As I recently reflected on some of the topics this column covered in the past year, I was immediately reminded of the flagrant discrimination and disparities that persist around housing both here in the Twin Cities and throughout the rest of America.
Opinion
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Capitalism the root cause of so-called housing crisis
On Friday night, December 13, Native American activists marched towards the former South Minneapolis homeless encampment known as the “Wall of the Forgotten Natives” to bring attention to the need for more emergency shelter beds and fewer barriers to housing.
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Philosophical “do-goodism” is simply hypocrisy
As many seek to celebrate this holiday season that focuses on giving, we should focus on ways in which our society gives to people on a regular what they need to enjoy life to the fullest
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Star Tribune 1619 guest essay revises history of slavery; again
The continuation of attempts to justify chattel slavery and mollify the guilty feelings of some White Americans only hinders efforts to move forward.
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More cops equal more pain
By passing a budget that adds over eight million dollars to MPD’s budget while funneling relative pennies to violence prevention and other programs that create actual safety, the elected officials of Minneapolis have done residents wrong.
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Kamala Harris: Will McConnell let the Senate hold a fair impeachment trial?
As a former prosecutor, I understand the importance of holding powerful people accountable. I know that every trial requires fairness and truth.
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I am not your POC
I am a 22-year-old Black man and I refuse to be identified and identify as a person of color.
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Slavery’s harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Few plantations make a serious effort to tell what Christmas was like for the enslaved workers at these before the American Civil War.
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Even now the US’s slave past is difficult for some to accept
It’s been 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on these shores, and that’s why we must talk about the history of race in America.
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The cost is high to be poor
Those living in poverty generally pay more in state and local taxes, contribute a much higher percentage of their annual income toward housing and transportation costs, and often find it difficult to access affordable, high-quality foods.
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Lights in the City
In the spirit of the season, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the lights in the city, and how the work they do is sometimes invisible.
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Stop giving tax breaks to trust fund babies
But as present-day inequality reaches levels we haven’t seen in nearly a hundred years, rather than ask the wealthy to pay more, Republicans in Congress passed a tax bill in 2017 that dramatically cut the estate tax.
Posted inOpinion
We got 99 problems now Jay-Z is one
Jay-Z doubled down on his shadiness, cutting a deal with the NFL, which was designed to improve their reputation with its Black fan base.
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To understand the upheaval in South America, think race/racism
The events in Bolivia lay bare the central role that racial subjugation has always played in the ‘New World.’
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Medicare for All makes sense for us all
Donald Trump, who wants to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, has already added some 10 million people to the ranks of the uninsured, scorns it as “socialism.”
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Chicago teachers strike was unique in its social justice demands
Chicago teachers and staff returned to the classrooms in November after more than two weeks on strike.
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Current Haitian rebellion has roots in its neo-colonial history
Haitian people must be allowed to determine their own destiny outside the domination of western imperialism.
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John Conyers death signals the end of an era
John Conyers passed away at age 90 on Oct. 27. He was the sixth longest-serving U.S. representative in history.
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Ethiopians/Indonesians sacrificed for Boeing profits
The heads of Boeing Corporation should be charged and duly convicted of murder and/or manslaughter.
Posted inOpinion
Vote YES for St. Paul trash ordinance
The city of St. Paul is having an epic fight about the new city-run, coordinated trash collection system.