BY DAVID TILSEN Ray St. Louis died in hospice on March 12, 2023. He had not been living in Minneapolis for decades, and had only visited when the Minnesota Renaissance Festival was in town. In spite of that, his work and creativity has made an impact on our South Minneapolis…
BY ED FELIEN Shout hallelujah and just get happy We’re going to the promised land We’re heading across the river Soon our cares will all be gone Forget your troubles, come on get happy You better chase all those blues away Shout hallelujah, c’mon get happy Happy days are here…
BY DAVID TILSEN The effort to cause fear and division under the guise of protecting Minneapolis residents from each other during the Derek Chauvin trial has now been revealed to be more extensive and more ongoing than we were told. A recent article in the MIT Technology Review outlines a…
BY DAVID TILSEN Clyde Bellecourt Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun, “Thunder Before the Storm,” left his mortal body on the evening of Jan. 11, 2022. He left behind an Indian community, a city, and a world that is changed for the better because of his work and sacrifice. A man of principle, a man…
BY DAVID TILSEN Sixteen urban Indian organizations recently announced they are seeking private and public support to construct buildings to increase the capacity of organizations dealing with education, health care, affordable housing and Native culture. The junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers was originally an important intersection of commerce…
BY DAVID TILSEN Over 45 years ago, several of us from the Alive and Trucking Theater gathered in a small apartment in Phillips. We were called by Sandy Spieler and Ray St. Louis to discuss a vision. They believed that regular festivals helped make communities strong, and that South Minneapolis…
BY DAVE TILSEN When Devin Hogan agreed to be Minneapolis DFL chair, he certainly didn’t expect the challenges ahead of him. The pandemic and the police killings caused him to stretch and learn and work very hard. Unlike many of our city officials, Devin rose to the task and is…
BY DAVID TILSEN Margarita (Rita) Ortega announced that she is leaving the race for City Council in the 9th Ward. This is a vacant seat left by Alondra Cano’s decision to not seek re-election. Ms. Ortega has been a lifetime resident of the 9th Ward, mostly in the Little Earth…
BY DAVE TILSEN Ninth Ward City Council Member Alondra Cano has decided not to seek reelection. As we have done in the past, Southside Pride was thinking about hosting a candidate forum. But there are other groups planning forums, https://fb.me/e/3urzdqKEN, for example. There are five candidates seeking the DFL endorsement…
BY DAVID TILSEN This year, Minneapolis will have elections for city offices. This means the mayor, all the City Council members, Park Board and Board of Estimate and Taxation. With the multiple crises that the city has gone through and is still going through, I expect the debate and discussion…
BY DAVID TILSEN This year the entire Minneapolis city government is on the ballot—the mayor, all 13 council members, the Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Park Board. All of these elected officials have been through a lot as the city has been traumatized by the pandemic, the George…
BY DAVE TILSEN The burning and looting is terrible. It alienates the workers, it causes pain and suffering to many, it makes life in the city more difficult, and it increases support for the police. These are questions that dominate all conversations. The burning and looting does amplify Trump’s messaging,…
BY DAVE TILSEN Dateline: Monday, July 20, Powderhorn Sanctuary, 14th Ave. Front loaders are removing the tents of the homeless campers. Police are forming a line. This is being streamed live by Unicorn Riot, and hundreds of supporters arrive. People are angry. They say the arrestees are Indigenous people on…
BY DAVID TILSEN In response to the groundswell of action, grief and political pressure, the Minneapolis City Council has finally decided that it must do something about the Minneapolis Police. The City Council has proposed two things. First, the council has committed to do a deep community engagement on what…
BY DAVE TILSEN Friday morning, June 12. I made coffee and looked out on Powderhorn Park, but the view was not as I expected. There were about a dozen tents pitched in the park across the street from my house. I surmised what had happened. A group of homeless people…
