The Guns Are Shooting People

Like the story you often see in the MSM about a murder or other "gun crime", where they quote the criminal saying something like "I was holding the gun, then it went off", today's Red Star article titled "Illegal guns flooding into Minneapolis" implies that the tool of crime (gun) is the problem.

"The gun" killed Alan Reitter in March on Block E in Minneapolis:

On a Friday night in late March, the gun that Brown had stolen from his father -- and that was then stolen from him in St. Louis -- resurfaced in the Block E complex in downtown Minneapolis. Authorities say it was used to randomly shoot and kill Alan Reitter, a mortgage lender from Minnetonka who had just stepped out of a bar with friends.

The gun, police say, is among a record number of weapons making their way to Minneapolis through an underground market that's flooding streets with illegal firearms -- and increasing violent crime.

Let's examine how silly this connection is between "the gun" and the killing.

By way of illustration, let's say that Reitter's killer and Rambix came into possession of the .44 Magnum in the same manner - we found it lying on the street. Suspecting the firearm is stolen or "dirty", Rambix picks it up (with a cloth so as not to disturb fingerprints), and in the interest of public safety takes it to the nearest police station. The firearm would likely be examined and kept for evidence or destroyed.

Reitter's killer, however, picks up the firearm, sticks it in his pants and goes home. An undetermined amount of time later, he takes it downtown to Block E and makes a choice to fire it in public, killing Alan Reitter.

So it's really not about the gun, is it? It's about the criminal.

The Twin Cities doesn't have a gun problem, it has a criminal problem.

Gangs and drugs are driving gun violence, and "all we can do is go out there and attack their leaders and straw buyers -- one by one by one every single day," said Lt. Mike Carlson, who's leading an 11-member team of city officers and federal agents known as the Violent Offenders Task Force (VOTF).

"That task force operates with two hooks -- connecting gang leadership to criminal activity involving guns and drugs," said Capt. Rich Stanek, head of the department's investigations unit.

Ok, so we also have a gang and drug problem. I'm no less concerned if they're a gang of machete-wielding thugs; they just happen to use firearms.

Yes, firearms are more effective when used unlawfully, but it's really about intent. You're just as dead if you get run over by a car, stabbed, beat-down, or shot.

If you get the criminals off the street, firearms are no longer a problem. If you just get the firearms off the street, criminals remain a problem.

A confidential 2005 report by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, obtained from sources outside the ATF, draws a portrait of the growing illegal marketplace for guns in the Twin Cities.

It describes how from January 2004 to last August, authorities traced nearly 1,200 firearms in Minneapolis involved in criminal investigations.

This is happening because Minneapolis is becoming known as a lucrative place for criminals to ply their trade. We don't have the death penalty, we don't have three-strikes, and we do have soft-on-criminal judges.

I don't mind the cops chasing firearms if it results in criminals being taken off the streets, but we shouldn't lose perspective. The criminals themselves are the bad actors, no matter what weapon they choose.

The culture of lawlessness continues in Minneapolis.

"Attacked, Robbed, And Stabbed": Violence Engulfs Liberal St. Paul Colleges

Hat tip to Rambix readers Andrew R. and gooberhamm on the plague of violent crimes on or near uber-liberal colleges Hamline and Macalester in St. Paul, MN.

This is not a new trend, by the way. I've written about this previously on 2/1/06: "Violent robbers terrorize South Minneapolis, Hamline & Macalester Colleges".

I don't want for anyone to be a crime victim, but these folks are easy targets - passive peacnik liberals. The criminals know their natural sense of self-preservation has been "educated" out of them by the liberal establishment.

The first report comes from the Pioneer Press: "Man stabbed during St. Paul robbery".

A 19-year-old man walking near Hamline University in St. Paul on Wednesday night was stabbed and beaten during a robbery, police said today.

The Stillwater man was taken to Regions Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, said Pete Crum, St. Paul police spokesman.

The man was walking near Hamline United Methodist Church, in the area of Asbury Street and Englewood Avenue, at about 10 p.m. when he came upon two men. They asked to borrow money and when he said, "no," they stabbed him in the upper chest, threw him to the ground and kicked and punched him, Crum said.

I do give this victim credit for telling the punks "no", although you have to be ready to throw down at that point since thugs won't take "no" for an answer. That said, it's certainly more difficult with multiple opponents.

The second story is from WCCO News: "Students On Alert After One Attacked, Stabbed".

(WCCO) St. Paul A 19-year-old Hamline University student is recovering Friday after being attacked, robbed and stabbed Wednesday night.

The attack occurred around 10:00 p.m. at Asbury Street and Englewood Avenue in St Paul.

All over the campus the warnings are out and meetings are being held. Some students wonder if their fellow classmates have enough urban savvy.

Hamline University student Patrick Rieger said, "Students at Hamline are ill-informed at how to carry themselves, especially when they don't come from an urban Midway background."

What an enlightening description. I suspect many of these kids are from urban backgrounds, but they've been sheltered in their urban enclaves of Southwest Minneapolis and the like. Their upbringing in "diversity" left out some important details, which they're finding out the hard way.

St Paul Police said the victim was approached by two men in black hoodies who asked for money.

When the victim said no, he was stabbed in the chest, thrown on the ground and kicked and punched.

Jaqueline Getty, a spokeswoman for Hamline, said, "I think that a lot of people forget. They're on their cell phones or they're listening to their MP3 players and they're not aware about what's happening behind them."

Macalester College is also experiencing violence, and they have a web site devoted to security issues, except the formatting is odd in that they take .jpeg's of the Alert flyers and post them on the site. There appears to be a rash of alerts (why didn't I read this in the Red Star?), dating from 4/17/06, 4/21/06, and 4/27/06:

Shooting Near St. Paul Central High School Now Murder

Hat tip to Andrew R. for reminding me not to forget our friends across the river in St. Paul, a city which is no stranger to violence.

Illicit gunfire is always bad, but is particularly egregious when it occurs in areas populated with children, such as the shooting-turned-murder near St. Paul Central High School. Here is a media advisory from the St. Paul Police:

MEDIA ADVISORY

Saint Paul Police Department
367 Grove Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Officer Pete Crum
Public Information Coordinator
651-266-5735 - Office
651-755-9990 - Cellular

April 27, 2006

Man Shot in Summit-University Neighborhood Dies from Injuries

On April 26, 2006 at 2:33 PM Saint Paul Police received multiple calls of shots fired near Marshall Avenue and Griggs Street, followed by a call reporting that someone had been shot. Police located the victim inside a van parked on the 900 block of Marshall. A witness pointed out a 17-year-old male who got out of the van after it was parked. Police detained the juvenile and Saint Paul Fire Medics transported the victim, 21-year-old Deon Andrew Duffy of Saint Paul, to Regions Hospital where he died at 10:48 PM.

Police located the scene of the shooting on Marshall near Griggs. Marshall Avenue was closed for several hours at both Griggs and Milton while the Saint Paul Police Crime Lab processed the scene where the shooting occurred and the scene where the victim was found.

Detectives have arrested two people in connection to the case. The 17-year-old male who was detained on the 900 block of Marshall was arrested for crime to benefit a gang and 20-year-old Tiarra Lynn English of Saint Paul was arrested for aiding an offender. Police continue to search for others involved with this crime, including the gunman. The shooting was not random and appears related to another case that is also under investigation. In addition to homicide detectives, the Minnesota Gang Strike Force and Saint Paul Gang Unit are assisting with the investigation.

The God Squad also came to the scene of this shooting and is actively working with the community to reduce youth violence. The God Squad serves as an example of the community and civil society working in cooperation with the police and other city and county programs.

Minneapolis Burning

The Red Star reports a France-like wave of arson across North Minneapolis; as if they don't have enough problems: "Rash of arson in North Minneapolis".

Worried investigators haven't found a link among more than a dozen fires in the past two weeks.

Arsonists are notoriously hard to catch. I would imagine more so in North Minneapolis, where most people are hunkered down in the evening to avoid the nightly barrage of stray bullets.

Sgt. Sean McKenna hasn't seen two weeks like this since he started investigating arsons in 1997.

Since April 13, there have been 13 arson fires in houses, apartment buildings, garages and vehicles in north Minneapolis. There were another eight fires in the area that were ruled accidental.

The 13 arsons in two weeks represent more than a third of the total for this year in north Minneapolis. Arsons have increased 27 percent citywide compared with the same time last year.

This is indicative of a culture of crime and lawlessness. The police already have their hands full with the ongoing violence, and now this.

Our friends David and Margaret at Our House blog detail their first hand experiences with Minneapolis criminals running amok here and here.

...All crimes, not just homicides seem to be on the increase in Minneapolis at the moment and the North Side is the epicenter. I don’t think that a bunch of new and refurbished theaters is going to do it, Mayor Rybak.

One wonders how long they will hold out!

More University Robberies

The Minnesota Daily, campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota, reports more robberies of students: "Three robberies, an assault reported near the University".

These crimes follow a disturbing trend of violent crime on or near campus, which I've documented previously in this blog. It's clear that the University environs are not immune from the Minneapolis culture of lawlessness.

The Minnesota Daily details the crimes:

A University student was robbed about 1:35 a.m. Sunday outside her apartment complex 1301 University, close enough to home that the security cameras caught the incident.

Monica Leitner, a journalism and political science junior, said a car drove to the corner of 13th Avenue Southeast and Fourth Street Southeast. A man got out of the car and got her to come over to the corner.

He pushed her to the ground, took her purse and then got back into the car that had circled around the block, she said.

“It happened so quick,” she said. “The next thing I know, I was on the ground and he was in the car.”

And this:

About one hour later, another University student was robbed near the intersection of 15th Avenue Southeast and Brook Avenue Southeast.

Keith Schroder saw the robbery. He said he saw a man and woman walking along the street together behind another woman.

The couple split up, the woman took a right and the man ran up and took the student’s purse, Schroder said.

Ron Reier, public information officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, said the man had run from behind the victim, pushed her down and never said a word to her.

Reier said she never saw him coming, and received no injuries.

Schroder said the crime seemed to be “orchestrated.”

Some will say that the above incidents happened late at night when people shouldn't be out anyway, but I reject that premise. Students are notorious for being out at all hours socializing, or, yes, even studying. Some of the libraries are open 24 hours. Add to that late night jobs or activities, and you've got a lot of people with legitimate reasons to be out.

They shouldn't have to worry about getting mugged.

Not every incident happened in the early hours. This one is even more disturbing:

About 10 p.m. Saturday, two women were robbed at gunpoint near the corner of 11th Avenue Southeast and Fifth Street Southeast, according to police.

Teresa Gramse said she and her cousin were walking on the sidewalk when two men passed them.

She said they heard, “Give me your purse,” and when they turned around the men had a handgun.

Gramse said they immediately gave the men the purses.

Gramse said $30 and her driver’s license were stolen. They took $90 and a digital camera from her cousin.

Sometimes they just beat you up:

Minneapolis police responded early Sunday morning to an assault near 15th Avenue Southeast and Rollins Avenue Southeast.

John Kreuch, a computer science sophomore, said he was walking along 15th Avenue Southeast when he passed two men standing on the sidewalk.

When he walked by, the men assaulted him by kicking and punching him, Kreuch said.

Kreuch said he’s not sure whether they took anything from him because it’s “all kind of a blur.”

Kreuch said he went to the hospital and needed stitches on his lip. He also plans to get a tooth replaced.

And finally, more dangerous people are walking the streets in Minneapolis:

Police broke up a fight that resulted in the arrest of a man for probable cause related to a felony assault.

Greg Hestness, chief of police for the University, said an officer observed a fight Thursday near 27th Avenue Southeast and Delaware Street Southeast and went to break it up. In the process he learned that one of the men involved was picked up on probable cause for an incident that occurred in south Minneapolis.

According to a police report, the previous crime was assault with a dangerous weapon.

According to the report, on Jan. 9 a person was stabbed multiple times while being assaulted by five or six suspects. The suspects fled on foot in different directions.

Police said they believe the man arrested was connected to both crimes.

The Minneapolis Quagmire deepens.

One Year

It almost slipped my notice, but today is the one year anniversary of Rambix and the Red Star. Here's the original post from 4/26/05: Be on the lookout for "three young men".

I never thought that Minneapolis crime would worsen over the subsequent year, but it has come to pass.

So the Red Star hasn't improved (except for hiring Ms. Kersten), Minneapolis crime has worsened, and Mayor Rybak is still as ineffective as ever. The upside is that conservative blogs have developed and matured over the past year, and are becoming a force in shaping our cultural and political landscape. Each one of us does our small part, but as a whole we are formidable.

I can only hope that new voices are added and new niches are filled. It's going to be a fun year (unless you live in Minneapolis).

Carpetlayer Caught In Crossfire In Minneapolis

What do the following jobs have in common: telephone repair, newspaper delivery, and carpetlaying?

Answer: When done in St. Paul or any other Minnesota city, they're employment tasks. When done in Minneapolis they become what Mayor Rybak would describe as "high risk" activities.

I've previously documented the Minneapolis shooting of a Qwest telephone repairman and the shooting up of a newspaper carrier's vehicle at four in the morning. Now enters involvement of the carpetlaying industry. WCCO News reports: "Worker Caught In Northeast Minneapolis Shootout".

(WCCO) Minneapolis Gunfire rattled a quiet weekend morning in northeast Minneapolis, and a man working in the neighborhood was caught in the crossfire.

The man, who asked to be identified only as Jim, was laying carpet Saturday in a renovated house near 26th Avenue and Washington Street Northeast.

When Jim went outside around 8:40 a.m., he couldn't believe what he saw: an action-movie-style shooting and chase as two cars traded gunfire.

8:40 am? The violence in Minneapolis is becoming cartoonish. It would almost be a parody of itself if it wasn't so serious. A guy can't even lay carpet at 8:40 am in Minneapolis without getting shot up.

"All of a sudden, as they come to the intersection, I see hands come up and guys start firing at each other," Jim said.

Jim said one of the gunmen then aimed for him.

"(A) hand came out, fired another shot -- boom, boom -- right at me," Jim said. "I ran to go duck behind the stairwell. I just ran for my life."

No one was hit, but police say between six and eight shots were fired. Investigators recovered a bullet that was lodged in a garage.

"It starts like a movie, and then all of a sudden you become part of the movie," Jim said. "That's the scary part."

That's an understatement, Jim.

Jim wasn't hurt, but his sense of security in the neighborhood where he was born and raised took a hit.

"It shouldn't be happening anywhere," Jim said. "It's sad that it's happening here."

The only comfort we can give you, Jim, is that you're not alone. You've joined a not-so-elite and ever-growing group of Minneapolis victims of violence.

Arrests In Brutal Stabbing

If you haven't seen the video yet, go here for the link. This is savage violence, up close and personal. Because there has been so much violence in Minneapolis, it's easy to become desensitized to what it really means. This video is a window on that world.

KSTP News reports the arrest of the "alleged" criminals in the attack: "Brothers arrested in violent stabbing".

Two brothers were arrested this morning by Minneapolis police in connection with the stabbing of a convenience store owner and the robbery of his south Minneapolis business last week.

Marcus Jay Burris, 22, and Adrian Lee Burris, 19, both from Minneapolis, were arrested around 9:30 a.m. at a home two blocks from the robbery at Sam's Market, officer Ron Reier, according to police.

Charges could come as early as Tuesday. Photos of the suspects were not immediately available.

According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Marcus was on supervised release at the time of the attack for Aggravated Robbery, defined as:

General Description: Robbery Category : Aggravated (None Or Less Than Bodily Harm)
Type : Highway (Street, Alley, Etc.)
Weapon Used : Firearm
Victim : Adult - Stranger

One wonders why this violent criminal was walking the streets. What does Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar have to say about that?

"Expecting" Crime In Minneapolis

Like expecting sunshine in San Diego or expecting rain in Seattle, people now expect crime in Minneapolis. This, from an unlikely source, Minnesota Public Radio: "Living with an expectation of crime in Minneapolis".

Some people who live and work in Minneapolis say they have come to expect to encounter crime there.

Minneapolis, Minn. — Minnesota Public Radio surveyed its audience members about the recent shootings and their perceptions of how safe they feel in Minneapolis. Some respondents, like Carissa Tomlinson, say they feel less safe. [Photo courtesy MPR]

You can't buy a reputation, and right now Minneapolis' reputation is unwholesome. In this case, as the numbers will attest, perception is reality.

Tomlinson lives in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood, one of four that overlap the Uptown entertainment district. She says she won't walk around the area at night without pepper spray and her dog, Olive.

"I feel a little safer with her," says Tomlinson. "Although sometimes I wish I had a scary pit bull or something."

Tomlinson's dog is a far-from-ferocious greyhound. One day recently, she walked Olive in broad daylight not far from where she was mugged about a year and a half ago.

The mugging occured around 10:30 p.m., when a man walked up behind Tomlinson and started talking to her. He grabbed Tomlinson's purse and wrenched it away from her after a brief struggle.

A person should be able to walk their dog without worrying about getting accosted. This area is not far from where a liberal associate editor from Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine was mugged, as you can read about here.

So now Mayor Rybak has lost the liberals, who have discovered that violence does not hew to party lines. And as I've said before, Mr. Mayor, if you lose the liberals on crime, you're really in trouble. This includes, by the way, the Red Star.

Tomlinson almost casually mentions that since living here, she's expected to be robbed. She says she's felt that way because at least five people she knows have been robbed, too. But after Michael Zebuhr was killed in an Uptown robbery, Tomlinson says she feels less safe.

"Everybody who's gotten mugged -- it's like they take their purse and it's not really that big of deal," she says. "Maybe there's a gun, which is super-scary. In my case there wasn't. But, it's not violent for the most part. I always felt fairly safe. It's kind of an inconvenience. It was scary, but it's not like being shot. That really scared me a lot."

You expect to get robbed in Mogadishu; you shouldn't expect to get robbed in Minneapolis.

Many good ideas for combatting the filth that has taken over your city have been proposed by readers of this blog and others, Mr. Mayor. You would do well to give them consideration.

Minneapolis Crime - Weekend Roundup

I'm happy to report no murders in Minneapolis this weekend. There were, however, other violent crimes.

KSTP Eyewitness News reports a bank robber is on the run. And there's a suspect description, so we know who/what to look for:

A Minneapolis neighborhood is on the lookout for a bank robber who's most likely marked from the dye pack mixed in with the money he stole. The robber hit the TCF Bank on fifty-five hundred block of Nicollet Avenue and then took off running. Officers went searching door to door around the neighborhood looking for the suspect.

Police need the public's help in finding the man who robbed the TCF Bank. He's described as a black male with some facial hair. He's about 5'9" and 160-170 pounds and was wearing a light colored baseball cap, and lavender dress shirt with a purple tie and a black leather jacket.

He got hit with the dye pack. I hope he's green.

WCCO News reports knife violence at a Minneapolis bar (where is the knife-control patrol?):

(WCCO) Minneapolis One woman was hospitalized with stab wounds following a bar fight in Uptown Minneapolis overnight, police said.

Police say two women got into a fight at Champions Sports Bar on the corner of West Lake Street and Blaisdell Avenue South late Saturday night.

One woman pulled a knife and stabbed the other, police said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital. Her condition was not disclosed.

And liberal Red Star columnist Doug Grow writes about Sonny Siron, at age 79 perhaps the oldest "I was mugged in Minneapolis" member. Prior posts from this blog on his mugging are here and here.

His mugger walked, by the way, because the wheels of justice turn so slow, he had forgotten what the perp looked like by the time the trial came up on calendar. So next time you visit Minneapolis, remember that piece of garbage is sharing a sidewalk with you.

Here's an excerpt from Mr. Grow's article:

Since 1947, Sonny has been the anchor of the Lyndale neighborhood. Though change has swirled around him, Sonny has stayed the same, selling ice cream that's made in the back of his store at W. 34th St. and Lyndale Av. S.

Imagine a criminal taking advantage of this guy. Doesn't it speak volumes about liberals who rationalize and excuse criminal behavior like this? Is the mugger rat worthy of anything but prison at hard labor?

Sonny's neighborhood is changing. There weren't so many bleeding-heart liberals back in the day, so the good people ruled the streets. With the liberal takeover of the city from top to bottom, the rot has permeated the "fabric" of Minneapolis.

Sonny has seen good times and bad in his neighborhood. In recent years, there seems to have been a resurgence of good times with young families moving in. There are so many kids. So many friendly faces.

But there are concerns, too.

Violent crime in downtown Minneapolis and in the popular Uptown area have created anxiety, from City Hall to the Capitol.

Almost overlooked is the increase in crime in neighborhoods where everyday people live their lives [Ed. - this is what Rambix is all about - crime that affects all of us] and treat themselves to ice cream cones.

A guy can't even walk the streets in "nice" neighborhoods anymore without getting victimized.

Last Labor Day, Sonny was taking a short stroll in his neighborhood when he was mugged. There was a time Sonny was not vulnerable. There was a time two young thugs wouldn't have dared cross paths with the WWII vet.

But now, he's easy pickings. In broad daylight, the two took his wallet and fled.

Though Sonny was unhurt, neighbors were outraged.

"Outrage" for the urban socialists is having meetings and doing walk patrols. "Outrage" for conservatives would include arming up and rooting out the neighborhood scum.

That's why Minneapolis continues to reel from violence.

There have been similar incidents in Sonny's neighborhood. The neighbors have had enough.

So, slow and steady, they'll follow Sonny around the block Monday night.

There they go with the walk patrols. Good luck with that.

Execrable City Pages

Back in the day, City Pages had some redeeming value. They reported stories the MSM wouldn't touch; many of which were very insightful, interesting, and just plain fun to read.

Those days are gone, as I noted in this post from 7/6/05. The weekly paper's crack reporting has morphed into propagandizing for liberal, socialist, and "alternative lifestyle" causes.

The City Pages of today also exhibits an unseemly envy of conservatives. No opportunity to demonize the right is lost. Having no positive values of their own to uphold, they try to fill their moral vacuum with hatred and bile directed at those with whom they disagree rather than challenge their opponents on substance. This is the modus operandi of the left.

The latest targets are big: Powerline and Governor Pawlenty.

City Pages writer Mike Mosedale took the time to pick out a particular word which has appeared in Powerline a number of time: "execrable".

Yes, that's the point of the blog entry: To point out how many times the word "execrable" has been used by the boys at Powerline.

An execrable fetish at Powerline

The boys at Powerline have fallen in love with the adjective "execrable." They just can't stop, um, excreting the word. Maybe this is due to a garden variety case of pundit fatigue. Between their daily blog posts, regular cable TV appearances and ceaseless efforts to combat the sinister forces of liberalism (not to mention their day jobs as high powered attorneys), Minnesota's leading conservative bloggers certainly keep a very busy schedule. They probably don't have the time to pry open a thesaurus in search of a synonym. Or maybe their use of the term is simply symptomatic of being in a state of constant indignation--an affliction evident to even the most casual Powerline reader.

This is important stuff. Thanks, Mike. Can we expect a follow-up report on the frequency of use of the word "the"?

Meanwhile, G.R. Anderson attacks from the left flank: "Pawlenty vs. MPLS: Nice try, governor".

Appearing on MPR on Tuesday, Pawlenty got specific on how Minneapolis should save money and put more cops on the street. Trouble is, the Governor's spouting had almost no relation to reality, let alone good governance.

Every politician under the sun has to play the public safety card these days, so it was no surprise that Pawlenty used a couple of recent murders--Uptown and downtown--to opine that what Minneapolis really needs is more cops and now.

I see a governor doing what a governor is supposed to do: look for solutions to problems. And Minneapolis is a big problem.

So Pawlenty offered a solution: The city should do away with its Civil Rights Department and Civil Service Commission, eliminate or consolidate its park police, and figure out a way to merge its library system with Hennepin County's.

Trim the fat, do away with excess and bloat, and concentrate on ensuring that the people who visit the city will not have to leave it in a box. We know that the liberal power brokers will cling tenaciously to the government programs that sustain their existence, but the city must break free of the socialist mindset in order to survive as a destination of choice.

I'm not hopeful that will happen.

Saint Paul of Fraters Libertas has a good summary of the dysfunction of the Minneapolis and it's chances for recovery.

So instead of shooting the messenger, City Pages, how about some of your reporting of old? Use your resources to uncover why criminals are coming to Minnesota from other parts of the country to rob, shoot, and murder in Minneapolis. Find out why liberal judges are soft on sentencing. In short, give us the details the Red Star won't.

"I am scared from this place right now"

Experiencing violence up close and personal tends to focus the mind. A recent victim of a gruesome stabbing/robbery understands that Minneapolis has descended into virtual anarchy, and the criminals are in control. Unlike so many others, Mr. Ahmed survived his attack.

KSTP News reports:

“I was standing here and the guy came inside and I just say ‘Hello’ to him,” Ahmed says. “He just come inside my counter and he started stabbing me. I said, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘Just give me the money… give me the money.’”

Ahmed says the suspect continued stabbing him. “Again, he stab in my back and the blood was coming out and I was feeling very, very bad pain, you know, and then I said ‘Ok, I just give you money.’”

It's not just comply or be killed anymore. The new criminal code seems to be comply and be killed.

Yet for some reason Mr. Ahmed is not happy with his business experience in Minneapolis.

Ahmed was robbed only one other time since purchasing the store last year, but he says he is now afraid and wants to move.

“It was my dream to open my own store, some gas station, but it happened like this, I am scared from this place right now,” he said. “I just want to move. I want to go some other place, not here.”

He adds that he thinks it is people coming from other areas who are committing most crimes. “I know that the neighborhood is good, but the people who come around from different places and rob here.”

Well, he was robbed only one other time. It could be worse.

I suspect the "other areas" criminals come from, Mr. Ahmed, may include Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, and Michigan. And they're not coming here for the winters.

Please prove me wrong on that theory.

Guardian Angels: Next Stop, Minneapolis

Due to the Minneapolis political leadership void, people are looking for help where they can find it. And sometimes that help can be from long-distance.

Hat tip to Nordeaster for bringing this story to my attention.

WCCO News reports: "'Guardian Angels' Head To Mpls. To Fight Crime".

(WCCO) Minneapolis Starting Friday, residents may see a group of red berets patrolling Downtown and Uptown Minneapolis.

Curtis Sliwa and his Guardian Angels are coming to town after getting several e-mails from concerned citizens.

“They’ve talked about the street hold ups and the cold-blooded murder in the Uptown area and also how there have been a series of problems including a murder a couple weeks ago,” Sliwa said.

John Schulte, the leader of the Northeast Citizens' Patrol, wrote to the Guardian Angels. He said police have their hands full.

“The police force is outnumbered. They are responsible for too much area and there is too few of them,” Schulte said.

Good luck, Angels. Be sure to check in on Rambix and the Red Star every now and then for crime updates.

If the Guardian Angels can't do the trick, then perhaps it's time to call in the Devils Dogs of the USMC. They're just the ones to clean up the Fallujah of the Midwest.

Violence Explodes On The Minneapolis Front - Enemy Forces Engage In Warehouse District - 3 Casualties

The Minneapolis Warehouse District was the site of another skirmish last night, despite increased military police presence. Armed insurgents engaged in a fierce battle on Hennepin Ave., between 3rd St. and Washington Ave.

In an uncharacteristically timely report, the Red Star's website has the story: "Gunfire erupts in Minneapolis as cars roll down street".

Minneapolis' warehouse district turned violent early this morning when people in two vehicles began exchanging gunfire.

Authorities have yet to figure out why the shots rang out as the two cars rolled along Hennepin Av. between 3rd and Washington streets. The shooting occurred just after 2 a.m. bar closing time.

Several combatants were evacuated to field hospitals.

Standby for further dispatches from the front as events warrant.

[By the way, has anyone noticed the increase in violence since Mayor Rybak's speech in which he promised to "work harder" to control crime in Minneapolis?]

More Minneapolis Robberies - The Savagery Continues

Mayor Rybak made a nice speech the other day about "working harder" to stop violent crime in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, the criminals weren't listening. And they're getting bolder.

The Minneapolis Police SAFE Unit reports the following crime alert on 4/19/06:

I have received a number of phone calls and e-mails asking about some assaults/robberies that occurred near 39th St and Pillsbury Av S.

At about 8:45 am on April 18, 2006, there was a Robbery of Person Aggravated (force used) that occurred near the intersection of 39th St and Pillsbury Av S. Here is the Public Info from the report; “Victim reported that he had just got out of his vehicle and was beginning to remove his two small children form [sic] the rear seat when the suspect approached him from behind. The suspect put an unknown object to the back of his head and demanded the victims money. Suspect took the victims wallet and then hit he victim in back of the head with unknown object. Suspect fled the scene on foot EB from this location. Victim was checked by ambulance and released at scene.”

I don’t have a suspect description for this incident.

At about 11:30am, on April 18, 2006, there was a Robbery of Person Aggravated (force used) that occurred near the intersection of 38th St and Aldrich Av S. Here is the Public Info from the report; “Victim was walking NB on Aldrich at the above location when suspects approached from the rear and struck the Victim in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. One of the two suspects then began kicking him in the chest. The suspects demanded money from the Victim. Victim was able to stand up, at which time he reported that one suspect punched him in the mouth several times and a second suspect was standing to his side holding a handgun. Victim was able to flee from the suspects. No loss reported. Victim received injuries to the arm and mouth. Victim refused medical treatment at the scene. Photographic evidence was taken of the injuries and will be property inventoried.”

I don’t have suspect descriptions that can be released for this incident either.

This is all the info I can release on these events.

These crimes aren't from the 'hood. They're in generally nice neighborhoods, which makes them ever more troubling. And they are brutal robberies/assaults, occurring right in the middle of the day.

This doesn't bode well for the mayor's plan.

Furthermore, the level of detail provided is fairly good, yet somehow there is no suspect description. I can be fairly certain that if some punk punched me in the mouth "several times", I'd have a description of him.

Suspect descriptions are a public safety issue. Let's please use what we have.

The Minneapolis Quagmire deepens.

Dahl Murder Suspect Arrested

According to KSTP Eyewitness News, police have made an arrest in the Thomas Dahl murder in Minneapolis from early November 2005 [Photo courtesy KSTP]. I had written about the crime here: "Another good man dies in Minneapolis violence".

Police have made an arrest in the murder of a man found dead in downtown Minneapolis this past November.

Officers arrested Brian Trimble at his home in Moundsview Wednesday afternoon for the murder of Tom Dahl.

Dahl was found dead along Washington Ave. in the Warehouse District after having drinks with friends.

Trimble was originally arrested at the crime scene, but was later released due to lack of evidence.

Police now say they have enough evidence to implicate him in Dahl’s murder.

Let's find out if this scumbag came from out of state, how long he's been here, and what his criminal record is.

Details Emerge On Violent S. Minneapolis Robbery

Last night I reported breaking news of a violent robbery at Sam's Food Market in South Minneapolis. Details are emerging, albeit slowly. WCCO News reports: "Police Seek Two Suspects In South Mpls. Stabbing".

(WCCO) Minneapolis Two men allegedly stabbed a clerk during a robbery in South Minneapolis Tuesday night.

Police believe the suspects robbed a clerk at Sam's Market, in the 5400 block of 42nd Avenue South, just after 8:30 p.m. Officials said the suspects fled the store with an undisclosed amount of money.

The clerk was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center and was listed in stable condition.

No useful suspect information has been released, and no arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, in response to the growing Minneapolis Quagmire of crime, Mayor Rybak called for increased focus the North Side:

The mayor said he believes this generation in Minneapolis will be judged on what it can do for the North Side, a part of the city now mired in unemployment and crime.

Might I make a humble suggestion, Mr. Mayor? Focusing on the north side is a good start (see my last post for some better ideas from one of Rambix' readers than you have proposed), but because crime in your city is endemic and pervasive, you also need intense focus on the east, south, and west sides.

In other words, top to bottom.

The Mayor Will Fight Crime "Even Harder"

According to the Red Star, Mayor Rybak will soon really, really step up his efforts to fight crime. Once he clears the visions of Euarasian milfoil and weaving from his head, he should be good to go. Really.

The Red Star reports: "Rybak to promise he'll work even harder to fight crime".

In his winning 2001 mayoral campaign, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak talked about how he wanted to restore the city's "collective swagger."

He talked about Eurasian milfoil, campaign finance reform and corporate subsidies. In his 2005 reelection bid, his opponent tried to paint him as soft on crime, but Rybak promised to hire 71 new street cops and won easily.

I'd say that the opponent [Peter McLaughlin] who tried to paint Rybak as soft on crime may have had a point. As for the promised officers?

More than half of those officers have yet to be hired, and the city's reputation as a safe place teeters on the brink after the slayings of two people out for an evening's entertainment in Uptown and downtown.

Teeters on the brink? Too late - it's already a Quagmire As Mitch Berg would say: U.S out of Minneapolis!

Asked whether the latest shootings have changed his thinking, Rybak said: "My focus has been public safety and it will continue to be. We're going to keep working harder and harder."

Here's some help. Since this blog has the smartest readers to be found, they have provided some fine ideas, free of charge. Here's a good example from NordEaster:

In simple economic terms, we have a surplus of criminals. The question then is how do we reduce that surplus?

Most of the conversation has been on the enforcement side. More cops and tougher sentancing will get a few more criminals off the street, keep them off longer, and may even deter some from committing a crime. That however treats a symptom, not a cause. I agree with those who argue this is a band-aid approach. [Ed. - right on]

My recommendations go broader.

1). Stricter welfare requirements. How many times in recent years have we seen crime reports in Minnesota listing violent criminals being from Milwaukee, East St. Louis or Gary, IN? It's no coincidence that the rise in move-in criminals occured when tougher welfare laws were enacted in states like Wisconsin (Gov. Thompson) and Indiana. The criminal element flocked to Minnesota where handouts were easy.

The solution -- commit a serious crime, forfeit your welfare [Ed. - love it!]. Don't have at least a part-time job (in a state with 3.7% unemployment), forfeit your welfare.

2). Give the police the tools they need -- including leeway to do their job. The 2nd largest department should not be internal affairs. Take some cops out of that department and get them on the streets. I'm not saying tolerate violations of fundamental rights. Just don't make police officers feel like every arrest of a minority is an exercise in racial profiling.

Even though he has received some ribbing for it, this is where I credit chief McManus for breaking down some of the us against them barriers.

3). Treat gangs as organized crime (which is what they are) or possibly even terrorist organizations. Use RICO. Target their leadership. If a gang commits violence hold the leadership responsible.
Nordeaster Homepage 04.17.06 - 11:03 am

Good stuff, that.

Red Star reporter Rochelle Olson tells it straight:

Rybak isn't a natural fit for crimefighter-in-chief, a la former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, or even the bombastic Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Rybak is New Age, not Old School. His most visible foray into public policy before becoming mayor was throwing a pajama party at the airport to draw attention to the noise created by airplanes flying over his home near Lake Harriet.

Serious reported crimes, which include rape, homicide, burglary, assault and car theft, are up from 27,199 reported in 2001, the year before Rybak took office, to 28,318 last year.

Crime has become the defining issue of Rybak's second term.

Thanks for telling it like it is, Rochelle. As I've noted before, the good mayor is in way over his head. He's probably a good guy, maybe even fun to hang out with, but he's not capable of the mindset necessary to attack crime.

Business leaders are understandably worried:

Downtown advocates are speaking out.

Sam Grabarski, head of the Downtown Council, said it has been difficult recruiting new tenants to vacant restaurants around the Block E entertainment complex because of an atmosphere that has been called "scary."

"Police are not enforcing loitering guidelines that are already on the books," he said. "There are groups of highly aggressive young men there."

These rats need to be rousted out of the city and out of the state of Minnesota. Send 'em out to California - they'll fit right in.

Confidence in the mayor has all but disappeared:

But Englund, the neighborhood advocate, said the city needs to address crime through jobs and redevelopment, not just cops. "I have no idea whether R.T. Rybak is up to that or not. I hope to God he is, because the city has three years to go" on his term.

Is it too late to save the city? Time will tell.

Breaking News: Employee Stabbed At Sam's Food Mart In South Minneapolis

Fox 9 News television has just reported that an employee of Sam's Food Mart in South Minneapolis has been stabbed, with two suspects on the loose.

No suspect descriptions are given. I will update further as information becomes available.

#17

A couple of posts ago I noted a murder that appeared to have occurred in Minneapolis, although the story was fresh at the time and the location of the crime had not been confirmed.

It now appears there is confirmation that the murder - surprise! - did occur in Minneapolis.

KSTP Eyewitness News reports: "Woman is Minneapolis' 17th murder of year".

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Hennepin County medical examiner has identified a woman shot to death in a car in north Minneapolis as 27-year-old Tina Byrant of Minneapolis.

Police say Byrant and two men were in a car near 36th and Girard Avenues when a person approached and fired shots. Capt. Rich Stanek says a bullet went through the rear of the vehicle and hit Bryant in the chest.

Bryant died at to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale about 6:20 Saturday evening. The two men weren't injured.

WCCO News also has a report: "Minneapolis Police Investigate Suspected Homicide".

(WCCO) Minneapolis A Minneapolis woman with a gunshot wound was brought to North Memorial Medical Center Saturday night, where she died.

Authorities said Tina Bryant, 27, was brought to the Robbinsdale, Minn. hospital in a private vehicle.

Bryant died at 6:18 p.m., the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said.

Welcome to the Minneapolis Quagmire.

In other crime news, the Minneapolis Police SAFE Unit reports a shooting at 3332 Nicollet Av S. last night at about 9:00pm.

On Sunday 4-16-06 there was a shooting at 3332 Nicollet Av S., at about 8:50 pm.

An adult male was shot in the foot. The victim has non-life threatening injuries. 3 possible suspects were seen running from the scene.

Due to limited suspect info, there is no description to release at this time.

Be on the lookout for "3 possible suspects". And come visit again soon.

The Zebuhr Conspiracy

You may recall from a prior post that Uptown murder victim Michael Zebuhr was involved in a group known as Scholars for 9/11 truth, or "S9/11T". These fine folks, which include in their membership some highly educated people such as Mr. Zebuhr, do not believe that Islamofascists brought down the Twin Towers. Instead they "believe that the government not only permitted 9/11 to occur but may even have orchestrated these events to facilitate its political agenda."

If you believe the hypothesis of S9/11T then you'll believe anything, so why not believe that Michael Zebuhr was killed as an orchestrated conspiracy between local law enforcement, the Minneapolis FBI, Zionists, and as yet unnamed city officials?

Well, there are a lot of people out there who do, as a quick Google search will reveal, or as you can see on this website, which was brought to my attention in one of many emails I've received following the Zebuhr murder. An excerpt from the website follows:

Senseless murder? Or execution?

Is this just another meaningless murder in a nation that has thousands of murders every year? Or was his murder connected to his involvement in educating students about 9/11? Is there any connection to Professor Judy Wood, Professor Jim Fetzer, or Scholars For 9/11 Truth?

There are several possibilities. Let's first list a few facts and coincidences. Let's start with some of the suspicious aspects of Minnesota.

Then the proprieter of the website points out some amazing coincidences between Zebuhr's murder, the 9/11 plot, Zacarias Moussaoui, Paul Wellstone's death, and the "total control of the criminal network" over Minneapolis (Ed. - now that one I can believe).

While every FBI office is lying about 9-11 and other major crimes, the FBI department in Minneapolis, Minnesota is very actively involved in promoting the theory that the Arabs were training to be pilots, and that they were attacking us on September 11.

The Minneapolis FBI obviously wants to protect the official story on the September 11 attack. So why should we trust their investigation into the murder of Michael Zebuhr? Why should we trust the local police department to tell us the truth?

Shouldn't we consider the possibility that Minneapolis, Minnesota is one of the cities that the criminal network has total control over?

If they have control over the police department, the FBI agents, and most city officials, it would be a safe place for them to arrange Paul Wellstone's murder, the setup of an Arab patsy, and the murder of students who are exposing the 9-11 attack.

And on it goes.

While most of us understand that that Michael Zebuhr was murdered by a group of lowlife scumbags who couldn't spell "conspiracy" if they tried, there is a whole culture out there of apparently unemployed or underemployed conspiracists who have been waiting to make a martyr out of some hapless crime victim, and in this case Michael Zebuhr has become the one.

If you've ever heard the wisdom of David Horowitz or Dennis Prager as they expose radical college professors, it shouldn't surprise you to learn that a professor from the University of Minnesota is involved in this mess, according to the aforementioned website:

Scholars For 9/11 Truth was created in response to professor Steven Jones, of Brigham Young University. After he announced his research that shows that the World Trade Center buildings appear to have been brought down with explosives, Professor Jim Fetzer, of the University of Minnesota, convinced him to join with him in creating an organization to expose 9-11.

These people are educating our children.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Among the emails I've received on this subject is the following, for what it's worth:

Dear Mrs. and Mr.,
I am the oldest ZEBUHR in Germany and have seen the horrible thing in Minnesota. I have all data from the families ZEBUHR and STRONG, but not any contact, I have not any E-Mail Adress. Is it possible, that you can send my E-Mail with all our hardly condolences to the families ZEBUHR and STRONG and all the friends?
Or is it possible to receive any E-Mail adress p.e. from Laura Rose Zebuhr, or the mother Dr. Suzan Strong or the father Richard Harold Zebuhr? Than I can write a Mail.
The grandfather of Michael was Henry (Heinrich) Zebuhr and arrived the States 1929 from Hamburgo/Germany.
Many thanks and kind regards from
Frederic William Hugo ZEBUHR
fwhzebuhr@t-online.de

So who would've thought that the Moussaoui case, the Zebuhr case, the 9/11 case, and the Wellstone case could all be wrapped up in one tidy little package?

Are the Kos Kids on to this yet?

Another Minneapolis Homicide

While there does not appear to be 100% certainty that the homicide of a woman Saturday night occurred in Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Police Department is the investigating agency.

WCCO News reports: "Minneapolis Police Investigate Suspected Homicide".

(WCCO) Minneapolis A woman with an apparent gunshot wound was brought to North Memorial Medical Center Saturday night where she died.

Minneapolis Police said the woman was brought to the hospital in a private vehicle around 6:30 p.m.

Investigators do not yet know where the woman was shot or what happened before the shooting. Police are investigating the case as a homicide.

Police have not yet arrested anyone. The woman's identity has not been released.

Few details are known. I'll update as more is known.

Meanwhile, hang on to your purses and wallets if you visit Minneapolis, as WCCO News reports: "Pickpockets Out As Temperatures Rise".

(WCCO) Minneapolis Minneapolis Police suspect a group of thieves has been sneaking away with wallets and purses in the Uptown, Calhoun and Linden Hills areas of the city.

"They'll go to Nicollet Mall, they'll go to Uptown, they'll go to places that are really popular," said Sgt. Gerald Moore with the Minneapolis Police Department.

So if criminals aren't taking your life in Minneapolis, they're taking your money. Fun for the whole family in Minneapolis!

University Suffers From Minneapolis Quagmire

The University of Minnesota for better or worse is located in the City of Minneapolis. Lately it's been for the worse.

Like a bad house on the block that attracts bad people, Minneapolis seems to attract more than it's share of lowlife criminals to the detriment of the University.

Criminals have been plaguing the University over the winter, and, as you may imagine, it's not diminishing with the arrival of warmer weather. The Minnesota Daily reports stories you won't see in the Red Star: "Arby's robbed, old man held up, student punched and BB gun relinquished".

With only a few weeks left in the semester, the threat of violent crimes continues to be a problem around campus — including one robbery of a restaurant at gunpoint, another of a 65-year-old man at knifepoint and a physical assault on a University student.

Put that on your recruiting brochures, University.

On Monday, at approximately midnight, two men held up the Arby's/Sbarro Restaurant on Washington Avenue Southeast at gunpoint, making off with an undisclosed amount of money.

Ron Reier, the public information officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, said employees were finishing up the workday when two unknown suspects came in through the back door and demanded money.

The suspects also robbed two employees, Reier said.

More high risk activity, as esteemed Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak would say. Restaurant work can be hazardous in Minneapolis.

That's not all:

A 65-year-old man was robbed at knifepoint Friday.

Josif Gezunterman said he parked his car and was walking to work on Yale Avenue Southeast when a man came up to him with a very large knife and said he was, “going to kill” him.

The suspect asked for his wallet, and Gezunterman went to run but fell on the ground.

When he fell, the thief stole his black briefcase, Gezunterman said.

Reier said the report does not say what was in the briefcase and that Gezunterman received minor injuries from the fall, but refused medical attention.

Threatend with death while walking to work in R.T.'s Minneapolis. And still no suspect description.

There's even more:

On Friday night, a 17-year-old assaulted a University student on Church Street Southeast near the Scholar’s walk.

First-year astronomy student Shawn Carney and his friends were playing capture the flag and were standing talking when someone came up and asked what they were doing.

When they replied “capture the flag,” the boy kept asking them, Carney said.

Then, “he asked me if I thought this was some kind of game,” Carney said.

He then punched Carney in the face.

Carney said when he told him to “chill out”, the boy punched him twice more in the face.

A scumbag from nowhere assaults a young man with a future, who is just hanging out with his friends. Our "community" is filled with filth who would rob good people of their peace and security, yet we allow these things to continue. And where's the suspect description?

Fortunately, this case has a happy ending:

Steve Johnson, the deputy University police chief, said police were driving by and saw the assault.

When the suspect saw police he started running but they caught him on Washington Avenue Southeast, Johnson said.

The juvenile admitted to punching the student and said he did it because he mistakenly thought he was someone else, Johnson said.

Carney said he had a black eye and his lip was bleeding from the incident.

According to the police report, the juvenile was booked at a Juvenile Detention Center for 3rd degree assault.

And this criminal will probably see the streets before breakfast. Then he'll do it again. No wonder Minneapolis has been overcome by the lowest of the low.

Even our campuses aren't safe when they're located in Minneapolis.

Missing Something?

Andy from KvM posted this excerpt from a Red Star interview with outgoing Minneapolis Police Chief William McManus:

Former Minneapolis Police Chief Bill McManus gave a short interview on his last day. In it you will find a subtle hint at just what is causing the rising crime rate in Minneapolis. (Emphasis mine)

Q Serious crime is up double digits last year and this year. A chief is ultimately judged by the crime rate in the city. Do you feel the department has failed?

A Although the crime rate is part of how a chief is judged, I don’t believe chiefs are ultimately judged on statistics. There’s an entire criminal justice system along with social and economic factors that affect and play a significant role in managing crime. It’s unrealistic to believe police or a police chief can singularly control crime rates. Remember, crime was up prior to my arrival, and the rise in crime was and remains a direct correlation to staffing reductions. The [Minneapolis Police Department], as with many departments around the country, was decimated by budget cuts … and it will take some time to recover.

“Criminal justice system” Why who happens to be in charge of that?

Amy Klobuchar - ***Mission: To protect the rights and safety of people in Hennepin County

This other quote also struck me as absurd:

Q What would you consider your greatest successes in your two years in Minneapolis?

A Community building, creating and strengthening both internal and external partnerships, shifting departmental culture, rebuilding the needed working relationship with the [Police] Federation, creating a new and nontraditional working relationship with the Department of Economic Development.

Notice anything missing? How about mentioning CRIME control? You're the Chief of Police!

No wonder crime in the City of Minneapolis is out of control.

Think Outside The Box

What's the solution for violent crime in Minneapolis? No one seems to have the right answer, although a lot of people have opinions.

Maybe it's time to solicit ideas from the general public. There's a fair chance that some of Minneapolis' leadership monitors this blog, among others, so maybe you can have an impact. Post some ideas in the comments to this post if you like. Replacing Mayor Rybak and the entire City Council and letting Governor Pawlenty pick their replacements is a good idea, but unfeasible, so don't offer that.

Rambix reader Nathan B. has given this a lot of thought. His solution is controversial, but if the status quo isn't working, maybe we need to think outside the box.

I will say I like elements of Nathan's proposal and dislike others, and I recognize there are some obvious constitutional issues to contend with. If you don't like Nathan's ideas, post something better in comments.

The point of posting this is to show that there are thoughtful people out there, many of whom have good ideas.

The Minneapolis leadership can't right their ship, so what have we got to lose by looking at the issue from different angles? If nothing else, the profiling aspect is usually good for some passionate responses.

From Nathan:

The Strib editorial calls for more gun laws to get guns off the streets. We both know that's silly. Writing words on a piece of paper in Saint Paul doesn't cause the gun in a gangster's waistband to spontaneously eject itself into the policeman's collection basket. The gangsters are already illegally buying, carrying, brandishing and shooting their guns. More laws aren't needed.

What's needed is stricter enforcement of existing gun laws, especially the CCW law. Cops need to physically reach their hands into people's waistbands and take out the guns from those who are not authorized to carry them.

Problem is: can't profile. Can't selectively frisk young Black men simply because all the recent shooters have been young Black men. Common sense isn't enough, must be fair. Okay, let's be fair. Let's check everybody. But how to do it?

Wandering wanders.

Select teams of Minneapolis downtown cops should be issued metal detector wands, like the airport screeners have. We could staff them with reserve officers to do the wanding, or hire some off-duty TSA airport screeners - they have a lot of practice at it (and from my observation, most of them are Black, which should help diffuse the racial component). Maybe Pawlenty could lend some Troopers, if he wants to help.

One guy works the wand, the other guy keeps watch with a shotgun. Should be quiet enough, quick enough, safe enough. People are used to metal detectors, searches and wanding at airports, courthouses, even the Xcel Center. This is no different, it's just a mobile security checkpoint, like the DWI checkpoints, only focused on getting illegal guns off the street.

How about proposing that the cops wand everybody found a certain block during certain times? Or every other person going into a certain movie theatre, or every 10th person coming out of a certain dance club? Set up rope lines, cops direct everybody into the lines, open your jacket, lift up your shirt and pants cuffs, quick wave of the wand over pockets, off you go.

Doesn't have to be set for maximum sensitivity. We're not looking for box cutters, we're looking for .44 Magnums. And even if we don't find any, the mere prospect ought to be enough to push gun-toting thugs off the main drag back into the alleys where they belong.

Roving bands of wand-wielding cops, specifically searching for illegally carried guns. I'd support that. Wand me as much as you like: yes I have a gun and here's my permit to carry, thank you very much.

More Confirmation: Shots Fired At Newspaper Carriers In Minneapolis

WCCO News crime reporter Carolyn Lowe has posted confirmation of a story that Rambix reported earlier regarding a drive-by shooting of two newspaper carriers in Minneapolis. The Rambix story was posted at 2:37pm on April 12, and the WCCO story was posted at 11:18pm on April 12.

Here's an excerpt from Ms. Lowe's report: "Police Investigate South Minneapolis Shooting".

(WCCO) Minneapolis Two men out delivering newspapers early Wednesday morning in South Minneapolis narrowly escaped being hit by a drive-by shooter.

The victims were distributing papers on East 27th Street in a vehicle when it was struck by two shots from a van that drove past them. The victims called 911 on a cell phone and followed the suspects.

A few minutes later, police caught the suspects at 13th Avenue South and East Lake Street and recovered a gun.

Minneapolis Police Captain Rich Stanek said, "We really don't know what to make of it yet, but through an investigation hopefully we'll be able to determine what the motive was or the reason for the shots fired were."

Is there any safe activity in Minneapolis?

Thanks again to Rambix tipster David E.

How Not To Be A Victim

Obviously there are times where fighting back is simply suicide, such as when you are facing multiple armed criminals, but Uptown murder victim Michael Zebuhr found that being compliant in that situation wasn't good enough to save his life.

So what do you do?

You make a personal choice.

And if you choose to fight, here's the example of how it's done, from KSTP Eyewitness News: "Stabbing victim learned self-defense in Iraq".

Albosaad said he learned to fight growing up in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

“When I was in Iraq, I learned to just fight, you know, to not worry or be afraid or concerned about your life.”

Surviving Saddam's Iraq was a big accomplishment. The experience appears to have forged Mr. Albosaad into a person you don't want to mess with, as two hapless criminals discovered.

Amar Albosaad was attacked by two regular customers, one of whom used a large knife. Police have identified the two suspects as a juvenile and 31-year-old Fernando Marcia, a suspected gang leader.

Albosaad was stabbed approximately eight times during the incident. One of the wounds came within inches of his heart.

“They tried to stab me right here, and here,” Albosaad said, pointing to the wounds. “And this one is the big one too.”

He quickly turned the tables:

He said his attackers seemed surprised when he resisted. “When I grab the knife they said, ‘Do not cuts us, let us leave,’” Albosaad said of the suspects. “And I say, ‘You can leave now but I will cut you.’”

Albosaad is not concerned that the suspects have not been found. “It doesn’t matter if they come back again with a gun, knife or bazooka, I will stand to them. Really.”

And as impressive as that sounds, this may be better:

Albosaad spent only one night in the hospital. He works seven days a week but cannot afford health insurance, although he says he has always refused public assistance.

There are a lot of people who could learn from Mr. Albosaad.

Shots Fired At Minneapolis Paper Carrier?

If true, delivering newspapers in Minneapolis is now as hazardous as working in the city as a Qwest employee. This news tip below comes from Rambix reader David E.

[I don't have any independent verification of the story. If anyone has a link, please let me know.]

Rambix,
I'm listening to KQRS this morning and they have a caller who described an incident that that happened this morning. It seems his co-worker is delivering papers on his route in south Minneapolis and at about 4am, at 22nd Street and 26th ave. he's chased by another vehicle containing several occupants. Shots are fired at him and his car is struck several times. He manages to call 911 and the police arrest one suspect. The caller describes seeing his co-workers car and says the holes in it were made by a large caliber bullet and one bullet just missed his co-workers head by inches. Also he says he saw the suspect the police apprehended yes, sadly, a black youth probably in his late teens. Of course this is all from some guy calling in to a radio show but he sounded credible. He said he didn't think his co-worker would be going back to his job and he certainly would not be taking that route. Someone on the show suggested that Mayor Rybeck could take over that newspaper route tomorrow morning -alone. Unlike his midnight stroll around block E a couple weeks ago where he was surrounded by armed police officers. Minneapolis is perfectly safe! Just something for your case files. I've been reading your website a lot lately and when I heard this guys story I thought I'd pass it on. Keep up the good work.
Dave E
Minneapolis

Yes, I understand this is a secondhand, uncorroborated story, but interesting if true. I'd like to confirm it one way or another.

"School Squatter" Turns Violent

The "feel good" story of the Apple Valley, MN, illegal alien "school squatter" encapsulates how the left, and in particular the pro-illegal immigration forces, are trying their best to bring our country down to a third-world level by allowing unfettered ability for anyone to enter our borders.

The people who support the gatherings going on across America couch their agenda by calling them "immigration rallies" when in fact they have nothing to do with immigration. They are about illegal, criminal behavior. They are about illegal trespassing on a sovereign nation.

Most fair-minded citizens of America would encourage legal immigration, but there is much resentment at the coddling of lawbreakers.

A case in point is the story of the "school squatter", Francisco Javier Serrano, an illegal alien who has been championed by the MSM and leftist outfits for being a hard-luck case of a young man who was just trying to make it in America. He has been discovered while "squatting" for several weeks in the Apple Valley (MN) High School.

Liberals cried and carried on about letting him stay in the state to give him a chance. Deporting him would be cruel and inhumane.

Then local real estate developer Basim Sabri agreed to take him in, and gave him an apartment to live in and provided him with money while his deportation proceedings went forward. Meanwhile, Mr. Sabri had been sent to prison on corruption charges.

Mr. Serrano was ultimately ordered to be deported.

However, instead of complying with the order, he absconded.

Serrano -- whose story piqued the nation's interest and garnered him support from high school students to a high-profile Twin Cities businessman -- never got on the flight.

Absconded until until now, that is, as the Red Star reports:

An illegal immigrant from Mexico who turned Apple Valley High School into his home for a time then vanished after being ordered to leave the country is in a Massachusetts jail, authorities said Tuesday night.

Francisco Javier Serrano, 22, is accused of breaking into a Boston apartment late last month wearing a ski mask and wielding a butcher knife. He was arrested when police found Serrano and the victim struggling on the street, according to a police report.

Not only was he caught, the sweet little angel was caught in a violent act.

This isn't a great example for the pro-illegal immigration forces, is it?

The Suffolk County jail confirmed Tuesday night that Serrano was in custody. Igbanugo said local Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have confirmed that information.

"This is not the Francisco Serrano that I represented," Igbanugo said. "I always thought he was honest and sincere."

You've been duped, Mr. Igbanugo, just like many who are marching in the streets in support of opening our borders to many good people, yes, but many bad people as well.

[Note: I'm cross-posting this entry to Rambix and Anti-Strib because the subject matter of this post cuts across the mission of each]

Non-partisan Tax Day

Brought to you as a public service, because both parties are failing us when it comes to taxing and spending (and no, the Greens are not a real party):

BIG TAX DAY RALLY AT THE ST. PAUL CAPITOL - SATURDAY, APRIL 15

Saturday, April 15th there will be a tax rally on the state capitol steps from 11:30am - 12:30pm. This is a non-partisan event so all are welcome to attend and speak out.

Minnesota is the 4th highest taxed state! We can do much better. So bring your biggest home-made sign to tell the politicians you pay too much in taxes!

NO NEW FEES! NO NEW TAXES! Say no to more spending NOW!

Please tell friends and family about this event, or post this on your blog. We look forward to seeing you there!

Corey Stern
Taxpayer Advocate

Brutal Robbery/Stabbing in Vadnais Heights

KARE 11 reports on a violent robbery in Vadnais Heights, MN, which occurred last night shortly before 9:00 pm:

Ramsey County Sheriff's officials expect it'll be only a matter of time before they arrest two men who attacked a Vadnais Heights store owner last night.

The incident happened just before nine o'clock at Lee's Superette in the seven-hundred block of County Road D, just south of Interstate 694. Two men, one armed with a butcher knife, stormed into the store and bolted over the counter.

A state-of-the-art video surveillance system taped the entire assault.

While one of the would-be robbers held the clerk, the other lunged at him with a knife. But 28-year-old Amar Albossad fought the two off and eventually grabbed a knife of his own, chasing them out of the store with a knife and baseball bat.

Ah, the power of self-defense.

We've learned from the Uptown murder of Michael Zebuhr that we can't remain passive victims any longer. Today's breed of criminal scum doesn't care about you or your life, and they'll take it from you in a heartbeat. Amar Albossad did the right thing.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said he believes the two were trying to kill the clerk and then steal his money. Fletcher said the assailants had been in the store earlier and knew Albossad had about $900 cash in his pockets in addition to the money in the register,[sic]

At one point on the tape, it appears one of the would-be robber's hand was in pocket Albossad's pants.

Sheriff Fletcher said "Nine hundred dollars is not a lot of money to get killed over," but added, "desperate gang members, drug dealers, drug users do desperate acts for small amounts of money."

Unlike the previous story, this one has suspect descriptions:

The two assailants were described as Hispanic males in the their late teens or early twenties, both about five feet eight inches tall. One had a two or three inch pony tail.

Now we know what to look for. Let's hope these rats are caught and brought to justice forthwith.

Shots Ring Out In Minneapolis, Part 2

On December 23, 2005, I reported a shooting at Wendy's Restaurant on Lake St. in Minneapolis here:

Patrons of Wendys on Lake St. in Minneapolis celebrate the pre-Christmas hours Minneapolis-style; the Red Star reports:

Two people were shot Thursday night in Minneapolis after one or more suspects fired several rounds from a semiautomatic weapon into a Wendy's restaurant on the 200 block of W. Lake Street.

Guns and gangs rule the streets in South Minneapolis along Lake Street. Most folks just want to survive and get home safely at night, but the bad elements come from far and wide to make things very uncomfortable. Just pray you're not sitting next to some homie at Wendys who is a target of a gang hit.

Well, it happened again late Monday night, according to KSTP Eyewitness News:

Minneapolis police are searching for two teenagers after a double shooting at a fast food restaurant in south Minneapolis late Monday night.

The teens walked up to a car in the Wendy's parking lot on West Lake St. and Pillsbury Ave. and shot two people sitting in a car. One victim ran into the restaurant, the other flagged down a car and got a ride to the Hennepin County Medical Center.

Police say the victims were targeted.

"It appears it had nothing to do with Wendys and it doesn't appear to be a random shooting, it appears they shot them in the car for some reason," said Lt. Mike Sauro, of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Police say both victims were seriously wounded but should survive their injuries. Officers say the suspects are teenage boys.

The criminals remain on the loose. No suspect descriptions have been given, other than noting they are teenagers.

Be on the lookout for teenagers, I guess.

A Local Perspective On Uptown Violence

While typically a newspaper for the urban socialists, the Southwest (Minneapolis) Journal can be a good source of information for the occasional article on crime and it's effect on residents. The paper is fairly high quality, but is generally geared toward local leftist politics, "renewable resources", or the liberal cause du jour (sorry about the French). However, when a major event like the Michael Zebuhr murder happens, even they won't ignore it: "Uptown residents look for answers, ways to fight crime following brutal murder".

Note the use of "brutal murder", which is exactly what it was. I applaud a news organization that can tell it straight.

There are some interesting comments by local residents:

While the more than 100 residents present at the March 21 community meeting voiced their shock and sorrow over the seemingly unprovoked attack, it was clear their frustration was about more than just this one incident.

Robberies in the 5th Precinct are up 43 percent compared to last year as of March 27, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

Although robberies in the 5th Precinct are actually down half a percent when averaged over the last three years, one area resident after another spoke out at the community meeting about the noticeable increase in crime, especially robberies and burglaries.

“Criminals are viewing our neighborhood as an ATM. They know their handgun is an ATM card and each of us is a potential money source,” said Mike Flowers, who lives on Girard Avenue South.

Did you read any of these kind of quotes in the Red Star?

Many residents have been the victims of robberies or burglaries themselves or know someone close to them who has been, said Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG) Community Coordinator Scott Engel.

“Robberies are up like crazy, and that's what people are reacting to,” said Engel, who has worked in CARAG for nearly six years. “They know neighbors, they know family or they know friends who have been robbed, and this is different from the past.”

Two years ago, Engel said, crime was not a concern in the neighborhood. But in the last few years, he's been hearing more from residents who are frightened by the increase in the number and violent nature of crimes in the area.

“It's people with guns and people with knives, and we're seeing a lot more of it,” Engel said.

While this is an obviously negative topic, the comments are very refreshing to hear. Despite the spin you might get from the MSM, the average Joe in the Uptown, Minneapolis area is very concerned. And make no mistake, this area probably votes 80% liberal ticket, so these are no law and order conservatives. Even liberals can have a sense of self-preservation.

This is why more folks are turning to alternate sources of information like Rambix and the Red Star, Anti-Strib, etc.

Did you know about this:

A quick glance through police reports filed in Southwest during the first few months of this year shows a host of robberies similar to the one that led to Zebuhr's death.

During a Feb. 22 incident in the CARAG neighborhood - where Zebuhr's attack occurred - a suspect approached a 63-year-old woman from behind at West 32nd Street and Aldrich Avenue South and stole her wallet. The next day, a suspect robbed a 53-year-old man at gunpoint at West 34th Street and Lyndale Avenue South and stole his wallet. Both incidents occurred in the early evening.

Other Uptown neighborhoods, like the Wedge, have seen similar incidents. On Feb. 22, a suspect robbed two women and a man at gunpoint on the 2700 block of Colfax Avenue South. And the same week Zebuhr was shot, five men assaulted a man at 40th Street and Blaisdell Avenue in the Kingfield neighborhood. The men punched and kicked the victim and yelled “gimme your money” before fleeing.

Your people feel unsafe, Mayor Rybak. And these aren't just your city's visitors. These are your constituents. Your business owners aren't too happy either:

Mike Sherwood, who recently opened his second Pizza Nea restaurant at 1221 W. Lake St., pointed out that Uptown employees leaving work late with pockets full of tip money are especially vulnerable to robberies. He said one of his servers was mugged and beaten recently, suffering several broken teeth in the attack. Business in the area will likely suffer for a while as potential customers remain wary about visiting Uptown, he said.

“Nobody wants business to be slow, but what's more important here is that somebody lost their life,” Sherwood said.

There's a lot more information in the article, including some perspectives (from both sides) on police/community relations, and it's worth a read if you live, work, or play in the Uptown, Minneapolis area.

Once again, Mayor Rybak's Minneapolis has a systemic problem with gangs, thugs, and other riff-raff. It's time to clean the city of it's filth. There's too much at stake.

The Minneapolis Quagmire Continues

In Minneapolis, the weekend brought more shootings and violence, and for some reason only a few hardy souls ventured to Block E for entertainment, as the Red Star reports: "On edge around Block E" (front page, above the fold in the deadtree edition):

On most Friday nights, clubbers usually squeeze in shoulder-to-shoulder at the Lone Tree to dance to the Top 40 tunes in the upstairs bar. Tonight, most tables are empty as the peak hour of midnight approaches.
...
While Rankin doesn't think people should be afraid to party downtown, he welcomes a greater police presence.

"From a business standpoint, it made me pretty angry that the city kind of spun it," he says, referring to comments made by city leaders over the last week that downtown is safe. "They keep saying there isn't a problem. But there is. And they need to tell people they're going to do something about it."

The presence of undesireables has prevented Block E from being a venue for family-friendly entertainment, and the shooting a week ago was not the first serious crime to break out in the area. It is, however, the first highly publicized violence, and that has had significant ramifications. Even people who only occasionally follow the news have heard about this crime, and are talking about it.

Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Quagmire deepens.

KSTP Eyewitness News reports: "A deadly weekend in Minneapolis, two shootings, one fatal".

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - One day after Mayor R.T. Rybak and Gov. Tim Pawlenty held a summit to discuss fighting crime, Minneapolis police were investigating two new shootings.

Around 12:45 a.m. Saturday, police found a man lying on the sidewalk next to a SuperAmerica convenience store in the east Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis.

Garey Anthony Hannah Jr., 28, of Minneapolis, was shot multiple times and died at the scene. It was the 16th homicide in Minneapolis this year.

Yes, it's a high(er)-crime area of the city, but does that make this man's murder any less significant? Mr. Hannah , Jr. was not the only victim Saturday:

Across town, police were looking for another gunman from a shooting around 11:30 a.m. in north Minneapolis. The victim was shot once in the stomach. Police spokesman Ron Reier said the man was expected to survive.

There were no immediate arrests, and police said they didn't immediately know of a motive in either shooting.

Minneapolis City Councilman and long-time activist Don Samuels isn't pleased with the results of last week's meeting between Governor Pawlenty and Minneapolis city officials:

"I don't give a damn about 15 cops, I want long-term solutions," he said.

Samuels said he was angry with Pawlenty because he was not invited to Friday's meeting.

"I'm a black man, I'm a city council member, I live in the community," he said. "Why wouldn't he ask me?"

Samuels said fighting poverty is the real solution.

"Lift up the lower classes to equal status with the rest of his society," he said. "That's what we have to do, that's what we promised history we would do."

Mr. Samuels, blaming poverty for the actions of criminals is an assumption that will lead no solution. There are enough opportunities for any person to attain success in our society if they have the desire to do so. Unfortunately, there are too many people who refuse to become part of the culture of civility.

It's a free country, and all of us are blessed with free will. It's up to each of us how we use those gifts.

Poverty will always be with us, but criminal intent doesn't have to follow.