‘Cover Stories’ Archives
Time to Activate An Uprising of Support Around East Phillips
East Phillips neighbors and allies overflowed the City Council Chamber on January 26 in opposition to the demolition of the Roof Depot building. The City Council approved the demolition on a 7-6 vote. Pending ongoing legal action, demolition is expected to begin in late February. Source: Delaney Russell By ANDREW FAHLSTROM Minneapolis is a deliberate settlement built on Native land. The land we live on was taken through brutal violence, unilaterally justified through force and broken treaties and lies. The repercussions of this original violence shapes so much about our lives to this day. As you read this, the now long-established City of Minneapolis is practicing its own version of Manifest Destiny on an area of land in the East Phillips neighborhood. The City is hell-bent on shoving a diesel vehicle parking lot and maintenance yard down the throats of our neighbors. It will sit on the site of the former Roof Depot business, which itself sits on top of a federal [...]
Youth Performance Company
By MARY ELLEN KALUZA I first learned about the Youth Performance Company (YPC) after interviewing Sha'Vontie Rose Juneau Hosfield as the June 2022 alley’s spotlighted youth artist. This December I went to see Sha’Vontie in YPC’s The Velveteen Rabbit with my (adult) daughter. We both left the performance uplifted and happy. This was not the The Velveteen Rabbit old timers will remember from their youth. YPC’s version is clever, humorous, and much more entertaining. YPC’s new Artistic Director Maya Washington (an alum of YPC herself) wrote, directed and choreographed this modern adaptation. The cast was beautifully diverse in age, race, and gender. Sha’Vontie played the title role of the Velveteen Rabbit. She and all of the cast were terrific! The music by Kymani Kahlil, local composer and musician, was fabulous; and the choreography perfect. I think what impressed me the most though, was the Q & A after the performance. All the actors were poised, [...]
Introducing Phillips Imaginary: Visualizing Urban Design Ideas from Neighbors
Above: An example of an urban design project rendering done by a member of Radicle Land Collective. This image explores the idea of a community design school spread out on a greenway in the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington, DC. Source: Mattie Wong By MATTIE WONG “If only they had put a cut-through here!” “What if Phillips had a protected bicycle lane on every street?” “Phillips should have heated sidewalks!” Have you ever imagined something in your neighborhood, or felt like you saw a solution that would make the neighborhood better, if only it had been designed that way? Phillips Imaginary is a project to help folks dream about the possibilities of urban design, real or far-fetched, and share these ideas through drawings of what could be. Your idea combined with renderings of your vision created by Radicle Land Collective could end up in the alley! Send in your thoughts to radiclelandcollective@gmail.com and keep an eye out for the first in this [...]
