Who the heroes are

Given all the disarray in the world today, and the unenlightened, greedy individuals making decisions that are creating even more chaos, it was a nice reminder, reading the article about St. Paul Police Sgt. Don Grundhauser, who the true heroes are. This is a man who has earned respect. His dedication to his work and family, despite all his personal problems, is a stellar example of human empathy and kindness.

The quote that you are known for, Sgt. Grundhauser, inspires: “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice to someone.”

— Ursula Krawczyk, St. Paul

What sets the SPPD apart

I want to commend the St. Paul Police Department for organizing an outstanding Civilian Police Academy which wrapped up another cohort this past week. This program provides residents, stakeholders and community members with a deeper understanding of the policing profession, the tools needed for public safety, and the tactical approaches used in various scenarios.

While the content was impressive, what stood out most was the people. Over seven weeks, a diverse group of men and women presented on topics ranging from homicide investigations to hostage negotiations. Though their roles and tactics varied, a common thread ran through each session — the department’s strong culture, its emphasis on specialized training, and its unwavering commitment to mental health, wellness and community collaboration.

What sets the St. Paul Police Department apart, in my opinion, is that this culture of support and wellness isn’t just fostered internally — it extends outward into the community. This collaborative approach strengthens the bond between law enforcement and the people they serve, creating a safer and more united St. Paul.

Kudos to the department, the trainers, and the presenters for an incredible seven-week experience. A community that works together thrives together. Proud to call St. Paul home!

— Mike Darrow, St. Paul

The Constitution remains in force

Since President Trump was re-inaugurated and began impacting communities nationwide with unilateral deep reductions to federal agencies in violation of federal statutes, there understandably has been a great deal of worry that the Constitution and the rule of law have been suspended.

I strongly urge everyone to refrain from and challenge such talk. This suspension idea only facilitates lawlessness.

To be clear: the U.S. Constitution and all other laws are in force. They will remain the supreme law of the land as Trump’s actions are litigated, and despite false claims that law can be disregarded or suspended.

Illegality violates law. It does not abrogate it.

— Dakota S. Rudesill The writer, a law professor at The Ohio State University, is from Minnesota.

How will we know, and who pays?

St. Paul celebrates the hiring of Dave Higgins to become its repurposing czar, to match buildings with developers with money, including tax dollars. He will stimulate development and recreate a vibrant downtown in my city of birth.

Questions. To whom does he report, and to whom do they report? Who is paying him? How much is he being paid, and is any of it tax dollars? If tax dollars are involved, where are the line items in the city’s budget?

The most important question: What are the incremental measurable results he must achieve and how will his progress be measured to ensure he is doing what “we” are paying him to do? Who will do this evaluation? Will it be public?

In short, how many years will it be before Mr. Higgins, who may be a great human being with pure intentions and the experience to try, moves on and buildings remain half empty while St. Paul ignores the root problems that have driven so many to the suburbs and to other states?

— Dave Racer, Woodbury

For the good of downtown

It’s good to see the Downtown Alliance bringing in Dave Higgins to spearhead redevelopment work downtown. The Midway/McGuire report on Feb. 24 revealed one of the challenges Higgins will face: Mayor Carter’s apparent lack of interest in economic development. Over time, permitting processes and the like have become hindrances to improvements. It’s past time for a hard look at how the City can create “efficiencies of process” as Higgins said.

— Ellen T. Brown, St. Paul

‘You can sit with us!’

I participate in and volunteer with the food programs that John Marboe described in “A grant for good food for good people … gone” (Feb. 23). I started attending Tuesday community dinner at the Zion Community Commons last April when I moved to St. Paul. I found out about the programs through social media and started attending Community Dinners and Open Markets, and these programs have changed my life for the better.

One of the main slogans at the Zion Community Commons is “You can sit with us!” and that message of inclusivity is carried throughout the space. There is no better feeling than showing up for a community dinner, sitting with a group of people you barely know and leaving the space with a bunch of new friends.

In an age of isolation and disappearing third spaces, let’s support the third spaces that already exist. I invite you, the reader, to come sit with us on a Tuesday or Thursday at the Zion Community Commons.

— Lilli Musto, Minneapolis

A bridge to a sustainable future

I’m writing this in response to Rev. John Marboe’s op-ed from Feb. 23, about the Zion Lutheran Church food resource programing.

I moved into a home in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul at the end of 2023. I waited to find a home in this neighborhood because I knew it was a beautiful place to live, with vibrant communities, and it was bikeable enough that I could ditch my car for most commuting. Not long after moving here, I found a flyer posted at the Mississippi Market on Dale for a community dinner. I followed the community dinner online, donated some money, and eventually biked over to the Zion Community Commons to join for a dinner. What I found in that church basement has been nothing short of life changing.

The Zion Community Commons hosts a range of open hours each week. Times where anyone and everyone can come and be nourished, be invited to sit with old friends or strangers, and build community together. It is a welcoming, diverse atmosphere, something that I feel we can all use a bit more of. After that first dinner, I knew it was something that I wanted to devote myself to growing. The next week, I got on the volunteers email list, and after that, I’ve found myself weekly in the church kitchen preparing food for pay-what-you-can meals, planting and harvesting plants in the courtyard garden, and riding the community cargo bike to gather items for food drives or to rescue food from our neighboring food resource partners. I had become a part of something vibrant, I was doing my part to help it grow, and I was brimming with hope for a beautiful future.

When Prevail got the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) grant, the energy at the Commons was anxious, excited, but we knew that it wasn’t forever. We made efficient, wasteless use of those funds to feed our neighbors. The community was thriving. There were fundraising campaigns and solidarity efforts to support these programs long after the grant money was used. Our efforts were ramping up over the last few months. However, with the freezing of USDA funding for the Minnesota LFPA program, our capabilities have come to a sudden halt. The community’s ability to feed those in need has been hamstrung. People will go hungry because of this grant freeze. The grant funds were not meant to be our future, they were the bridge toward a communal food resource built on reciprocity. But, with those funds disappearing, that bridge supporting the neighborhood has given out, and it has left our members of the community without the vital resource that they have depended on. It feels like my hope for the future has been snatched away, a feeling that I think many of us share as we look around us. But, I will continue to march toward that beautiful future, and I can only hope that others will march with me.

— Joe Bethke, St. Paul

When we work together

Zion Community Commons is essential to the Midway. The ZCC feeds me, feeds my loved ones, feeds my comrades, and feeds people I just met. The Local Food Purchase Assistance program allowed the ZCC to begin consistently sending food out to unhoused people in Saint Paul, sometimes multiple times per week. Knowing that a consistent source of a hot meal was arriving Friday afternoons meant a lot to people. That food was a source of connection, just like the meals served within the walls of the ZCC. I urge our community to support the ZCC and other efforts like it in the absence of this grant funding. We can feed all of us, when we work together.

— Linden Deforest, St. Paul

‘This place is not a charity’

I have been attending the community meals at the Zion Community Commons for about a year now. Pastor Marboe expertly explained how this program is a vital resource for food-insecure people in our neighborhood. I am not among those struggling to make ends meet, but just the same I benefit tremendously from the nourishment and camaraderie present there.

We have been building and continue to build a community there that is truly welcoming, a real “third space” where conversation flows and strangers quickly become new friends. This place is not a charity. It is a community hub that annihilates the barriers keeping us from supporting each other, regardless of the specifics of our need. The loss of this grant hurts tremendously, but we are still standing. I encourage readers to give to and to receive of this incredible place — let’s act and be the solutions we need from each other!

— Robert Sherman, St. Paul

Democracy and justice-for-all in action

As we are all experiencing the real-time painful demise of the USA democracy, it is vital to acknowledge the authentic goodness of “government” employees whenever possible. I was on jury duty this past week in Ramsey County, and I am happy to share that it was a surprisingly positive experience. Each staff person I encountered, beginning with the security team, was efficient and pleasant as they went about their serious business.

The three-member team processing the prospective and active jurors were fabulous examples of effective teamwork. While few if any of the fellow citizens I spent time with during the process wanted to actually be there, every single person was cooperative and we all went with the flow. The staff set the tone, and we were treated like welcomed guests, able to navigate our days with relative ease.

The personnel in the courtroom, including the judge and the clerk, were top-notch professionals as well, and made the process easy to follow within set parameters. The two Ramsey County deputies and the stenographer all seemed to be a part of a cohesive team, focused on order and their role in our justice system.

Although my experience was time limited, it was invaluable to me personally as I seek examples of democracy and justice for all in action. We are fortunate to live in Ramsey County where public servants are so worthy of our respect. Thank you to all the seen and unseen staff of our judicial system for their daily contributions to our shared community.

— Susan Zoff, St. Paul

Truth on the road to peace

I believe that Mr. Trump’s false accusation that the war in Ukraine was started by the Ukrainians will demoralize that country’s defenders, please the Russian invaders and cost us dearly in the long run. Already a senior member of the German government is quoted in the New York Times as saying that they “must assume” the United States will not live up to its promise of coming to the defense of a NATO member nation which is attacked.

I believe that misrepresenting the facts and adopting Mr. Putin’s excuse for the invasion will encourage aggression elsewhere. What lesson do we expect the Chinese leaders to draw about our claims that we will defend Taiwan?

As Mr. Pence said, “Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.”

— Richard Murray, St. Paul

It’s more inclusive

I agree with Gregory Beckstrom about President Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico, among many other changed names that Gregory points out in his letter (“Now that’s a gulf,” Feb. 23). So many liberal thinking people and organizations are against the idea. Yet, these progressive thinkers are all for change. Why don’t they see that the Gulf of America is more inclusive to all of the lands that border the Gulf, North America, Central America and South America?

— Barb Thompson, Lilydale

The ankle-biting left

It is not surprising that legacy media outlets continue to be critical of President Trump. From his economic policies, DOGE and international efforts, he will never perform to their “standards.” His efforts at ending the Ukrainian war have drawn inaccurate comparisons that deserve clarification. Recall January 2022 when President Biden stated in a press conference that the West would respond with “minor consequences” if Russia conducted a “minor incursion.” Words matter — even from a blundering Biden. Putin couldn’t believe the statement as Biden’s staff tried to redefine the misstep with a scripted “do over.”

Despite the left’s feigned outrage, President Trump knows full well that Putin invaded Ukraine. In his fantasy world to reconstitute Mother Russia, Putin wants to re-occupy Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Two bonuses would be Sweden and Finland — who quickly became NATO protectorates. The Article 5 provision is an important motivator. Trump promised to end the war. In doing so, he is purposely avoiding some facts to arrive at a resolution. This might be hard for some to understand. Backing off from blaming Putin is a negotiating tactic that is focused on a conclusion. But if you reject all things Trump, you can’t help yourself.

The comparison between Trump and Neville Chamberlain is not at all analogous. Among other factors, there was no way Britain could defend land-locked Czechoslovakia, so a gamble was taken to cede the Sudetenland to placate Hitler. Yes, the 1938 Munich Agreement failed. In comparison, the Ukrainian war is three years long with hundreds of thousands dead and cities in ruins. Trump is looking past the “blame game” to salvage peace from a scenario that Biden failed to address. The rare-earth-mineral agreement will jump start a faltering Ukrainian economy and help recoup our financial assistance. Meanwhile, Democrats are welcome to practice the art of “ankle biting.” But to their peril, let’s see how this intractable war ends and who benefits from a president committed to peace and prosperity for everyone.

— Joe Polunc, Waconia

A lousy way to treat people

The current treatment of federal employees is cruel and unjustified. These are the workers who keep the nation running, and I appreciate the work they do. The administration is toying with them and threatening them as if they are “guilty” because they work for the government. They are Americans who applied for and got jobs which were offered, and if they were hired went to work.

Just because the administration wants to cut costs it seems to feel like it can treat these people as if they have done something wrong and threaten them and play with their lives. This setting people against each other is wrong and unproductive. We should not tolerate demonizing and setting aside government workers as a class to be abused.

— Thomas McCoy, Burnsville