Crime Is On The Rise In The Minneapolis Kingfield And Lyndale Neighborhoods

The Southwest Journal reports a surge in crime in some relatively nice areas of Minneapolis, although I'm not sure how you can tell where one crime wave ends and the next one begins in Minneapolis: "Lyndale and Kingfield neighborhoods hit by crime wave".

By Jake Weyer

Businesses, residents frustrated by vandalism, robberies

Pat Mulroy stocks $500 storefront windows like others stock light bulbs.

He patrols his business, Mulroys Body Shop on Nicollet in the Kingfield neighborhood, like a police officer, and he doesn't hesitate to tell suspicious-looking passerby to get lost.

Thousands of dollars in damage from vandalism and burglaries during the past year have made him this way.

“If I had my radar up any higher, Northwest would be flying into it,” Mulroy said. “I'm frustrated, angry, defensive, suspicious - I'm just livid thinking that something's going to happen.”

This is no way to treat a business owner. It appears that Mulroys is just out of the SAFE Zone, however, so what do they expect? There's no reasonable expectation of civility in the Minneapolis Red Zone.

Residents and business owners in Kingfield and Lyndale have noticed crime beyond the identified corridor. Graffiti, assaults, robberies, burglaries and drug activity has been reported throughout much of the neighborhoods. Gunshot reports are on the rise.

The crime, particularly in Kingfield, is worse than some residents have seen in many years, and they are taking action to stop it.

“I've never heard concerns about crime like I've heard this year,” said Sarah Linnes-Robinson, executive director of the Kingfield Neighborhood Association KFNA. “The neighborhood has been so peaceful for so many years.”

Not anymore; not in the "new" Minneapolis. The crime increase in the city coincides with the tenure of Police Chief McManus, and a good chunk of Mayor Rybak's tenure. People say it's hard to blame those at the top, but how else do they explain the inverse relationship with other similar sized city crime rates in the country?

Sometimes you have to go really local, like the Southwest Journal, to get the true story from the street. Have you seen this information in the Red Star?

Here are the disturbing numbers:

Between Jan. 1 and April 31, Part 1 crimes, which include homicides, rapes, assaults, burglaries, thefts, vehicle thefts and arsons, totaled 113 in Kingfield and 178 in Lyndale. That's up from 84 in Kingfield and 140 offenses in Lyndale during the same period in 2005. In 2004, the neighborhoods had 65 and 157 Part 1 crimes, respectively.

I'm going to have more numbers in a subsequent post that are even more troubling.

“Wherever we put the resources, [criminals] will move elsewhere,” [Crime Prevention Specialist] Thompson said.

Well, that's right. So why aren't we doing something about the criminals themselves? I've posted some excellent solutions by NordEaster, McGruv and others.

The body shop owner is hanging tough, but not every business owner has the cajones he does:

“They're not going to scare me outta here,” Mulroy said.