Columnists

Regular Columnists

Ed Felien  •  Elaine Klaassen  •  Polly Mann  •  Tony Bouza  •  David Tilsen  •  Debra Keefer Ramage  •  Stephanie Fox  •  Johnny Hazard 

 


Nicollet Avenue: What’s going on and on?

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE A year ago, we wrote in Southside Pride (southsidepride.com/2020/06/22/how-has-nicollet-avenue-fared-so-far/) about the massive damage to buildings and businesses near Lake and Nicollet, as determined protesters laid siege to, but did not succeed in destroying, the 5th Precinct police station. Here’s a list of the top five things…

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How do we stop the violence?

BY ED FELIEN Jawan Carroll has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder resulting from the shootout in front of the Monarch nightclub at 2 a.m. on May 22. He allegedly was with two other people. He had been identified by police authorities as a member of the Tre…

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The Feds are coming, The Feds are coming

BY TONY BOUZA A group of Federales is scheduled to assess the Minneapolis Police Department. It is tantamount to an archeological dig among the ruins. With characteristic hubris I will offer an agenda. Welcome to Fredonia. They will find an agency bloated with supervisors—but none making appearances at such atrocities…

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O brave new world

BY ED FELIEN Shocked at seeing human beings other than her father for the first time, Miranda, in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” says, “Oh, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, that has such people in ‘t.” The forced isolation and sudden…

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Minnehaha Ave. comeback

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Timing is everything in the newspaper game. Last year, the piece on Minnehaha Avenue’s ink was barely dry when, on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd while being video-recorded by a teenage girl. Just before the end of the month of May,…

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What’s going on on 34th Avenue these days?

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE We last visited 34th Avenue South when the pandemic was just starting to bite, but also patio dining was beginning, and we didn’t know that a year or more of illness, death, economic turmoil and uncertainty was ahead. Also ahead, just, was the murder of George…

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The Verdict

BY ED FELIEN Guilty! Guilty, as judged by the whole world. Everyone saw what happened. Millions watched 17-year-old Darnella Frazier’s iPhone video of Derek Chauvin squeezing the life out of George Floyd. The world was outraged. And local politicians acted surprised. Mayor Frey said, “That there will be Black Minneapolis…

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So much happening on East 38th Street!

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE George Floyd Square George Floyd Square is still there! That’s the headline, but it’s not the whole story. Over the past eleven-plus months, several attempts have been made to close down the “occupation” and reopen the streets. GFS has continued to evolve, but it’s still there.…

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