Dear Chief Bouza, I love reading your monthly articles in the Southside Pride neighborhood paper! You will remember me from 35 years ago, while you were chief. I beat a ticket, with your help! The temp was 20 degrees below zero. I had just gotten my car jump started, then…
BY ED FELIEN, PUBLISHER Bill Cottrell wrote to me, “What a one-sided newspaper you operate and write for. I am disappointed with your clear bias and lack of any effort to present a fair and impartial paper.” So I invited Bill to write 300 words to present his point of…
I want to respond to (and ask a question of) Carin Peterson in their letter to the editor dated Aug. 8, 2022. In this letter, Peterson expressed frustration at the city’s Hennepin Avenue redevelopment plan which “turns Hennepin into nothing more than a commuter line.” Peterson insists bike lanes have…
If the city is designing an avenue for the future, then why is it not including electric car charging stations? That is but one question we should be asking as this egregious project is being rammed down the throats of businesses along Hennepin Avenue. Businesses who neither want, need nor…
I am a former recruit to the Minneapolis Police Academy. My family and friends did not want me to work for Minneapolis and I was skeptical. The MPD is internationally known for being a terrible department. After meeting with Chief Arradondo, I was convinced that the community needed me. I…
The DFL Senior Caucus seems to believe that the ability to drive and park a personal vehicle wherever and whenever one pleases is an inalienable right granted to every motorist. In the last issue of this paper, Patricia Kelly, Board Chair of the Minneapolis DFL Senior Caucus, alleged that a…
Through this tumultuous year in Minneapolis Public Schools, an opportunity for real change has emerged through five open seats on the MPS school board. Voting for three of these open seats can be directly impacted by the readers of this local newspaper: former MPS math teacher Lori Norvell running for…
This letter is written in response to the statement that Walz running for governor in 2022 would be helpful to Democrats. Many Minnesotans will not vote for Walz again. I’ll first note the many voters he lost after his state police froze 640+ anti-police brutality protestors that cold November night…
The Jones Day law firm is the fifth largest law firm in the United States. They mostly represent large corporations, but in the last election they represented the Trump campaign in lawsuits trying to overturn the election results. Jones Day has virtually taken over the government of our city, working…
As you certainly know, Winston Smith was killed by officers under the supervision of the U.S. Marshals on June 3, 2021. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension conducted a Use-of-Deadly Force investigation, resulting in a report of over 1,000 pages, submitted to Crow Wing County Attorney Donald Ryan. Mr. Ryan then…
I just wanted to send a note to thank Tony Bouza. I really enjoy his articles for the information and writing style. My boyfriend and I live in Uptown and started reading Southside Pride this summer. We looked up Tony online and his career is really impressive and interesting, too.…
First, let me thank you for continuing to publish the Southside Pride. For more than 30 years, you have provided a consistent forum for local news, strong advocacy and a place where local businesses can advertise. When I became police chief at the airport in 1985, Tony Bouza was the…
2022 is just around the corner, which means a whole different looking City Council in Minneapolis is about to take over, albeit with a little less power. That does not mean that their voices won’t be heard. With all the new faces and perspectives, now is the perfect time to…
So why is a true-blue former DFL legislator like me voting for Independent candidate Nancy Ford instead of 12th ward incumbent Andrew Johnson? It’s because my loyalty to Minneapolis exceeds my politics and her policies are better than his. Nancy Ford opposes defunding the police. She’s against eliminating Chief Arradondo’s…
Minneapolis residents have inherited a convoluted system borne out of early 20th century mistrust. No one trusted anyone so no one was given power. This resulting quagmire has hampered our democratic functions as “14 bosses” oversee city department heads and no one is held accountable. The new amendment would give…
