Monday, June 12, 2006

Minneapolis Residents Fed Up

WCCO News reports on the fallout of the recently released FBI figures confirming what this blog has been all about for the last two years - violent crime in Minneapolis is out of control. Not just out of control, but way out of control; worse than anyone imagined.

The powers that be are all atwitter, and the blamecasters and excuse-makers have come out of the woodwork. The FBI numbers are inflated, we're starting new initiatives, it's just a few juveniles causing the problems, they say.

Question: Since the FBI figure is significantly above the Minneapolis Police number (35% vs. 15%), is it possible the police were underreporting the violence? Just askin'.

Here's the WCCO story:

(WCCO) Minneapolis Minneapolis city leaders and neighborhoods are pondering how to stop a growing trend of violent crime.

According to a FBI report released Monday, violent crimes in Minneapolis increased 35 percent in 2005 -- more than any other Midwestern city and one of the largest increases in the nation.

In the afternoon on Monday, the Minneapolis Police Department rebuffed the original figure, saying the increase in violent crimes is actually closer to 15 percent.
Police blame the youngsters. I prefer just blaming criminals, regardless of how old they are.

Police said the new face of crime in the city belongs to young people in fragmented gangs.
Nothing an after-school program can't fix, no?

The fastest growing crimes in Minneapolis are robbery and assault. Residents are now calling for a proactive response to the frightening problem. City leaders say plans are in place.
The plans are in place.

Crime has been escalating for two years, and the plans are in place. Liberals have been carrying on about there allegedly being no post-liberation plan for Iraq; I think they ought to turn their energy closer to home. Minneapolis, for example. Where's the post-Quagmire plan for Minneapolis?

The MSM has all but ignored the crime story for the last two years, so citizens who don't have access to blogs have been blissfully unaware of the crime trends. The present situation, however, makes it all but impossible for the story to be downplayed or minimized by the MSM.

The numbers are simply too bad, and people are scared:

"It really frustrates me. I've lived in the city for a long time and always felt safe and I don't like to hear crime is going up that much," said a Minneapolis resident Norma who asked we only use her first name.

"As a resident of Minneapolis, your personal safety is something that's most important to you," said resident Kristine Danzinger.
Solutions to growing crime have been posted ad nauseum on this blog. I hope that Minneapolis leaders take note; time is short because the news is spreading fast. Only the viability of the city is at stake.