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MN GOP Platform: Moments of Profound Solemnity for Certain Convicted Murderers
This weekend the Minnesota GOP and the DFL conducted their endorsing conventions in Rochester and Duluth, respectively. The political team at MPR News assembled a nifty roundup of all the candidate pickin' that went down, but Republicans made national headlines for reasons that, well, live up to the eternally relevant Simpsons meme.
On Saturday, MN GOP conventiongoers held a moment of silence (something typically reserved for honoring the dead) for Derek Chauvin, a very alive convicted murderer who's currently serving 22.5 years in prison for murdering George Floyd six years ago on the streets of Minneapolis.
"There are a lot of people I think that believe Derek Chauvin was improperly convicted and not treated well and those people wanted to have a moment of silence," Party Chair Alex Plechash explained while defending a move that was reportedly requested by delegates.
"To honor the man convicted of murdering George Floyd—days after the very anniversary of that terrible day—is an act of profound cruelty to the Floyd family and to every Minnesotan who believes in accountability under law... Minnesota’s families—all of them—deserve better," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison countered in a statement.
The fucking bonkers notion that Chauvin is some sort of political prisoner has been advanced in recent years by MAGA grievance slop like The Fall of Minneapolis, and now it seems to be at the forefront of local Republican politics. What a party.
It's worth noting that Minneapolis cop Jamal Mitchell was killed while on duty exactly two years ago from Saturday. Seems like the sorta thing the back-the-blue party would want to honor with, say, a moment of silence.
Uptown Death Watch Vol. 2,103: How Dead or Alive Is Uptown?
To answer the civic question townspeople never stop asking, the Star Tribune deployed not one, not seven, but six reporters to take the pulse of Minneapolis's most obsessed-over neighborhood (gift link). "At least on the surface, the area showed no signs of imminent death," their report begins, encouragingly. But! "What is clearer is that the neighborhood is once again in transition."
Lake & Irving co-owner Chris Ikeda tells the Strib that neighborhoods like Uptown go through cyclical evolutions every 15 years or so. The most recent hinge point started after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, with unrest, inflation, crime, homelessness, and Hennepin Avenue construction making the following five years tough for the storied 'hood.
The good news? Demand for housing appears high, shopkeeps say customers are returning in big numbers, and retail rents are running for about half of what you find in the North Loop. “The bottom line is that Uptown is evolving from a nightlife destination to a neighborhood-servicing corridor," according to Suzanne Schefcik at real estate company Colliers.
Public safety comes up a lot in the discussion. “I know there has been some crime," Ali Riehle of the East Bde Maka Ska Neighborhood Association says. "But I think the way that’s portrayed in the news makes people afraid to come here.” That, too, might be trending in the right direction, if the health of the Hennepin-Lagoon McDonald's is any indication: The dining room, after closing for months, is open yet again.
Now that construction is over, UPS Store owner Judy Longbottom is ready to say it. “Uptown is back,” she says, citing booming profits this past spring.
Here's hoping.
In unrelated Strib news: Friend of Racket Briana Bierschbach is back, baby. After a brief stint in the editor's chair, the ace politics reporter will now helm the newspaper's twice-weekly Hot Dish newsletter. Appointment reading for those interested in knowing stuff.
Speaking of Knowing Stuff! Bridgers, Burnham Spotted Canoodling at Marty's Deli.
Marty's Deli in northeast Minneapolis might have to add a sandwich called The Punisher. Or maybe Burned Ham. Which is to say: Celebrity power couple Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham were spotted Sunday placing an order at Marty's.
What draws a music star and a comedy star to a celebrated Northeast sandwich shop on the last Sunday in May, and, crucially, what did they order? Is Bridgers copping a feel of her funnyman BF's cute lil butt? We asked the folks at Marty's. (Well, we didn't ask the butt one.)
"Someone in line asked them how they’d heard about us and Bo Burnham said someone sent it to him on Instagram," owner Martha Polacek tell us, adding that she's not sure why Bridgers and Burnham were in town. Here's a snapshot of their order, which we're told also included a scotcheroo, a locally sourced Fresh Steeps tea, and a Dram Apothecary seltzer.
Bridgers, who's simply the coolest, just announced a big comeback show scheduled for Thursday at New York City's Madison Square Garden, for which tickets will run just $1. Burnham has kept mostly quiet since his 2021 hit pandemic-era special, Inside.
Critter Update: Another New Lake Trout Record; Ocelot Turns 27
Two important wildlife stories came across our Critter Desk this morning.
First up: It seems like just last month we brought you news of a record-setting lake trout that was caught from and promptly released into Lake Superior. Well, move over, Mathew Hammer of White Bear Township, because your very fresh(water) state catch/release crown was already snatched by Joe Bouta of Benson. On Monday the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported that Bouta snagged a 45.5-incher from Superior—that's 1.5 inches longer than Hammer's catch. Helluva fish, Joe.
Next up: Happy birthday to Rio, the hero ocelot who last Thursday turned 27 inside Sandstone's Wildcat Sanctuary. The 25-pound wildcat is believed to be the oldest of her species currently living in captivity, Noah Bloch of MPR News reports; wild ocelots only live between seven and 10 years. Rio reportedly enjoyed a nice birthday party, which included a disturbing-sounding tiered "bloodsicle" cake made up of frozen DNA and chicken bits. But honestly her golden years sound pretty great 24/7.
“Every day she gets whatever she wants. We are her servants, just like every other cat here at the sanctuary," says Tammy Thies, founder of the Wildcat Sanctuary.
