Monday, October 26, 2009

A Night of NoMi Art and Politics! (Part 2 of 2)



Guest post and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman; Don Samuels event photos the Hawthorne Hawkman, other photos by "Ranty."

Pictured above is the spread at Don's campaign event Saturday night. Notice the container at the very top? That's the lychee mint salsa by yours truly.

That night, we were regaled by the story of how it all began with Don running for city council for the very first time...

Unlike at the Delisi's groundbreaking, these two videos are edited. There was plenty of conversation back and forth, and without editing we'd be looking at 20 minutes, easy. So these are condensed down a bit.



and here's part 2:



Don also introduced a friend of his, David Wheeler. David is running for the obscure position of the Board of Estimates and Taxation. Along with David Wheeler, I think the best candidate out there for this board is Carol Becker. Both David and Carol want to keep the board independent from the city of Minneapolis; a stance that they don't share with Don. To me, this is proof that Don can work with those whose opinions are different. Plus, I'm a policy wonk and just loved seeing issues like this being brought up.

Once the speechifying was finished up, I went back to bask in the artwork of Ken Farkash and see who else showed up at "The Dinosaur House." Pictured below is south Minneapolis super-activist Brian Finstad (who we're trying to lure to NoMi! Whatever block he and his partner wind up on will be TRANSFORMED, I can assure you). I'm talking with a high-ranking Minneapolis Republican-Carleton, I think. All I know is that I run into him at parties every so often and I get drunk and then Republican ideas start to sound pretty good some of the time. I even claimed I'd vote for a Republican governor before I support Matt Entenza or Mark Dayton; but then again, I say that when I'm sober too.



Here's Jacques, the inspiration for one of Ken's pieces of art:


And Ken had one item that I have to include here. Interactive art.


And I didn't even get a chance to attend "Hot Jazz, Harlem Night," at the newly renovated Capri Theater on Broadway. Didn't I tell you at the beginning of part 1 that there just aren't enough hours in the day to take in all the great things in NoMi?

7 comments:

M. Clinton said...

I have even another NoMi event to add to that night. We came to the "Dinosaur House" party from a Special Olympics fundraiser at Elsie's. Yes, that is Northeast - BUT we followed bowling by dinner at Broadway Pizza!

Anonymous said...

HaHa - now the ads are for republican party causes, fighting obama care, sarah palin's new book, etc.

(I'm guessing cause Hawkman mentioned a high-ranking republican.. does that guy get to wear some medals on his lapel??)

Jeff Skrenes said...

@ Anon 1:20 -

That is HILARIOUS. The funniest part, to me, is that I have actually never voted for anyone except a Democrat (DFL in MN) for partisan elections.

Score one for political confusion on Google ads!

Anonymous said...

I am seeing a real pattern unfolding lately. Whenever a blog issue like this shows-up on this blog, it mysteriously shows-up within a couple of days on IBNN, The Spokesman Recorder, or Insight News. With a different twist of course.

Coincidence?

Anonymous said...

I noticed Don A. posted the video on IBNN website, what's interesting is:

1. He did not credit the source, journalism 101, so Don, please don't claim IBNN as a news network, it is just your personal blog, not "news" worthy"

2. Instead of posting videos in its entirety, Don A. only posted part two, again, great "journalism".

3. Don A. knew if he pointed users to JNS, people will found it is not just a room full of white folks.

Anonymous said...

@ Anon11:10am

He (meaning Don A) also calls Don racist... why?? Because he says the small businesses on broadway that are selling drugs, guns and stolen merchandise are going to be shut down? And anybody who doesn't like it can do to jail with the business owners (who are really gangbangers with a storefront cover).

What's racist about that? Isn't it more racist to allow a dysfunctional environment to continue with all the little children running around northside, being sucked into the dysfunctional environment? Isn't that RACIST???

JNS readers, you are going to hear alot of griping about "white developers" coming in to northside and taking the business oppurtunities away from the black community - and here's how you respond:

white people have been doing business in the northside for decades: white teachers have been getting paid to FAIL at teaching the northside kids; white 'johns' have been coming to northside to do business with prostitutes for years; white rental property owners have been getting rich from renting slummy rentals to black people and taking that wealth back to the suburbs.

And now because some white people are helping to create GOOD businesses and projects around the northside all of a sudden people have a problem with it????

Where was the outrage years ago??

Anonymous said...

@Anon 121pm - not to mention that there is PLENTY of oppurtunity for businesses and development.

All good business owners and developers of ALL races should put their best foot forward and get things cracking!

Northside can't tolerate sub-standard businesses or proposals any longer.

Equality - that's what we need - apply equal standards and hold businesses and developers accountable!