MEET SOREN
Hello! I’m Soren Stevenson, Minneapolis City Council candidate in Ward 8. I am running for City Council because I love my neighborhood, and I love Minneapolis. But it is clear that we need new leadership that has a vision for that kinder, safer city that we all deserve. I am ready to get to work making that vision a reality.
I grew up in a middle-class family, my dad worked for the state Department of Agriculture and my mom was a substitute teacher. My parents taught me the value of education and standing up for what you believe in.
When I was a preteen, my parents had a change of career that took us to Central Asia where I completed middle school and early high school. It was there I saw how freeing a robust public transit system is for children and families. At age 12, I took myself to school on transit. After school, I was free to go anywhere in the city, play basketball, or to a friend's house, because public transit was cheap and easy while also being very safe. This experience informs my vision for Minneapolis: where all of our families can feel safe and free throughout the whole city.
I studied pre-med in college but ultimately pivoted to policy- graduating with my master's from the University of Minnesota after studying and doing research in housing policy. I believe dignified housing is one of the foundations of a healthy and happy life. This is because people can not address any other issue or maintain any other commitment if they do not have a safe, stable, and warm place to sleep at night.
Coming to Minneapolis for graduate school was natural for me because my mom is from Duluth and also went to the University of Minnesota. My uncle lives in the Cities and my grandparents lived in Duluth until their passing. Coming to Minneapolis was coming home. My life-changing experiences in the City have truly solidified that. I also chose Minneapolis because this was the most affordable place I could live while also getting a world-class education. Minneapolis is truly a special place.
It was just after my graduation that George Floyd was murdered. Horrified by that brutality and living blocks from Lake Street, I was out every day demanding justice and supporting my neighbors. Less than a week into the protests/uprising, a Minneapolis Police Officer shot me in the face with a rubber bullet. I lost my left eye, most of my sense of smell, and much more. Coming out of the immediate recovery I knew I needed to be connected with others who were trying to make meaning out of the same or similar traumas.
I joined Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, a support group and advocacy organization for affected families and individuals. With them, I have marched, spoken, cried, and talked directly with those in power; demanding that brutality by police be a thing of the past in Minnesota. That work is unfinished.
At the same time, I worked for a nonprofit that forms housing cooperatives, -buildings or property owned jointly by the residents. I was drawn to this organization because they had a commitment and solution to preventing the displacement of residents when a property changes hands, while also narrowing the homeownership gaps among rich and poor residents, and people of color and white residents. Co-ops are also one of the best ways for undocumented immigrants to own their homes and I want to see that everyone in Minneapolis can have pride in their neighborhood and control over their own future no matter what someone looks like or their immigration status.
When the DFL won the trifecta at the state level (the governor, house and senate all being majority DFL), I began volunteering with The Minnesota Justice Coalition which has been pushing to pass anti-police violence bills at the state legislature. Eventually, I quit my job to do that full-time before I began this campaign.
Since the beginning of the campaign, people have asked me, “Soren, why did you stay in Minneapolis after what happened to you at the hands of the City?” I stayed here because I am forever linked with this city. This City failed me in such a way that I now have a responsibility to see it fixed and I have been bonded with a community of people fighting for justice. My parents frequently ask me to move close to them, but I can’t do that so long as I know that this city which has given and taken so much from me, is not thriving. Together we can make Minneapolis a kinder, safer city.
