Letter to the Editor: The Bystander Effect and Why I’m Voting for Michael Rainville in the Third Ward…

Submitted by Julie & Doug Craven

As human beings, we are highly susceptible to a kind of apathy known in psychological circles as the bystander effect. Essentially, the theory states that we are less likely to act and lend support in a crisis if there are others present. We assume that someone else will act. The unfortunate result is that all too often, no one acts and what started as an emergency transforms into a tragedy.

Minneapolis is experiencing an omnidirectional crisis. The city is more violent and dangerous than I can remember in my lifetime. Our brothers and sisters of color fear for their lives and those of their loved ones, and for good reason. It seems every day we read about another shooting, another murder. We fear for our safety when we walk our streets, and the data proves those fears well founded. Violent crime is skyrocketing. People are dying, and in city hall, our council member in the Third Ward seems by all reasonable measures to be waiting for someone else to step in and act. Worse yet, he’s supporting referendums that will provide him with political cover but strip authority and funding from critical public safety positions and departments. As a result of his refusal to provide support, we now have all of these problems and a third less police officers to resolve them. 

I don’t begrudge our current city council member in the third ward, but I do respectfully ask that if he isn’t willing to act, to make the hard choices that aren’t always politically expedient or Twitter-friendly, please step aside for someone who will. This emergency is turning into a tragedy and time is of the essence.

In Michael Rainville, we have a lifetime DFL candidate that’s up to the task. Earlier this week, the Star Tribune editorial board came out in full support of Michael in his bid for Third Ward city council seat. “He knows what the ward needs and has an impressive background of civic service … Through 35 years as an official with the Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association, Rainville made a career of touting downtown Minneapolis. He also provided volunteer leadership on an impressive array of civic projects throughout the city. Rainville gets our endorsement nod.”

Michael is a lifelong resident of our city. When you meet him it’s obvious, he’s unmistakably Minneapolis in all of the right ways, from his Nordeast accent to his De La Salle roots. He studied at Notre Dame but you’d never know it because he’d rather be listening than talking. He is every bit as kind-hearted and thoughtful as he is determined and tenacious about helping those in greatest need. Michael is genuine and selfless in his concern for people and that’s rare. Whether he’s working to build a center for victims of sexual violence of picking up litter on Central Avenue, Michael has proven through a lifetime of public service that he’s the candidate for this job!

This assumption that someone else will step in and act in a time of crisis is understandable. It’s human nature. Most of us are hard-wired to run away from a fire. But, some of us are hard-wired to run towards it. It doesn’t make one person better than the other. But those who lead us must be the latter.

This fall, I’ll be voting for Michael Rainville because our city needs him.