Dave Tilsen served two terms on the Minneapolis School Board. A lifelong radical from South Minneapolis, he is the grandson of Meridel Le Sueur and the son of civil rights attorney Ken Tilsen.
Watch the District 62 Candidates Debate (April 11, 2020) hosted by Dave Tilson
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…
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,…
June 1 The young people that are fueling these these, the reporters call them protests, and although the intent is about change that label doesn’t seem right to me. Gathering is too generic. They are so earnest, almost spiritual at times, but not doctrinaire but peaceful. 20,000 people almost silent…
BY DAVE TILSEN The state DFL decided that all Senate district conventions would have to be online this year because of the threat of the COVID-19 virus. This had never been done before, and none of us knew how it was going to turn out. A lot of people put…
BY DAVE TILSEN On Saturday, April 11, at 2 p.m., Southside Pride will host an online debate between the two announced candidates for the DFL endorsement for State Senate in District 62. District 62 runs from the edge of downtown to the City Limits at 62nd Street, from Lyndale…
Jeff Hayden Omar Fateh BY DAVE TILSEN It’s election year again. Here in South Minneapolis we will have an election for our congressional seat, our state representatives and some of our state senators. I recently got a phone call from a young man who informed me he was running for…
Why didn’t the anti-racist movies get any attention at the Oscars and other awards? “Harriet” was certainly one of the best if not the best movie of the year. “Queen and Slim” is so timely and well done, and “Just Mercy” Is just being ignored. It seems that, like the…
BY DAVID TILSEN The East Phillips neighborhood has experienced more than its share of outrages. It holds a superfund site called the “Asbestos Triangle,” continues to have polluting industries like bituminous roadways and foundries, saw much of its land taken by Abbot Northwestern Hospital, and continues to be ground zero…
BY DAVID TILSEN We had another wonderful MayDay parade, ceremony and festival last spring. The creativity of the puppeteers, sculptors, playwrights, performers and other workers continues to be first rate, and our community supports and benefits from this joyful annual celebration. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask…
BY DAVID TILSEN We just had a primary election. For the School Board at-large, we only eliminated one candidate from the ballot, Doug Mann. In November we will have four candidates on the ballot, we can vote for up to two to elect two at-large candidates. We also will have…
BY DAVE TILSEN On August 14 we will have a Primary. Don’t forget to vote. We support candidates who will stand up to the administration and have shown us they DO, or who we believe WILL, put the needs of their community above their careers. Character is the most important…
BY DAVE TILSEN We are electing School Board members this November: two citywide candidates and three in districts—two of these districts are Southsiders. Incumbents Nelsen Inz and Said Ali from the two Southside districts are currently unopposed DFL- and union-endorsed and seemed positioned to cruise to reelection. Opponents will likely…
BY DAVE TILSEN We pulled in fast on the hard packed driveway, stopped in a cloud of dirt and took in the scene. My eyes strained, trying to remember as many details as I could. The small one-story stucco home had trampled gardens around it, three large helicopters surrounding it,…
BY DAVE TILSEN The Eagles beat the Vikings, so I hated the game. Didn’t even put up all my banners, hardly had a party. It was more like a morgue at my place than a party, but that’s just me. Perhaps you did let your Eagles fly, you ate your…
BY DAVE TILSEN April 7, at the American Indian Center on Franklin Avenue, there was a large turnout, a very diverse crowd, many East African folks, lots of Native Americans, some Latinos. A friendly crowd, but I sensed an undercurrent of tension. Not racial tension exactly, but partially, political tension.…
