Photo essay captures bizarre phenomenon of college move-in week

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Last week photographer Wendy Schreier witnessed something many college students overlook entirely. Her latest photo essay captures the bizarre phenomenon of move-in week.Originally from Northeast Minneapolis, Schreier moved to the Marcy Holmes neighborhood last April and was astounded by just how much furniture, clothing and general household items littered the streets and curbsides last week as University of Minnesota students moved into their new homes.“It was just a funny transition to see because I grew up in Northeast and lived in Roseville for a really long time,” Shreier said. “And unless you live in this neighborhood you don’t know that this happens, and it’s crazy. The whole neighborhood moved at once.”Schreier said she became frustrated with how much seemed to be going to waste despite seeing several signs for university programs aimed at recycling old furniture and reusable household items. So, she set out on foot and documented the discarded couches, mattresses and televisions in a photo essay she titled Left Behind – A neighborhood moves.But not all those items went to the dump.Last year, Pack & Give Back recycled almost 70,000 pounds of household items from students living on and around campus, said sustainability coordinator for University Services Stacey White. The University of Minnesota program, which works with the city of Minneapolis, collects reusable household items in Marcy Holmes, Southeast Como, Prospect Park and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods, and then redistributes them for free to students who can use them.The program collects the discarded items before the city collects its trash, White said, but not all the items can be used. Continue Reading

St. Paul cops allegedly taser and arrest black male for sitting in public space

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UPDATE: Christopher Lollie, the man identified in the video claims charges against him were dropped. Read more here.A video showing the arrest of a black St. Paul man for allegedly sitting in a public space and refusing to give up his name surfaced yesterday, Aug. 26 — only weeks after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Missouri re-sparked the national debate on race and police profiling.The video, shot by the man’s cellphone, shows his interaction with officers as he attempts to pick up his children from New Horizon Academy in downtown St. Paul. Continue Reading

Minneapolis farmers market photos capture transactions and diversity

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Twin Cities photographer Mark Peterson is at it again. And this time, he wanted to document one of summer’s fleeting moments — the Minneapolis Farmers Market.The prolific local photographer shot over 50 photographs of customer’s transactions with vendors at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on North Lyndale earlier this month. And the results are surprisingly entertaining.Related article: The 30 hottest Minneapolis murals“It’s a moment when people stop walking, stop browsing and actually transact,” Peterson said. “The focus of the whole thing is right at that moment.”Peterson said he went to the farmers market looking for something interesting in the large crowds there, but wanted to get away from the milling about and blank stares. Taking the photos right as the customer handed over money offered a moment of human interaction, he said, and it also offered a sense of nostalgia since using cash is becoming less and less common.“You don’t see the greasy bills and the heavy change,” he said. Continue Reading

CTUL’s Merle Payne talks organizing the “unorganizable”

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At 40 years old, Merle Payne is soft-spoken with a trim beard and unassuming nature. He is the co-director of Centro de Trabajodores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL), an organization “where workers build power to lead the struggle for fair wages, better working conditions, basic respect, and a voice in our workplaces.” CTUL made national headlines recently by winning a Responsible Contractor Policy with Target that will be implemented for new cleaning contracts at their stores in the metro area.

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New maps affirm old disparities, segregation in Twin Cities

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Minnesota Compass, funded through the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, released an interactive map this week using the most recent census data for Minneapolis and St. Paul. The data shows distinct boundaries in the sister cities, separating neighborhoods based on age, ethnicity, income, education and poverty levels.Most interestingly, when compared side by side, many of the maps reflect inverse patterns that reinforce well-known disparities for communities of color and immigrant communities, as well as distinct segregated boundaries in the metro area.Editor’s note: If you wish to view the maps more closely, follow the above link to Minnesota Compass’ website to look at the interactive map.“The maps reveal some very interesting residential patterns,” said Dr. Craig Helmstetter, Wilder Research senior research manager and project manager of Minnesota Compass in a press release. “For example, did you know that the median household income of Minneapolis’ neighboring North Loop and Near North neighborhoods differ by about $70,000? Or that 30 percent of those living in Saint Paul’s Thomas-Dale neighborhood were born outside of the U.S., compared with only 7 percent right next door in the Como neighborhood?”Each map profile provides for all 87 Minneapolis neighborhoods, 11 Minneapolis communities, and 17 neighborhoods in St. Continue Reading

The 30 hottest Minneapolis murals

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We often forget just how colorful the Twin Cities get when summer rolls in. Most of the time, our sister cities are blanketed in snow under gray, overcast sky. But underneath all the dreariness, lies hundreds of brilliantly painted murals.Photographer Mark Allan Peterson has taken it upon himself to document every outdoor mural in Minneapolis, and so far he’s shot over 550. That’s a lot of murals to sift through, so we’ve done the leg-work and picked out some favorites.Here’s 30 of the hottest outdoor Minneapolis murals. East Lake Street(419 East Lake St.)East Lake St. houses some of the most supportive and vibrant communities in Minneapolis. Continue Reading

VIDEO: Dinkytown Greenway expands, grand opening

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Phase III of the Dinkytown Greenway, an off road bike trail that connects the University of Minnesota with downtown, opened on July 20 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and two group rides. Phase III utilizes a tunnel under the 35W bridge approach that was built under the bridge when it was reconstructed.Council Members Jacob Frey and Cam Gordon led group rides from Gateway Park and TCF Stadium and met Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and other local leaders at Bluff Street Park, near where the tunnel connects Bridge #9 and an off-road bike trail that leads to the far end of the University of Minnesota campus with on-street bike lanes on 2nd Street South that lead to downtown.This video takes a look at the Gateway Park Group ride and the speeches and ribbon cutting at Bluff Street Park: Continue Reading

University of St. Thomas votes against unionizing

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After weeks of contention, the University of St. Thomas voted against unionizing adjunct faculty late yesterday afternoon.On July 21, the National Labor Relations Board tabulated the votes with 84 in favor of unionizing and 136 opposed, with 24 votes challenged before the session was over, according to university officials. About 300 adjunct instructors were eligible to vote.The union has until July 28 to file an appeal over the decision, said adjunct professor Kathy Jenson, in which case the NLRB will gather evidence and likely hold a hearing to determine the merit of the objections. If no objections are filed the decision will take effect on July 29 and the university will continue to work with adjunct faculty without union backing, she said.While some adjunct professors argued that the university treats adjunct professors unfairly by keeping them for several years without offering tenure, other professors have argued that unionizing now would be too soon and take away adjunct’s bargaining rights.There was a particularly large turnout for this vote, said Jenson.”This was a very high turnout of voters during this summer election,” she said, “when adjunct faculty is not on campus.”Correction: This article stated the vote would take effect on the wrong date. With no objections filed the vote will take effect on July 29. Continue Reading