Don Samuels

Don Samuels clarifies Vikings stadium vote motivation: "It was all about jobs"

Yesterday, we drew attention to an eyebrow-raising comment Minneapolis City Council member and mayoral candidate Don Samuels recently made when discussing how unions reacted to his vote in favor of a new Vikings stadium.THE BACKSTORY: Don Samuels: Unions gave me "an envelope with a couple grand" for ... More >>

Don Samuels: Unions gave me "an envelope with a couple grand" for Vikings stadium vote

Buried in a recent Star Tribune piece about the Minneapolis mayoral race is a shocking quote from City Council member and mayoral candidate Don Samuels.SEE ALSO: Who's in the race? A guide to the six candidates for Minneapolis mayor In one passage, Samuels seems to say that a coalition of union work ... More >>

Who's in the race? A guide to the six candidates for Minneapolis mayor

In the three months since R.T. Rybak announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term as mayor of Minneapolis, a full cast of characters has emerged to vie for his seat in City Hall. There are the three City Council Members with their history of competition and split votes. There's the sole non-DFL candidat ... More >>

Four Mpls City Council members openly oppose council colleague Diane Hofstede's reelection

In a press release distributed yesterday by Jacob Frey, four Minneapolis City Council members came out in open opposition to their council colleague, Diane Hofstede.SEE ALSO:-- Meg Tuthill already has a City Council challenger, and his name is Kendal Killian -- Brett Buckner to challenge Don Samuels ... More >>

Diane Hofstede claims council colleagues are hating because she supported Vikings stadium

Diane Hofstede is a polarizing figure. Yesterday, four of her colleagues on the Minneapolis City Council openly opposed her reelection in a press release distributed by her opponent, Jacob Frey. Today, three of her colleagues (Barbara Johnson, Don Samuels, and Meg Tuthill) responded by publicly supp ... More >>

Gary Schiff announcing campaign for Minneapolis mayor

After months of teasing a mayoral run, Minneapolis City Councilmember Gary Schiff will make it official at a press conference at noon today. SEE ALSO: Gary Schiff files for mayoral run Betsy Hodges files to run for mayor

Betsy Hodges names former DFL exec Andrew O'Leary as campaign manager for mayoral run

Minutes after R.T. Rybak announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term as mayor, City Council Member Betsy Hodges threw her hat firmly in the ring to replace him.Now, nearly a month later, Hodges is arming up: yesterday, she announced that Andrew O'Leary, former executive director of the Minnesota DFL pa ... More >>

Brett Buckner to challenge Don Samuels for City Council seat

North Minneapolis community organizer Brett Buckner will announce a bid for Don Samuels' Ward 5 City Council seat this afternoon at Avenue Eatery on West Broadway. According to Buckner's Linkedin account, he's worked for Keith Ellison, the Minnesota DFL, and the Minneapolis NAACP. He's currently li ... More >>

Dan Feidt on the DRE report: 'It's unacceptable for something this unethical to happen' [Q & A]

When the DRE scandal first made headlines last spring, City Pages talked with Dan Feidt to get his perspective on how the story fit into the broader narrative of America's war on drugs.CITY PAGES' DRE SCANDAL SERIES:-- DRE officer: "I don't know what the big deal is I just gave them marijuana" [PART ... More >>

City Council Member Don Samuels is a crime-fighting, phone-recovering, civic superhero

Don Samuels is the City Council member who represents Ward 5, better known as north Minneapolis. But on Sunday morning, he used a long editorial on the front page of the Star Tribune's opinion section to suggest he might also be the closest thing to Walker Texas Ranger you're going to find in City H ... More >>

Mpls City Council committee passes Civilian Review Authority overhaul despite public outcry

See Also: Mpls City Council hosting hearing on Civilian Review Authority overhaul today Senate passes bill to limit Minneapolis Civilian Review Authority's power Despite near-unanimous criticism during a public hearing Wednesday afternoon, a Minneapolis City Council committee voted in favor of a ... More >>

Mpls City Council hosting hearing on Civilian Review Authority overhaul today

See Also: Senate passes bill to limit Minneapolis Civilian Review Authority's power David Bicking asked to resign from Civilian Review Authority After a temporary delay to gather input from the public, the battle over the Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority continues today.

Youth violence in Minneapolis

The fuzzy math behind the city's struggle to curb the crime wave

Ninzel Banks, 5, killed by stray bullet in north Minneapolis [UPDATE]

This morning, Ninzel Banks became the second north Minneapolis toddler killed by a stray bullet in the last six months.Banks, 5, was hit about 8:35 a.m. while sleeping on a couch in a home on the 4500 block of Bryant Avenue North.Relative Robert Tolliver is staying at the house. Tolliver told the St ... More >>

Minneapolis mob beatings: With downtown on edge, police increase patrols [MAP]

As news of another mob beating circulated yesterday -- the seventh in downtown Minneapolis since February 3 -- we heard from a lot of people increasingly concerned about their safety when out and about downtown in the evening.All seven attacks have occurred after 7:30 p.m., with four happening befor ... More >>

Majority of Minneapolis City Council now supports Vikings stadium

​Today, after months of backdoor negotiations and hemming and hawing, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members pledged support for a new Vikings stadium at the Metrodome site.At a news conference, Mayor R.T. Rybak told Gov. Mark Dayton: "We want to hand you the signed letters of seven city c ... More >>

Landlords screw north Minneapolis tornado victims, but are also victims themselves

Tony WebsterNorth Minneapolis landlords are holding rent deposits from people whose homes were damaged by the tornado​It's been three weeks since the tornado devastated North Minneapolis--and many victims are still waiting for their landlords to make things right.

Derrick Griffin, minister, charged with murdering Kristopher Miller

Kristopher Miller was shot dead on May 11.​Derrick Griffin, an associate pastor at the North Side's True Vine Missionary Baptist Church, has been charged with murdering North High School staffer Kristopher Miller, who was found shot dead in front of his home last week. Griffin, 40, was arrested l ... More >>

The land of GoBots, Pound Puppies, and Care Bears

Minnesota's surprising place as a hub of toy crazes

Dangerous Dogs of North Minneapolis

It's a rough life for man's best friend

Twin Cities Thinkers

Meet the Minnesotans shaping our future

Tim Dolan's reappointment as police chief gets 8-5 City Council approval (UPDATE)

Mayor R.T. Rybak praised the council for giving the green light to Dolan.

Paul Koenig: The One-Man Housing Crisis

He's been dragging down property values for years, and neighbors want him out

Laid off Minneapolis cops re-hired

First they had a job. Then they didn't. Now 15 Minneapolis cops have been hired yet again--Happy Holidays!

Certified Minneapolis Mayor, City Council votes are in

That didn't take long: We have the final vote tally in the Minneapolis mayoral and city council races.

Comedy Corner Underground squashed by police who want no funny business

Benny Quash, Bob Edwards, and Marck Dickhut become outlaws of comedy

Want to speak freely? Better get permission first

No security

Inconvenient Youths

The city says it wants to stop drug dealers by closing convenience stores. But owners see an underhanded form of eminent domain..

All Shook Down

In the name of restoring order on the North Side, Minneapolis housing inspectors are issuing citations at a record pace. But is that flaking paint on Jean Coste's garage contributing to North Side crime—or just the city coffers?

When Is Free Speech Too Free?

Minneapolis has settled its lawsuits with Time Warner Cable. But the city may still be out to gut local cable-access programming.

Rybak's lawful assembly

MPLS city council: Booty shaking now legal!

Nine Things We Learned Last Tuesday

Some highlights from the city elections that time (and voters) forgot

Election day fun facts and deep thoughts

From the pole to the polls

Redistricting MPLS: How it really went down

Black on Black Grime

The Natalie Johnson Lee/Don Samuels race for city council is one of the nastiest campaigns in local memory

Local gadfly sues Minneapolis council member

The Samuels-Johnson Lee Race: A Litmus Test of Clout and Credibility

Loyal Opposition

City Council allies Zimmermann and Lilligren face off in Minneapolis's Sixth Ward

Up For Grabs

Target throws money at the north side--but who gets it?

A Blast from the Past

Former mayor Sharon Sayles Belton on her successor

Behind Closed Doors

Stephen Porter may have been humiliated and abused by cops. Or he may be the best thing that's happened to the MPD in a long time.

Skin Tight

Samuels and African Americans, pt. II; Another Sabri Snafu

Where the Buck Never Stops

Missing jobs and development in Jordan; cops' union leader blasts Olson

Black Like Who?

Race matters on the council

Jordan One Year Later: What's Different, What's the Same

A City Pages Roundtable

State of the City

Minneapolis pols draw lines, choose sides

Who's on Third?

Faith versus meat-and-potatoes politics in the city council race to replace Joe Biernat