BY KAY SCHROVEN “The shoot first, think later approach to policing needs to stop.” – Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Before George Floyd, before Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and before body cameras were worn by the Minneapolis police, there was Terrance Franklin, aka Mookie. The case did not get…
BY TONY BOUZA I served as an expert witness in police cases all over the country for about 20 years and wrote a book about it. A lawyer would call, describe a case, and I’d ask questions. If I liked it I’d ask for relevant documents—upon which I’d predicate my decision…
BY ED FELIEN I think Tony Bouza is correct to begin his analysis of the Terrance Franklin homicide with an account of Franklin’s encounter with police Sgt. Katherine Smulski. Smulski heard a burglary suspect had returned to the Greenleaf apartment building on Lyndale Avenue South. The apartment’s security camera footage shows…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE We published each of 2022’s Education supplements on a sort of a cliffhanger. In early March we were in the pre-strike cooling-off period for a historic strike that took place the next week. In October, it was a month until an election that would bring five…
BY KAY SCHROVEN There was plenty of sun and the temps were above freezing on Sunday, Feb. 26, as the East Phillips and Little Earth communities and their supporters celebrated Judge Edward Wahl’s recent injunction to allow the Minnesota Court of Appeals to review the activists’ request to permanently stop…
BY CAM GORDON County’s new Zero Waste Plan could end garbage burning downtown Once again, people are organizing to shut down Hennepin County’s downtown garbage burner. The burner, known as the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), has been fraught with controversy since before it opened in 1989. “Communities have been…
BY ED FELIEN Do you want your City Council member to listen to you? The best way to get your council member’s attention is to be a DFL delegate. They need your vote for their endorsement. Anyone can be a DFL delegate, just sign up. You can apply to be a ward…
The Minnesota Legislature is poised to consider a bill that would bring Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) statewide in a measured, thoughtful manner. Minnesota is ready to take this step, and I encourage our South Minneapolis representatives to push it forward. Minneapolis is one of over 60 jurisdictions across the country…
Obituary at Willwerscheid Funeral Home & Cremation Service, written by her children: After 85 years of a courageously led life, the world lost a beautiful and well-loved person. On February 21, 2023, our mom Patty died peacefully at her home in St. Paul, a place from which, despite otherwise gentle encouragement…
BY DAVE GUTKNECHT In the January online edition of Southside Pride, the editor generously published my response to his pro-war editorials: https://southsidepride.com/2023/01/28/a-response-to-sspride-ukraine-columns/. Since then, U.S. war aims have only become clearer, thanks in part to investigative journalism outside the mainstream. The U.S. helped sabotage Ukraine negotiations, then sabotaged critical infrastructure of Germany…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE By the time you read this, Eat Street Crossing should actually be open. I have mentioned it before, and it’s been actively under development (and construction) since last summer. There is a grand opening advertised for Saturday, March 4. If you like either Bebe Zito or…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Arts and creativity camps ArtStart (artstart.org) is an innovative arts nonprofit in St. Paul that combines artmaking with art appreciation, cultural studies, history and – recycling? (See ArtScraps on their website.) Registration is open now for summer programs, which center on studying and being inspired by…
Journal entry on CaringBridge by Connie John (Polly’s daughter)— Jan. 19, 2023 It is just over a week ago that I woke up about 4 a.m. and heard Mom wheezing. I got up to see how she was doing. Mostly after the stroke when she could not be trusted to…
BY BEN R. On Tuesday, seven members of the Minneapolis City Council showed how hollow their platitudes regarding equity in the city and concerns about environmental racism were as they voted to approve the demolition of the Roof Depot building in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. Since 2014, the East…
BY LYDIA HOWELL The world generates 400 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, according to a United Nations report. Hennepin County is signing up community partners and individuals for their February Plastic-Free Challenge, with plenty of practical information to help you choose changes in your everyday life. Where…
