Update on Steve the Mud Man
Steve “the mud man” Vasseur died July 30, 2026. Mr. Vasseur was featured in the July edition. He was a fixture at Cedar Lake East Beach each summer, but once fall came, he would disappear and not be seen again until spring. We never had a phone number or an email address for him.
Commuting for Mr. Vasseur meant taking the bus from his home in northeast Minneapolis to Franklin and Hennepin Avenues and walking from there. With his undiagnosed pancreatic cancer, that was becoming an increasing challenge. Given his struggle, I offered to drive him to the bus stop and eventually daily to his house.
As spring 2026 approached, I kept an eye out for him, but he never showed, and I grew increasingly concerned. Eventually, I started trekking to his house. A couple of months passed before anyone answered the door. It was then that his housemate informed me that he was in hospice.
Our initial visit to his hospice room was disheartening. He was unable to get out of bed. His television did not work, and his bed faced a wall where only an analog clock was mounted. He essentially spent his days watching the second hand on that clock.
Our first mission was to get him a radio. On those rides home from the beach, before he ever said a word, the first thing he would do when entering the car was tune the radio to KSJN. Kenwood neighbors were enlisted to create posters and mementos to bring a little bit of the beach directly to his hospice room.
I would like to thank all those who helped Mr. Vasseur realize how many people he affected. I would also like to thank the Hill & Lake Press for its wonderful article. He very much appreciated being recognized for his contributions.
Tim McManus
Kenwood
A Delightful Kids’ Issue
What a stunning delight was this summer’s Kids’ Issue!
Not only solid reporting by ediorial intern Amelia Bush, and how smart to hire her for this job, and by Sonia Kharbanda a, plus Ari Baylor’s report on his exotic trip as flagbearer to the madhouse of the World Cup, not to mention his sharp advice on trading cards, but all the remarkable art and wit and wisdom of neighborhood kids ages 5 to 15.
I loved the “Bubble” poem and the accurate salamander advice.
Finally, I was shocked, shocked, to find myself quoted twice in the nostalgic “1987 Time Capsule,” though I have to admit my nearly 40-year-old advice to young journalists remains sound: pen, pad, sunglasses.
Jim Lenfestey
Lowry Hill
Meow
I’m Kitty, the tattooed girl you may have seen recently at the Hennepin-Lyndale crossroads protesting the Walker Art Center. Your curiosity is more than understandable, so I’m writing this letter to scratch that itch and tell the public what happened to this transgender woman.
For 3 1/2 years I worked at the Walker, and the first year was amazing. My coworkers and I were happy; we felt like a real team made up of many kinds of artists. Work barely felt like work because of the positive energy all around. Patrons could feel it and observe it, offering compliments, taking photos and even making artwork of one gallery assistant.
Then that positive manager was pushed out, a new manager was brought in and the dark times began. Stools, books, sketchpads, breaks, phones and even some gallery assistants’ ability to express themselves through artistic clothing and private locker decorations were taken away.
A manager began to single me out with harassment and discrimination, refusing to let me wear shorts and pulling me aside at one morning meeting to send me home to change. The very next week I watched other gallery assistants wear shorts with no repercussions, and that continued for years.
We all tolerate negative behavior at our jobs, whether for love of the work or fear of losing what helps us survive. The final thorn in this panther’s paw came during this year’s Pride weekend, when the same manager singled me out for a minor dress code violation, wearing a tasteful pink jacket for Pride, while allowing another gallery assistant to break the dress code all day in ripped, shredded baggy blue jeans.
I no longer felt safe under that manager’s supervision, so I reached out to human resources and my union. The stress of those years took a severe toll on my mental health and caused me to miss work; I did not feel safe at my job, and I did not want my depression to affect patrons’ experience in the galleries.
Rather than address what I had reported, the Walker used my mental health days to terminate me on the morning of Friday, July 17. The managers who delivered the news could barely look me in the eye. I lost a job of 3 1/2 years that I truly loved and was a rock star at.
I am protesting because the Walker is sweeping wrongful terminations under the rug, refusing to acknowledge its mistakes while protecting those who single out trans women and young women. In my time there, it always felt as if the higher-ups merely tolerated trans people. I’m here to show them how to actually respect and treat people with kindness, not just swing an ax.
In early August, while protesting, I was physically attacked. No one should have to fear for their life to express a viewpoint.
Catt Fear
Lowry Hill
The Walker Art Center was given the opportunity to reply:
Statement from the Walker Art Center
It is against our longstanding policy to comment on the specifics of individual staff separations. However, we strongly disagree with the characterization of this circumstance. The Walker is guided by comprehensive anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies as well as the protocols set forth in our Collective Bargaining Agreement. We do not discriminate in the application or enforcement of any of these policies. The Walker is dedicated to fostering a respectful, equitable, and inclusive workplace for all employees, and to cultivating a staff that reflects the diversity of our community.
Rachel Joyce
Associate Director, Public Relations
Walker Art Center
