What's weird to me (among many things) is the support some people in our city have for DSA or DSA adjacent city council members. I disagree 80-90‰ with the Wonsley and Chavez contingent for example. But I am amazed at Minneapolis citizens who believe that the DSA flank in the council are making great decisions most of the time. It does not inspire me with hope for our city. I mean a handful of incompetent politicians could be gone after a term ( or 2). But a raft of voting citizens that keep on voting them in and not only supporting their policies but actively advocating for it is beyond me . Like I said, it does not fill me with optimism.
Yes, I thought Lydia Millard seemed to be a very good city council candidate in the last cycle & she didn’t come close to beating DSA member Aisha Chugtai.
It’s not just friends and family with opinions. My Uber driver in Savannah (black man in his late 50’s, retired truck driver) said “You guys are a mess” after I told him where I was from.
Another good article, Terry. Thanks for your dedication.
I just have two quibbles.
The first quibble. You said “…we need to work much harder at building a reputation as a city that is safe, effective, and open for business. We aren’t there yet.”
Actually, we once were there, in spades. In 1973, the cover of Time Magazine had a picture of MN Gov Anderson gleefully holding up a fish, with the headline, “Minnesota: A state that works”.
That reputation lasted for a very long time. In early 2010, I went to Cincinnati for a job at the Children’s Hospital, a place that attracts professionals in the tops of their fields from all over the world. In the five years I was there, I often met ppl who said they had spent a few years in MN (usually Mpls), and then they wistfully would express how amazing it was and if they ever had an opportunity to return they would take it in a heartbeat. I returned a little more than 10 years ago, not so long.
I felt that way too. But I no longer hear it or feel it. Recently I moved out of the city bc I could no longer take the idiotic nonsense coming out of the mouths of our “Progressive” elected officials. I put the word in quotes bc IMO they are regressive, not progressive. Worse. Many are illiberal totalitarians.
This leads to my second quibble. You said that the mark for being progressive was how loudly you could oppose Trump. Actually, as we can see in the Dem primary battles across the country, today the mark of being “Progressive” is how loudly and viciously you express your hatred of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.
Israel has occupies less than one half of one percent of the world’s land mass. It would fit inside MN seven times. Its population is 10 million, highly diverse, racially, ethnically, religiously, culturally. It is thousands of miles from here. Yet seething hatred of this one tiny place is at the center of public statements made by people who proudly proclaim how “Progressive” they are. It is a sickness, here.
Their sickness places the lives and property of their Jewish neighbors at risk. They don’t care, but beyond that, it undermines public service.
Do the “Progressives” really think that they will improve metro police conduct, or hasten the crime solving time, or improve water quality, by denouncing Israel? Yet that happens.
“Progressive” NYC Mayor claims that the IDF laces the boots that police place on the necks of minority suspects. He says that bc out of a force numbering in the thousands, every year, a few hundred offices visit other countries to exchange information. One of those countries is Israel, where perhaps a dozen officers go. THAT is what makes Israel responsible for police brutality in NYC and the entire US. So by loudly denouncing Israel, he will solve police brutality. Hmmm.
How many times have “Progressives” loudly rejected advanced technologies that can help solve real problems, because Israel also uses them, or worse, they were developed in Israel? To signal moral purity, and how “Progressive” they are, elected officials, candidates, and other prominent public figures, announce their intentions to deprive us of useful resources because there is some connection to despised Israel, this tiny country halfway across the world.
It is a sickness. I fully expect this comment to attract the usual denunciations of Israel, because after all, even those commenting are aspiring public figures, so must signal their virtue by denouncing the world’s only Jewish state.
Historians say that once places start turning on their Jews, that is the sign that the place already is in cultural decline.
Yes, the opposition of Trump, it's the great red herring, the excuse to not have to listen, improve or work at anything. It's seen as an absolute truth, like the sky is blue or the earth is round. If someone doesn't hate him then it's OK to dislike that person, not listen to them, take whatever they have earned or built. It's the center of it all and most people do not even know they carry it with them since it is so ingrained in what has become our speech, out textbooks and learning.
How do we get people to see around the hatred of Trump, accept that there are other, more important things in the world that need tending to. The world will not end because he is president and that not everything he does is evil or bad. That we can go on living even though he is president. It's like being stuck in the mud, so interested in getting out, that you don't see the helping hand. The hatred and fear is eating us up and it is not even real.
I too, am considering leaving Mpls, for many of the same reasons. So, all quite sad. I am looking at crossing over the river to St Paul, but now I worry about a DSA take over there, given the considerable problems that Mayor Her has created ( for herself and the City) such that the DSA faction there would seize this, as a possible opportunity, to make more inroads. If that were to be the case, St Paul would be out too.
This next part may go sideways, but to qualify some, many of us, who are very much this ANTI DSA aligned voting block in Mpls, as we are with DSA adherents in other places too ( who would, and are, doing much of the same destructive, and yes, regressive things in those places ) are ALSO extremely negative about the "leadership" in Israel, specifically under Netanyahu, and particularly given his partnership with the worst of the worst, Donald Trump, in carrying out this war now in Iran.
So, as a person born and raised in the US, I can't stand the idea that I have ANY association with the Trump Admin, although they are clearly in charge...for now, ( as I count the down the days) and as it with many Jews, and non Jews, who may feel that same way about theirs, Benjamin Netanyahu. We have, collectively, been placed in very difficult situations, by the hour it seems, under those " leaderships." *
Sorry to personalize this, but why give 2 people you have never met so much power over you? To allow the mention of their names to create anger in you, seems foolish and a waste of what couldbe productive energy. I have learned the importance of not to giving this personal power because it only hurts onself. Has it not occurred to anyone that there was a real liklihood that someone else wanted me to be too be angry to see without prejudice?
I think the perception of Mpls is based on one’s own priorities and life experiences. If you understand basic economics, then you prioritize policies that support a business friendly city that can attract businesses and jobs, assuming the city is viewed as safe, clean, and has good schools. Unfortunately, our DSA aligned council members prioritize social issues, and some are openly hostile to corporations/capitalism and never miss an opportunity to criticize law enforcement. Personally, I am not optimistic about Mpls if we continue down a path facing huge property tax increases, because we are not business friendly. Capitalism provides the funds for social programs,and I fear the DSAs will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs and send the city into decay.
Businesses and wealth are moving to cities and states that are actually friendly to them. It's not rocket science and no amount of PR can convince someone they are welcome when they clearly are not. The city has been stating for years now that the buildings are empty because everyone is working from home but that is a lie, the businesses have moved or just closed. Many jobs are also no longer necessary with the introduction of AI. Accounting and customer service departments are no longer necessary with auto-pay and online payments.
What's the solution to the crime in Uptown, certainly not hiring new police, it's restricting bus service in and out of the neighborhood on Friday and Saturday nights. Do they really think the drive by shootings are related to the bus or are they afraid for the drivers safety? Why not care about all of us? It's like we have lost site of what caring really is. We have switched to what appears to be caring, the sound bite, the quick video, but not the actual help needed to improve anything.
There's a reason I'm moving across the state, away from the Metro. 'Defund the Police' is not a goal that leaves a city liveable. Last city council election cycle, a DSA candidate reached out to me, asking what my concerns were. I told them 'uptick in crime following on the heels of the homeless encampment under a bridge 3 blocks from me. I don't feel safe. To keep the neighborhood liveable, that should be cleaned out." Their response? "You just want to punish your homeless neighbors for not being so entitled." Clearly, the concerns of homeowners and city taxpayers were not high on this (now) city councilperson's agenda. After having 13 buildings in a three block radius from where I lived in 2020 *burn down*, to having to call police weekly about automatic gunfire on the other side of the alley from me, to the election of a bloc of DSA councilmembers who would rather grandstand than work to keep the city liveable, to city's wholely inadequate response to the killing of a neighbor, Renee Good---I'm done. Gone. Outta this pop-stand.
RunestoneOne - I'm not leaving, but I won't try to talk you out of it, either. For a lot of people, it makes sense to do so, and I get that.
I am moved, though, to reflect on your story about being door-knocked by your DSA City Council Candidate. I knew two long-time Minneapolis DFL State Reps. in the '90s, '00s and '10s (one now retired, and the other, recently deceased) who, contrary to the "targeting" of "persuadable" voters that most candidates do, would knock every single door in their district, and aim for getting to all of them twice. I asked each "Why?". One replied that she knew she was very likely going to win vs. the Republican candidate, but felt it important to listen to her constituents, especially the GOP/conservative ones who justifiably might feel like no one, including her, represented their interests. The other replied that her district was so dense with apartments that the voters "turned over" each biennium to the tune of 30% or more, and she felt she needed to do this in order for her constituents even to know who their Rep was, and for her to know at least a little about as many of her constituents as possible.
Neither of these fine office-holders was even trying to win the votes of the Republicans and conservatives she was door-knocking. Each was just trying to serve them as well as she could.
Neither would even have thought of lecturing a voter at a door about how wrong the voter was. It speaks volumes that we have office holders today who think that's an OK thing to do...
I am a researcher, by training and temperament. I found door-knocking to be one of the best ways of collecting information about the concerns on people’s minds. If you knock the door of every likely voter (we never had the resources to knock every door, so would limit them to ppl who had voted in two of the three most recent elections), you talk to ppl you never would have encountered any other way. A great way to escape the bubbles we all construct around ourselves, and actually learn.
Candidates whose door-knocking goal is to ensure that ppl who already support them get out to vote are not trying to learn. They are trying to amass power. I admire the ppl you described who knocked doors to listen, to introduce themselves. That is what a public servant should do. Sadly, Mpls has some, but not many, true public servants holding elected office today.
Also a researcher! Now retired professionally, but the itch never subsides!
Your referring to door-knocking "ppl who already support them" reminded me of something else that has changed in the practice of electoral politics since, oh, about 2012-16. In the "aughts" and earlier, it was "a given" that one door-knocked people who were already supporters (or could reasonably be assumed to be) very early (say, spring) and very late (last two weeks before election day, with an emphasis on the last several days). Where the REAL action was - especially in a "swing" district, or any other that was considered both win-able and lose-able, was to knock the doors just of those who were NOT known or suspected of being either DFL or GOP. One *exclusively* did "persuasion" door-knocking for most of the campaign cycle! The reason was simple and clear. A persuadable voter who is likely to vote is a "+1" if they vote for you, and a "-1" if they vote for the other guy. Total swing of 2 votes. A successful GOTV encounter with an "iffy" voter who is known to be with you if they can just be convinced to vote at all is a "+1" for you, for a total swing of 1 vote. Some persuadables are also low likelihood to vote, so the two vote swing is really a bit less than 2.0, but still much more than 1.0.
Polarization is what has changed the calculus. While there had always been more persuadables than GOTV targets in, say, a high-turnout suburb (where the swing districts then were), and the reverse in a relatively lower-turnout urban neighborhood, the absolute number of persuadables has crashed in both. So now one has to factor in that even though a persuadable "get" is still worth almost two GOTV "gets" - there are just not that many persuadables out there to get! I continue to believe that "the system" has OVER-reacted (that is, "persuasion door-knocking" is still very much worth emphasizing over GOTV knocking) but the reasoning for the trend away from it *is* pretty clear.
I think the itch never subsides bc our brains are wired in investigative mode. It requires effort to switch, no effort to remain in that mode 😉
In 2023, Mpls W12 was open bc the sitting CM, Andrew Johnson, was moving on. Post DFL-convention, three candidates remained in the race. One was DSA-endorsed Aurin Chowdhury, who was the beneficiary of that ecosystem’s support. Not just the DSA but also TakeAction, FaithMN, Mpls teacher unions, etc etc: All had turned out their members to ensure she secured the invaluable DFL endorsement, and all were canvassing and door-knocking for her. Their masters had decided that she was The One and the minions obeyed.
Aurin had moved into the ward less than a year earlier, to run. She had been working as a “Policy Aide” to DSA-endorsed Jason Chavez, and by being at City Hall, she learned earlier than others that Johnson was not going to run again. This was an opportunity to clone Chavez, and get at least one more DSA person on the Council. So she found an apartment in the same bldg as her “very good friend” Zaynab Mohammed, who slid into the open SD63 seat in 2022, by being the only person seeking the DFL endorsement. (I heard through the grapevine that CAIR had warned all other candidates away)
Aurin’s only W12 history as a semi-adult was canvassing in 2021 to gather signatures for a petition to place the Defund (actually, Abolish) Police amendment on the ballot. Her address in the Secy of State registered voter list was on Henn Ave (W10) as late as the 2023 Election Day.
Her two competitors, Luther Ranheim and Nancy Ford, both had extensive histories in and connections to the ward. Luther was born in and grew up in W12; his first job as a teenager was working at one of the city parks in the ward. Nancy was a small business owner who had spent years organizing the owners of other small businesses on Lake St and Mhaha Ave. But neither had an ecosystem.
I knocked doors for both, often at the same time, often helping voters understand RCV. You can vote for both, I would say, in whichever order you prefer.
We were working from Secy of State lists showing who had voted in 2021 and 2017. As above, we didn’t have enough ppl to hit every door. And bc we were strapped for resources, we agreed to skip houses that had an Aurin sign in the yard. Figured they were committed to her, waste of precious time to knock that door.
We were volunteers, but at some point Luther had raised enough $$ to hire a staffer. He could knock all day. Somehow, he didn’t get the memo to skip the doors with Aurin signs.
Well. We started to receive stories about his experiences at those Aurin-signed doors. Many, most, had no idea who she was, or who was competing against her. Her army of DSA, TakeAction, FaithMN activists just got there first. “Hi, I’m supporting Aurin. Can I put a sign in your yard?” “Oh, sure”
The staffer talked to them, told them that Aurin was a police abolitionist, who only recently had moved into the ward to run. Told them about Luther. Often left the door with the voter agreeing to swap signs. In your nomenclature, it was +2.
So we all started doing that.
Then Aurin started lying: No! I once thought that police abolition was the way but now I’ve changed my mind! (“Once” was actively trying to abolish police, less than 2 years earlier, and her recent answers on the DSA endorsement questionnaire showed that she really was on board with that program but she couldn’t say it bc if she did she wouldn’t win).
Aurin also started copying Luther’s published answers to other questionnaires, and they would allow her to submit her answers late.
She won. Now the whole neighborhood is giddy over her.
In 2025, she and Jason Chavez then promoted the baby Kay Moran to defeat the very experienced park board commissioner in the district intersecting their wards. Minnehaha Ave runs right down the center of the district, and Minnehaha Park is in the district. Bc she was promoted by Chowdhury and Chavez and the ecosystem, Moran won. There is a recent video clip of her at a Park Board Commissioner meeting trying to pronounce the word ‘Minnehaha’ and stumbling over it.
I would replace your word ‘Partisan’ with the word ‘Tribal’. Sometimes tribal identities intersect perfectly with political parties. But in Mpls, there is only DFL, no GOP. Within DFL, there are tribes.
Before ppl have been recruited into a tribe, they are persuadable. Once recruited, they’re not just gone, but they start growing the tribe by recruiting others.
None of it uses that part of the brain that we use, temperamentally, as researchers. None of it actually improves the conditions of anyone’s lives. It’s all thought-free good-vs-evil tribal alliances, where joining the right tribe marks you as a “good person” in the eyes of everyone else in the tribe.
I used to be solidly left. I was for low/no bail for instance. But then there were too many shootings and car thefts by people who were given a break. Why give them one when they use it to sow destruction and have no appreciation for the mindset that wants to help them? Minneapolis needs to stop being all things to all people and take better care of the ones who want to be here and are good citizens. Why doesn't Minneapolis look at models that work and will work for our city? Like Mississippi's reading programs that have increased their scores dramatically. Denmark's immigration and Finland's homelessness successes. If the city council cannot get along to the point of needing counseling then perhaps, they should get out of their offices and consult with those who know how to get things done. I grew up here and the path we are on is destruction. All the new apartments being built (many with tax breaks) rent for $1200+ just to get into something this is barely 600 sq. feet. How does this help families, homeless, seniors, or the needy? Minneapolis used to be a jewel and now people are afraid to go to gatherings in the parks. The blame for the rot in our city can be blamed on the politicians and the rich, who seemed to have stopped caring. Finally, who told our police force that they don't have to do their jobs? There are too many anecdotal stories of them not showing up to calls, or refusing to write a report, or do investigating when a crime has occurred. I seldom see their presence in my neighborhood. They didn't think they were appreciated because some radicals called to defund them. But Minneapolis people showed up and voted that they would NOT defund them. Even so, they appear to be pouting about it, still. They need to get over it and get back to work. We pay a large sum of money for overtime with some police making in the 6 figures. If they want to take something out on someone, take it out on people who don't support you-the city council and the District attorneys. Minneapolis WAS a jewel and someone needs to polish it up again. We need courageous people to step up and who won't just spout back tired left/right talking points and repeating programs and ideals that do not work anymore.
There are no political checks and balances in the state or city. It is a fundamentally unserious-about-serious-things voter base that votes in the leaders steering us. This is not a leadership or execution problem, it’s priorities being reflected. Until the voters decide seriously about changing, nothing with change.
The framework of managing the “reputation” rather than the underlying underscores this perfectly.
Hi, I want to clarify that when I write about reputation, I'm talking about the kind that's earned. If you work hard and do your job well, hopefully that's the reputation you build. For a city, being well run is earned through stable government and by consistently delivering vital services while maintaining reasonable budgets. A well-run city attracts business by reducing barriers, like excessive and expensive permitting. It provides the infrastructure and construction work businesses need to operate, and it works with them when city plans might hurt their ability to do so.
Terry, thank you for your time and effort in making this trip and reporting on what you have seen and heard.
Once again we discuss the differences between running for office and serving once elected. I am not privy to the cost of a typical city council member running for office, and I don’t know how much they are paid annually. But the cost of elections in general have completely run amok!! Spending thousands or millions on a seat that pays a tiny fraction of that should tell us everything we need to know about the value of the election results to the population concerned. Like it or not, these elections are bought and paid for, and that’s not what BEST serves the public interest.
In various news outlets and blogs I have recently seen “excerpts” of the DSA platform, and I have to say, it does not seem to be connected to reality. The single biggest question I have is how will they pay for everything they are demanding/promising??
The alleged behavior of harassment and bizarre jokes from Mayor Her was a complete shock to me, it totally came out of Left Field, excuse the pun. For someone to work that hard to achieve this high position and then risk it like this? I don't get it. I think she should resign if an investigation confirms the harassment to be true.
As for all the DSA-bashing in the comments, I recall when Mpls. was dubbed "Murderapolis" in the mid-90's and there were no DSA members on the council then, and a fully staffed police force. In 1995 Mpls. had 97 homicides and we had the same amount in 2021 but from then through 2025, many less. Just wanted to add that perspective. Thanks for writing another good report that gets people discussing important issues.
If bashing means talking about the details of a political plaform, and then the motivations and goals around that, yes, people have a right to know. We all have an obligation to know, really know, who sits on our City Council.
On my trip to Portland it was an unfortunate morning ritual on my way to get coffee in the morning. We stayed in the Pearll district. Minneapolis has fewer people in this situation but it’s still at least a weekly occurrence. I see them on the bus or at freeway exits. Often there is one person with a sign and one person in the grass behind them.
I have been near quite a few. Spend some time around 46th Street and Hiawatha Ave, or by my favorite thrift store, St Vincent's, just off of Lake Street. Whether the person just expired or is so impaired that I just can't tell, for sure, I am left with the quandary, again, whether to call 911 to have our extremely short staffed police dept and EMTs respond. Same scenario being played out, over and over. That is my city.
Sadly, on a recent visit to Meritage in St. Paul, we had to step around an unconscious man lying in front of the restaurant, while EMTs leaned over him trying to see if they could revive him.
My comment was specifically about stepping over bodies, not not seeing homeless people, Of course, we all see them. I sit with them on the bus, I bike around them on Blaisdell, I drive past them at exits and on medians. And I've seen plenty of homeless folks in Portland. I don't think the goal should be to not see homeless people. The goal should be to help them get into transitional housing--assuming they're willing to follow the rules, or if they're not, to create a city-regulated space where they can liv in safety and with water and portable toilets.
Lots of smart, responsible kids are still attending & graduating from Minneapolis public high schools. My nephews’ kids are doing really well at St Olaf, a very good college. There are plenty of success stories. Cynicism is not a good idea, but we’ve got a lot of urgent problems to address, that’s for sure.
My intention was to highlight the data available on the schools. It doesn't mean that motivated and focused students won't do well. There are definitely kids that will be successful regardless of the school in which they are placed. Without them, the Minneapolis average for reading and math would be even worse.
Excellent article Terry. Friends and relatives I speak with that reside in other states (most who once resided in MN) have negative views of MN (especially Minneapolis) and zero respect for its municipal leadership, policies, and practices, hence the primary reason they left for a much less progressive playground. The common thread is they didn't want to continue to reside in or do business in a state/city that prioritizes socialism for the better good nor have to further associate with the obvious ongoing failure of civil discourse. At the end of the day, they were fed up and value their integrity, and ethical/moral code more than all else.
What's weird to me (among many things) is the support some people in our city have for DSA or DSA adjacent city council members. I disagree 80-90‰ with the Wonsley and Chavez contingent for example. But I am amazed at Minneapolis citizens who believe that the DSA flank in the council are making great decisions most of the time. It does not inspire me with hope for our city. I mean a handful of incompetent politicians could be gone after a term ( or 2). But a raft of voting citizens that keep on voting them in and not only supporting their policies but actively advocating for it is beyond me . Like I said, it does not fill me with optimism.
Yes, I thought Lydia Millard seemed to be a very good city council candidate in the last cycle & she didn’t come close to beating DSA member Aisha Chugtai.
It’s not just friends and family with opinions. My Uber driver in Savannah (black man in his late 50’s, retired truck driver) said “You guys are a mess” after I told him where I was from.
Another good article, Terry. Thanks for your dedication.
I just have two quibbles.
The first quibble. You said “…we need to work much harder at building a reputation as a city that is safe, effective, and open for business. We aren’t there yet.”
Actually, we once were there, in spades. In 1973, the cover of Time Magazine had a picture of MN Gov Anderson gleefully holding up a fish, with the headline, “Minnesota: A state that works”.
That reputation lasted for a very long time. In early 2010, I went to Cincinnati for a job at the Children’s Hospital, a place that attracts professionals in the tops of their fields from all over the world. In the five years I was there, I often met ppl who said they had spent a few years in MN (usually Mpls), and then they wistfully would express how amazing it was and if they ever had an opportunity to return they would take it in a heartbeat. I returned a little more than 10 years ago, not so long.
I felt that way too. But I no longer hear it or feel it. Recently I moved out of the city bc I could no longer take the idiotic nonsense coming out of the mouths of our “Progressive” elected officials. I put the word in quotes bc IMO they are regressive, not progressive. Worse. Many are illiberal totalitarians.
This leads to my second quibble. You said that the mark for being progressive was how loudly you could oppose Trump. Actually, as we can see in the Dem primary battles across the country, today the mark of being “Progressive” is how loudly and viciously you express your hatred of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.
Israel has occupies less than one half of one percent of the world’s land mass. It would fit inside MN seven times. Its population is 10 million, highly diverse, racially, ethnically, religiously, culturally. It is thousands of miles from here. Yet seething hatred of this one tiny place is at the center of public statements made by people who proudly proclaim how “Progressive” they are. It is a sickness, here.
Their sickness places the lives and property of their Jewish neighbors at risk. They don’t care, but beyond that, it undermines public service.
Do the “Progressives” really think that they will improve metro police conduct, or hasten the crime solving time, or improve water quality, by denouncing Israel? Yet that happens.
“Progressive” NYC Mayor claims that the IDF laces the boots that police place on the necks of minority suspects. He says that bc out of a force numbering in the thousands, every year, a few hundred offices visit other countries to exchange information. One of those countries is Israel, where perhaps a dozen officers go. THAT is what makes Israel responsible for police brutality in NYC and the entire US. So by loudly denouncing Israel, he will solve police brutality. Hmmm.
How many times have “Progressives” loudly rejected advanced technologies that can help solve real problems, because Israel also uses them, or worse, they were developed in Israel? To signal moral purity, and how “Progressive” they are, elected officials, candidates, and other prominent public figures, announce their intentions to deprive us of useful resources because there is some connection to despised Israel, this tiny country halfway across the world.
It is a sickness. I fully expect this comment to attract the usual denunciations of Israel, because after all, even those commenting are aspiring public figures, so must signal their virtue by denouncing the world’s only Jewish state.
Historians say that once places start turning on their Jews, that is the sign that the place already is in cultural decline.
Yes, the opposition of Trump, it's the great red herring, the excuse to not have to listen, improve or work at anything. It's seen as an absolute truth, like the sky is blue or the earth is round. If someone doesn't hate him then it's OK to dislike that person, not listen to them, take whatever they have earned or built. It's the center of it all and most people do not even know they carry it with them since it is so ingrained in what has become our speech, out textbooks and learning.
How do we get people to see around the hatred of Trump, accept that there are other, more important things in the world that need tending to. The world will not end because he is president and that not everything he does is evil or bad. That we can go on living even though he is president. It's like being stuck in the mud, so interested in getting out, that you don't see the helping hand. The hatred and fear is eating us up and it is not even real.
I too, am considering leaving Mpls, for many of the same reasons. So, all quite sad. I am looking at crossing over the river to St Paul, but now I worry about a DSA take over there, given the considerable problems that Mayor Her has created ( for herself and the City) such that the DSA faction there would seize this, as a possible opportunity, to make more inroads. If that were to be the case, St Paul would be out too.
This next part may go sideways, but to qualify some, many of us, who are very much this ANTI DSA aligned voting block in Mpls, as we are with DSA adherents in other places too ( who would, and are, doing much of the same destructive, and yes, regressive things in those places ) are ALSO extremely negative about the "leadership" in Israel, specifically under Netanyahu, and particularly given his partnership with the worst of the worst, Donald Trump, in carrying out this war now in Iran.
So, as a person born and raised in the US, I can't stand the idea that I have ANY association with the Trump Admin, although they are clearly in charge...for now, ( as I count the down the days) and as it with many Jews, and non Jews, who may feel that same way about theirs, Benjamin Netanyahu. We have, collectively, been placed in very difficult situations, by the hour it seems, under those " leaderships." *
* A loosely used term.
Sorry to personalize this, but why give 2 people you have never met so much power over you? To allow the mention of their names to create anger in you, seems foolish and a waste of what couldbe productive energy. I have learned the importance of not to giving this personal power because it only hurts onself. Has it not occurred to anyone that there was a real liklihood that someone else wanted me to be too be angry to see without prejudice?
I think the perception of Mpls is based on one’s own priorities and life experiences. If you understand basic economics, then you prioritize policies that support a business friendly city that can attract businesses and jobs, assuming the city is viewed as safe, clean, and has good schools. Unfortunately, our DSA aligned council members prioritize social issues, and some are openly hostile to corporations/capitalism and never miss an opportunity to criticize law enforcement. Personally, I am not optimistic about Mpls if we continue down a path facing huge property tax increases, because we are not business friendly. Capitalism provides the funds for social programs,and I fear the DSAs will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs and send the city into decay.
Businesses and wealth are moving to cities and states that are actually friendly to them. It's not rocket science and no amount of PR can convince someone they are welcome when they clearly are not. The city has been stating for years now that the buildings are empty because everyone is working from home but that is a lie, the businesses have moved or just closed. Many jobs are also no longer necessary with the introduction of AI. Accounting and customer service departments are no longer necessary with auto-pay and online payments.
What's the solution to the crime in Uptown, certainly not hiring new police, it's restricting bus service in and out of the neighborhood on Friday and Saturday nights. Do they really think the drive by shootings are related to the bus or are they afraid for the drivers safety? Why not care about all of us? It's like we have lost site of what caring really is. We have switched to what appears to be caring, the sound bite, the quick video, but not the actual help needed to improve anything.
There's a reason I'm moving across the state, away from the Metro. 'Defund the Police' is not a goal that leaves a city liveable. Last city council election cycle, a DSA candidate reached out to me, asking what my concerns were. I told them 'uptick in crime following on the heels of the homeless encampment under a bridge 3 blocks from me. I don't feel safe. To keep the neighborhood liveable, that should be cleaned out." Their response? "You just want to punish your homeless neighbors for not being so entitled." Clearly, the concerns of homeowners and city taxpayers were not high on this (now) city councilperson's agenda. After having 13 buildings in a three block radius from where I lived in 2020 *burn down*, to having to call police weekly about automatic gunfire on the other side of the alley from me, to the election of a bloc of DSA councilmembers who would rather grandstand than work to keep the city liveable, to city's wholely inadequate response to the killing of a neighbor, Renee Good---I'm done. Gone. Outta this pop-stand.
RunestoneOne - I'm not leaving, but I won't try to talk you out of it, either. For a lot of people, it makes sense to do so, and I get that.
I am moved, though, to reflect on your story about being door-knocked by your DSA City Council Candidate. I knew two long-time Minneapolis DFL State Reps. in the '90s, '00s and '10s (one now retired, and the other, recently deceased) who, contrary to the "targeting" of "persuadable" voters that most candidates do, would knock every single door in their district, and aim for getting to all of them twice. I asked each "Why?". One replied that she knew she was very likely going to win vs. the Republican candidate, but felt it important to listen to her constituents, especially the GOP/conservative ones who justifiably might feel like no one, including her, represented their interests. The other replied that her district was so dense with apartments that the voters "turned over" each biennium to the tune of 30% or more, and she felt she needed to do this in order for her constituents even to know who their Rep was, and for her to know at least a little about as many of her constituents as possible.
Neither of these fine office-holders was even trying to win the votes of the Republicans and conservatives she was door-knocking. Each was just trying to serve them as well as she could.
Neither would even have thought of lecturing a voter at a door about how wrong the voter was. It speaks volumes that we have office holders today who think that's an OK thing to do...
I am a researcher, by training and temperament. I found door-knocking to be one of the best ways of collecting information about the concerns on people’s minds. If you knock the door of every likely voter (we never had the resources to knock every door, so would limit them to ppl who had voted in two of the three most recent elections), you talk to ppl you never would have encountered any other way. A great way to escape the bubbles we all construct around ourselves, and actually learn.
Candidates whose door-knocking goal is to ensure that ppl who already support them get out to vote are not trying to learn. They are trying to amass power. I admire the ppl you described who knocked doors to listen, to introduce themselves. That is what a public servant should do. Sadly, Mpls has some, but not many, true public servants holding elected office today.
Also a researcher! Now retired professionally, but the itch never subsides!
Your referring to door-knocking "ppl who already support them" reminded me of something else that has changed in the practice of electoral politics since, oh, about 2012-16. In the "aughts" and earlier, it was "a given" that one door-knocked people who were already supporters (or could reasonably be assumed to be) very early (say, spring) and very late (last two weeks before election day, with an emphasis on the last several days). Where the REAL action was - especially in a "swing" district, or any other that was considered both win-able and lose-able, was to knock the doors just of those who were NOT known or suspected of being either DFL or GOP. One *exclusively* did "persuasion" door-knocking for most of the campaign cycle! The reason was simple and clear. A persuadable voter who is likely to vote is a "+1" if they vote for you, and a "-1" if they vote for the other guy. Total swing of 2 votes. A successful GOTV encounter with an "iffy" voter who is known to be with you if they can just be convinced to vote at all is a "+1" for you, for a total swing of 1 vote. Some persuadables are also low likelihood to vote, so the two vote swing is really a bit less than 2.0, but still much more than 1.0.
Polarization is what has changed the calculus. While there had always been more persuadables than GOTV targets in, say, a high-turnout suburb (where the swing districts then were), and the reverse in a relatively lower-turnout urban neighborhood, the absolute number of persuadables has crashed in both. So now one has to factor in that even though a persuadable "get" is still worth almost two GOTV "gets" - there are just not that many persuadables out there to get! I continue to believe that "the system" has OVER-reacted (that is, "persuasion door-knocking" is still very much worth emphasizing over GOTV knocking) but the reasoning for the trend away from it *is* pretty clear.
I think the itch never subsides bc our brains are wired in investigative mode. It requires effort to switch, no effort to remain in that mode 😉
In 2023, Mpls W12 was open bc the sitting CM, Andrew Johnson, was moving on. Post DFL-convention, three candidates remained in the race. One was DSA-endorsed Aurin Chowdhury, who was the beneficiary of that ecosystem’s support. Not just the DSA but also TakeAction, FaithMN, Mpls teacher unions, etc etc: All had turned out their members to ensure she secured the invaluable DFL endorsement, and all were canvassing and door-knocking for her. Their masters had decided that she was The One and the minions obeyed.
Aurin had moved into the ward less than a year earlier, to run. She had been working as a “Policy Aide” to DSA-endorsed Jason Chavez, and by being at City Hall, she learned earlier than others that Johnson was not going to run again. This was an opportunity to clone Chavez, and get at least one more DSA person on the Council. So she found an apartment in the same bldg as her “very good friend” Zaynab Mohammed, who slid into the open SD63 seat in 2022, by being the only person seeking the DFL endorsement. (I heard through the grapevine that CAIR had warned all other candidates away)
Aurin’s only W12 history as a semi-adult was canvassing in 2021 to gather signatures for a petition to place the Defund (actually, Abolish) Police amendment on the ballot. Her address in the Secy of State registered voter list was on Henn Ave (W10) as late as the 2023 Election Day.
Her two competitors, Luther Ranheim and Nancy Ford, both had extensive histories in and connections to the ward. Luther was born in and grew up in W12; his first job as a teenager was working at one of the city parks in the ward. Nancy was a small business owner who had spent years organizing the owners of other small businesses on Lake St and Mhaha Ave. But neither had an ecosystem.
I knocked doors for both, often at the same time, often helping voters understand RCV. You can vote for both, I would say, in whichever order you prefer.
We were working from Secy of State lists showing who had voted in 2021 and 2017. As above, we didn’t have enough ppl to hit every door. And bc we were strapped for resources, we agreed to skip houses that had an Aurin sign in the yard. Figured they were committed to her, waste of precious time to knock that door.
We were volunteers, but at some point Luther had raised enough $$ to hire a staffer. He could knock all day. Somehow, he didn’t get the memo to skip the doors with Aurin signs.
Well. We started to receive stories about his experiences at those Aurin-signed doors. Many, most, had no idea who she was, or who was competing against her. Her army of DSA, TakeAction, FaithMN activists just got there first. “Hi, I’m supporting Aurin. Can I put a sign in your yard?” “Oh, sure”
The staffer talked to them, told them that Aurin was a police abolitionist, who only recently had moved into the ward to run. Told them about Luther. Often left the door with the voter agreeing to swap signs. In your nomenclature, it was +2.
So we all started doing that.
Then Aurin started lying: No! I once thought that police abolition was the way but now I’ve changed my mind! (“Once” was actively trying to abolish police, less than 2 years earlier, and her recent answers on the DSA endorsement questionnaire showed that she really was on board with that program but she couldn’t say it bc if she did she wouldn’t win).
Aurin also started copying Luther’s published answers to other questionnaires, and they would allow her to submit her answers late.
She won. Now the whole neighborhood is giddy over her.
In 2025, she and Jason Chavez then promoted the baby Kay Moran to defeat the very experienced park board commissioner in the district intersecting their wards. Minnehaha Ave runs right down the center of the district, and Minnehaha Park is in the district. Bc she was promoted by Chowdhury and Chavez and the ecosystem, Moran won. There is a recent video clip of her at a Park Board Commissioner meeting trying to pronounce the word ‘Minnehaha’ and stumbling over it.
I would replace your word ‘Partisan’ with the word ‘Tribal’. Sometimes tribal identities intersect perfectly with political parties. But in Mpls, there is only DFL, no GOP. Within DFL, there are tribes.
Before ppl have been recruited into a tribe, they are persuadable. Once recruited, they’re not just gone, but they start growing the tribe by recruiting others.
None of it uses that part of the brain that we use, temperamentally, as researchers. None of it actually improves the conditions of anyone’s lives. It’s all thought-free good-vs-evil tribal alliances, where joining the right tribe marks you as a “good person” in the eyes of everyone else in the tribe.
I used to be solidly left. I was for low/no bail for instance. But then there were too many shootings and car thefts by people who were given a break. Why give them one when they use it to sow destruction and have no appreciation for the mindset that wants to help them? Minneapolis needs to stop being all things to all people and take better care of the ones who want to be here and are good citizens. Why doesn't Minneapolis look at models that work and will work for our city? Like Mississippi's reading programs that have increased their scores dramatically. Denmark's immigration and Finland's homelessness successes. If the city council cannot get along to the point of needing counseling then perhaps, they should get out of their offices and consult with those who know how to get things done. I grew up here and the path we are on is destruction. All the new apartments being built (many with tax breaks) rent for $1200+ just to get into something this is barely 600 sq. feet. How does this help families, homeless, seniors, or the needy? Minneapolis used to be a jewel and now people are afraid to go to gatherings in the parks. The blame for the rot in our city can be blamed on the politicians and the rich, who seemed to have stopped caring. Finally, who told our police force that they don't have to do their jobs? There are too many anecdotal stories of them not showing up to calls, or refusing to write a report, or do investigating when a crime has occurred. I seldom see their presence in my neighborhood. They didn't think they were appreciated because some radicals called to defund them. But Minneapolis people showed up and voted that they would NOT defund them. Even so, they appear to be pouting about it, still. They need to get over it and get back to work. We pay a large sum of money for overtime with some police making in the 6 figures. If they want to take something out on someone, take it out on people who don't support you-the city council and the District attorneys. Minneapolis WAS a jewel and someone needs to polish it up again. We need courageous people to step up and who won't just spout back tired left/right talking points and repeating programs and ideals that do not work anymore.
There are no political checks and balances in the state or city. It is a fundamentally unserious-about-serious-things voter base that votes in the leaders steering us. This is not a leadership or execution problem, it’s priorities being reflected. Until the voters decide seriously about changing, nothing with change.
The framework of managing the “reputation” rather than the underlying underscores this perfectly.
Hi, I want to clarify that when I write about reputation, I'm talking about the kind that's earned. If you work hard and do your job well, hopefully that's the reputation you build. For a city, being well run is earned through stable government and by consistently delivering vital services while maintaining reasonable budgets. A well-run city attracts business by reducing barriers, like excessive and expensive permitting. It provides the infrastructure and construction work businesses need to operate, and it works with them when city plans might hurt their ability to do so.
Keep up the great work! Thoughtful, critical voices of Minneapolis are exactly what is needed.
Terry, thank you for your time and effort in making this trip and reporting on what you have seen and heard.
Once again we discuss the differences between running for office and serving once elected. I am not privy to the cost of a typical city council member running for office, and I don’t know how much they are paid annually. But the cost of elections in general have completely run amok!! Spending thousands or millions on a seat that pays a tiny fraction of that should tell us everything we need to know about the value of the election results to the population concerned. Like it or not, these elections are bought and paid for, and that’s not what BEST serves the public interest.
In various news outlets and blogs I have recently seen “excerpts” of the DSA platform, and I have to say, it does not seem to be connected to reality. The single biggest question I have is how will they pay for everything they are demanding/promising??
The alleged behavior of harassment and bizarre jokes from Mayor Her was a complete shock to me, it totally came out of Left Field, excuse the pun. For someone to work that hard to achieve this high position and then risk it like this? I don't get it. I think she should resign if an investigation confirms the harassment to be true.
As for all the DSA-bashing in the comments, I recall when Mpls. was dubbed "Murderapolis" in the mid-90's and there were no DSA members on the council then, and a fully staffed police force. In 1995 Mpls. had 97 homicides and we had the same amount in 2021 but from then through 2025, many less. Just wanted to add that perspective. Thanks for writing another good report that gets people discussing important issues.
If bashing means talking about the details of a political plaform, and then the motivations and goals around that, yes, people have a right to know. We all have an obligation to know, really know, who sits on our City Council.
Maybe this will be help.
All in their own words...
https://minneapolistimes.com/wonsley-confesses-to-hidden-agenda-to-defund-mpd-but-you-dont-frame-it-in-that-way-you-dont-talk-about-it-publicly/
Abolition Working Group - Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
https://www.dsausa.org/working-groups/abolition-working-group/
I must be living in a different city than you. I've never had to step over an unconscious body.
On my trip to Portland it was an unfortunate morning ritual on my way to get coffee in the morning. We stayed in the Pearll district. Minneapolis has fewer people in this situation but it’s still at least a weekly occurrence. I see them on the bus or at freeway exits. Often there is one person with a sign and one person in the grass behind them.
I have been near quite a few. Spend some time around 46th Street and Hiawatha Ave, or by my favorite thrift store, St Vincent's, just off of Lake Street. Whether the person just expired or is so impaired that I just can't tell, for sure, I am left with the quandary, again, whether to call 911 to have our extremely short staffed police dept and EMTs respond. Same scenario being played out, over and over. That is my city.
Sadly, on a recent visit to Meritage in St. Paul, we had to step around an unconscious man lying in front of the restaurant, while EMTs leaned over him trying to see if they could revive him.
It is not as uncommon as one might think, take the bus anywhere on a regular basis these days and you too will evrntually have the same experience.
My comment was specifically about stepping over bodies, not not seeing homeless people, Of course, we all see them. I sit with them on the bus, I bike around them on Blaisdell, I drive past them at exits and on medians. And I've seen plenty of homeless folks in Portland. I don't think the goal should be to not see homeless people. The goal should be to help them get into transitional housing--assuming they're willing to follow the rules, or if they're not, to create a city-regulated space where they can liv in safety and with water and portable toilets.
My comment was not directed ar you. I was responding to someone that responded to you. The lines are not always clear on this site.
Lucky you.
Lots of smart, responsible kids are still attending & graduating from Minneapolis public high schools. My nephews’ kids are doing really well at St Olaf, a very good college. There are plenty of success stories. Cynicism is not a good idea, but we’ve got a lot of urgent problems to address, that’s for sure.
My intention was to highlight the data available on the schools. It doesn't mean that motivated and focused students won't do well. There are definitely kids that will be successful regardless of the school in which they are placed. Without them, the Minneapolis average for reading and math would be even worse.
Excellent article Terry. Friends and relatives I speak with that reside in other states (most who once resided in MN) have negative views of MN (especially Minneapolis) and zero respect for its municipal leadership, policies, and practices, hence the primary reason they left for a much less progressive playground. The common thread is they didn't want to continue to reside in or do business in a state/city that prioritizes socialism for the better good nor have to further associate with the obvious ongoing failure of civil discourse. At the end of the day, they were fed up and value their integrity, and ethical/moral code more than all else.