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.