BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The Ward 2 Housing Forum presented by City Council Member Cameron Gordon on Feb. 21 was attended by over 70 people. A lot of the attendees were landlords, mostly small scale. The Zoom meeting was hosted by Gordon’s policy aide, Robin Garwood. Co-presenters for the forum…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Members of the City Council have been working since last summer to get a proposal on the city ballot that they hope will drastically reform the Minneapolis Police Department. Council members say that they envision a new Community Safety and Violence Prevention Department, which would include the…
BY CAROL HOGARD “Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell” is the newly published biography by Dr. Alison M. Parker, department chair of American history at the University of Delaware. Dr. Parker has righted the historical record by this definitive work about one of the most important, but long…
BY ED FELIEN Lisa Bender changed the world. There probably has never been anyone in Minneapolis politics (with the possible exception of Hubert Humphrey) who has had such a profound impact on the city, the state and the country. She had a vision for the City of Minneapolis that she…
BY TONY BOUZA One of my closest friends, Joe Selvaggio, (who is probably well known to you) has done more for poor people than anyone but Mary Jo Copeland. Joe is an ex-priest and has strayed. Today he wrestles with death and asked me to include this and respond: “The…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE 2020 is gone but the Weirds are definitely lingering on. As February rolls in and we congratulate ourselves on surviving the first full month of what could be another very stressful year, we acknowledge two things—one, we’re just past the one-year anniversary of the first publicized…
BY DAVE TILSEN Last June, in response to all that was happening, I posted on Facebook that if Jacob Frey would not step up and help the people, I was going to have to run against him. He didn’t, I did. On Jan. 21, 2021, he announced that he thought…
COVID vaccinations Israel leads the world in per capita COVID vaccinations, with more than a million and a half Israelis having been vaccinated. Authorities estimate officials can administer the vaccine to some two million Israelis before the end of March, if not earlier, and hope to have the bulk of…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Members of the City Council have been working since the summer of 2020 to get a proposal on the city ballot that would drastically reform the Minneapolis Police Department. Council members say that they envision a new Community Safety and Violence Prevention Department, which might, they say,…
BY DAVID TILSEN To be interviewed by Laura Waterman Wittstock was like being listened to by a wise friend. Then, afterward, you listen and think, why did I say that? I didn’t plan to open up that much. Somehow Laura was able to do that with people. Without ever compromising…
Former Minneapolis police chief Tony Bouza spoke on Zoom about how to make the MPD more efficient and more humane. Listen to the entire January 19, 2021 talk here!
BY ED FELIEN We sent the three registered candidates for City Council in the 2nd Ward the following three questions: 1. Do you support a full and public investigation into the killing of Terrance Franklin by the MPD? 2. Do you support the up-zoning of the inner city in the…
BY PAPA JOHN KOLSTAD Twin Cities health care activists are seeking changes to a state law that gives nearly free state collection services to a corporate giant. Health Partners/Regions Hospital enjoys the privilege of having the Minnesota Department of Revenue provide collection services for debt people owe for health care.…
‘Capitalism in the 21st century’ Years ago, I read a glowing review of Thomas Piketty’s book “Capitalism in the 21st Century” and I tried to read it. I read about a fourth of the first chapter and gave up. Now he’s written a new book, but I know better than…
Karl Marx said, “History repeats itself. First as tragedy, then as farce.” The reaction to the killing of George Floyd was somber with serious consequence. The assault on the Capitol was opera buffa, a “tale told by idiots signifying nothing.” A South politician preaches to the poor white man “You…
