renter, former union organizer, eldest daughter to a Muslim immigrant family • socialist • representing
@MplsWard10
on the Minneapolis City Council • she/her
My name is Aisha Chughtai, most of you know me, but I am a renter, a former labor organizer, the eldest daughter to a Muslim immigrant family, an immigrant rights activist, & the Councilmember for Ward 10 in Minneapolis. And I’m excited to announce I’m running for re-election. 🧵
During
@HouseJudiciary
today, I shared why the
#EqualityAct
is so personal to me and my family. My child is finally free to be who they are. With that freedom comes a responsibility, for us as legislators, to legislate with love and not fear.
Let’s be clear: the brave people demanding justice outside the Brooklyn Center PD are our neighbors
They live in communities across MN. They’re sick of watching lives stolen by the police
This is unacceptable. You can’t gas, arrest, and tell them to go home—this is their home
Let’s be clear: The brave men and women of the Minnesota National Guard are our neighbors.
They���re teachers, health care workers, and business owners who live in communities across our state.
This is unacceptable. They can’t “go home” — this is their home.
Y’all, we’re on 94E, by the Riverside exit, and the cops have kettled us. We’re all about to get arrested.
Everyone was peaceful. Just a couple hundred activists, about to be brutalized for... exercising our right to protest?
Today was horrifying, unacceptable, and indicative of the growing threat to progressive, pro-people candidates and movement leaders.
See my campaign’s statement on the violence perpetrated by the Nasri Warsame campaign at the Ward 10 convention today.
The final numbers have been tabulated, and I’m thrilled to announce that we’ve won! We had nearly twice as many first-place votes as the next candidate, and finished the tabulations with 50.3% of the vote.
The murder of yet another young Black man, Amir Locke, at the hands of Minneapolis Police Department yesterday is a reminder that nothing has changed. This was a horrific and preventable tragedy. I am sending peace and care to Amir’s loved ones.
My name is Aisha Chughtai—I'm an organizer, a union activist, a first-gen immigrant, and a Muslim woman. And I'm running for City Council.
I'm running because Ward 10 needs a representative who will center the voices of those most impacted by the issues.
Anti-protester rhetoric emboldened someone to use their car to murder Deona Marie in Uptown last night. Deona spent the last moments of her life holding space to demand justice for Winston Smith. She knew the importance of solidarity and community. May she rest in power.
Deona Knajdek, 31, of Minneapolis was the protester killed last night in Uptown, according to her brother Garrett Knajdek.
"She was probably the most wonderful person you could ever imagine. She would... tear the shirt off her back to make sure someone was warm."
@kare11
Mayor Frey and the Minneapolis City Council must immediately launch an investigation into whether any MPD officers or staff were present at the violent demonstration in Washington, DC last week.
Police violently took Daunte Wright's life. His life matters. It is precious + sacred. A traffic stop should never end in death. Police have shown us: they are unreformable. I'm firm in my vision for a police-free future. In solidarity with Daunte's family + with those grieving.
i grew up 2 blocks from a masjid, where my mom taught kids & we found comfort/community through our toughest days
the community sought shelter and food at our masjid when they didn’t have any
watching the fear today push us to close our doors. to be afraid. it’s heartbreaking
Put your veto pen down and roll up your sleeves,
@MayorFrey
.
Minneapolis residents sent us with a mandate on Tuesday night. It’s time to get to work on delivering housing for all, humane response to homelessness, climate resilience, and safety beyond policing for our residents.
Yesterday, the Council voted to approve a layout for Hennepin Ave, along with my amendments that ensured 24/7 bus lanes and restricted parking on the street. This 8-5 vote represented community vision and was an important step forward.
Today, the Mayor vetoed these actions. 🧵
As a Muslim woman, I wholeheartedly condemn the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. Countless Ward 10 residents and business leaders, movement leaders, and Muslim residents have asked me to speak as an elected leader. Please read my statement on this issue:
As a person who is pretty familiar with receiving veto letters from Mayor Frey, let me remind you:
In his ~6 years as Mayor, Jacob Frey has vetoed 9 Council actions. Of these, all were authored by Councilmembers who represent Southsiders. 7 were authored by people of color.
watched with my own eyes as folks took looted items tonight—people giving mothers diapers, families grabbing essential items. if ever there was proof our communities know how to care for each other, it’s this
This morning, I took the oath of office to serve my community - Whittier, the Wedge, South Uptown, East Bde Maka Ska, & East Harriet - as the next Ward 10 Councilmember.
Bismillah.
Hearing a lot of talk from Commissioner Harrington about talking to faith leaders. Why haven’t we heard about Tarawih prayer, which starts as we welcome Ramadan tonight? Curfew starts at 7pm, Tarawih prayer starts at 8:30pm.
Overall: over 56% of Ward 10 voted Uncommitted while less than 36% voted for Biden.
For reference:
@aishaforward10
got 61% last November. She strongly endorsed voting Uncommitted.
we won in a landslide in the most expensive primary election in mn history but y’all keep on thinking the smartest campaign minds in this state aren’t the queers and poc and young people on team ilhan lololol
With 60.74% of the vote, we’ve won! It’s my honor to serve my community for another 2 years! This victory belongs to you, Ward 10. Thank you for believing that a politics of solidarity, compassion, and abundance will always be stronger than a politics of fear, division, and greed
These cops told us they’d let children, families, and parents out if they went to the back.
What happened when they went to the back? They were zip tied and told they were under arrest. Vile.
.
@mattbarthelemy
has a snow storm tradition of gathering buds and going around Whittier to help people shovel their sidewalks and dig their cars out. We had so much fun meeting our neighbors.
We’ll be back tomorrow night at 7pm in Whittier (DM for address). Join us!
Thank you, Ward 10! We’re officially DFL endorsed with 69% on the first ballot! To everyone who stuck with this process through unimaginable circumstances, we couldn’t have done this without you.
Come celebrate at Centro, 2412 Nicollet, with us. We’ll be here until 9pm!
The feelings of sadness and fury at another murder by MPD are all too familiar. We don’t know the details of what happened tonight, but we know the brutality of MPD is unforgivable. As is continuing to fund a corrupt and violent institution that neither protects nor serves us.
It’s simple: why waste time talking to suburbanites on
@StribOpinion
’s Board who want unhoused residents treated with cruelty, lose it when we say MPD does racist things, & want poor people displaced from our city? I’ll focus on talking to my neighbors & winning the election 🤷🏽♀️
saw multiple friends get hit, gassed, and hurt tonight. friends in the hospital.
@Jacob_Frey
and his Minneapolis Police Department started this tonight by shooting rubber bullets and tear gassing children on the frontlines. literal! children!!
Make no mistake, homelessness is a solvable issue. Less than 500 people in and around our city live outside. We can build public policy around them. The Frey Admin's cruelty is a choice. Read my piece on how a humane response to homelessness is possible:
Happy New Year’s Eve to the brave workers at the Downtown Trader Joe’s who walked off the job today. Cutting hours for workers who are unionizing (or support unionization) is retaliation. Minneapolis is a union town, and we got your back,
@TraderJoesUnite
Mayor Frey has supported a model that set the per minute wages for rideshare drivers at $0.35.
@mndli
recommended $0.49 per minute. That $0.14 difference adds up to $8.40 per hour.
That’s how much our Mayor was willing to exploit immigrant workers to keep Uber and Lyft happy.
Ended the week reading this morning’s
@mndli
report, which analyzes wages based on 19 million rides worth of Uber and Lyft’s data.
It proves what
@TheMulda
has been saying: they are exploited. And that the Mayor’s proposal was going to under-pay them by at least $8.40/hour 😬
Eid Mubarak, y'all ✨
I'm incredibly disappointed in the City Council's procedural vote to kill Rent Stabalization today while the three Muslim Councilmembers were observing Eid al-Adha. Statement from me,
@jeremiah4north
, and
@JamalOsmanMN
:
The City’s annual budget is $1.8 billion. For whatever reason, the Frey Administration insisted the only place they could find money to pay for the Police Federation contract — 22% raises for MPD — was by gutting critical unarmed public safety programs. I don’t buy it.
This is hateful and disgusting. It’s also indicative of the Strib leadership’s continued Islamophobia and anti-blackness. This hate for our city from an editorial team that doesn’t live here isn’t new. Add it to the list of the countless apologies and retractions they owe us.
Of his 5 vetoes this term, do you wanna guess who the lead author was? Either me,
@JChavezMpls
, or
@robin4mpls
He can justify it however he wants, but it’s the 3 youngest members of color who also happen to be socialists and represent the Southside that catch veto letters 🤷🏽♀️
Uber and Lyft drivers have done everything in their power to advocate for basic worker protections at the State and the City. In both cases, the legislative body delivered, and the executive chose to veto. This is a continued betrayal of rideshare workers.
Can’t get the families in the apartment buildings across the street from the precinct off my mind. Their last 2 nights have been cops firing off tear gas and flash bangs into their homes.
Cops don’t protect or serve us. Our people deserve so, so much better.
Y’all, I’m incredibly humbled to have been elected the next Council Vice President this morning!
Thank you for sending me and so many progressive Councilmembers to City Hall. We’re ready to hit the ground running on passing the people-first policies you sent us to deliver ✊🏽
I reject the Mayor’s framing of 24/7 bus lanes as a “loss” for small businesses. This is a talking point of fear that denies data. On one of MN’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians, transit users, bikers, and drivers, investment in people-centered infrastructure is vital.
As a former union organizer, I understand what being held hostage by multi-billion dollar corporations is like. I won’t be bullied by
@Uber
and
@lyft
, and neither will our Council or the workers we’re fighting for.
In voting to delay enactment of minimum pay for Uber and Lyft drivers, the Minneapolis city council said it would allow state lawmakers to finish their legislative session. Wait what? What does one have to do with the other? Here's what I found out.
CONGRATULATIONS!! ✊🏽
Uptown succeeds when the people who make it run — workers and residents — are treated with dignity and respect, allowing them to continue to work, live, and invest in our community. A union gets workers one step closer to this.
Solidarity ♥️
CONGRATULATIONS to restaurant workers at Kim’s who WON THEIR UNION ELECTION!! LET’S GO!!!
In an industry notorious for bad jobs, workers are coming together to have a real voice in their workplace and a way to make their jobs better.
I love being Minneapolis’s first Gen-Z elected official. I’m so excited to spend tomorrow evening with this incredible group of cohosts and friends, young folks, and those who are young at heart. All are welcome. Join us:
to be clear,
@GovTimWalz
stood up in front of us this morning and lied. nothing is under control—MFD is not responding to fires, white supremacists are robbing Black + POC owned businesses, and grieving community members have tear gas and rubber bullets raining down on them. wtf?
Yesterday in Uptown, in a joint operation, multiple law enforcement agencies violently murdered Winston Smith. He was a father, brother, son, comedian, and beloved community member.
For the first time today, I publicly talked about being a domestic violence survivor. Centering survivors is not “unserious,” it’s vital. Brushing off harassment is unacceptable. The treatment of gender-based violence survivors is indicative of all violence survivors.
I’m tired of discourse about public transit leaving out the people who use and need it most. A public transit story:
I was in a car crash a few weeks ago, and since then, I’ve become a daily rider of the 11, 17, or 18 lines.
I got on the 18 on Nicollet Mall at 3rd today👇🏽
There’s a Quran
@ImamAsadZaman
has maintained that nearly all MN Muslims elected to public office have taken their oaths on & signed. Honored to have continued that tradition today with brothers
@JamalOsmanMN
and
@jeremiah4north
.
Start of a Muslim Caucus on the City Council? 👀
We can build a community where there is housing for all, where everyone feels safe, where our economy serves working people first. We deserve a leader who knows Minneapolis can be that place, and is willing to fight for it.
Let’s build it together:
I, along with a majority of the Council, delivered on that. At our next Council meeting on 6/30, we will take up the vetoed items for reconsideration. When my office returns from the holiday weekend, we will share a longer statement, next steps, and how you can plug in.
It’s incredible that workers at Kim’s are organizing to form a union with
@UNITEHERE17
— they have my full and unequivocal support. While it’s unfortunate that
@annbkool
chose to not voluntarily recognize the union, I hope in time she will come to see what I know to be true:
NEW: A Minneapolis City Council member urged chef Ann Kim to recognize a union at her restaurant, according to a voicemail
@axios
obtained
👀:
@cashmanforward7
was also calling about a big, brewing labor topic — and they want
@annbkool
’s buy-in on it ⤵️⤵️
Ward 10,
On Tuesday this week, I left work early to get emergency medical care. At the advice of my care team, I will be taking a short break from work at City Hall and campaigning for my re-election to manage my health and isolate myself as I recover.
See my full update below:
Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
Dolal Idd’s family experienced unimaginable loss and trauma last night. Community members are raising money for his family, please donate here:
Proud to stand with my Muslim colleagues in condemning the disturbing comments from
@MplsWard3
. CM Rainville needs to be held accountable - we’re ready to do our part.
Happy Pride to everyone except MPD, Sheriffs, the FBI, and any other law enforcement who terrorize queer + trans people at disproportionately high rates.
#NoCopsAtPride
We won this convention. We earned the most 1st choice votes, and finished in 1st place with nearly 50% of the votes. This year’s virtual process was new to everyone, but people turned out in high numbers bc of what’s at stake this year.
Don’t let the votes today let you forget that nearly 20,000 people signed a petition in the bitter winter to get the public safety charter amendment on the ballot, and a handful of elected officials are getting in the way of people having our voices heard.
From City Hall to the State Capitol, the 2-year battle to guarantee dignity for rideshare workers is finally coming to an end.
So grateful to serve with
@robin4mpls
,
@JChavezMpls
, and
@aurinmpls
, and have incredible champions in
@OmarFatehMN
and
@RepHassan
. Key takeaways:
Jury selection for the Chauvin trial starts today, and the community has gathered to demand justice at the barricades that've made our city a war zone, as we've been doing for too long. The City is prioritizing property, but we're focused on justice and keeping each other safe.
Hey
@aishaforward10
! I love the Open Streets events in our ward and elsewhere (I'm sad I missed that the one on Cedar yesterday that had a CAMEL!!). Let us know if you support continued funding for them, yeah?
President
@mitrajunjalali
and I co-wrote this piece explaining why we’re voting uncommitted in the Democratic Presidential Primary tomorrow. From protesting, to pressuring for divestment, to voting uncommitted, every action to stop the ongoing genocide in Palestine is important.
Voting uncommitted is an action to hold President Biden accountable, say Minneapolis and St. Paul council members who support a ceasefire in Gaza.
Opinion by
@aishaforward10
and
@mitrajunjalali
I'm so proud to have the endorsement of
@Teamsters120
.
These last three weeks they've been showing what it looks like when workers demand power. I'll be with them as they continue to fight for safety on the job, and I'll be with them fighting for working people at City Hall.
Muslim women support Muslim women ♥️
Started my afternoon supporting our new
@MplsWard12
Councilmember Chowdhury at her swearing in, and ended the day walking through upcoming budget amendments with her.
Ward 12,
@aurinmpls
came prepared on Day 1!
folks headed to 5th precinct:
we don’t live far from there. if you (or someone you know) need **basic** first aid, a safe place to stay in, water, food, water/milk of magnesia (treatment for tear gas), PLEASE dm me for an address.
we love y’all, and we’re here to help
My office talked with Ward 10 residents, community leaders and organizations, and other elected officials to share information and gather questions today and I want to provide an update. Most of the questions that I shared yesterday have not been answered.
It's official: I'm on the ballot!
I'm filled with gratitude for the staff, volunteers, donors, and 100s of petition-signers who helped us get here. Together we've built a strong, people-powered campaign.
Excited to spend the next 84 days with you fighting for a more just city!
I’m honored to receive
@IlhanMN
’s endorsement!
Ilhan + I share a vision of politics rooted in joy, compassion + a mindset of abundance. Managing her 2018 campaign— + every day of her tenure—it's been inspiring to see a Muslim woman of color lead w/ her values unapologetically.
Over the last 3 years, the City of Minneapolis has spent somewhere between $5.5-7.5 million in limited taxpayer-funded resources to evict encampments. This is a horrific use of resources to play whack-a-mole with unsheltered residents’ sacred lives. Housing first must be the cure
Council Member Chughtai, extrapolating the average cost to the city based on encampment removals cited in the document:
➡️45-60 evictions in three years
➡️$120,000 per eviction
➡️$5.5-7 million
Speculative math: cost per unhoused Minneapolis resident is about $15-20k.
We need better public transportation, and it needs to be built for the people who rely on it: our BIPOC, elderly, and poor communities.
Shame on those of us who have access to other transportation options prioritizing our accessibility, however valid it may be, over theirs.
I’ve championed this layout because it benefits all community members. My amendments:
1. Ensured no parking in the bus lanes.
2. Guaranteed loading bays continue to exist throughout the corridor for parking so drop-offs and deliveries continue to be possible for businesses.
A reminder that the Police Chief and his allies coordinated with the most conservative forces in this city to fuel an anti-abolitionist narrative. And a part of that was manufacturing consent to open up the Square this morning.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo worked closely with a group called Operation Safety Now, which gives the appearance of a grassroots group, to defend the police department's budget by
@LoganCCarroll
Over my 5 months in office, I’ve met with countless residents, businesses, and organizations about this redesign. Thousands of you have contacted my office to ensure the future of this corridor serves people, especially those who are most marginalized. Thank you for your advocacy
If you don’t know us yet, I’m Aisha Chughtai. I’m a renter, union activist, and the first Muslim woman and youngest person to serve on the Minneapolis City Council.
The Ward 10 Office includes Yasmin, me, and LyLy (
@grreenonion
). We’re excited to get to work to serve Ward 10!
Happy Election Day!
@IlhanMN
wants to make sure you have a plan to vote by 8PM today. This is our chance to elect a progressive majority that will fight to reclaim Minneapolis with the hard-working people who make it our home.
Find your polling place:
Good morning!
I got to go cast a ballot for myself with some of my dearest friends and neighbors. I was voter
#28
in 10-9 at MCAD around 8:20am.
If you’re voting in person today, reply to this tweet telling us the time, location/precinct, and what voter number you were!
.
@JChavezMpls
and I started our morning at a Northside + Southside unity knock. Ward 5 voters told us they are unapologetically with
@EllisonCampaign
(“Brother Keith? Hell yeah I’m voting for him!”) and they’re ready for
@MaryMoriarty
, a Public Defender, as the next HCA. 4 days!
There’s so much I could say about why Elliott has my vote on January 8th, but I wanna share the story of how he earned my trust.
The day before we voted to confirm Cedrick Alexander, he sat with me in the summer heat outside City Hall for an hour to talk to me about the vote.
After being sworn in today for my second term in office, I’m excited to announce that I am running for President of the Minneapolis City Council. The City Council will meet on January 8th to vote for our new leadership team and structure.
The family’s demands include: all involved officers are prosecuted and fired and the City and media speak truthfully about Amir and not tarnish his character. The City needs to fulfill these demands, including officially retracting previous statements that Amir was a ‘suspect’.
Fascists came into our city yesterday to terrorize us. Emboldened by the President’s vile ideology, racists like
@NickZerwas
are attacking our beloved
@RepAishaGomez
.
Yesterday I joined thousands of my neighbors to protest their hate. Today I’m donating to Aisha. Join me:
At 6am tomorrow, residents at the Near North encampment are scheduled to be evicted. At a time when COVID is at an all time high, it’s reckless to use the limited resources of the City to inflict violence on residents instead of funding immediate solutions to support + house them
Election Day is one week from today! And early voting is open everyday until then (including this weekend).
The stakes have only gotten higher and I’m committed to continue fighting for us.
That’s why
@IlhanMN
wants you to make a plan to vote to re-elect me by November 7th!
To be clear, this resolution isn’t what I fought for or the 24/7 bus lanes Ward 10 residents asked me to deliver. I threw everything I had at honoring the $40 mil transit investment in Ward 10. 24/7 lanes got vetoed by the Mayor and we lost the override vote. That limits options
Unfortunately I’m still unwell and I’m sorry to miss Open Streets Lyndale today. I am committed to working to ensure Open Streets is fully funded and our community can enjoy it for years to come 🚲
In 2018, I joined
@IlhanMN
in voting when she first ran for Congress. Three years later, she's joining me as I vote on my run for Ward 10 City Council. There are 10 days until Election Day. Join us for a shift at and give $10 at .
Most days, it feels like we’re fighting the same losing battle—city fails our most marginalized people, community steps up + scrapes together short-term solutions, city violently and brutally dismantles community’s efforts. How can we talk of healing when the harm is escalating?
Ward 12 neighbors, Vote for my friend,
@aurinmpls
.
Aurin is the most experienced candidate in the race; she brings a track record of advocating for working families, addressing homelessness with humanity and dignity, and building a just, equitable, and climate-resilient city.
Not surprising that
@Jacob_Frey
is "hiring" UNPAID interns to work on his campaign. Just because they're in high school.
High schoolers deserve to be paid, too, you elitist buffoon.
But also, high school students who follow me: go work for
@Neighbors4Nick
or
@aishaforward10