iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

At the National Convergence for Democracy this weekend learning and representing @swaempls.bsky.social! If you're here, say hi! And if you meet anyone from SW Minneapolis, point them my way!

Selfie of me, a white woman with short brown curly hair and a yellow shirt holding up a National Convergence for Democracy badge that says Heather Silsbee, she/her, Southwest Alliance for Equity (SWAE)

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Voted! 🗳️ For @peggyflanagan.bsky.social, @ilhanmn.bsky.social, @hennepin3.bsky.social, @kobey4governor.bsky.social, @ag.state.mn.us, and @christin-with-mpls.bsky.social! I totally blanked that School Board would be on the primary ballot, so make sure your friends and family know about that race!

Selfie of a white woman with short curly brown hair and a T-shirt with cats on it and an "I Voted Early" sticker.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

So, this quote is from me and, after we both sensed the reporter didn't like my full answer, I literally joked with my partner that this would be the only part he'd use! 😂 The reporter was stopping folks walking down Hennepin in front of Reign Saturday. The full context of my statement: 1/5

Even with these new security measures, would people still have safety concerns in the neighborhood?

“In general, I feel safe,” says Heather, who didn’t want her last name used in this story. “I don’t walk around the city much after dark anywhere. Just I think being a woman, that’s one of the things you’re taught.”

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I'll never forgive the high-ups in the DFL who have decided this is the best leader Minnesota has to offer. 🫠 Have her people told her she'll need to give a lot of speeches and answer a lot of questions as governor?

Klobuchar expressed outrage to her staff and said that she was going to forgo the convention rather than go through additional speeches and a Q&A, according to the sources, who could clearly hear what she was saying while backstage.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Thank you, @dbrauer.net. For this part especially. Textbook Republican tactic here (e.g., "did you know we're spending government research money to make rats gay??") that Frey uses All the Time.

As he does after defeats, Frey ascended the soapbox Wednesday, proclaiming, “We can’t keep messing around with issues that aren’t related to the core functions of our government. We’ve gotta be focusing on safety, we’ve gotta be focusing on business development growth and retention, not Cuba and bathhouses and [legalizing] drug paraphernalia.”

Barnette and drug paraphernalia are both public safety issues, of course, but Frey has adopted a framing that the Strib has already generously provided him with.

Olson and news columnist Eric Roper have dragged knuckles over a gay bathhouse legalization push as frivolous. In fact, this is a legislative request that came from the community, with complex historical roots, for a change so unremarkable that Cleveland and Duluth allow it. Even Frey supported the move a week ago! Will anyone at the Strib note the mayor’s hypocrisy?

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

This excerpt is such a perfect encapsulation of this moment. Thinking of it from both sides: An 11-year old living with someone she's known less than a week. And a neighbor housing an 11-year-old they don't know for an indefinite period. The worst and best of what's still happening in Minneapolis.

‘In case mami comes home’
Another parent snatched by federal officers off the streets of Minneapolis is the mother of the 11-year-old girl from Ecuador – who has been staying in the home of an ICE observer she met just this week.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Love our City Council using the little power they have to do as much as they can! Public hearing on these liquor licenses to be held on Feb 17th - please show up if you can! Who was this "one CM" tho?? 🧐 Odd that all the other statements are attributed to a specific CM, but not this one...

Rainville said he saw the damage that was done to the two hotels during protests said both hotels are now losing “a lot of money.”

After one council member called the protesters “agitators,” Council Vice President Jamal Osman, who is a Somali American, said those agitators have been fighting for immigrants like him.

“Our president called us garbage and sent troops here to terrorize us,” he said. “Agitators are our heroes.”

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Hats off to the video editor who chose this particular protest footage. I see you. 👀

Cropped frame of the video in the original post. It shows someone holding up a sign that says "ABOLISH ICE."

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Resharing this evergreen op-ed I wrote in 2023 after many Minneapolis City Council members called for stricter controls of protest in the state after one protest action made them uncomfortable. It was right after the death of disability rights icon Judy Huemann. www.startribune.com/discomfortin...

If the 504 protests had never happened, it's possible that many disabled residents would not even have elevators to access the Minneapolis City Council chambers. Yet, if the 504 Sit-in and protests were happening in Minneapolis today, I wonder whether Council Vice President Palmisano would deem them an acceptable form of protest. Considering that Heumann and the 504 protesters used tactics that are arguably more invasive of public figures' lives than the actions of those protesting against demolition of the Roof Depot today, I doubt she would be supportive.

As discussion continues on further regulating the constitutional right to protest in Minneapolis, I urge all residents, and the City Council majority, to remember our history and honor the work of civil rights leaders like Judy Heumann. How many of the rights you enjoy today were won using the same protest actions that you now, after gaining a position of power, want to regulate?

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Anyone else get the Minneapolis Times newsletter for the first time today, without ever signing up for it? 🙃

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Please read this Facebook post from Darnella Frazier about her sister Rekeya, who is in federal custody. For those who don't know, Darnella was the girl who shared the first viral video of George Floyd's murder.

Public Facebook post from Darnella Frazier:
This is my sister. Rekeya Frazier.

Last Wednesday, a number of ICE agents approached her and her boyfriend. They were in an unmarked vehicle and were not all fully dressed in their uniforms. In the world we live in today, you don't know what's real and fake, or what to trust anymore.

Allegedly her boyfriend's student visa was expired and they were questioning him about his immigration status. In the process of doing that, he got extremely scared and hopped in the back seat of my sister's car, allegedly pointing his gun at my sister while she drove to the nearest police station in complete fear. Meanwhile her boyfriend, Bamigboye was on the phone with the police.

My sister is not a criminal. Why would she drive to the police station if she intentionally committed a crime? She was scared, as most of us would be.

Rekeya is 23. A manager, A CNA who's spent countless days saving lives and coming home to her dogs every night. She loves make up, she loves fashion, cooking, and she is very creative. She's built her own little harmless life.

I'm sharing this because my sister is more than a mugshot and a headline. There are REAL families behind these stories.

My sister is currently in federal custody with no voice or outlet. So I will use mine. An expired student visa does not make you a criminal. Neither does seeking help when you feel you are in danger.

If you have read this far, please help spread the word. #SeeSomethingSaySomething

4 photos, 3 of which show Rekeya, a young Black woman dressed up and happy. The 4th is a screenshot of an Alpha News headline with Rekeya and Bamigboye's mugshots with the headline "Two charged with assaulting federal HSI agent who feared 'he was being abducted'"

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Emergency food donations needed by 11am at the American Indian Center! I'm there volunteering and we need more donations before starting distribution. maps.app.goo.gl/GZaA4oSUsSMk...

Food donations & volunteers needed
Culturally diverse foods
Dry goods; pastas, rice, beans, oats, cereal
Easy meals: Boxed dinners, canned soups, canned meat, shelf stable meals
Frozen meat: ground beef, chicken, ground turkey
Canned goods: canned fruita, low sodium canned vegetables, pasta sauce
Fresh produce: any and all
Aldi gift cards
Baby food, diapers & wipes
Paper and plastic bags

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

The Wikipedia paragraph on this is 👩🏻‍🍳💋. From what I've seen/heard, his whole personality is as a political climber. He doesn't care about building community or getting to know the depths of our city & state. He loves power and plenty of similarly-minded folks are happy to help him keep it. 2/2

In late 2011, Frey ran in a special election for an open state senate seat and came in fifth in the party primary, ahead only of someone who had dropped out of the race.[19]

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Me, in our @swaempls.bsky.social chat yesterday. If you know anyone, either in or outside of SW Mpls who wants to help with this work, please point them in our direction! linktr.ee/swaempls Notably, @marymoriarty.bsky.social and her team also cracked this code.

Yes, one of my takeaways is just how important SWAE, and any efforts to flip votes in W13, are. Even when there's no competitive council race, W13 turnout is wild and we have to keep flipping some of those votes to have citywide wins.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Ready to re-elect Katie today! Make sure you remind all your people that polls are open til 8pm! 🧡🌻

Selfie of me, a white woman with short brown curly hair in a Katie Cashman t-shirt and a green Katie Cashman bandana.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

My partner just received this. They are not a parent or coach, are not named Matthew, and have not supported Dowgwillo in any way. Anyone want to check on Matt's camp and make sure they're okay?

Screenshot of a text message: Thanks for supporting Fellow-Parent/Coach Matt Dowgwillo Park Board Matthew. Let's fix websites & get our kids playing outdoors! Stop to Opt Out. Paid matt4mpls

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

This is a pretty good, balanced article. Though, they didn't do the work to contextualize this claim by Shaffer. I did, and I'm sure it's true that her supporters want change. But the change they want is to add more corporate fast food franchises to Minneapolis. mplsmusings.com/2025/10/28/w...

As for her campaign fundraising, Shaffer said it’s not “billionaire oligarchs” supporting her — the maximum allowed donation is $600 — but people who want to see a change.

“I felt like I’ve had the wind at my back this whole campaign,” she said.

The only Minneapolis resident among the 15 is Tim Baylor, a former NFL player and recent opponent of the City Council’s attempt to create a Labor Standards Board, which was vetoed by Mayor Frey. Notably, the proposed Labor Standards Board would have been an advisory body, with the power to make recommendations about labor policy to the Mayor and City Council, but not actually make any policy changes themselves.

One of the most notable of the McDonald’s crowd is Richard Lommen, a resident of La Crosse, WI, who has a decades-long record of donations to both State and Federal Republican candidates, including Scott Walker, Ron Johnson, and Donald Trump.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

@elitalksmpls.bsky.social reached out to Hannah Wydeven of Solcana Fitness about her experience with the September encampment shooting near her property. Read what she had to say, plus Eli and my thoughts on Frey's failure to meaningfully address homelessness in his 8 years so far.

What Mayor Frey does spend a lot of energy on, is decrying the danger of homeless encampments. We recently spoke with the owner of Solcana Fitness, Hannah Wydeven, whose Minnehaha Avenue business is just south of an encampment where a shooting occurred in September. Wydeven says she has directly worked with unhoused residents for years because the mayor hasn't offered any other solution.

"What is the city’s plan? What is the point of voting for a strong mayor if he can’t do anything?” she asks. She says the first elected official to reach out to her after the shooting was Ward 12 City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury.

“[Chowdhury] called me right away. Made time to meet with me at 8am the next day," Wydeven says. "When she showed up she had a plan. [Chowdhury] listed off things she planned to do right away that day to help with this.”

Wydeven stresses that the most responsive city officials during this crisis have been City Council members. In addition to Chowdhury, she cited Jason Chavez and Jamal Osman. Mayoral challengers Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis, Jazz Hampton, and state Sen. Omar Fateh also met with Wydeven to address how this sort of response would be different under their leadership.

“The main thing I really took away… the mayor currently has a very toxic relationship with the City Council and doesn’t value their perspective or work directly with them," she says. "All three candidates want to flip that.”

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Just voted! 🎉🗳️ The early voting center is bumping today! Open today until 3pm and tomorrow 9am-3pm. My ballot: Mayor - Fateh, Davis, Hampton Council - Cashman BET - Harris Bernstein, Brant Park D6: Jourdain Park At-Large: Olsen, Wilson, Schneider

Me, a 30-something white woman with short brown hair and flower earrings, and my partner, a 30-something white nonbinary person with close cropped brown hair and glasses. We're both pointing to our "I voted early" stickers.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Here's one of the types of @startribune.com pieces @jk9.bsky.social, @robingarwood.bsky.social, and Cam mentioned in the episode. This is a profile of Frey from his City Council term in 2015 with some (imo, telling) quotes.

A screenshot of the print version of the article, with the headline Mpls. Council rookie Frey: "I think I'm good at this"

The main photo is shot from an upward angle and shows Frey in a blue suit smiling and looking into the distance. It reminds me of a Superman promotional image.

Screenshot of the digital article heading.

Headline: Minneapolis City Council rookie Frey stands out as a cheerleader.

Subhead: Second-year council member is the face of several big projects.
By Erin Golden
February 8, 2015

Same "Superman" photo of Frey
Caption: Minneapolis City Council Member Jacob Frey walked around part of his ward in downtown Minneapolis.

Jeff Metzdorff, co-owner of Mill City Running, said Frey stops in frequently to chat and even joined the store's running club for early-morning group runs. (Frey, who once placed fourth in the marathon at the Pan American Games, no longer competes in races. "I'm not at the point yet where I can get beat and suck up my pride enough to not be a total jerk when the race is over," he said.)

"I believe that everybody in the world has the obligation to do whatever it is they do best to benefit society," he said. "There were definitely better attorneys out there. But I'm not too modest to say I think I'm good at this."

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

This was in Eagan/Dakota County. CW for horrific details of the conditions of Bimpong's treatment and death in the article.

Eagan Officer Martin Jensen, a specially trained Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE), was called to assess whether Bimpong was under the influence of drugs. DRE training, provided by the Minnesota State Patrol to officers, emphasizes distinguishing drug impairment from medical emergencies such as strokes.

But the lawsuit alleges Jensen disregarded his training.

According to the lawsuit, body camera audio captured him saying a full DRE evaluation, which typically takes between 30-to-45-minutes, would be “a whole bunch of time wasted.” When another officer questioned whether Bimpong should be taken to the hospital, Jensen replied: “For what?”

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Tbh, seems to be of the same flavor as Elizabeth Shaffer's "I don't see federal politics because it doesn't affect us here in Minneapolis" messaging.

Especially at risk in this election is the apolitical governance that derives from the Park Board’s core mission. With two exceptions (Charles Rucker and Kedar Deshpande), the Minneapolis DFL endorsed candidates (Michael Wilson, Tom Olsen, Amber Frederick, Dan Engelhart, Jason Garcia, and Ira Jourdain) were recruited to move the Park Board far left, similar to the current situation at City Hall with a far left majority on the City Council prioritizing its own ideology and policies over effective governance.

Sustainable recreation for all ages is only possible through careful and committed stewardship of our natural resources, but commissioners who focus on imposing their own interests and politics would compromise the Park Board's mission in favor of their personal priorities and ideology.

For example, some of their positions could include permanently closing our parkways to cars, eliminating some roads entirely (preventing emergency access), defunding the Park Police, allowing encampments on parkland again, and starving funding for natural resources, even though these actions would reduce safety, access, equity and ecosystems.

Early voting has started. Regarding ranked choice voting (RCV):

- When voting for your Park District Commissioner: Please vote for only one candidate. Do not mark any second or third choices.

- When voting for at-large commissioners: You will be allowed to rank up to three candidates in order of preference — first, second, and third. Please vote for the three at-large candidates listed above (Mary, Meg, and Matt).

A final request: Please consider actively helping the recommended candidates by displaying yard signs, donating, helping with doorknocking, and sharing the list of candidates we support.

We are lucky to have a great slate of candidates for the Park Board this year. Let’s work together to elect them!

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

New "apolitical" park board slate just dropped (into my email from a mysterious mailing list I definitely didn't opt-in to). 🙃

Subject line: The Park Board Candidates We Must Elect

Vote to Elect a Mission-focused and Apolitical Park Board
The strength and sustainability of our park system depend on it.

Dear Minneapolis resident,

We are Minneapolis residents reaching out to share both our profound concerns about the upcoming election of Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board commissioners and the names of candidates we recommend.

Our elected Park Board plays an essential role in ensuring a healthy city and equitable quality of life in our neighborhoods. As the principal steward of parks and recreation in Minneapolis, the Park Board is responsible for a robust tree canopy, clean lakes and rivers, and healthy ecosystems throughout our city,

while providing parkland access and recreation opportunities for people of all ages.

We recommend the following candidates to ensure an independent, apolitical and effective Park Board wisely focused on its mission. Read about their campaigns by clicking their names in this list:
Park Districts

District 1: Dan Miller

District 2: Charles Rucker (unopposed)

District 3: Kedar Deshpande (unopposed)

District 4: Jeanette Collby

District 5: Steffanie Musich

District 6: Cathy Abene

At Large

Mary McKelvey

Meg Forney

Matt Dowgwillo

Much is at stake in this election. We can elect commissioners who will form an effective and apolitical Park Board focused on its stated mission.

Or we can choose candidates who will sideline the Park Board mission while using their offices to advance their own ideological, political, or personal agendas – at great cost to Park Board independence and integrity, and to the natural resources that are the basis of everything the Park Board provides.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

Lowlights of Elizabeth Shaffer's Strib voter guide answers: -Pro-forcing workers to return to office -Anti-safe injection sites -Bad writing/comms? What does that last sentence even mean? www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...

What's your plan for reviving downtown?

Economic vitality begins with a city council that cultivates meaningful relationships with the business community and works collaboratively to develop policies that will drive greater investment. Specific ideas include: reviewing sales tax policy and its impact on business competitiveness, encouraging zoning and tax incentives for new development, increasing the presence of police and safety ambassadors on the street, promoting events to draw area residents and visitors, and encouraging in-office policies for downtown workers. We also need greater coordination between

their responsibilities. Our residents care about real change for people in crisis, not band-aid solutions, so we must lean into the hard discussions about policies and funding. We need more facilities to effectively serve people who are a danger to themselves or others, but not managed homeless encampments or safe injection sites. We don’t want to criminalize real people in crisis, but we can’t ignore problems either. No response to those in need isn’t love.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Among the signers are 26 current elected officials and 6 current candidates for elected office! 2/4

Respectfully Signed,

Jennifer McEwen, Duluth, SD8 State Senator
Omar Fateh, Minneapolis, SD62 State Senator, voter
Lindsey Port, Burnsville, SD55 State Senator
Kaela Berg, Burnsville, CD2, SD55, State Representative 55B
Brion Curran, White Bear Lake, State Representative 36B, Assistant House DFL Caucus Leader, Chair of the MN Queer Legislators Caucus
Liz Reyer, Eagan, HD52A, State Representative 52A
Cedrick Frazier, New Hope, CD5, State Representative 43A
Mike Freiberg, Golden Valley, CD5, SD43, State Representative 43B
Aisha Gomez, Minneapolis, CD5, SD62, State Representative 62A
Sydney Jordan, Minneapolis, DFL-Endorsed State Representative 60A
Brad Tabke, Shakopee, State Representative House District 54a
Angela Conley, Minneapolis, Hennepin County Comissioner, District 4

Mary F Moriarty, Minneapolis, Hennepin County Attorney
Elliott Payne, CD5, SD60, Minneapolis City Council President
Aisha Chughtai, CD5, SD62, Minneapolis Ward 10 City Council Member and Council Vice President
Jamal Osman, Minneapolis, CD5, SD62, DFL-endorsed Minneapolis City Council Member for Ward 6
Katie Cashman, Minneapolis, SD62, DFL City Council Member, Ward 7
Jason Chavez, Minneapolis Ward 9 City Council Member
Aurin Chowdhury, CD5, SD63, Minneapolis Ward 12 City Council Member
HwaJeong Kim, Saint Paul, CD4, SD66, Saint Paul City Council Vice President
Molly Coleman, Saint Paul, CD 4, SD 65, Saint Paul City Councilmember, Ward Four

Christian Eriksen, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Park City Council-East District
Aaron Wagner, Robbinsdale, SD43, Robbinsdale City Council Member
Tom Olsen, Minneapolis, CD5, MPRB Commissioner
Mary Granlund, Columbia Heights, School Board Member
Jessica Schwinn, Centerville, SD36, School Board Member

Daniel Engelhart, Minneapolis, CD5, SD60, DFL-endorsed Candidate for MBPR District 1, precinct chair, SCC, labor partner
Michael Wilson, Minneapolis, DFL-endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Park Board At-Large
Amber Frederick, DFL-endorsed Candidate for Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Candidate At-Large
Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. Davis, Minneapolis, CD5, Mayoral Candidate, voter
Soren Stevenson, Minneapolis, DFL-endorsed Ward 8 City Council candidate
Billy Nord, Saint Paul, Candidate for U.S. Senate, voter
Sara Wilhelm Garbers, Hopkins, SD46, Hopkins School Board candidate

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

We broke 1,000 signatures!! 🎉😭 You all are amazing!! We especially want to thank the elected officials and candidates who have signed on. We know this is a political risk for you and it means so much. If you want to join this list of impressive folks, you have until end of day today! 😊

Respectfully Signed,

Jennifer McEwen, Duluth, SD8 State Senator
Kaela Berg, Burnsville, CD2, SD55, State Representative 55B
Brion Curran, White Bear Lake, 36B, State Representative 36B, Assistant House DFL Caucus Leader, Chair of the MN Queer Legislators Caucus
Liz Reyer, Eagan, HD52A, State Representative 52A
Cedrick Frazier, New Hope, CD5, State Representative 43A
Mike Freiberg, Golden Valley, CD5, SD43, State Representative 43B
Mary F Moriarty, Minneapolis, Hennepin County Attorney
Elliott Payne, CD5, SD60, Minneapolis City Council President
Aisha Chughtai, CD5, SD62, Minneapolis Ward 10 City Council Member and Council Vice President

Katie Cashman, Minneapolis, SD62, DFL City Council Member, Ward 7
Jason Chavez, Minneapolis Ward 9 City Council Member
Aurin Chowdhury, CD5, SD63, Minneapolis Ward 12 City Council Member
HwaJeong Kim, Saint Paul, CD4, SD66, Saint Paul City Council Vice President
Mary Granlund, Columbia Heights, School Board Member
Jessica Schwinn, SD36, voter, volunteer, nonpartisan elected official

Soren Stevenson, Minneapolis, Endorsed City Council candidate
Daniel Engelhart, Minneapolis, CD5, SD60, DFL-endorsed candidate, precinct chair, SCC, labor partner
Michael Wilson, Minneapolis, Endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Park Board At-Large

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Please join me in supporting CM Cashman's campaign with a donation or signing up to make calls or knock doors! 🌻 Donate: secure.actblue.com/donate/katie... Volunteer: www.mobilize.us/katieforcoun... 2/2

Commissioner Shaffer’s email was very different. While she decried Trump’s “callous disregard for everyday people at the national level,” she said she won’t “spend [her] time talking about international or national issues unless they directly affect our lives in Ward 7.”

That felt shockingly out of touch with my life, as a Ward 7 resident. Does she not realize how much Trump’s policies and rhetoric have already affected our lives? Her email also lacked any mention of what she would do as a council member to fight back and protect her constituents.

We can’t afford to put our faith in leaders who don’t understand the impact of this moment on the people they serve. To me, a Minneapolis for the Many is one that embodies that deep sense of community that I felt back in 2020, and which Council Member Cashman spoke about in her email. Under Council Member Cashman’s leadership, I’m confident that we can get through the Trump administration together and come out even stronger on the other side.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting Council Member Cashman in the November election and working towards a Minneapolis where we all feel safe and connected.

Heather Silsbee

Ward 7, West Maka Ska Resident

Mpls for the Many

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Here's the entirety of what I wrote. The Ward 7 race is one that may determine the balance of progressive vs moderate power in our city for the next 4 years. And the choice to me is very clear. 1/2

I’m Heather Silsbee and my partner, Sara, and I have lived in the West Maka Ska neighborhood since the summer of 2020. Although we didn't know it when we planned our move from St. Paul to Minneapolis, it would turn out to be an incredibly impactful time for our new city and for us personally.

We got involved in one of the mutual aid distribution centers that popped up across the Cities to help residents through the pandemic and the uprising. People who had time and money to spare volunteered or purchased supplies to distribute. People who needed support or supplies came and got them, no questions asked. Being part of that support network made me realize just how much power we have to improve each other's lives when we stay grounded in our local community.

The uprising itself also demonstrated that power. The reaction of Minneapolis residents to the murder of George Floyd grew a global movement against police brutality. We didn't get everything we wanted from our local and national leaders in that moment. But, it moved countless people to action and sparked the creation or growth of many local organizing and mutual aid groups, including the one I organize with now, the Southwest Alliance for Equity (SWAE).

We’re currently going through another terrible but potentially powerful moment. The Trump administration is trying to destroy immigrant families, push queer people like myself, my partner, and our loved ones back into the closet, and tear down essential government services that many of us rely on every day.

After the passage of Trump’s horrific budget bill, both current Council Member Katie Cashman and the challenger for the Ward 7 council seat, Park Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer, sent emails to their supporters. Council Member Cashman’s email was both clear-eyed and reassuring. She fully acknowledged how destructive this bill will be for Minneapolis residents - particularly those who are already struggling. At the same time, she highlighted the power we have when we work together. She said, “Resistance and reconstruction begin at home. Our path back from the edge starts small and builds up and up until it becomes something more.”

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

If you have a few extra bucks, I'm helping boost this gfm for this local cat, Phoenix, and his new-to-Minneapolis owners! 🐈‍⬛💜 www.gofundme.com/f/support-ph...

Photo of an adorable black cat's face snuggled on a blanket.

Hello everyone! This is my 7-year-old cat, Phoenix, who has just been diagnosed with FIP, a previously fatal disease that is a mutation of the feline coronavirus. Thanks to the amazing work of researchers and veterinarians, FIP is now curable! If you would like to help Phoenix's health journey, both he and I would be very grateful! Every little bit helps!

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Frey has already indicated he's perfectly aligned with Trump on this. Just one more reason we NEED @omarfatehmn.com or @dewayneforminneapolis.com in the Mayor's office. We need someone who will stand up and protect the most marginalized among us, not imprison them.

Slide from a presentation with a screenshot of a tweet from @Jacob_Frey on the left and an excerpt from an Op-Ed by Nick Magrino on the right.

Frey's tweet shares a link to Margino's Op-Ed from the Star Tribune with the comment "A thoughtful, well-written piece. The reason I do not support unchecked encampments isn't because of 'corporate business interests' - I oppose them because they are easy targets for predatory fentanyl dealers and human traffickers."

The excerpt from Magrino's op-ed, which is titled Hard facts on drugs, mental illness must be faced, says: "It is clear that a significant portion of the chronically homeless need to be institutionalized, either for drug treatment, mental health therapy, or both. Do you live or work in Minneapolis? Have you not seen them, covered in feces, screaming at themselves? Lying facedown on bus shelter floors with their pants around their ankles? Wandering into traffic on Franklin Avenue? Fighting with ghosts and with each other?"

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Last seen on Saturday In Northeast Minneapolis! 🐾😿

Area last seen: Minneapolis, MN 55418
Address last seen: 26th Ave and Quincy St NE
Date last seen: July 19, 2025

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Don't let him get away with this. He threatened to veto the funding for the BCR if it touched the police budget (even tho it has reduced work for officers). And behind the scenes, this is how his admin treated staff who designed it. (From my Frey's Record presentation for @swaempls.bsky.social)

I’ve been managing work on unarmed public safety responses for my entire time at the City. It is work that I am incredibly proud of and dedicated to. It is also equally draining because of the racism that the team and I must endure and fight against. ... I was made out to be a liar, incompetent at my job, had my ability to pass a background check questioned, embarrassed in front of community members and other staff during public meetings, forced to filter all communications with her through white staff, etc. All of that severely impacted my mental and emotional health and was ignored and covered up by City leadership.
Gina Obiri, May 2022,
former staff at the Office of Performance & Innovation
Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IT-2416rF_puNu5r4nOqXIkDUYzZ7J_8/view

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

From then-Council Member Frey's campaign website in 2017.

Screenshot from Internet Archive details on the top: https://jacobfrey.org/vision-results/, March 13, 2017

Working with the City Council
The City Council is a critical and powerful player in crafting policy in Minneapolis. Nothing gets done without partnering with them, and I will make it a mission to be in constant collaboration.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Update: Rebrand incoming Get your balloons ready to celebrate the launch of "weVOTEmpls"! 🥳

Screenshot of a Google search result for "we love Minneapolis" that shows the first Google result is now for www.wevotempls.com

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

The McElroy brothers (3 boys who have never lived in or had any particular connection to MN) recently put our flag in the A tier in a very scientific flag ranking process. That seems indisputable to me. www.youtube.com/live/epw122f...

Screenshot of a McElroy Family Clubhouse episode on YouTube. Videos of Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy are shown on the right side. The left side shows a ranking map of every state flag. In order from best to worst, the tiers are S, A, B, C, D, and E. Minnesota's state flag is shown in tier A. The bottom of the screen says "Disclaimer: We don't know anything"

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Uhm, ya'll. Did Jacob Frey and Eric Adams use the same Canva template for their campaign logos...

Screenshot from a New York Times article showing of a photo of Eric Adams at a podium with one of his campaign signs. The sign says "Re-Elect Eric for Mayor" in blue font with a black box outline around the word "Eric."

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Carol Becker's "reporting" is cited by DFL CD5 Chair Scott Graham's campaign to exclude people with the DSA's stated values from the DFL. Linking to this person's website as a factual source should be as troubling as her claims that intentionally bad photoshopping is "political violence."

More recently, on June 12th of this year, the Twin Cities chapter of the DSA sent an email declaring their break with the DFL and wrongly accused our party of participating in the destruction of our country, equating us with the policies of Donald Trump and the GOP: “As we build this movement against Trump, we will not be promoting the Democratic Party because the Democrats failed to beat Trump twice, they have failed to wage effective resistance against him, and they are contributing to economic inequality, wars, deportations, the climate crisis, etc.” Here is that letter as reported on by the Minneapolis Times.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Ward 7 - do we want a CM who thinks there's some magic wall between Trump's policies and the people of Minneapolis? Or do we want @katiecashman.bsky.social, who actually understands the stakes, how the local is national, and vice versa? I choose Katie: secure.actblue.com/donate/katie... 2/2

As your Council Member, I want us to show up now. To organize locally, to begin grassroots movements. We live in a society of institutions, and many of us are wondering what is next after seeing those institutions fail one by one. Everyone needs to pitch in to build and rebuild a society that recognizes the importance of every person, and the importance of preserving and restoring the world we share.

Resistance and reconstruction begin at home. Our path back from the edge starts small and builds up and up until it becomes something more. If you need to be around others who are scared, mad, and worried—and need to be with community—join us for one of our upcoming actions. With each conversation, each shift, and each race, we can take one more step back and begin to do right by all of the people who have suffered and who will suffer at the hands of injustice.

We the people, not we the billionaires, oligarchs, or kings. Together, we can start picking up the pieces of our country and use them to build a future for all of us.

Let’s do this,

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Let's compare and contrast, shall we? Here's @katiecashman.bsky.social's email about the bill, from a few days ago. 1/2

Re-elect Katie Cashman for Minneapolis Ward 7
Labor-Endorsed Democrat

Heather,

Yesterday was a day that we are supposed to use to celebrate not just the founding of our country, but the potential we have to be a place where everyone can lead a safe and full life. Instead, my mind kept going back to the federal budget bill and what it means for us in Ward 7 and as a country.

The passage of the federal budget will be detrimental to all of us. We’ve already seen Planned Parenthood clinics close, cutting off vital healthcare. The passage of this bill will also close dozens of hospitals in our state, increasing wait times and access to care. Elderly neighbors will lose access to income and healthcare insurance. The damage done to our immigrant communities, queer communities, and low income neighbors will be unspeakable. People are going to die as a result of this legislation. People have already died as a result of hateful policies of the right.

This didn’t happen overnight. For decades, Republicans have focused on races for local seats and state legislatures, using them as laboratories for brewing hate among their party members. We need to be equally as persistent to bring some measure of right, decency, and humanity back to our politics.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

"That was not a BIG area of focus..." 👀😂 The boycott is still working! Keep it up, folks!

Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting and walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building.

“We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Re-sharing this because I first started writing it to work through my feelings about staying hopeful & focused locally while the federal gov. does its best to make us despair. If you're still looking for somewhere to plug in, return to this great list from Racket: racketmn.com/where-to-vol...

When we start locally, each of us has a lot of power. Remember when I said that the Ward 7 DFL endorsement this year was won by 4 votes? Did you know that the Ward 8 City Council re-election of Andrea Jenkins in 2021 was decided by only 38 votes? The vision for the East Phillips Urban Farm project started in the imagination of a small group of neighbors. And, of course, the global uprising after George Floyd’s murder started with a few bystanders who witnessed and filmed an event both so traumatic and commonplace that it resonated with people around the world.

When we join with our neighbors locally, big things can happen. And there are more renters and union workers in Minneapolis than landlords and big business owners. If we work together as a community, can we drown out their influence? Can we make Minneapolis into the place we want to live? A place where anyone who wants to call this place home, can thrive? I think so.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

For folks who couldn't make it last night, you can download my presentation on Frey's record here: mplsmusings.com/publications/ Here are a few low-lights. There is *so much* that couldn't fit in a 35-minute presentation, so keep an eye on my blog for more in the future.

Yellow slide titled Endorsement of Magrino Op-ed

Includes a screenshot of a tweet from @Jacob_Frey from Oct 1, 2023 that says "A thoughtful, well-written piece. The reason I do not support unchecked encampments isn't because of "corporate business interests" - I oppose them because they are easy targets for predatory fentanyl dealers and human traffickers."

Also includes "Excerpt from Hard facts on drugs, mental illness must be faced by Nick Magrino

It is clear that a significant portion of the chronically homeless need to be institutionalized, either for drug treatment, mental health therapy or both. Do you live or work or spend time in Minneapolis? Have you not seen them, covered in feces, screaming at themselves? Lying facedown on bus shelter floors with their pants around their ankles? Wandering into traffic on Franklin Avenue? Fighting with ghosts and with each other?”

Yellow slide titled Lack of Support for the BCR Pilot

"I’ve been managing work on unarmed public safety responses for my entire time at the City. It is work that I am incredibly proud of and dedicated to. It is also equally draining because of the racism that the team and I must endure and fight against. ... I was made out to be a liar, incompetent at my job, had my ability to pass a background check questioned, embarrassed in front of community members and other staff during public meetings, forced to filter all communications with her through white staff, etc. All of that severely impacted my mental and emotional health and was ignored and covered up by City leadership."
Gina Obiri, May 2022, former staff at the Office of Performance & Innovation

Yellow slide titled First Mayoral Campaign 2017

"We won't dodge issues - we will address them head on. In addition to a multi-faceted outreach strategy, I will personally hold open-ended press sessions at least once every month and answer questions. ... We won't hide from press. They are doing their job by asking questions, and I will do mine by answering them."
Jacob Frey, campaign website

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Did you know Ward 7 is a majority-renter ward and Elizabeth Shaffer told the landlord PAC We ♥️ Mpls that we don't need any additional renter protections? 🤔 Help us re-elect renter CM @katiecashman.bsky.social by joining her summer field launch this Saturday, 6/21! www.mobilize.us/katieforcoun...

Do you think we need additional renter protections?
No.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

From MN: Angie Craig and Steny Hoyer. 🙃

Two out of the three “resolves” in this resolution, HRS 488, have nothing to do with antisemitism. They are about praising Trump’s mass deportation regime and calling for local and state collaboration with it:

(2) affirms that free and open communication between State and local law enforcement and their Federal counterparts remains the bedrock of public
safety and is necessary in preventing terrorist attacks; and

(3) expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Ready to get the DFL endorsement for @katiecashman.bsky.social! 🌻🧡 I'm precinct captain for 7-12 - feel free to talk to me about Katie!

Photo of me (left), a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair, and my partner, Sara, a white nonbinary person with glasses and short-cropped brown hair.

Were both wearing orange Katie Cashman shirts and standing outside in front of Rustica coffee shop.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Details from article about Macalester union election: minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/09/l...

Macalester College staff file for union election
More than 270 Macalester College employees could unionize with the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, the largest union of state employees.

Workers filed a petition on Monday with the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees private sector unions, to hold an election after the college declined to voluntarily recognize their union. If successful, the union would represent non-managerial staff across campus, from alumni relations and library services.

“Macalester staff built a thoughtful, disciplined organizing effort and they didn’t back down when management refused recognition,” said MAPE President Megan Dayton in a statement announcing the union filing. “Now, we’re ready to win this election.”

The union drive is more than two years in the making, according to the Mac Weekly, and comes on the heels of undergraduate student workers voting to unionize, the first effort of its kind in Minnesota.

Macalester spokesman Joe Linstroth said the scope of the union is “yet to be determined.”

“Should there be an election, we plan to encourage all eligible employees to vote so that they are able to have a say in whether they wish to be represented by a bargaining unit,” he wrote in an email.

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Heather Silsbee @hsilsbee.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Yes to everything David says! This is the most disingenuous part to me. Both PACs didn't spring up at the same time. We had to endure a brutal 2021 cycle of All of Mpls sending straight-up lies to our mailboxes (e.g., Chief Arradondo will be fired if Q2 passes). 1/3

That zero-sum politics now has an entire self-reinforcing architecture of PACs that not only operate during election cycles, but between them as well. After playing a pivotal role in the 2022 city elections, All of MPLS (the PAC that’s aligned with the mayor and the moderates) and Minneapolis For The Many (the PAC that’s aligned with the city’s progressives) did everything in their power to demonize and destroy their rival faction – which left very little room for compromise, working together, or functional governance.

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