Wedge LIVE!

John is joined by Melody Hoffman (@MelodySWV) for the first in a series of monthly appearances called "Monthly with Melody" (note: the monthly nature of Melody's appearances is currently probationary). Melody gets John up to speed on all the news he missed while away. John spent last week visiting Chicago, enjoying their transit system and sampling the original Uptown. John explains why commemorating the second anniversary of George Floyd's murder feels off. We talk about last week's remarkable public hearing where city of Minneapolis staff testified against Mayor Frey's nomination of Heather Johnston to be city coordinator. Current and former staff described the racism they face in the workplace and how Johnston, currently the interim coordinator, has failed to correct a longstanding problem within the coordinator's office. We talk about the ongoing saga of the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction approval and why we just need to approve those full-time bus lanes already.

Melody's article on the Heather Johnston public hearing: https://www.southwestvoices.news/posts/council-vote-on-interim-city-coordinator-position-delayed-after-unprecedented-public-testimony

Support Southwest Voices: https://www.southwestvoices.news/memberships

Plug: Look for the Wedge LIVE podcast at Open Streets on Lyndale Avenue this Sunday, June 5 where John will be piloting what he's calling "the world's first pedal-powered podcast studio."

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

A conversation about the struggle for reproductive justice in Minnesota with Shayla Walker, executive director of Our Justice, an organization providing support and resources to people seeking access to abortion. With the US Supreme Court indicating their intention to overturn the right to an abortion, Shayla says the demand for those services in Minnesota is going to increase several times over. Shayla talks about the legal effort to overturn restrictive anti-abortion laws in Minnesota through the state courts, and how those laws mean our state isn't the refuge we like to think it is. We talk about how that Planned Parenthood in your neighborhood isn't necessarily providing much beyond an abortion pill. Long waits for appointments, long distances to travel, legally mandated 24 hour waiting periods, are just some of the barriers. What should we expect from local elected leaders to increase access to these health care services? Founded in 1967, before Roe v. Wade, Shayla says Our Justice was mutual aid before mutual aid was a thing. You can learn more and support Our Justice at https://ourjustice.net

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John is joined by Melody Hoffmann (@MelodySWV) for an episode recorded smack in the middle of four lanes of traffic on Lyndale Avenue (27th Street intersection) in south Minneapolis. Did we capture any usable audio? Listen to find out. This episode is best experienced on YouTube.

Special thanks to Conrad Zbikowski (@ConradZbikowski) for his behind the camera work. This episode would not have been possible without his technical wizardry.

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John is joined by Peter Wagenius, legislative director for the Sierra Club Northstar Chapter, for a conversation about the history of dedicated transit space on Minneapolis streets and similarities with today's debate over bus lanes on Hennepin Avenue. We talk about what makes our transportation planning decisions so key to combating climate change. Peter recalls his experience, while policy director under former Mayors Rybak and Hodges, of the planning process for a series of bus lanes (most prominently Marquette and 2nd) and the Green Line to St. Paul (Washington and University Avenues). The common threads when it comes to dedicating lanes for transit on our streets: overstated doomsaying about parking, pushback from powerful interests, fierce opposition from Lisa Goodman, near on the council, and the eventual success of those projects. "When the City Council decided, 12 times, [to dedicate lanes to transit], it was successful afterwards. We had no regrets." Peter talks about Republicans' latest talking point against transit: Covid-19. John mentions he's heard that one before -- from our new Public Works director when she argued against immediate implementation of full time bus lanes on Hennepin Avenue. We talk about how unprecedented it would be to have a new department head, after years of work and public engagement, begin her tenure by discarding a staff recommended design at the last moment. John admits to enjoying the transportation options at Orlando-area theme parks. Peter seems not to understand what EPCOT is.

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John has a conversation with reproductive health researcher Asha Hassan, MPH, about the public health and equity impacts of eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion, as a draft opinion has signaled is the intention of the US Supreme Court. What is Minnesota's role in restricting or expanding access? Does this open the floodgates to further attacks on bodily autonomy? With the potential for abortion rights to become more relevant to local politics, what should we be asking of our elected officials?

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John is joined by Jason Garcia for the first ever Ask Us Anything episode. We take calls from Melody (https://SouthwestVoices.news) regarding Lyndale Avenue safety improvements, and Christin regarding the US Supreme Court's intention to overturn abortion rights. John puts his foot down after superfan Conrad Z makes repeated calls into the show. We talk about the results of the state's investigation into MPD misconduct, the all important Hennepin Avenue reconstruction (which we think is coming up for a vote this month at the city council), the Ilhan vs. Don Samuels race, John invites people to visit him at the DFL's 5th district convention, the city's board and commission meetings going back underground after two years of livestreams, Jason's lifetime ban from twitter, the precarious position John finds himself in by presiding over a media organization almost entirely based on a platform purchased by Elon Musk, and how Tom Hoch has dropped unexpectedly back into our lives like a dead fish delivery from a bald eagle. Most importantly, John learns that "calls" into the riverside.fm podcasting platform must be made using a laptop or desktop computer, not a phone.

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

On this episode, John is joined by his dear friends Ryan Brown, Elissa Schufman, and PeggySue Imihy Bean to explore the importance of friendship. We explore questions such as how to go about trying to make friends as an adult?; is it possible for an outsider to make friends in Minneapolis?; how has your outlook on friendship been transformed during the pandemic?; can you maintain a friendship with someone across long distances, such as after they move from the Wedge to the Kingfield neighborhood?; how do you nurture a friendship?; and is it ok to exploit your friends for material for your podcast? Listen until the end for recommendations for fun things to do with your friends. Also: John asks about the right way to use social media and DMs in pursuit of friends, after which PeggySue introduces us to the phrase "Girls, Gays, and Theys Only."

Read the book that inspired this episode! PeggySue bought one for her entire wedding party: https://bookshop.org/books/big-friendship-how-we-keep-each-other-close-9781982111915/9781982111908

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John has a conversation with Kathleen Cole, an organizer with People Over Prosecution, whose mission is "transforming prosecution in Hennepin County" by electing a prosecutor "whose practices deliver justice, not just punishment." Kathleen explains what's wrong with longtime Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. We delve into questions like: Why are prosecutors, and this office, so important? What kind of change is possible? What experience should we expect them to bring to the job? How should they use their discretion in cases that involve low level drug possession or immigration status? Are the candidates' approaches to violent crime really so different? Kathleen doesn't hold back as we talk about all six candidates and why her organization is endorsing Mary Moriarty. The other candidates are Paul Ostrow, Martha Holton Dimick, Ryan Winkler, Simon Trautmann, and Saraswati Singh. You can listen to John's conversations with five of the candidates in episodes published earlier this year.

People Over Prosecution: https://www.peopleoverprosecution.org/about

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John is joined by Elliott Payne, Minneapolis City Council member in Ward 1. We talk about his plans for a new public safety charter amendment, which he is careful to say isn't a rehash of last year's election; the police killing of Amir Locke, and whether Mayor Frey can start getting MPD policies right after some big failures during his four-plus years on the job; and after hearing big promises for years about the police contract, what should we think about the argument that the police contract isn't the place for disciplinary standards? Did the after action report detailing mismanagement and misconduct of MPD in the summer of 2020 tell us anything we didn't already know? We talk about police "buy back" (the practice of neighborhood organizations or other private entities purchasing extra police patrols from the city) during a police staffing shortage. How has the city's new strong mayor system (shifting power over city departments to the mayor) affected the city council's ability to fulfill its legislative function? Other topics: Elliott's dog, the importance of looking and sounding good during a zoom-based council meeting, and a diversion into a conversation about the smash-hit video game Elden Ring.

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John is joined by PeggySue and Chris Meyer for a conversation about attempts to resolve longstanding environmental issues at a south Minneapolis public golf course, its historical significance to Black golfers, the flooding and trash that plague the adjacent lake and its neighbors, and a longshot plan to replace the course with a sex forest.

See the Hiawatha Golf Course master plan, which Chris refers to as the "compromise" plan: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/park_care__improvements/park_projects/current_projects/hiawatha_golf_course_property_master_plan/

Golf Channel video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWJVzjJIDW0&ab_channel=GolfChannel

Sex Forest plan: https://twitter.com/sex_forest

Watch this episode: https://youtube.com/wedgelive