Downtown Minneapolis--Crime Problems (St. Paul, Duluth, Bloomington: salaries, tax, vs.)

[xandrex]

Gotta love these threads. Brings out our suburban friends who can't stand the city and would think it was a war zone even if it was totally peaceful with no crime ("MINNEAPOLIS IS TERRIBLE!!!1!!!11!!!! YOU'LL DIE!!!!1!") and our crime-fighting, city-is-going-down-in-flames urbanites (with a common thread of how horrible Rybak is...hmm).

I checked out the Facebook page that was mentioned before and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The police didn't seem to be on higher alert than before, but even so, that doesn't show that they're somehow preparing for war. Perception feeds into reality. Several high profile crimes downtown have made people worried about downtown. Even if the numbers were in line with regular but people thought they were higher due to media coverage, the police would likely be forced to at least appear on higher alert to dissuade the public from freaking out. Such is life.

That said, more police downtown can never be a bad thing. I'd love to see downtown be a totally safe place.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Take a look at the MPD stats through July 17. Boggles my mind. 172 robberies in 2012, 87 in 2011. Leave your valuables at home. Or if you happen to be an unfortunate visitor, leave them in your hotel room. And if you can, take the skyways. I don't think the thugs are rampant there. Yet. RT Rybak is a disaster for the city. He lives by Lake Harriet in a neighborhood that is nearly crime-free. Probably has a parking space in the Government Center. His beloved downtown is dying, but does he care?

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/gro...s1p-095910.pdf

Some people want to make totally irrelevant comparisons like Detroit or Chicago. I just checked Portland Oregon, a city much more in our population size. 38 robberies downtown.

Again, have you been downtown lately? Try going there and hanging out for an afternoon once. You'll quickly realize that there is nothing to be concerned about whatsoever.

[golfgal]

Minneapolis clamps down on weekend crime | StarTribune.com

Sure, afternoons aren't bad, but if you want to enjoy an evening out, not so good with a 58% jump in violent crime--sure Minneapolis is just perfectly safe

[cgy1]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Minneapolis clamps down on weekend crime | StarTribune.com

Sure, afternoons aren't bad, but if you want to enjoy an evening out, not so good with a 58% jump in violent crime--sure Minneapolis is just perfectly safe

If you plan on enjoying an evening out at 2am, sure by all means stay home.

[Glenfield]

I would say that I wish the warehouse district and all the bars and drunks that go with it was located in a suburb because I think it costs Minneapolis taxpayers more to police the partiers coming in from the suburbs than it brings in revenue, and I'd say that this is just one more example of how Minneapolis shoulders the burden for the entire metro area without thanks or compensation, but then I'd just be feeding that city vs. suburbs thing.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I would say that I wish the warehouse district and all the bars and drunks that go with it was located in a suburb because I think it costs Minneapolis taxpayers more to police the partiers coming in from the suburbs than it brings in revenue, and I'd say that this is just one more example of how Minneapolis shoulders the burden for the entire metro area without thanks or compensation, but then I'd just be feeding that city vs. suburbs thing.

Except that the suburbs do support Minneapolis, and their schools through our property tax dollars that get skimmed off to pay for things that happen IN Minneapolis--never mind that the people in question aren't from the suburbs.....

[ManBearPig1]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Except that the suburbs do support Minneapolis, and their schools through our property tax dollars that get skimmed off to pay for things that happen IN Minneapolis--never mind that the people in question aren't from the suburbs.....

Really? Compare Uptown and lots of North Loop places on a Wednesday night vs. a Friday or Saturday night. They get infested with fake tans, fratastic bros, and the like from the suburbs. Who then all drive drunk back out to the burbs.

[ManBearPig1]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I would say that I wish the warehouse district and all the bars and drunks that go with it was located in a suburb because I think it costs Minneapolis taxpayers more to police the partiers coming in from the suburbs than it brings in revenue, and I'd say that this is just one more example of how Minneapolis shoulders the burden for the entire metro area without thanks or compensation, but then I'd just be feeding that city vs. suburbs thing.

So much of this would be solved by just getting rid of the mandated bar closing time of 2 am though. If the closing times were staggered, there wouldn't be a mad rush as the floodgates of drunks are unleashed all at the same time. That's a huge factor fueling the underlying behavior that could easily be rectified.

[rogead]

I live in The North Loop, and I'm in complete agreement with ManBearPig on the concept of staggered closing times. The problem has traditionally been one in which massive numbers of intoxicated people hit the streets at the same time. Invariably, they invade one another's space and inflict offense, both real and imagined, on each other.

As far as the effects on the city of Minneapolis, it really is a two-edged sword. The city does indeed bear the burden of controlling these crowds, most of whom don't live in the city. However, these same club and bar goers inject an enormous amount of money into the city's, and into downtown's economy---which is a big part of what makes Downtown Minneapolis the entertainment center of The Upper Midwest.

[rogead]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Except that the suburbs do support Minneapolis, and their schools through our property tax dollars that get skimmed off to pay for things that happen IN Minneapolis--never mind that the people in question aren't from the suburbs.....

The amenities provided by the three core cities is what allows for the very existence of the suburbs. The tax revenue generated by Minneapolis (as well as St Paul and Bloomington) is what creates the economic vitality that allows for the health of the entire metropolitan area.

Anecdotally, I would suggest that a solid majority of those seeking various forms of entertainment in Downtown Minneapolis are from the suburbs (the three core cities account for less than twenty-five percent of the metro population), and Minneapolis itself is about half of that.