Southwest Connector

ACES LINKED TO SUICIDE - Adults who had experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime than those who had not experienced ACEs. Researchers used data from the 2012 to 2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to match people who had attempted suicide with those who had not, based on the presence or absence of nine mental and substance use disorders that are associated with suicide risk. This allowed the researchers to estimate the role that ACEs played in the risk of suicide attempts independent of mental and substance use disorders. The ACEs included in the study were (1) psychological abuse; (2) physical abuse; (3) sexual abuse; (4) emotional neglect; (5) physical neglect; (6) witnessing violence against a mother or other adult female; (7) substance misuse by a parent or other household member; (8) mental illness, suicide attempt, or suicide death of a parent or other household member; (9) incarceration of a parent or other household member; and (10) parents’ separation or divorce.

Suicide rates too high; we should learn warning signs

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide rates in Minnesota declined slightly in 2020, but it’s important to remember there were a record number of suicides in 2019, and this is … more

By Sue Abderholden | 9/29/22

OUT AND ABOUT ON THE PAPER ROUTE

There’s a 10-year-old in our house now, and he took on a few paper routes this summer. That means, of course, that mom did, too. I was excited he was interested in the family business and … more

Tesha Christensen | 9/28/22

Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.

WE SOLDIER ON

Today, right now! It's the first day of the first year without my brother. He died! Myself, my sister-in-law, and my nieces – we continue to mourn. Labor Day week-end of 2021 was the last time … more

Donald L. Hammen | 9/21/22

Crixell Shell of the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute talks with community members at the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association's Twin Cities Community Pop-Up Market at Mueller Park on Aug. 20.

HOW TO CREATE HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS FOR EVERYONE

Minneapolis has 83 residential neighborhoods, 70 neighborhood associations, 13 wards, 11 communities and five precincts. If we do a health check based on gun violence, some of these places are not … more

Eric Ortiz | 9/21/22

Follow up to my last column about ‘Republican Untrustworthiness’

I was not surprised to receive a lot of response to my last column, which among other things, included these sentiments: “Once you have drunk the Republican Kool-Aid, you seem to … more

9/9/22

Feeling good starts with gratitude

Birthdays are about a lot more than eating cake. Of course, it’s always nice to celebrate another trip around the sun. But it’s equally important to remember that we don’t make the … more

Eric Ortiz | 9/9/22

Somewhere in the middle

Being 22, I am on the older end of Generation Z, people born from 1997 to 2012. I am a part of the same ‘cringey’ generation who does Fortnite dances and is obsessed with TikTok videos. … more

Chloe Peter | 9/9/22

Eric Ortiz lives in the Wedge with his family. When he’s not community building, he’s the director of media for Big Edition and writes bilingual children’s books with his kids. Their first book, “How the Zookalex Saved the Village,” is available in English and Spanish.

Extremism leaves everything out of whack

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Sometimes, it feels like the whole world has gone crazy, and we're all on one big hamster … more

By Eric Ortiz | 8/3/22

Are we accomplishing enough with the Jan. 6 hearings?

Without an obstructionist Republican megaphone, these hearings are both coherent and revealing – nothing like what you get when one party is doing everything they can to obscure any progress or … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 8/3/22

WRITING WITH A SENSE OF GRATITUDE

Gratitude for the life of my brother, Richard A. Hammen, an out-of-town reader of the Messenger. Reader as long as his powers of comprehension were intact. Gratitude for the fact that he was the … more

By Donald L. Hammen | 8/2/22

You can learn a lot from youth sports coaching

Sports have been around since the dawn of human civilization thousands of years ago. But organized community youth sports are a little younger. They got started in the mid-1800s and became an … more

By Eric Ortiz | 7/27/22

A LOOK BACK AT OUR HISTORY-MAKING, 2021 RANKED-CHOICE ELECTION

The 2021 city elections in Minneapolis were historic. We had record-setting turnout, the highest for a municipal election in over 45 years, and elected a city council that has, for the first time in … more

7/27/22

The words are easy, the work is hard

Law and policy are comprised of words, but it takes committed action to create change. As the new year began in 1863, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect. However, it … more

By Reva Chamblis | 7/27/22

New fellowship to help youth find their purpose

I heard a terrible story the other day from my friend. The story started with a young man arguing with his mom on a hot morning in Minneapolis. It ended with his death. After the argument, he shot … more

By Eric Ortiz | 7/13/22

Can we improve parking in Linden Hills village?

The Linden Hills Village at 43rd and Upton is one of the most vibrant neighborhood business nodes in all of Minnesota. We have award winning restaurants (and chefs!), wonderful coffee shops, a toy … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 7/13/22

Vote Ryan Winkler

I support Ryan Winkler for Hennepin County Attorney because I want a leader in the county attorney’s office who will hold accountable the people we’ve trusted to protect us. From my time … more

7/13/22

My brother has cancer

My brother has cancer! I'm stunned! I'm in shock! What now? My inner and outer worlds are out of sync. I feel scared. I feel so alone. Are you with me, dear reader? If you are, you have taken the … more

By Donald L. Hammen | 6/21/22

The simple things in life are often the best. (Laney Smith/Unsplash)

Honoring our unsung community heroes

There are a lot of local heroes today. But we don't hear much about these heroes. They don't usually make the papers or headline news. We thought we would change that, for a brief moment, … more

6/19/22

Dreaming of journalism

Back in 2013, I was a seventh grader who took a trip to Washington, D.C. for a family wedding. In the midst of a government shutdown, we decided to go to a National Geographic Museum. It was one of … more

6/16/22

Our future is at stake. But we still have a chance to do the right thing. (Zaur Ibrahimov/Unsplash)

We can do better to build peace

Everyone deserves an opportunity to reach their full potential. But not everyone gets that opportunity today. Due to a never-ending cycle of violence, dreams are being snatched daily. Violence is … more

by Eric Ortiz | 6/2/22