Local media finally notice year-end crime surge in Minneapolis

Way back on December 4, I wrote about the developing crime spree emerging in Minneapolis. Local media are finally catching up.

The city’s official Crime Dashboard (updated through Christmas Day) indicates that there have been 13 murders in the last four weeks. Year-to-date, there have been 83 homicides recorded in Minneapolis, one above the total from last year at this time. That’s down from the three-year average of 90, with a few days still to go.

On Christmas Eve, MPR News reported,

Two violent deaths in Minneapolis in a 24-hour period has the chief of police worried.

Now he’s worried? The Hennepin County coroner has recorded 14 murders in Minneapolis since Thanksgiving. These include eleven shootings and three stabbings.

On Christmas Day, KSTP-TV reported,

City data on Monday showed Minneapolis experienced more homicides, people hurt by gunfire and domestic aggravated assaults in the last 28 days than the city has tallied in the same time frame for at least the last four years.

The KSTP report includes reactions from pro-police city council member Latrisha Vetaw (Ward 4). The situation was so bad over the weekend that it caught the attention of anti-police city council member Jason Chavez (Ward 9), who wrote on Twitter (X),

As disturbing as these incidents are, last week saw a particularly alarming development, again, as reported by KSTP,

A community in north Minneapolis shared concerns Wednesday [Dec. 20] while recalling the moment gunshots hit a local day care center where kids were meeting with Santa Claus.

It happened at around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday near 34th Avenue North and Penn Avenue North. While investigating, officers found that at least two of the rounds hit the nearby day care, shattering one window and damaging another.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt or even in the room that was damaged.

The city’s reaction? Minneapolis is spending $500,000 on a survey tool to gather residents’ thoughts on the police. The Star Tribune reports,

Public safety officials in Minneapolis announced a new digital tool Wednesday they say will help collect residents’ feedback and provide a more holistic picture of community perception of the city’s Police Department.

Out with the old, in with the new.