BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Whither George Floyd Square? In May, the Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder wrote about George Floyd Square, the headline stating that it “remains a work in progress.” That is certainly true. The opening sentence of the piece is a bit more controversial: “In the three years since the murder…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE I found myself visiting Kowalski’s, the one on Chicago Avenue they call the Parkview store, after a long absence. In those occasional rankings of local grocery stories, Kowalski’s comes out as a paradox. When considering prices, it is the most expensive chain of grocery stores in…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Cafes and coffee shops I visited a couple of places on Selby Avenue but barely scraped the surface of the classic or quirky coffee shops, patisseries and breakfast cafes that dot the length of Selby. In a single day, a friend and I had lunch at…
BY MARQUISE BOWIE It’s the George Floyd Square to the world. Known as 38th and Chicago to us locals. The most highly publicized murder scene in recent years. Ground zero of a national movement. To visitors in Minneapolis, that’s all they know about the area. To us, it’s home. A…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD There are encouraging signs on the affordable housing front. On Aug. 10, the city of Minneapolis agreed to send $5 million annually to the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA), a fivefold increase of the current funding level, for the preservation and production of affordable housing units. This…
BY ED FELIEN How to stage a coup: send wackos in to disrupt the government, then send in the military to restore order, then promise new elections. Trump got the first part right, but he couldn’t follow through. Once his loonies established chaos in Congress, Trump should have sent in…
BY STEPHANIE FOX In a Franklin Avenue strip mall devoted to serving members of the Minnesota Native American community is a quiet, shaded patio with a new addition – a Little Free Library. This particular library is unique to Minneapolis, filled with books written by Native American authors or with…
BY JOHNNY HAZARD “The government needs to decide if it’s on the side of the army or on the side of the truth.” – Parent of one of the disappeared students Sept. 26 marks the ninth anniversary of the forced disappearance of 43 education students of the Escuela Normal Raúl…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings, closings and pivots There are two Minneapolis closings to announce: Psycho Suzi’s tiki lounge cocktail club in Northeast Minneapolis, and the vegan restaurant Seed Cafe, attached to Modo Yoga on West Lake Street. Also, The Good Earth, a trailblazer in healthy dining when it opened…
BY ED FELIEN What follows is a discussion/debate between Dave Gutknecht and me about the Ukraine war. Dave was one of the first martyrs of the draft resistance movement in the 1970s in reaction to the war in Vietnam. He served two years in federal prison as a conscientious objector…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE I’ve known Sam for almost three years now. Even though electoral organizing is not my favorite thing or my highest priority, I thought his (and others) idea to start a Democratic Socialist Caucus (DSC) within the DFL was a good one, and I’ve been involved with…
BY ED FELIEN Summer is the time for reunions: for families, for high school and college graduates, and for prisoners released from prison for criminal political acts. Fifty years ago, the Minnesota Eight were released from prison for attempting to break into Selective Service offices and destroy draft card files…
BY KAY SCHROVEN Prostitution is said to be the oldest profession in the world and a “necessary evil.” It is a long-debated subject. Prostitution is legal in at least five countries including Finland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Germany, and liberalized in Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Columbia and…
BY CAM GORDON Hopes are high for a new report that centers on strengthening safety beyond policing efforts with attention to prevention and restorative as well as alternative responses to crime and violence. Released on July 13 following a city press conference called by Mayor Jacob Frey, the “Minneapolis Safe…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Art, movies, games and Korean fried chicken Grand Avenue in St. Paul is known for trendy bars, popular restaurants and upscale retail, as well as dignified old apartment buildings mixed in with the single-family homes and duplexes that predominate. But there are other, less-apparent gems, some…
