is the closing of bridge #9 a power struggle between the mayor and the sheriff?

Yesterday on my lunch break I walked out on the Northern Pacific Bridge #9, which had been closed since the 35W bridge collapsed on August 1. The bridge was reopened by Mayor Rybak for a brief time on August 15. Then the bridge was closed the same day after recovery workers called the move "disrespectful to families of those still missing." According to MPR, "Hennepin County Sheriff Stanek opposed opening the pedestian bridge." Stanek said through a spokesperson, "Victims' families "do not want to see another picture of a body bag in a newspaper." On August 15, Sheriff Stanek emailed Mayor Rybak and asked him to close the bridge again. According to a Minneapolis spokesperson, "Rybak felt it important to give the public a better view of the remains of the bridge." I think Mayor Rybak was in the right to reopen the bridge. I think he understood that the residents of Minneapolis are truly grieving a major tragedy in our city.

As for the victims' families who "do not want to see another picture of a body bag in a newspaper" I agree. But who has printed and televised the "body bag" photos? THE MEDIA. Average people are curious, yes, but don't have any ill will towards the victims or their families. Many people have viewed the remains of bridge collapse because they have driven on that stretch of road or know someone who has driven across the bridge. Personally, members of my family drove over the bridge at 5:57 minutes before the collapse. A friend, had just driven over the bridge only to see a collapsed bridge and smoke in her rear view mirror. So this collapse has hit very close to home for myself and many of us.

I ask people to look at the mainstream media. If it bleeds it leads. I ask, how did the family of Chris Jenkins feel when they watched the local news to see their son's body being brought out of the Mississippi river in a body bag? How did Trevor Marsh's family feel when the media described in detail how he was murdered? Or when they televised the blood soaked place where his body was found. How do we as Americans view seeing dead Iraqis almost every night on television? They have families too. We see a lot of death. Why then are we not questioning the ethics of the media? Why?

The average citizens of Minneapolis are being punished because of the actions of the media. Sheriff Stanek and his cronies have average people confused with the media. As tax paying citizens of Minneapolis we own bridge #9. This is our city which if you haven't noticed has been hijacked by the media, the feds, the State of MN, and Sheriff Stanek. The paranoid actions of those in power will only lead to mistrust and conspiracy theories. People have asked, "what are they hiding?"

as an aside..........the "believability" of the sheriff
On a personal level, I have a hard time believing the Sheriff Stanek has sympathy for the collapse victims. Here is some background on Rick Stanek and why I think the man is a creep. Governor Tim Pawlenty appointed Stanek as public safety commissioner in 2003. After a year and a half he resigned because of a racial slur he made in 1992. There was outrage in the African American community in Minneapolis about his past actions as a Minneapolis police officer. In a deposition in 1992 Stanek admitted that he had told racist jokes and made derogatory statements about blacks while on duty as a Minneapolis police officer. During the time of his resignation one member of the St. Paul NAACP told the Star Tribune, "Anybody who makes racial statements like he did doesn't have any citizen's rights in mind."

When Stanek was a legislator in Minnesota he slashed then eliminated the Minnesota's Office of Crime Victims Ombudsman. The Ombudsman's role was to advocate for victim's whose crimes were ignored by law enforcement or rights were violated by law enforcement. Sanek won the 2006 Hennepin County Sheriff election. He has apparently tried to make nice with the African American community sense then. I still don't trust him.

Some interesting articles about Stanek,
The Rehabilitation of Rich Stanek
http://citypages.com/databank/27/1352/article14837.asp

Stanek resigns as public safety commissioner over racial slur controversy April 6, 2004
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/04/16_scheckt_stanek/