Under Siege In Northeast Minneapolis

KSTP Eyewitness News reports more brazen armed robberies in Northeast Minneapolis. You may recall this recent post about an elderly man getting beaten and robbed in his own Northeast home by a group of criminals. The violence appears to be worse than initial reports would suggest: "Armed robbers strike northeast Minneapolis".

The suspects in an armed robbery at a northeast Minneapolis party may have been responsible for other crimes.

The robbery happened to a group of friends who were gathered on a quiet street in front of Joe Stromberg’s house.

Stromberg says two men approached him and put a gun to his head.

"They just came up, ‘Where is your money? Where is your money? Give us your money!" he says.

He says the suspects demanded money from every one in the group and moved on after getting a wallet and an ATM card.

Another woman, who requests to remain anonymous, says she was sitting in a truck parked nearby when the same suspects approached her.

"The next thing I know there's someone with a gun pointed right at me," she says.

Residents feel abandoned by the police:

Police say crime in the area has increased, and neighbors say there has been more graffiti and car break-ins.

Neighborhood resident Maura Trout says an armed robbery is disturbing.

"We feel a little bit abandoned by the police department since they had all of the budget cuts,” she says.

I would suggest that budget cuts are not responsible. Poor resource allocation is the culprit, and you can take your concerns straight to the mayor and the city council.

I thought the Guardian Angels were in deployment in Northeast. If not, they're needed.