‘Alley Gallery of Loss’ Archives
Gallery of Loss & Light
Part IV By HARVEY WINJE PreludeI wrote my first Gallery of Loss article in 2010 which was printed in two parts.In November 2025 it was decided to reprint the 2010 Gallery of Loss articles to display some of what the alley has published over its 50 years. I used that opportunity to add more anecdotes and history to enrich the story, encourage readers to tell their stories, and increase neighborhood story narratives.The length increased into more Parts. This issue has Part IV.Parts I, II, and III were published in 2025. Part IV was ready last year when the federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployment started in Minnesota. Now in January 2026, I read it one more time before the February due date to make final edits. Context of the times mattersJanuary 2026, the number of ICE troops increased to over 2,000, announced ahead of arrival to instill fear and attract responses. If enforcement of immigration and customs were the only goal, the element of [...]
Gallery of Loss Part III
Continued from December… By HARVEY WINJE Marti Maltby’s January ‘26 Peace House Community Column on page 4 is about “community as a form of spirituality.” This Gallery of Loss series of articles is about loss of trust, buildings, residential neighborhoods, and places of memories. All of those are vessels of community and losing them threatens community as spirituality. Thank you Marti for passing on the words and wisdom from Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy. Review of Parts I & II Gallery of Loss Part I October 2025 was reprinted from April 2010 as an example for others to write a personal loss, too, that has broader meaning. That article prompted more details and analysis. I asked myself, “So what? Why is this of interest beyond my own nostalgia and some laments?” The article grew into Parts:Part I set the scene using a 1951 photo in the side yard of my boyhood home at 2512-14 Chicago Ave. where a brand new specialty hospital would be built north and [...]
DanDan- Still Teaching
Remembrance submitted by MARY ELLEN KALUZAI did not know DanDan. I became aware of his existence at the community meeting on September 12th with the Nenookaasi Camp. Residents and supporters of Nenookaasi Camp spoke about DanDan with great affection, clearly grieving his passing. Their sadness filled the room, and opened my eyes to their humanity.DanDan had lived in the Hiawatha camp that was torn down by the State and led to the establishment of Nenookaasi Camp on the 2300 block of 13th Ave. I learned that DanDan had received other housing while living in the Hiawatha camp, but he returned to the camp because he missed his community. He was lonely. The camp residents were his family and friends. He died suddenly on the sweltering day the camp was demolished.While I never met DanDan, I gained vital lessons thanks to his walking this earth. The first is that humans are very good at dehumanizing other humans. It is what allows us to enslave people, conquer people, steal from them, kill [...]
