BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Native American populations, whether in urban areas, or rural communities, or on rural reservations, are hit disproportionately harder by COVID-19 than their white neighbors. In Minneapolis, Native Americans experience homelessness at a much greater rate than their population percentage. And they also have a long and…
BY TONY BOUZA America’s police are out of control. This is news to you? White America hires cops to control blacks. This is called racism. The Minneapolis cop did not murder Floyd. It was manslaughter. The prosecutor mangled it, but did he have the police union’s endorsement? Why didn’t he…
BY COOPER Last Monday on June 1, me and my roommate George signed up for our shift as neighborhood watchmen— Powderhorn’s response to a failed police system and several nights of fires in South Minneapolis. Our shift was 2 – 4 a.m. patrolling the blocks from 31st to 33rd on…
BY ALLISON ANDRADE Mindy Bergeron-Lawrence is 35 years old. She has worked for McDonald’s for 17 years. Mindy is an essential worker. However, McDonald’s doesn’t give her sick leave. She stated in the Poor People’s press conference on May 13 that “without paid sick leave and without a living wage,…
BY DAVE TILSEN After losing the DFL endorsement by a wide margin, Sen. Jeff Hayden filed a complaint with the DFL state central committee that the endorsement was tainted and should be invalidated. He argued that the leadership of the DFL in the district, the leadership of the credentials committee,…
BY ED FELIEN Last month we introduced a new feature on our website—exclusive interviews with Stephen McClellan and musicians from local rock bands—Yellin’ at McClellan. He was going to have a new program this month featuring The Lanes, but “the George Floyd killing has definitely shifted the nation’s priorities and…
BY STEPHANIE FOX The original plans were for a huge ceremony and celebration to mark the literal groundbreaking at the Friendship Academy of the Arts site in March. But the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 virus made large gatherings and public celebrations impossible. Instead, the groundbreaking ceremony on April 17…
BY NATHAN HOUSE Three nurses working in the Twin Cities chatted with Southside Pride about their experiences working in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, obtaining adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) remains a challenge for some, while for others, facing pay cuts continues to be a major stressor. For many…
BY ED FELIEN Well, since my baby left me Well, I found a new place to dwell Well, it’s down at the end of Lonely Street At Heartbreak Hotel —Elvis There are lots of reasons for homelessness. More than half of all working adults in America are a paycheck away…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN Instead of spending their day-off on desperately needed rest and self-care, Twin Cities nurses staged an informational picket in front of United Hospital in St. Paul, demanding “nurse protections” and protesting “United’s retaliation against workers for trying to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus.” In the early…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD Many hoped that our city’s 2040 Plan would be a solution to our affordable housing crisis, the idea being that an increase in housing stock would drive down prices through the market pressures of supply and demand. In the wake of this global pandemic, any weakness in…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE As you may have noticed, for the duration of the pandemic, including the gradual “reopening,” the rebound if any, the aftermath, and the recovery, all neighborhood focus articles will concentrate on pandemic news. So, for East 38th Street, we’ll start with the Nicollet and East 38th…
BY ED FELIEN On April 29, the Minneapolis City Council agreed to begin paying out more than a million dollars to stop the civil trial of Officer Lucas Peterson, charged with the wrongful death of Terrance Franklin. I couldn’t resist writing to the Council: “Your refusal to hold Lucas Peterson…
BY ED FELIEN If you read (and, you’re reading this) you probably spend a lot of time on the internet these days. There’s a lot of wonderful stuff out there. Here are some things I found recently … But first, what is it you miss most about social isolation? Isn’t…
BY TONY BOUZA It is a bromide and cliché that crises present opportunities—but these are honored mostly in being ignored. The comfortable status quo. The public understands and supports drastic action in a pandemic. The MPD could abandon two-person squads and answer twice the 911 calls—even with a virus-ravaged force.…
