I am becoming more and more encouraged when I read the Dickinson Press newspaper or Google Local News, and I learn about more protests and lawsuits in Dickinson, North Dakota.  I am glad that all different kinds of people in Dickinson are protesting, fighting, and bringing their mistreatment and grievances to light, where it becomes known, for everyone to see.

There is a well known quote by Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

• I am glad that the former City of Dickinson Streets Maintenance manager David Armendariz protested his dismissal.  At the Civil Service Commission hearing, many facts came out, such as the City of Dickinson using recycled concrete for road base where Class V material was specified, 4 out of 5 of the past Civil Service Commission hearings arising from the Public Works Department, and who the Civil Service Commission were.  This led me and probably other readers to more discoveries about the Civil Service Commission, former City Attorney Goos’ dismissal, and the Strom Center at Dickinson State University.
• I am glad that Dickinson property owner Carlos Royal has created a GoFundMe page to raise funds to begin a class action lawsuit against the City of Dickinson.

  Carlos Royal is attempting to raise $50,000 to challenge the city’s tax assessment process on behalf of “all the property owners in Dickinson who have over-assessed properties.”  This led me and probably other readers to try to find out more about the City of Dickinson’s Tax Abatement Hearings.

• It was a huge surprise and shock that Dickinson Public Schools Superintendent

  Doug Sullivan presented a letter of resignation on Monday, January 8 to the School Board at the end of a regularly scheduled meeting.  Doug Sullivan’s resignation came after the School Board approved a long list other resignations from longtime Dickinson Public Schools teachers and administrators.  It appears to me that all of these teachers’ resignations coming at the same time is a protest response to something, that people in Dickinson should try to find out about.

  Fortunately for the City of Dickinson, they just recently switched from having the City represented by an attorney from the Mackoff Kellogg law firm, to hiring a full-time City employee City Attorney Jan Murtha, who is probably on a fixed salary, so they won’t have to pay for hourly billing from a law firm.

  Dickinson Public Schools Superintendent Doug Sullivan’s resignation seemed to me, to be like the song written by David Allen Coe, “Take this job and shove it!, I ain’t working here no more…”

  But to me, who didn’t know what it was like to be treated like a Black person, until I came to work in Dickinson, here is what I think about protesting in Dickinson: