C. / December 3, 2008 - Today, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced the settlement of a prohibited personnel practice complaint filed by John Marti, an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the District of Minnesota. Mr. Marti previously served as the First Assistant United States Attorney (FAUSA) to the former U.S. Attorney, Rachel K. Paulose. He alleged that in April 2007, Ms. Paulose demoted him to a staff attorney position because he had reported to officials within the Department of Justice that she had mishandled classified material. OSC’s investigation showed that Ms. Paulose retaliated against Mr. Marti for making whistleblower disclosures in violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act.</blockquote><br /><br />AUSA John Marti is part of the Fed team investigating Tom Petters.<br /><br />Press release from <a href="http://minneapolis.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/mp120108.pdf">United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota </a> about Monday's 20-count Indictment of Thomas Joseph Petters for wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering:<br /><br /><blockquote>This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Dixon, <b>John Docherty</b>, John Marti, and Tim Rank. </blockquote><br /><br />That's a familiar name... <a href="http://minneapolisconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/08/notes-from-zimmermann-trial-day-8.html"> John Docherty prosecuted former Mpls Councilman Dean Zimmermann in 2006.</a><br /><br />Last I heard, John Docherty went to work at the The Hague to help with the war crimes trials.<br /><br />Speaking of the Zimmermann trial... this is from the recent issue of MInnesota Law & Politics:<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=Lawsuit.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/Lawsuit.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-34541852595340437262008-11-26T14:41:00.000-08:002008-11-26T14:57:37.412-08:00Minneapolis Teen Challenge BillboardMNTC Billboard on NIcollet Avenue, Downtown Minneapolis. Ironic phone # - "612-FREEDOM".<br /><br />Think it has anything to do with <a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/14782/tangled-web-bachmann-gives-money-from-donor-tied-to-petters-scandal-to-group-tied-to-petters-scandal">THIS</a>?<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=MNTC_Billboard.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/MNTC_Billboard.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=VennesPetters2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/VennesPetters2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-5035515851025874752008-11-26T14:16:00.000-08:002008-11-26T15:14:51.321-08:00Marda Liggett Woodbury 1925-2008This is a post I've had sitting on my computer's desktop for months.<br /><br />This blog started out documenting the the shady deals of former Minneapolis Councilman Dean Zimmermann who was indicted and convicted for corruption in 2006. It would be nice to think that the City of Lakes has rarely seen corruption of the sort that Zimmernann practiced, but that isn't the case... far from it. Minneapolis has a long history of corruption. <br /><br />Most Minnesotans are not aware that corruption was so common here. A good introduction to the seamy side of Minneapolis history is a City Pages article from 1995 titled <a href="http://www.citypages.com/1995-10-11/news/minneapolis-confidential/">Minneapolis Confidential</a> (no, it's a coincidence that this blog has the same name).<br /><br />Linclon Steffens in his book <i>Shame of the Cities</i> wrote about corrupt Minneapolis Mayor Doc Ames. <br /><br />Another excellent book about that period in Minneapolis history is Fred Friendly's <i>Minnesota Rag</i>, a book about the landmark Supreme Court case, Near vs Minnesota.<br /><br />In <i>Minnesota Rag</i>, Friendly briefly mentions Walter Liggett, a reporter who dared to expose the rackets and graft in the Mill City and was machine-gunned to death in front of his wife and daughter.<br /><br />Walter Liggett's daughter, Marda Ligettt Woodbury died in July of this year. The Star Tribune's James Shiffer <a href="http://ww3.startribune.com/blogs/whistleblower/2008/07/25/a-lasting-shame-of-minneapolis/">wrote the following in the Strib's Whistleblower blog</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i> On the eighth of July, Marda Liggett Woodbury, a retired library director, died in California. She was 83. News of her death didn’t reach our newsroom until some time later, and I only heard about it this week.<br />I didn’t know Ms. Woodbury. I spoke to her only once, last year, when I called her after reading her book. But I found myself saddened, because she had been a living link, perhaps the last witness, to a terrible chapter in the history of Minneapolis.<br /><br />Between 1934 and 1945, three journalists were murdered in Minneapolis. All of them were gunned down on the street in gangland-style slayings. No one was ever punished in their deaths of Howard Guilford, Walter Liggett and Arthur Kasherman. Over the years, the city salved its conscience by remembering these newspapermen as so scurrilous in their methods and reckless with their associations that they deserved what they got. In fact, each of them, with varying degrees of credibility, self-interest and skill, was attempting to expose the rampant corruption and gangster rule virtually ignored by the dailies, the predecessors of the newspaper I work for now. Guilford, Liggett and Kasherman were the bloggers of their day, attacked by the mainstream politicians and media alike.<br /><br />In 1935, Marda Liggett Woodbury was 10 years old when she saw her father, Walter Liggett, shot to death behind the family’s apartment in Stevens Square. Liggett, editor of the Midwest American, was a vocal critic of Gov. Floyd B. Olson, whom he accused of tolerating corruption and betraying his radical principles. His daughter testified at the February 1936 trial of the notorious Minneapolis gangster charged in his death, Isadore “Kid Cann” Blumenfeld. That’s when her picture shown above was taken, her eyes glaring into the news photographer’s lens with a startling ferocity.<br /><br />Blumenfeld was acquitted and went on to a long and mostly uninterrupted career in organized crime. Walter Liggett’s family moved away from Minnesota. Sixty years later, in 1998, the University of Minnesota Press published Marda Liggett Woodbury’s book, “Stopping the Presses: the Murder of Walter W. Liggett”. It makes a persuasive case that her father was assassinated because of his political beliefs and his willingness to speak out about them. It was the first step, and not the last, of historians re-evaluating the meaning of the three murders.</blockquote></i><br /><br />... it's a nice column and <a href="http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/whistleblower/2008/07/25/a-lasting-shame-of-minneapolis/">well worth reading</a>.<br /><br />Here is a video I made about Walter Liggett.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XAAz3Vwr1y8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XAAz3Vwr1y8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-21699222930804425112008-07-12T07:58:00.000-07:002008-07-12T08:07:16.990-07:00Jim Graham: "Welcome Home Dean"From the <a href="http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/topic/1Fs09SQtcE0XHbBFB2P95U">Mpls Issues List</a>:<br /><br /><i>What I am pleased about is that Dean has paid his debt and is now relatively free. It might surprise some, but I am glad Dean Zimmermann is out of prison and back in Minneapolis. Even though his actions did real harm to my neighborhood during the time he was in the Council and became a little too "interested" in promoting the interests of what I, and many, considered "organized crime". Before that Dean contributed a lot to our community in my opinion.<br /><br /> Dean was always a good guy and genuine person before becoming what I consider a pawn and victim of a certain family of "developers". That family has clearly, in my opinion, been the downfall of two City Council-Members -Dean Zimmermann and Brian Herron, but could have been responsible for a couple more.<br /><br />Dean was weak and totally ineffectual as a Council Member, but that charge can be leveled at many other Council Members. Also, his bribery actions were not that different than some other "conflicts of interest" that were, and continue to be, normal for sitting Minneapolis politicians. Remember folks, in the last eight years three out of thirteen Wards in Minneapolis have had their Council Members go to Federal prison for corruption. And just for the record "IN MY OPINION" others have had similar "conflicts", but were simply too savvy to get caught up in the net that essentially caught only the small fish.<br /><br /><b>Dean's greatest folly, in my opinion, was not dropping the dime on the people who seduced him into the corruption. The people who were the actual target of the sting on Dean. The transcripts of the trial and the FBI reports make it clear who was the actual target.</b><br /><br />So welcome home Dean. If I had known the bus was coming I would have tied a yellow ribbon around the old linden or maple tree.(don't have any oaks)<br /><br />Jim Graham,<br />Ventura Village</i><br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=Zim2-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/Zim2-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-79536399712480783092008-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:002008-07-11T15:42:46.255-07:00More Absurd Coverage of Dean Zimmermann's HomecomingSteve Brandt <a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/24316074.html">in the Strib</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i> Zimmermann was convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity in exchange for his support of a developer's projects. But the man who entered prison contending that he'd been victimized more by overzealous prosecutors than his own wrongdoing said he's looking forward most to "being able to do useful work again."</blockquote></i><br /><br />Doug Grow at <a href="http://www.minnpost.com/douggrow/2008/07/10/2526/former_council_member_zimmermann_comes_home">Minnpost</a><br /><br /><blockquote><i> Heiser still clearly believes her husband was set up by politically motivated people in Minneapolis and the U.S. attorney's office. It was just weeks before the 2005 elections – which, because of redistricting, pitted Zimmermann against another incumbent, Bob Lilligren – that the Zimmermann-Heiser home was raided by FBI agents.</blockquote></i> <br />So, Zimmermann was an innocent victim of a "set-up"?<br /><br />If Zimmermann was innocent the FBI tapes would exonerate him. But, only one person stands in the way of the FBI releasing those tapes - Zimmermann. Here's an AUSA describing what's in those tapes to the judges of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals:<br /><br /><object width="150" height="150"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rc0OKCnEAcE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rc0OKCnEAcE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="150" height="150"></embed></object><br /><br />The 8th Circuit affirmed Zimmermann's conviction unanimously and Zimmemrmann did not appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE</b><br /><br />I went back to read the Strib article and noticed that there were 80 comments. here is a sample:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>1. Looks like the FBI already mastered "rat trapping" when<br /> they pinched you.<br /><br />2. I wonder if Dean is a proponent of evening-out sentencing<br /> disparities between races and between "white collar" and<br /> "street" crimes.<br /><br />3. Now Go Away! What good are political beliefs if in<br /> practice you are dishonest?<br /><br />4. Why is it that fat people always think people are actually<br /> interested in how they lost their excess lard? I always<br /> ask them "how did you get that fat?" That seems to shut<br /> them up.<br /><br />5. Who cares? I don't. He's just another political crook<br /> with no remorse or no accountability for his actions.<br /> Why give him more than his '15 minutes' of notoriety?<br /> Unless he does a Mother Theresa conversion, forget about<br /> him. We have other life issues and things to worry about.<br /><br />6. The man was given a fair trial and convicted. Will the<br /> residents of MN ever wake up? Why would you subscribe<br /> to a paper that writes such a soft article about a known<br /> criminal? Face the facts, he is a convicted criminal.<br /> Period.<br /><br />7. Perhaps Mr. Brandt received a gratuity/bribe from<br /> Mr. Zimmerman as incentive to portray Mr. Z as hero<br /> rather than villain.<br /><br /> 8. I am amazed at how many people are so self-righteous<br /> these days. They can point out everyone else's flaws<br /> as if they have none of their own. Just because<br /> someone is a public figure, an elected official, and<br /> makes a poor value judgment or action does not mean<br /> they are totally unforgivable, forever. If we cannot<br /> forgive others, how can we truly forgive ourselves?<br /> I'm just making an observation.<br /><br /><br /> 9. Dean Zimmermann took the money in question while at a<br /> fundraiser. A fundraiser, people, a fundraiser! Not<br /> once - never! - did he ever vote for the donor's real<br /> estate interests. The only reason Dean was set up was<br /> because he very strongly opposed using our tax money<br /> to build a stadium for Carl Pohlad. And now our tax<br /> money has once again been misused in order to imprison<br /> an innocent man - Dean Zimmermann!</blockquote></i><br /><br />It's too bad that the people who wrote these comments cannot see the videos from the trial. It would clear up a lot of misconceptions.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-85672445403282594562008-07-10T05:57:00.000-07:002008-07-10T06:05:56.990-07:00Zimmermann Returns to Minneapolis<a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/07/10/zimmermann/">Minnesota Public Radio</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>St. Paul, Minn. — Former Minneapolis city council member Dean Zimmermann returns to the city today to finish serving the remaining six months of a sentence for multiple bribery convictions.<br /><br />In 2006 Zimmermann was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after a jury found him guilty of three counts of bribery.<br /><br />His sentence was reduced after he participated in a drug treatment program. In an email message to his wife and friends Zimmermann mentioned that he tried to make the best use of his time while being incarcerated in a Colorado prison.<br /><br />He said he's lost 55 pounds and spent much of his time reading and taking classes. Zimmermann will continue serving his sentence in a halfway house and will work for a construction company doing home construction and repair.</blockquote></i><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1J3FTYIGSQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1J3FTYIGSQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-61792414680326102412008-06-24T10:24:00.000-07:002008-06-24T10:35:35.333-07:00Will Zimmermann Return in July?A reporter told me Zimmermann is expecting to return to Minneapolis by bus and check into a halfway house on July 10th.<br /><br />I checked with the BOP again and they won't say whether he is or isn't going to return to Minneapolis on July 10th.<br /><br />Also, my second Freedom of Information request for the Zimmemrann FBI tapes was denied. The FBI said I needed to get a signed waiver from Zimmermann. I sent a waiver form to Zimmermann weeks ago... I have not received a reply.<br /><br />I have heard rumors that Zimmermann plans to return to politics and may run again for the city council.<br /><br />If Zimmermann does return in July, I hope reporters ask him to sign the waiver so people can see what is on those tapes.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-18014742796141364122008-06-06T11:37:00.000-07:002008-06-06T11:58:35.576-07:00The CPRT Throws Dean Zimmermann Under the PodLooks like Dean Zimmermann's <a href="http://www.midtowngreenway.org/railtransit/prt.html">$500-$600 million Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system</a> plan has been scrubbed from the <br /><a href="http://www.cprt.org">Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit (CPRT.org) website</a>. A small section of the map still appears (with a broken link) in <a href="http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/">the upper right-hand corner on the front page</a> of Jerry Schneider's wacky gadgetbahn site. Did this video had anything to do with scrubbing the former Minneapolis councilman's map from the CPRT website?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-15961609499025369602008-06-05T08:30:00.000-07:002008-06-05T08:37:04.609-07:00Dean Zimmermann to Complete Last 6 Months of Sentence in Federal PrisonGary Dean Zimmermann wrote a letter that appeared in <a href="http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/sites/tcdailyplanet.net/files/AlleyApril2008.pdf"> the April issue of The Alley (PDF file)</a> that claimed he was going to be released July 10th, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote><i> But my stay here in Colorado will soon be coming to an end. On <b>July 10th of this year</b> I am to check into the Volunteers of America half-way house in Minneapolis, E. Lake St. & 29th Ave. So., for the last 6 months of my sentence.</blockquote></i><br /><br />According to the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/48ynu2">Bureau of Prisons inmate locator</a>, Zimmermann's current release date from Federal Prison Camp-Englewood in Littleton, Colorado is <b>January 5, 2009</b>.<br /><br />I have confirmed the new release date with the staff at Englewood.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-73715038808970328612008-05-23T21:13:00.000-07:002008-05-23T21:18:16.295-07:00Jeral Poskey - Supports Dean Zimmermann and John McCainWhen Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was a state senator, <a href="http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/04/26_mccalluml_prt/">she told a reporter</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i> "People on the right, people on the left, we have the common goal of moving people with transit, but doing it in the most cost-effective manner, in fact, in a manner that may end up costing no government subsidy, it may end up paying for itself."</blockquote></i><br /><br />Jeral Poskey, former executive at Taxi 2000 and former head of the PRT-promoting Advanced Transit Association (ATRA) <a href="http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Poskey&fname=Jeral">is a contributor to John McCain's campaign</a>... but I remember when he defended Dean Zimmermann on the <a href="http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/post/790wQH6VSdGgCfh2S6eKP1">Minneapolis Issues forum</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>Zimmermann conviction<br /><br />From: Jeral Poskey Date: 2006 Aug 16 17:45 UTC Short link<br /><br />I hesitate to re-open this wound to the city, but W. Brandon Lacy Campos wrote<br /><br />something that has been disturbing me for the last several days: "I have to say that I am a bit saddened by Barb Lickness's Verdict Party taking place<br />tonight."<br /><br />This is akin to celebrating Hurricane Katrina because you really disliked FEMA director Michael Brown. I'm sorry, but I don't see how anyone can delight in a verdict that paints a stain on the city of Minneapolis.<br /><br />I'm curious who else was at this Verdict Party. Who else put their personal grudges and grievances ahead of the city's well being?<br /><br />Fortunately, I recently stepped down from my position on the board of the NorthLoop Neighborhood Association, as I would have found it very hard to work professionally with Barb knowing that she could find such enjoyment in a dark day in our city's history.<br /><br />I hope I am wrong and read that out of context, but these are the thoughts that<br />have been burning my brain the last several days.<br /><br />Jeral Poskey<br />North Loop</blockquote></i><br /><br />Watch <a href="http://davinciglobal.com/atravid/atravid.html">a video Poskey made for his pod-pals</a> ... funny that he says he's no longer the ATRA chairman <a href="http://advancedtransit.org/doc.aspx?id=2&h=S">when the ATRA website still claims he is the chairman</a>... maybe ATRA will appoint Dean Zimmermann chairman when he gets out of jail in July.<br /><br />Speaking of PRT, here's author James Howard Kunstler's podcast about the pod people:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DJckdzrDSs0&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DJckdzrDSs0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-22443684901832538792008-05-03T16:20:00.000-07:002008-05-03T16:27:01.764-07:00Personal Rapid Transit (CPRT) Director - Zimmermann Was FramedAt the 2008 Living Green Expo, <a href="http://www.cprt.org/aboutPrt.htm">Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit (CPRT) Director Margaret Beegle</a> stated that Dean Zimmermann was framed.<br /><br /><blockquote>"I think he was set up by the FBI... it's clear."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/amFG2ywxpQk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-23745951007841352772008-04-14T07:31:00.000-07:002008-04-14T13:12:20.602-07:00Is Dean Zimmermann a "Political Prisoner"?Scott Horton has an i<a href="http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/02/hbc-90002323">nteresting article about how to spot political persecution</a>. The investigation of Dean Zimmermann would appear to fit some of Scott Horton's description of politicial persecution. But, Zimmermann's own words and conduct belie that description.<br /><br />I called the 8th Circuit Court and they told me that Zimmermann did not appeal his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court. He had 3 months to appeal and didn't bother... that <a href="http://minneapolisconfidential.blogspot.com/2008/01/does-farheen-hakeem-really-believe.html">seriously undermines his supporters' claim that Zimmermann was a "political prisoner" and was "framed"</a><br /><br />If Zimmermann was indeed a political prisoner, the video and audio evidence would exonerate Zimmermann. However, his supporters have yet to call for the FBI to allow the public to see the evidence as I have done.<br /><br />Here is the complete text of the letter Zimmermann sent to The Alley. While you read it, ask yourself if it sounds like the sort of letter a political prisoner would write.<br /><br /><blockquote><b>Greetings to All A letter from Dean Zimmermann</b><br /><br />It has been just over a year that I have been incarcerated here in "Camp Fluffy", as we affectionately call the Federal Prison Camp-Englewood in Littleton, Colorado. Perhaps the two best things to come out of the experience is that I have had a lot of time to get a lot of books read and I have been able to lose 40 pounds, I'm still working on losing 20 more. I also have had a chance to see my son, Klaus, on a weekly basis as he lives and works here in Denver. My stay here has been made much easier by the support, visits, letters, and books and magazines, that so many of you have sent me, thank you! But especially by the faithful and loving support of my dear wife, Jenny, with whom I speak daily on the phone. <br /><br />This whole ordeal has been harder on her than anyone,including me, for as I sit here cut off and unable to be of any help to community and family, Jenny hasbeen burdened with the onerous task of keeping our Clinton Ave home and our former home at 17th Avenue together as well as taking care of my brother, Doug, who has had some major medical problems this last year (including his current stint in Abbott-NW Hospital, and Walker Methodist Health Care Center where he resides at this time). I want to offer my deepest thank you's to all who have been supportive of Jenny during these trying times. <br /><br />All in all, I guess the best way to characterize my experience at the prison is: waste. It is a huge waste of resources, lives and time; and for what? So a few politicians can claim bragging rights that they are tougher on crime than their opponents or some FBI agent can earn a promotion by inventing a crime with which he can con someone into committing unwittingly. After listening to the stories of many of my fellow inmates this is not at all an uncommon occurrence. Did I mention that it is also a big waste of taxpayer's money? The U.S. has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prisons. And to think the U.S. is called the Land of the Free. <br /><br />But my stay here in Colorado will soon be coming to an end. On July 10th of this year I am to check into the Volunteers of America half-way house in Minneapolis, E. Lake St. & 29th Ave. So., for the last 6 months of my sentence. The purpose of the half-way house is to help people transitioning into regular life when they are leaving prison. My term at the half-way house is six months, ending on January 5, 2009, and then I'll start my 3 years of probation. As soon as I have a job and have worked a 40 hour week I will be eligible to go home on week-end passes. (After 1-2 inspections of our Clinton Ave home by the Feds and assuming it passes their inspections.) After a few more weeks, if all works out as it should, I can be eligible for "Home Confinement," which means I must be at my house except for going to work, religious services, AA meetings, or a few other pre-approved excursions.<br /><br />The ability for me to get weekend passes and ultimately "Home Confinement" status is dependent upon my getting a job. They will not let me be self-employed during my 6 month term at the halfway house, but never fear I have a job offer that will allow me to resume my home repair work starting July 13th. There are still some details to be worked out so I don't want to say just yet who I'll be working for, but for any of you who have been putting off needed home repairs until I return, contact Jenny either with a phone call or an e-mail message and as soon as I return I'll be in touch with you. I have good skills in carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, roofing, sheetrocking, etc. and look forward to being of service to my former Jack of All Trades customers as well as new folks.<br /><br />After January 5th, 2009 I want to gradually turn the focus of my home repair business in the direction of retrofitting older/preexisting homes for solar heating, both hot water and space heating, and installation of photo voltaic solar panels for the production of electricity for homes and small businesses. I am not sure yet how this will work and will be looking for people to partner with me in this endeavor. For the past 10-11 months I have found enlightenment through the "Zen of Dishwashing." However, that practice will be ending soon as I have found a new job being an orderly for the Education Room, a job that will take up significantly less time and allow me to do more reading, planning, and correspondence (Dan Scott: I sent you a letter in November but never heard back from you--?).<br /><br />In my reading I have focused a lot on history. Everything from the early settlement of the Upper Midwest by European immigrants, to the spread of humans out of Africa some 50,000 years ago. The best book I have read is "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond. It is a history of the past 13,000 years in just 450 pages, and gives deep insight into how it came to be that Europe conquered and developed worldwide empires rather than say China, or the Incas, or some other group doing so. And it is done in a 100% non-racist analysis. A book that gives a look into a little unknown bit of regional history is: "Land In Her Own Name: Women As Homesteaders in North Dakota," by H. Elaine who walk upright, consider that it will cost us far more to steal Iraq's oil than the fair price which might have been. So, it seems the smarter you are the dumber you can be. Lindgren. It gives documentation and shares stories of some 300 women (though there were thousands) who homesteaded in North Dakota. It was an eye opener for me. I knew that my great-grandmother homesteaded, but I thought that she was an exception, not so. I have also been reading about meditation and doing some meditation something new for me. <br /><br />I have been reading about dreams and have begun writing down my dreams every night in a journal. My goal is to learn how to do "Lucid Dreaming" technique that allows one to be aware that one is dreaming while they are dreaming. It is easy to wake up and look back and see how absurd<br />the dream was and to know that it was a dream, but to actually stay aware inside the dream and to keep the dream going while knowing it is a dreamÉthat I have not yet achievedÉbut soon I hope.<br /><br />I have also become an expert rat trapper and have taken it upon myself to set traps every night in the kitchen and am averaging about one rat per night. With the coming of Spring comes softball and I hope to be an umpire once again for the camp softball league. So far we have had one pickup gameÉ eat your hearts out you snow-bound Minnesotans :-) Besides softball umpiring, with my new job I will have time to work out twice a day in the weight room and on the track. Right now I do power-walking with some running for one hour every day, but soon I'll be able to do two one-hour sessions every day. I have also been attending Narcotics Anonymous once a week as part of my self-improvement program. So, although being in prison is a huge bother, I feel that it has given me a chance to slow down and tweek my priorities and to come out a better, more rounded person. I look forward to being back in Minneapolis, only 4 months and a few days to go. And I look forward to being fully integrated into the community by January 5, 2009. Again, many thanks to all for your letters, books, love, visits, and prayers, and for your support of Jenny. The goal is still to build a world environment and infrastructure, locally and globally, that is capable of sustaining your great-great-grandchildren, anything short of that is rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.<br /><br />Peace and love,<br />Dean Zimmermann<br /><br />Gary D. Zimmermann,<br />#12696-041<br />FCI Englewood/Satellite Camp<br />9595 W. Quincy Avenue<br />Littleton, CO 80123</blockquote><br /><br />It will be interesting if Zimmermann's "goal... to build a world environment and infrastructure" still includes this:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CHWZl1eif8E&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CHWZl1eif8E&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-68762332826325626812008-03-30T14:05:00.000-07:002008-03-30T20:56:49.033-07:00Gary Dean Zimmermann to be Released July 10thThe Alley Newspaper (no web site) has published a long letter from former Minneapolis Council member (Gary) Dean Zimmermann titled "Greetings to All". Much of the letter describes the trivial details of his incarceration and the "ordeal" of his wife Jenny Heiser. He mentions that he has been going once a week to Narcotics Anonymous.<br /><br />Zimmermann's story that he was innocent has changed somewhat and stands in contrast to his supporters' claim that he is a <a href="http://lists.cohousing.org/pipermail/mn-prog-events/msg00441.html">"political prisoner</a>".<br /><br />Zimmermann now claims that politicians and FBI agents (he doesn't name them) conspired to "con' him into "unwittingly" commit a crime that the conspirators invented just for him:<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=Zimmermann-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/Zimmermann-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Dean Zimmermann"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-84305171437842321512008-01-11T11:58:00.000-08:002008-01-11T11:59:32.969-08:00Interview With Gary Carlson on the UptakeInterview with Gary Carlson at <a href="http://theuptake.org/?p=452#more-452">The Uptake</a>:<br /><br /><center> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/pokkariPlayer.js?ver=2007111701"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://blip.tv/syndication/write_player?skin=js&posts_id=562662&source=3&autoplay=true&file_type=flv&player_width=&player_height="></script> <div id="blip_movie_content_562662"> <a rel="enclosure" href="http://blip.tv/file/get/TheUptake-WitnessToCorruptionSpeaksOutAgainstMediaBias650.flv" onclick="play_blip_movie_562662(); return false;"><img title="Click to play" alt="Video thumbnail. Click to play" src="http://blip.tv/file/get/TheUptake-WitnessToCorruptionSpeaksOutAgainstMediaBias650.flv.jpg" border="0" title="Click To Play" /></a> <br /> <a rel="enclosure" href="http://blip.tv/file/get/TheUptake-WitnessToCorruptionSpeaksOutAgainstMediaBias650.flv" onclick="play_blip_movie_562662(); return false;">Click To Play</a> </div> </center><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-86476758720182870452008-01-05T06:30:00.000-08:002011-10-17T17:05:27.972-07:00Does Farheen Hakeem Really Believe Zimmermann Was "Innocent" and a "Political Prisoner"?Nearly a year ago, the Green Party candidate for Neva Walker's House seat (16B) Farheen Hakeem signed a letter of support for Gary Dean Zimmermann.<br /><br />These are some statements from that letter <a href="http://lists.cohousing.org/pipermail/mn-prog-events/msg00441.html">posted by Dave Bicking on David Shove's Progressive Calendar</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>"We are convinced that Dean is innocent of the crime of bribery"<br /><br />"we stand in support of an honest man"<br /><br />"We miss Dean's leadership on the Minneapolis City<br />Council."<br /><br />"Dean Zimmermann is a political prisoner"</blockquote></i><br /><br />Farheen Hakeem also<a href="http://farheenhakeem.org/node/12 "> has Zimmermann's picture (far left) on her website</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>"Farheen also finds it to be important that the Green Party has little involvement with corporate corruption and greed."</blockquote></i><br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=Farheen_Text.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/Farheen_Text.jpg" border="0" alt="Farheen Hakeem"></a><br /><br /><br />This is how the U.S. 8th Circuit Court summarized the case against Zimmermann when they unanimously upheld the jury's verdict last month:<br /><br /><blockquote><i><b>STATEMENT OF THE CASE</b> <br /><br />On January 18, 2006, a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Minnesota returned a four-count indictment against the <br />defendant, former Minneapolis City Councilman Gary Dean Zimmermann. The grand jury alleged in each of the four counts that Zimmermann violated Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(B), by knowingly and corruptly soliciting something of value with intent to be influenced or rewarded in connection with any business, transaction or series of transactions with the government of the City of Minneapolis. Counts 1, 2, and 3 pertained to $5,000, $1,200, and $1,000 cash payments, respectively, that Zimmermann accepted from a real estate developer, Gary Carlson, in June and August of 2005. Count 4 pertained to Zimmermann’s request made to a separate developer in 2004 for the construction, at no charge to him, of a retaining wall.</blockquote></i> <br /><br />Zimmermann was convicted on the first three counts and sentenced 30 months in a federal correctional facility.<br /><br />I had an opportunity to talk with the chief witness in the trial, Gary Carlson before the holidays. Here's the videotaped interview:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://blip.tv/play/AaKlGwI.html" width="550" height="442" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AaKlGwI" style="display:none"></embed><br /><br />I live in MN House District 61B. I emailed Farheen Hakeem for a statement about her views on Zimmermann... I have not received an answer.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/?action=view¤t=Farheen_Zimmermann.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Pugripz/Farheen_Zimmermann.jpg" border="0" alt="Farheen Hakeem, Dean Zimmermann"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7466991.post-91096092275487399922007-12-22T14:21:00.000-08:002007-12-22T14:26:18.467-08:00Gary Carlson SpeaksDeveloper and Builder Gary Carlson talks about the trial of Gary Dean Zimmermann:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1J3FTYIGSQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1J3FTYIGSQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">Minneapolis Confidential</div>Avidorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850327519402438923noreply@blogger.com0