Police in Minneapolis (Lynd: houses, neighborhoods, school)

[lexuses82]

I like to walk in historic neighborhoods. One day I was walking in the Lyndhurst neighborhood, I grew up there a few years back. I was walking the neighborhood and texting and had 2 police cars stop me to question why I was walking in the neighborhood. They mentioned they got a call from a house owner saying an asian male was looking up and down the driveways of the houses. The police got my information and sent me on my way. They said they are not trying to single me out but that they have had several robberies in the area.

Is this common. Discussed with my family and they said that if I am walking in areas that not a lot of people walk, I will stick out.

[codydog2]

I would guess it has more to do with recent burglaries and a stranger in the neighborhood looking at houses. I live in an area with a fair amount of foot traffic. We had a string of break ins last year and I would have called if I saw someone looking down driveways and/or pausing in front of houses.

[Glenfield]

We have plenty of foot traffic in south Minneapolis, but you seem to have raised one resident's suspicions by the way you were checking out the houses, so our police came to see what you were all about. That's good, responsive police work in my book. I hope you're not going to try to make it into some sort of racial issue now.

[tjasse]

I would assume the main reason is because you are asian, not just because you are walking around.
Last summer, I walked around in that area all the time and I never got the cops called on me. That neighborhood is mostly old white people with nothing to do besides look out their window and worry about someone walking around.

[ABQConvict]

I love architecture and old houses. I also like walking, I walk 7-8 miles a day. It is what I do when most people are watching TV.

I am not in Minneapolis, but I am a white, reasonably well dressed, male and my 'suspicious behavior' of walking and looking at houses invites police attention now and then. About a 3-4 times a year, I am questioned as to why I am walking in a neighborhood. I don't know if they are just passing or if neighbors are calling me in. Maybe it is only 3-4 times because I am White? I don't know, but my pessimistic side wouldn't be surprised.

I have also had frantic looking housewives run into the yard to 'save' their children and people rush to close their garage doors, hide posessions, and practically run from their car to the front door as I approach, etc.

It is mostly people under 40 that react in such a paranoid manner, oddly enough. You'd think it would be the old people. (of course maybe it is the old people calling from behind parted curtains to the cops to check me out.)

It is just the way people are today. It is not too common to see people just walking down the street in many neighborhoods unless they are decked out in running gear or pushing a stroller.

Finally, my advice is to smile and wave to anyone you see just as if you were a long time neighbor. In areas I walk frequently, I think the people are largely used to me and I think many of them think I live a block over or something even though I range many miles on my walks. Oh, and if you look like you are out for a jog, wearing running shoes, carrying a water bottle, that sort of thing, that may help, too.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by tjasse

I would assume the main reason is because you are asian, not just because you are walking around.
Last summer, I walked around in that area all the time and I never got the cops called on me. That neighborhood is mostly old white people with nothing to do besides look out their window and worry about someone walking around.

There's really no basis for your assumption.

[MidwestRedux]

Originally Posted by tjasse

I would assume the main reason is because you are asian, not just because you are walking around.
Last summer, I walked around in that area all the time and I never got the cops called on me. That neighborhood is mostly old white people with nothing to do besides look out their window and worry about someone walking around.

Oops, I accidentally rated this post positively when I was trying to quote it. I wish I could take that back or, even better, rate this post negatively.

A white person walked around and didn't get stopped by the police. An Asian person walked around and got stopped by the police. No need for any more information, right? Let's just ASSUME racism. "Old white people" and police officers are all racists.

Now if you had been Latino, I ASSUME they would have detained you. If you had been African-American, I ASSUME they would have beaten you, detained you and charged you with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

Isn't assuming easy?

[Minntoaz]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

We have plenty of foot traffic in south Minneapolis, but you seem to have raised one resident's suspicions by the way you were checking out the houses, so our police came to see what you were all about. That's good, responsive police work in my book. I hope you're not going to try to make it into some sort of racial issue now.

Originally Posted by MidwestRedux

Oops, I accidentally rated this post positively when I was trying to quote it. I wish I could take that back or, even better, rate this post negatively.

A white person walked around and didn't get stop by the police. An Asian person walked around and got stopped by the police. No need for any more information, right? Let's just ASSUME racism. "Old white people" and police officers are all racists.

Now if you had been Latino, I ASSUME they would have detained you. If you had been African-American, I ASSUME they would have beaten you, detained you and charged you with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

Isn't assuming easy?

Amen!

To the OP- yeah if you're walking in the winter it likely raises question. Nothing personal.

[uptown_urbanist]

I wouldn't assume it's racism. I would assume -- fair or not -- that people are more suspicious of a man than a woman. I've never been stopped by the police, while my white male husband has been questioned while waiting at the school bus stop. If you're a single guy alone walking along and looking at houses, especially if during a weekday during the daytime, you're going to stand out more so than if you were with someone or walking the dog or even walking briskly like you were going somewhere. I always felt like I stood out walking around some of those neighborhoods; they'd walk the dog or go for a run, but the streets can be pretty quiet.

[prairiestate]

What an amazing society we've created in the United States where it's practically a criminal act to go for a walk through a neighborhood. I think these busybodies calling the police would do well to go outside and go for a walk themselves. If they're actually concerned about their safety and security, the best thing to do would be engaging with their neighborhood, not hiding in their homes, peering out from behind their curtains.