Greenway Bike Path Robberies (Minneapolis, Edina: crime, neighborhoods, buy)

[Binky .357]

(I'm quoting the whole article in its entirety due to the fact that the Strib's links have a habit of going dead after a week or two. Hopefully that's okay...)[indent]In harm's way: A biker's tale of being accosted on city trail

[font=Arial Black]An avid bicyclist and former U.S. Marine recounts a harrowing robbery on a Minneapolis bike trail.

mod cut-copyright infringement

[kuan]

Here are just some of them

Google Maps

It's not all Greenway. People mistake the Cedar/LRT trail for the Greenway when in fact it is, technically, a different trail altogether.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Just putting this idea out there....maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to put a bike path in a dimly lit railroad trench. What it has resulted in is yuppie Uptown bikers going through Phillips in a place where nobody can see them. Seriously, they wouldn't be in that area if they had to bike down Lake and Cedar...which is one block away. The Greenway is a better idea in thought than in execution.
Really, though, Blinky? You cannot think of one reason to go downtown? Are you thinking of the same over-patrolled, vibrant and safe downtown that includes this city's greatest theaters, restaurants, sports venues and general attractions that I am? Oh, and Edina is inside the beltway. That is the problem in this logic -- you see crime in one part of the city and generalize it to the entire city of Minneapolis (and now all first ring suburbs). When Phillips had 20 murders, downtown was safe; and when it has two murders, downtown remains safe.

[kuan]

I guarantee you at this time there are no "yuppie uptown bikers" riding the greenway. The greenway is a major artery for more commuters than you can imagine. I will buy anyone a fancy Caribou drink if they will let me show them. All we have to do is stand outside the greenway bike center and look for a few minutes.

[tvdxer]

Video surveillance, maybe?

[Binky .357]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

Just putting this idea out there....maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to put a bike path in a dimly lit railroad trench. What it has resulted in is yuppie Uptown bikers going through Phillips in a place where nobody can see them. Seriously, they wouldn't be in that area if they had to bike down Lake and Cedar...which is one block away. The Greenway is a better idea in thought than in execution.

Agreed.

Really, though, Blinky? You cannot think of one reason to go downtown?

Nope.

Are you thinking of the same over-patrolled, vibrant and safe downtown that includes this city's greatest theaters, restaurants, sports venues and general attractions that I am?

Not a fan of the over-paid professional athletes that get a free pass to commit whatever crimes they see fit and then go crying to the state supreme courts when they're told there will be consequences to their actions.

The restaraunts charge too much, and besides, I'm a pretty good cook and I like the ambiance of my kitchen/dining room better anyway. Also, there are plenty of good places to get a bite to eat south of the river; forget about going inside the beltway.*

If I can't see it at a local multiplex, I don't really see it as good theater. Aside from that, I can catch plenty of good performances at a local showroom.*

The "general attractions" you speak of aren't all that attractive to me. I'm more of a State Park kind of guy**. The Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center, all of that? To quote Mr. Garrison from South Park, "It's always the yogurt sprout eating mod cut-language."*

And if the areas were vibrant and over patrolled, why are the thugs roaming freely to victimize people as my links have pointed out? There was a story a while back about the "vibrant overly patrolled area" known as "Block E". Five nights in a row, five separate fights that bordered on street brawls with 20 people on a side.

Oh, and Edina is inside the beltway. That is the problem in this logic -- you see crime in one part of the city and generalize it to the entire city of Minneapolis (and now all first ring suburbs). When Phillips had 20 murders, downtown was safe; and when it has two murders, downtown remains safe.

Yep, Richfield is in that beltway, too, and they had a recent problem with MS13 grafitti popping up around town. Then there was the thread about the "gang" activity at Southdale Center, which is pretty close to Edina.

*As I said in my original post, I avoid the cities unless it's necessary to travel through them... what I didn't say is if I have to I will only do so while armed; it's a compromise that my girlfriend not only accepted at first (her parents live up there) but has come to expect/respect/request.

Think of me what you will. Deny the evidence. Live in your utopian dream. Just don't bash me for seeing the elephant in the room.

**There's plenty of beauty to be seen once you're willing to get off the beaten path; take the attached pictures from Whitewater State Park, for example...

...you can have your haute cusine and your assaults, you can have your museums and your murders, you can have your athletes and your drug dealers, you can have your theaters and your rapes.

I prefer peace and serenity without constantly having to look over my shoulder.

[Minnehahapolitan]

1. The roaming thugs are more a threat to each other than they are to you or me. I have walked the whole length of Hennepin, at all times of the day and night, for quite some time. Yet, I am still here to type on this computer.
2. Southdale is in Edina, not near it. It is hard to fully understand an area that you avoid at all costs. Southdale has a problem with keeping its stores solvent, and with attracting any people at all. A gang problem would be a blessing, even thugs spend money. Yet, Edina is one of the safest cities in Minnesota.
3. Minneapolisis chaulk-full of beautiful parks. The bogs at Wirth Park, Mnnehaha Falls. Come visit some of them, oftentimes you can be the only person in them.
4. Art isn't just for snobs (unless it is the Walker, they are pretty snobbish). The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is just as much a museum of ancient China as it is Andy Worhol.
Every place has its inherent dangers. In Minneapolis, the most prominent is crime. Turth be told, though, the 30 mile drive in from south of the River is stitistically more dangerous. One can live on a beautiful beach and get swept away by a hurricane. Te reason why you have to look over your back is because you have it etched in your mind that you will be hurt if you don't. You keep posting links that describe crimes in areas that you don't understand. For all of the times that you have ventured into the City (or its suburbs), how often have you felt compelled to use the gun that you keep? The idea that you would write off everything within an arbitrary city limit is laughable. There are neighborhoods that are safe, there are neighborhoods that are not. They cannot be delineated based on the jurdidiction of city councils or the boundaries created by freeways. The world is not that black and white. You don't have to come here, that is acceptible. It is evident from your reasoning, though, that the reason that you don't want to come here have little to do with crime. You are simply not interested in the things the city has to offer. I seldom leave the City unless it is to go to another city. I am not interested in the things that rural areas have to offer. It is an acceptible stance because I don't insist on people accepting my views of rural areas. I don't talk about the presence of meth labs, or the poverty of rural cities relative to urban areas. I don't insist on talking about the rate of alcoholism in small cities or the suicide rates in Alaska. Nobody is denying any evidence. What I most want to convey is that the evidence that you present should be done so in context. I don't pull up a story about drug dealers in Owatonna and declare it the tenth layer of hell, because that would remove it from any sembelence of context. It would be irrational to generalize that story. I would ask that you do the same.

[Binky .357]

Like I said before, I get it... rose colored glasses, friendly unicorns, peace happiness and harmony. You're welcome to your view of the criminal hotspot of Minnesota, I'll take reality.


I don't know why you seem to have such a hard on for my posts and my ideas but it seems a little odd that you can't jsut ignore them if you find them so distasteful. Methinks I smell a troll in my midst, and so...

...Welcome to my "ignore" list.

But before I part ways with you and your ignorance, I will say this; it's a fact that you cannot seem to get through your head - you're more likely to be the victim of a crime inside the beltway (No matter the neighborhood) than you are outside the metro.

As an example, I can walk down my street at 2AM and not worry about my wallet getting stolen. I can mow my lawn and not worry about getting shot during a drive by or having a drug dealer offering me a rock. I can leave $5K of electronics in my vehicle parked in my dark driveway all night long without having a window broken out or having the car stolen. The only hoes in my neighborhood are the ones used to work in the garden. I can ride a bike down a street (day or night) and not worry about someone knocking me over for my $10 shoes.


I can't say the same for your precious crime-ridden city; no one can because quite frankly it's a dangerous place if you let your guard down. You have had the luxury of hanging on to your ignorance; I hope your rose-colored glasses don't get broken during your assault.


Good luck.

[Veridian]

We understand, Binky:

Your fear is huge.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by Binky .357

One of the greatest features of this sight!

What he ignores can't hurt him, right?