Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Elle Ess

@viamarsala18.bsky.social

2.4K followers 930 following 13K posts

Minneapolitan. Occasionally lawyerly. Union member and supporter. LGBTQIA+ supporter. She/her. PFP alt text: a pale woman with red hair sips from a straw in a cup. Her hair is in a high side pony, and she’s wearing goldy gopher sunglasses.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · Nov 9

If you are a new follower to me, here’s what you need to know:

I live in Minneapolis and love it here
I equally love demonizing people like Jacob Frey, Michael Rainville, and Brian O’Hara who make this a bad place to live
I was formerly a prosecuting attorney and now do agency work for the state

6 1 110

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 37m

I’d love to wrap mine up, hopefully all the talks we will have between now and then will do SOMETHING.

Reposted by Elle Ess

Wedge LIVE!™ @wedge.live · 1h

To those who reject the notion of "Don't Rank Frey"—I hear you.

Here's a radically moderate slogan: "Rank Frey 3rd." Frey & Co want you to believe all other choices are extreme. Wrong. DeWayne Davis & Jazz Hampton are in the middle. Rank them 1-2. Keep your Frey security blanket

3 1 16

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 40m

The shit we deal with 🤬🤬

Reposted by Elle Ess

Jane @janeg.bsky.social · 51m

The state bar is giving a professionalism award to a guy who kissed my hand as a greeting AT COURT IN A SCHEDULING MEETING.

6 2 17

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 42m

I could super see my kid doing this someday.

Reposted by Elle Ess

Racket @racketmn.com · 48m

Who's behind all those mailers you're getting this fall? Two very different groups who want your vote.

Meet the Big-Money Donors Trying to Buy Your Vote in Minneapolis - Racket

PACs will flood this November’s election in Minneapolis with almost $2 million, most of that going to boost the chances of Mayor Jacob Frey and centrist City Council candidates. Who’s bankrolling this...

racketmn.com

8 5

Reposted by Elle Ess

Hex Anderson @dexanderson.com · 49m

Wanted to make sure this didn't get lost in the late night ramblings (the "it" in the first sentence is the forum, not F9, I was tired).

Lydia is very clearly trying to say what will get her elected, not what she actually believes.

Hex Anderson @dexanderson.com · 13h

So, F9 is done, I've had a chance to think on it and a couple things of note:

1. Lydia was clearly trying to separate herself from Frey and explicitly said she doesn't agree with him on several things. That is a sign that associating with Frey is becoming toxic for a lot of the AOM candidates.

1 2 6

Reposted by Elle Ess

taylr @taylordahlin.com · 1h

ladies love looking into PACs and campaign finance

i talked to kelly rogers for her piece too! please read this!

@kellyrogers.bsky.social

racketmn.com/meet-the-big...

Meet the Big-Money Donors Trying to Buy Your Vote in Minneapolis - Racket

racketmn.com

1 16 33

Reposted by Elle Ess

Hex Anderson @dexanderson.com · 1h

Got news this morning that someone spraypainted "Watch out, Zionists" and "Al-Aqsa Flood" on Temple Israel last night.

We're in the middle of the high holy days of the Jewish calendar, with Sukkot having just started this week. This isn't activism. This is antisemitism.

10 46

Reposted by Elle Ess

Christin 🦀, Ward 9 enthusiast @christin612.bsky.social · 2h

A single mom in the Duluth area is in need of community care. She is navigating challenging times & was laid off from her job. She needs funds to maintain her housing & to cover basic needs. Please consider contributing or reposting. I will update progress and share screenshots for accountability.🌻

MUTUAL AID REQUEST
A single mother is navigating some difficult times and is in need of financial support for housing, bills, and basic needs.
Goal: $2000
Cash app: $ChristinCrabtree
Venmo: @christin-crabtree
PayPal: @christincrabtree
screenshots of funds raised & transferred to the mother will be provided for transparency

1 6 3

Reposted by Elle Ess

Ryan Boyd @ryanboyd.bsky.social · 2h

Siri do any religions say anything about how we should treat the poor and the sick

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

Mike Johnson: "If you're a young, pregnant American citizen women who shows up in an ER and you get treated and they pay the hospital less for treating you than some illegal rabble rouser who came in from some South American country to do us harm, that is wrong."

4 22 110

Reposted by Elle Ess

Rep. Leigh Finke @leighfinke.bsky.social · 3d

lotta talk about the new local documentary so I just wanna put on the record: I think Minneapolis and Saint Paul are wonderful, beautiful cities full of vibrant and diverse people and food and culture, music, art, queer inclusion.
A Precious State, is more like it. I love it here.
Okay. That is all.

1 17 120

Reposted by Elle Ess

Indigiqueer Hummingbird ~*For Good*~ @riotousmuse.bsky.social · 11h

He’s running an ad on Tubi w/ a Black mom from Northside extolling HIS creation of the pathway “Stable Homes for Stable Schools"

Which he needlessly pitted against emergency housing vouchers, which serve a different population & are necessary in conjunction to help address the breadth of the issue.

Christin 🦀, Ward 9 enthusiast @christin612.bsky.social · 11h

Frey’s proposed 2026 budget defunds them, but emergency housing vouchers are funded in the 2025 budget; MPHA implemented the operational needs to get vouchers out in Q3 for resident use. It’s now Q4 & sitting in CPED. 100 vouchers could be in use right now: 50 for single residents, 50 for families.

David Brauer @dbrauer.net · 1d

Continues to be striking how, since Frey erected the greenway fence to Lake/Nicollet, the crowd has returned en masse to 2900 block of Blaisdell. Frey bleats “you can’t have encampments by home & businesses“ but that’s exactly where he’s pushed these folks. Meanwhile 50 housing vouchers go unfunded.

1 2 14

Reposted by Elle Ess

💞Sabrina💞 @sabrinarina.bsky.social · 22h

Oregon National Guard Adjutant General, General Gronewold says if they are federalized, that he will advise the Title 10 commander to utilize National Guard Troops to PROTECT protesters at ICE facilities. This is the right answer.

110 1.8K 6.4K

Reposted by Elle Ess

Elliott Payne @elliottpayne.org · 15h

I want to make sure to say clearly that in Ward 1 we support our Somali community and welcome everyone regardless of where you come from.

1 5 86

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 15h

Thank you for doing this, zero tolerance of this shit is the way.

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 15h

Two reasons I love living here: these people cleaning this up represent me.

Elliott Payne @elliottpayne.org · 15h

Tonight a resident posted a picture of racist and Islamaphobic language written on Johnson street that called for @omarfatehmn.com to be deported and wished death upon the Somali community. @doronclark.bsky.social and I showed up right away to get this racist garbage off of our streets

Elliott and doron cleaning up the shared use path on johnson

1 5 63

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 15h

I can’t think of one thing I’ve had there I haven’t liked. I think my favorite over all is the Churrasco.

1 4

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 16h

Oooooh a great night to be a @racketmn.com accomplice tier member to read a piece about PAC finances in Minneapolis before it comes out tomorrow 🤓

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 16h

Chaulafan slappssss

Reposted by Elle Ess

Wedge LIVE!™ @wedge.live · 17h

Hello this is a message to the overwhelming number of Millard/Frey yard sign households to play it cool. Move those yard signs apart. Separate ends of the yard please.

Wedge LIVE!™ @wedge.live · 17h

Millard says she's a balanced leader. "I'm not running in alignment with the mayor because I want to challenge the mayor."

5 28

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 17h

Ugh if I had had time for Chimby’s you know I’d have gone! Unfortunately had to make it to daycare pickup, which is at least another northeast business!

1 4

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 17h

Menopause and perimenopause are big discussions in my group chats rn so I’m very much into learning.

1 1

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 17h

Placed a hold, sounds like a good read

the rhetoric hashira @tumblesweed.bsky.social · 18h

Naomi Watts's book about menopause is a must-read for anyone with a uterus aged 30+

1 3

Elle Ess @viamarsala18.bsky.social · 17h

The Stanley’s bartender said I should take my time coming to get my card so he could run through Amazon quick. I said well it’s prime days, might as well get a discount on your card fraud.

1 7