Ed Felien

Columns by Ed Felien

Ed has been the owner and editor of Southside Pride since 1991, writing articles and essays.


Sen. John Kennedy, King of the Trolls

BY ED FELIEN Democrats are being seriously trolled by Republicans. Paul Gosar sent out a crudely modified anime cartoon depicting him cutting the head off Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Marjorie Taylor Greene, during the 2020 campaign, posted an image on her Facebook page of her holding an automatic rifle alongside photos…

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Thank you, Cam Gordon

BY ED FELIEN The huge and spontaneous outpouring of gratitude on the Seward Neighborhood Forum for Cam Gordon was begun by Jim Welna: Wanted to thank Cam Gordon for his service to our community and the City of Minneapolis as a member of the Minneapolis City Council since 2006. He…

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It blew up in our faces

BY ED FELIEN We were feeling so hopeful, so optimistic. We were congratulating ourselves on our great victory over ignorance. We lit a cigar to celebrate. And then it blew up in our faces. We made some terrible mistakes. The banner across the front of the stage in Powderhorn Park…

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Mohamed Noor resentenced

BY ED FELIEN Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond in July of 2017. He was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Damond had called 911 to complain about an incident of domestic abuse happening in her alley. When the squad car passed her in…

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They’re starting to leave the sinking ship

BY ED FELIEN The five police officers involved in the Terrance Franklin killing have decided to get separate lawyers. That’s a big sign. It probably means Officers Andy Stender, Ricardo Muro and Mark Durand might be willing to tell the truth about what happened in the basement when Officers Lucas…

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Southside Pride Sample Ballot

Mayor: 1. Sheila Nezhad 2. Kate Knuth City Council: Ward 1: Elliott Payne Ward 2: Cam Gordon Ward 3: Steve Fletcher Ward 4: Phillipe Cunningham Ward 5: Jeremiah Ellison Ward 6: Abdirizak Bihi Ward 7: Nick Kor Ward 8: Andrea Jenkins Ward 9: Jason Chavez Ward 10: Aisha Chughtai Ward…

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Who is running in the 6th Ward?

BY ED FELIEN Southside Pride sent the following to the two candidates running to represent the 6th Ward on the Minneapolis City Council, Abdirizak Bihi and the incumbent, Jamal Osman: “Southside Pride will be publishing a Guide for Voters in the 6th Ward in our upcoming Riverside edition coming out…

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Vote No!

BY ED FELIEN Before there was a city of Minneapolis, there was the town of St. Anthony on the east bank of the Mississippi. Its Main Street was bustling with a thriving lumber trade. In 1861 when they incorporated, they looked at the federal system of government in Washington, D.C.…

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Civil disobedience and civil disorder

BY ED FELIEN On Sunday, June 27, Andrea Jenkins, the Black trans Minneapolis City Council Member, had her car surrounded by about a dozen protesters as she was trying to leave a Pride event in Loring Park. The ward she represents includes three of the four corners of George Floyd…

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The race for City Council in Ward 8

BY ED FELIEN On Thursday, June 24, Southside Pride wrote to Andrea Jenkins and Julie Stroeve, the two known candidates for City Council in Ward 8. We asked each candidate to please answer the following questions and send their responses by noon Monday, June 28. Only Julie Stroeve answered the…

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Mike Freeman must resign!

BY ED FELIEN Late Sunday night, June 13, Nicholas Kraus drove his Jeep Cherokee through the barricades at Lake and Girard and killed Deona Marie Knajdek. Barricades had been set up to protest the killing of Winston Boogie Smith by U.S. Marshals on June 3 at the Girard Avenue parking…

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Why won’t they discuss this?

BY ED FELIEN The people who have held George Floyd Square for more than a year issued the following list of 24 demands on August 7, 2020, that they believed must be met before traffic at 38th and Chicago could return to normal: 1. Recall Mike Freeman, Hennepin County Attorney.…

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