The media firestorm over Don Samuels' comments

Samuels
Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels.
MPR Photo/Brandt Williams

When Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels criticized one north Minneapolis high school, his remarks created a firestorm of protest.

In a Mpls/St. Paul Magazine interview, Samuels remarked, "I've said burn North High School down!" That statement became a flashpoint for Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman and others, who have criticized Samuels' inflamed rhetoric.

The sentence in question was part of a 5,000-word profile of the two-term council member who represents north Minneapolis. The author of that profile is All Things Considered media commentator, David Brauer.

Brauer told MPR's Tom Crann more about how Don Samuels' statement turned into a media -- and political -- frenzy.