Minneapolis Could Be the Next Memphis

Reassessing Our Approach to Crime and Violence

Tuesday morning, I spent an hour discussing crime and violence in the city with someone, assuming we were both dismayed by the Monday morning shooting at Lake and I-35W where five people were wounded—the city’s third mass shooting in three weeks. It turned out he was referring to a different incident: the shooting of seven people (originally reported as eight) early Tuesday morning at the homeless encampment at Lake and 28th Avenue. That makes four mass shootings in three weeks. It seems I must read the news more frequently if I want to keep up with the violence in Minneapolis.

Tuesday’s shooting occurred at the encampment that developer Hamoudi Sabri was hosting on his vacant parking lot. In a running battle with the mayor, Sabri had refused multiple requests to close the encampment, instead allowing it to grow into a hub of drug use and violence. Predictably, many on the far left have seized on the encampment as evidence of failures in the mayor’s housing and homelessness policies. But their proposed solutions seem ill-suited to the level of violence, addiction, and sex trafficking now taking place in the city.

Photo of encampment at Lake and 28th Avenue by Terry White.

For example, some council members have called for a navigation center, deployment of violence interrupters, and a tiny home village under a Housing First model. They advocate for collaborating with Hennepin County for more shelter beds, prioritizing the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, enacting citywide gun control if permitted by the state, and increasing support for victims of violence through the Next Step Program.

Some of these proposals may have merit. But none can be implemented quickly. The legislature is unlikely to give Minneapolis authority to set its own gun laws. Even if it did, debate over implementation would likely stretch into next year. Greater collaboration with Hennepin County is needed, but again, that is a process. More shelter beds? Yes. More affordable housing? Yes. These ideas have been discussed for years, but the obstacles remain—among them a lack of convincing evidence that they will succeed.

Hennepin County already spends $190 million annually to address homelessness. If that level of funding hasn’t solved the problem, it is worth asking whether alternatives deserve consideration.

Temporary Fixes to Deep-Seated Problems

The August 27 newsletter, “High-Velocity .223-Caliber Gun Used in Shooting,” highlighted the weapon to emphasize that those responsible for Minneapolis’s violence are armed as if preparing for war. The people using these weapons are not the same as those living in encampments. They are gang members and dealers preying on those encampments. They run the illegal operations responsible for the violence and recriminations we now see. They care little about the details of the city’s homelessness policies.

Patience for aspirational political solutions has worn thin. Much of what has been suggested ignores the reality that some actors in the city have no intention of using shelter beds or seeking wraparound services because they profit from the current situation. It would be more credible if politicians paired their calls for social services with a commitment to enforcing drug laws. Instead, their focus is only on the users. We rarely hear politicians speak about the need to disrupt the networks supplying weapons and drugs. Too many on the left embrace a willful blindness: that today’s crises can be solved by helping only the addicts and unhoused, and once they are treated, the weapons and drugs will vanish. That is a fantasy with deadly consequences.

Photo by Terry White.

Mayor Frey is responding by fencing off problem areas and requesting outside help. State Troopers, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office are now patrolling Lake Street and providing support. Some have called this “a temporary fix to a deep-seated problem.” They are right about the temporary nature, but it is also necessary. If the immediate situation does not improve, the next step may be National Guard troops on Minneapolis streets, as is already happening in Memphis. Some council members fail to see that the city is attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. Whatever missteps or underinvestment may have occurred in the past, the present moment requires decisive action.

Past Abuses Shaping Current Policy

For good reason, Minneapolis has eliminated stop-and-frisk, anti-loitering ordinances, and police chases. These tactics were abused, and their use often showed clear racial bias. The challenge now is to find alternatives. What tools should police have to confiscate weapons and drugs or stop theft? Can we prevent people from poisoning others with fentanyl while also respecting civil rights?

At present, people sell and use drugs with impunity. Residents pay the costs—Narcan doses, unpaid bills at HCMC to revive overdose victims, and the police and fire response once the bullets have been fired and the shooters have fled. We also pay with our fear, and with the space violence occupies in our daily lives.

It may be time to consider mandated treatment and alternatives to incarceration for those who pose a risk to themselves or others due to drug use or mental illness. This suggestion stems from frustration, as well as a sense of urgency. It is made with compassion for the city, and from a belief that there must be an alternative that both supports those struggling and protects residents. Durable, long-term solutions are essential, but they must be pursued in conjunction with mandated treatment, not as an alternative to it.

The former Hennepin County Home School stands, maintained but unused. As a former correctional facility, it already has the capacity to house, feed, and provide culturally specific care. Some will object to this idea. But what is the short-term alternative? As we wait for more housing and for demand for drugs to subside, should residents simply accept a steady stream of mass shootings? And will we even be allowed to wait? There is no guarantee that Trump and his allies won’t impose a solution that satisfies no one.

State Implications

Tim Walz formally announced his run for a third term—one of the worst-timed announcements in recent memory. Filmed in his folksy old truck, cruising through rural Minnesota, he hopes people will believe him when he says he is getting serious about gun violence. He isn’t. He lacks the support, and the promise rings hollow.

How Minneapolis handles its current wave of violence—and how voters interpret that response—may determine whether Walz wins or loses. If the perception persists that the city cannot protect residents or support business, Republicans will have a strong path to the governor’s office and are likely to win both houses of the legislature. If the DFL cannot prove its mettle in the state’s largest city, there will be little tolerance for giving it another round of leadership at the Capitol.

When businesses like Town Hall Tap lose customers because people are afraid to go out, the consequences reach beyond the city. For Minneapolis residents, public safety is the top priority. If city leaders cannot solve it, others will. Walz’s profile as a former vice-presidential candidate makes Minneapolis a likely entry on the “send in the National Guard” list.

Democrats, DFL, liberals—however we describe ourselves—are at a pivotal moment in this state and nation. Unless we find solutions to crime and violence that are both humane and effective, we risk fueling a Republican wave. Yes, we must pursue policies that support the vulnerable, reduce inequality, and celebrate cultural differences. But that cannot be all we do. Equally important is projecting a vision of how to strengthen the economy, manage our cities and state without rampant fraud, and protect residents from both mass shootings and everyday crime.

We can debate the details of mandated treatment, alternatives to incarceration, and gun control. These are not simple issues. But let’s do it quickly—before the next mass shooting occurs in South Minneapolis.