The Plague Of Violence Continues Near University

The Minnesota Daily (University of Minnesota) reports on the ongoing quagmire of violent crime in Minneapolis, specifically in the proximity of the University: "Residents target violence in Marcy-Holmes neighborhood". You won't read about this in the Red Star.

April 7, 2006

Residents target violence in Marcy-Holmes neighborhood

Students are victims of 80 percent of the robberies in Marcy-Holmes.

By Elizabeth Cook

Because of an increase in crime, including two robberies so far this month in University-area neighborhoods, Marcy-Holmes residents are trying to find solutions.

About 2 a.m. Saturday someone stole a woman’s purse near 14th Street Southeast and Fifth Avenue Southeast, said Greg Hestness, chief of police for the University.

Police recovered her purse and cell phone but didn’t find a suspect.

About 1:30 p.m. Monday a man was sitting in a friend’s apartment on Eighth Street Southeast when two unknown assailants came in. One demanded money while the other went through the man’s pockets and punched the victim in the head.

The focus of the article is the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, but the crime trend there mirrors that of the city as a whole. Residents are uneasy:

Tom Lincoln, volunteer chairman of the safety and livability committee for the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, said there always has been crime in the neighborhood, but not as severe or forced as it is now.

Students should have to worry about their next exam, not becoming a victim of armed robbery or other violence.

The main concern based around the partying is drunk students become easy targets for crime in the neighborhood, Lincoln said. He said 80 percent of robberies have happened to students. Matt Hill, student liaison for the association, said he’s lived in the Marcy-Holmes area for three years, and this is the most crime he’s seen or heard about. Hill encourages students to attend the meeting because they are the ones predominately affected by it. “I think the statistics speak for themselves,” Hill said.

I've reported on a number of occasions on robberies which have occurred on or around campus. The culture of crime has a long reach; it's time to make it stop.