The Cat Was Fast As Lightning
After spending a few days visiting friends in New York City last weekend, I returned home to Minneapolis this week, only to see one theme constantly splayed across the covers of our local newspapers and websites:
CRIME!
According to an FBI report released Monday, crime in Minneapolis last year jumped a whopping 35.5% from 2004. Although the MPLS police department was quick to point out that a "computer glitch" had affected the reported statistics -- suggesting that crime had increased only by 15% -- the damage had already been done. A slew have articles have thus been penned, many detailing the need for an adequate response by the Mayor's office, as well as the expected call for more neighborhood meetings and citizen watch groups. In short: a need for Vigilance. Or, in other words: a Minnesota Nice version of Giuliani Time!
From a recent Star Tribune editorial:
11 June 2006
Minneapolis could learn from New York
Minneapolis is a city moving rapidly in opposite directions.
As its grand new downtown library prepared to open last month, crews were dispatched to scrub the reeking bus stop/public urinal just across the street. As the Guthrie scrambled to open its new theater with majestic views of the river, workers hastened to remove graffiti smothering the Third Avenue Bridge. As luxury condo towers continue to rise, new residents hesitate to explore downtown on foot, not for fear of crime -- downtown is remarkably safe -- but because a perception of neglect and distrust grips the sidewalks. Many are treeless and shabby, lined with broken fences, crumbling curbs and blank storefronts. Some are sprinkled with panhandlers, drug dealers and foul-talking youth.
As author Malcolm Gladwell has written, context matters. People act as their environment suggests. Most people will avoid even the perception of hassle or disorder; criminals flock to such an environment.
Downtown is increasingly where the high life meets the low. Police describe a developing turf war between the hundreds of thousands of lawful people who daily live, work and visit one of America's best and liveliest downtowns, and a handful of persistently disorderly people who threaten the city's aspirations. This is a delicate matter because poverty, race, culture, mental illness and Minnesota's social conscience are all in play.
But the single most important feature of successful urban life is trusting the stranger. When trust breaks down and comfort recedes, when cities overlook small crimes -- from littering to loitering -- they risk losing everything. Minneapolis has not reached New York's 1980s tipping point, as described in Steve Berg's essay on this section's front page. It may never. But the astonishing rebirth of Times Square -- and much of Manhattan -- offers lessons.
Aggressive policing (sometimes overly aggressive) did remove thousands of petty criminals from the streets and played some part in New York's dramatic decline in violent crime. Just as important was a beefed-up court system designed to swiftly handle livability cases, as well as an insistence on restorative justice and a menu of generous and mandatory social services. New York's approach balanced the public's right to clean and non-threatening public spaces with offenders' needs for drug treatment, job training, housing and other services. Minneapolis, too, should employ both the hammer and the helping hand.
Citizens must demand higher standards for public behavior and the upkeep of property. Police must act decisively while making clear that arrests are based solely on behavior, not race. Courts must stop dumping livability offenders back on the streets. They need clearer procedures, better computers and far more resources, especially for probation and mental health. Judges and legislators, meanwhile, must acknowledge more fully the cumulative cost of livability crime. Hundreds of millions of dollars and untold dreams have been invested in new downtown homes, cultural venues, transit and businesses. Having come this far, the city cannot now retreat.
The city has responded in a couple of ways to fight the supposed onslaught of "low life," one technique is indeed provocative (despite its Orwellian undertones). On Friday, the Minneapolis city council approved $325,000 for a technology called the ShotSpotter. Mounted on top of utility poles and buildings covering four square miles of the city, ShotSpotter's sensors can detect the precise location of where a gunshot was fired. Within eight seconds the Police are on it. As Keith Summey, mayor of North Charleston, South Carolina, succinctly testifies: "This gives us a step up over the bad guys. " Well said, Mayor. Bad Guys.
For further evidence of how effective the device works, ShotSpotter's website displays a photo of a gun in a cardboard box. Nice work, indeed.
Also this week, Metro Transit took its own steps to purge Downtown of its great unwashed by enlisting a Superhero. Rest assured, it didn't lure Batman away from Gotham -- it got the next best thing....
Hello...Dolly!
Yes, cruising around Block E at a breakneck speed of 16mph, the segway is the Metro Transit's latest attempt of crushing those cheaters who fail to pay their light-rail fare. And, according to a recent Strib article on it, it's pretty goddamn "cool."
The Cop on the Beat Simply Glides Down the Street
by Bill McAuliffe
June 15, 2006
photo by Stormi Greener, Star Tribune
In the heart of the Minneapolis theater district, two Metro Transit police officers stole the show Wednesday.
Officers Donn Wallin and Scott Tinucci combined law enforcement with what looked like a circus act, putting their new Segway Human Transporters through a street and sidewalk test.
"Cool!" several passersby said. Three skateboarders gave them a thumbs-up.
"How fast do those things go?" asked a motorcyclist turning a corner in front of them.
"One hundred!" Tinucci shot back with a laugh.
The two $6,000 cruisers actually top out at about 16 miles per hour, but officials expect them to be a valuable addition to downtown street patrols.
"That's faster than I can run," Wallin said.
The two-wheeled, battery-powered devices are expected to move officers quickly through crowds and help them see and be seen over most people's heads. They'll be used primarily at the Metrodome light-rail platforms on game days and along Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Mall.
More than 125 law enforcement agencies around the world use Segways, according to Carla Vallone, spokeswoman for the manufacturer. St. Paul police have a pair, donated by a business group, for use downtown. In some cities, parking monitors and utility inspectors use them to help lower emissions and fuel costs, Vallone said.
Bloomington's bomb squad, which works all over the state, uses them so that its bomb-searchers can cover more ground and expend less energy in non-breathable, 100-pound suits.
Metro Transit bought the Segways with federal money.
In only their second day on the rigs, Tinucci and Wallin said their biggest problem was watching out for sidewalk obstacles, particularly low-hung signs. And they were able to respond to one traffic accident and help with one collar.
"Plus, people love these things," Wallin said.
Sigh. Ahh, love.
According to an FBI report released Monday, crime in Minneapolis last year jumped a whopping 35.5% from 2004. Although the MPLS police department was quick to point out that a "computer glitch" had affected the reported statistics -- suggesting that crime had increased only by 15% -- the damage had already been done. A slew have articles have thus been penned, many detailing the need for an adequate response by the Mayor's office, as well as the expected call for more neighborhood meetings and citizen watch groups. In short: a need for Vigilance. Or, in other words: a Minnesota Nice version of Giuliani Time!
From a recent Star Tribune editorial:
11 June 2006
Minneapolis could learn from New York
Minneapolis is a city moving rapidly in opposite directions.
As its grand new downtown library prepared to open last month, crews were dispatched to scrub the reeking bus stop/public urinal just across the street. As the Guthrie scrambled to open its new theater with majestic views of the river, workers hastened to remove graffiti smothering the Third Avenue Bridge. As luxury condo towers continue to rise, new residents hesitate to explore downtown on foot, not for fear of crime -- downtown is remarkably safe -- but because a perception of neglect and distrust grips the sidewalks. Many are treeless and shabby, lined with broken fences, crumbling curbs and blank storefronts. Some are sprinkled with panhandlers, drug dealers and foul-talking youth.
As author Malcolm Gladwell has written, context matters. People act as their environment suggests. Most people will avoid even the perception of hassle or disorder; criminals flock to such an environment.
Downtown is increasingly where the high life meets the low. Police describe a developing turf war between the hundreds of thousands of lawful people who daily live, work and visit one of America's best and liveliest downtowns, and a handful of persistently disorderly people who threaten the city's aspirations. This is a delicate matter because poverty, race, culture, mental illness and Minnesota's social conscience are all in play.
But the single most important feature of successful urban life is trusting the stranger. When trust breaks down and comfort recedes, when cities overlook small crimes -- from littering to loitering -- they risk losing everything. Minneapolis has not reached New York's 1980s tipping point, as described in Steve Berg's essay on this section's front page. It may never. But the astonishing rebirth of Times Square -- and much of Manhattan -- offers lessons.
Aggressive policing (sometimes overly aggressive) did remove thousands of petty criminals from the streets and played some part in New York's dramatic decline in violent crime. Just as important was a beefed-up court system designed to swiftly handle livability cases, as well as an insistence on restorative justice and a menu of generous and mandatory social services. New York's approach balanced the public's right to clean and non-threatening public spaces with offenders' needs for drug treatment, job training, housing and other services. Minneapolis, too, should employ both the hammer and the helping hand.
Citizens must demand higher standards for public behavior and the upkeep of property. Police must act decisively while making clear that arrests are based solely on behavior, not race. Courts must stop dumping livability offenders back on the streets. They need clearer procedures, better computers and far more resources, especially for probation and mental health. Judges and legislators, meanwhile, must acknowledge more fully the cumulative cost of livability crime. Hundreds of millions of dollars and untold dreams have been invested in new downtown homes, cultural venues, transit and businesses. Having come this far, the city cannot now retreat.
The city has responded in a couple of ways to fight the supposed onslaught of "low life," one technique is indeed provocative (despite its Orwellian undertones). On Friday, the Minneapolis city council approved $325,000 for a technology called the ShotSpotter. Mounted on top of utility poles and buildings covering four square miles of the city, ShotSpotter's sensors can detect the precise location of where a gunshot was fired. Within eight seconds the Police are on it. As Keith Summey, mayor of North Charleston, South Carolina, succinctly testifies: "This gives us a step up over the bad guys. " Well said, Mayor. Bad Guys.
For further evidence of how effective the device works, ShotSpotter's website displays a photo of a gun in a cardboard box. Nice work, indeed. Also this week, Metro Transit took its own steps to purge Downtown of its great unwashed by enlisting a Superhero. Rest assured, it didn't lure Batman away from Gotham -- it got the next best thing....
Yes, cruising around Block E at a breakneck speed of 16mph, the segway is the Metro Transit's latest attempt of crushing those cheaters who fail to pay their light-rail fare. And, according to a recent Strib article on it, it's pretty goddamn "cool."
The Cop on the Beat Simply Glides Down the Street
by Bill McAuliffe
June 15, 2006
In the heart of the Minneapolis theater district, two Metro Transit police officers stole the show Wednesday.
Officers Donn Wallin and Scott Tinucci combined law enforcement with what looked like a circus act, putting their new Segway Human Transporters through a street and sidewalk test.
"Cool!" several passersby said. Three skateboarders gave them a thumbs-up.
"How fast do those things go?" asked a motorcyclist turning a corner in front of them.
"One hundred!" Tinucci shot back with a laugh.
The two $6,000 cruisers actually top out at about 16 miles per hour, but officials expect them to be a valuable addition to downtown street patrols.
"That's faster than I can run," Wallin said.
The two-wheeled, battery-powered devices are expected to move officers quickly through crowds and help them see and be seen over most people's heads. They'll be used primarily at the Metrodome light-rail platforms on game days and along Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Mall.
More than 125 law enforcement agencies around the world use Segways, according to Carla Vallone, spokeswoman for the manufacturer. St. Paul police have a pair, donated by a business group, for use downtown. In some cities, parking monitors and utility inspectors use them to help lower emissions and fuel costs, Vallone said.
Bloomington's bomb squad, which works all over the state, uses them so that its bomb-searchers can cover more ground and expend less energy in non-breathable, 100-pound suits.
Metro Transit bought the Segways with federal money.
In only their second day on the rigs, Tinucci and Wallin said their biggest problem was watching out for sidewalk obstacles, particularly low-hung signs. And they were able to respond to one traffic accident and help with one collar.
"Plus, people love these things," Wallin said.
Sigh. Ahh, love.
Post By :The (612)
3 Comments:
Your cynicism is charming. Rhetorical cover for the "low life" by sanctimonious elitists disparaging the quaint quest for "livability" is what keeps the Murderopolis label applicable.
Maybe I misread you. I agree that the bold steps taken thus far are pathetic. Expensive and ineffective pretty much sums up this city's favored methods of problem solving. I just find it frustrating that civil rights fetishists and race panderers make it politically unfeasible to actually fight crime in this town. The Strib may sound tough on crime now, but they will be first to give editorial support to any activist group claiming that arrests for loitering are racist or Orwellian.
Well, I'm not sure if I've been misread.
I surely know that the "quest" for livability is by no means unworthy. Not only do I work downtown, but I live there as well. I even lived downtown in the Hey Hey Day of Murderapolis '95! (and surely remember how much...it...sucked).
I'm all for these programs, I promise you (despite the craziness of their implementation...). I'm even one of those whose life was made better by Giuliani's/Bloomberg's "quality of life" laws when I lived in Manhattan...so I'm not one to complain about enforcement.
If you want my point, it's this: if the city of Minneapolis wants to "fix" the problem, it can do it. The problem, however, is that this city is trying to be both Hard, and Soft. Essentially, I have no problem with ShotSpotter, or Segways 'r Us -- or even the curbside cameras that tried to ticket those who ran Red Lights...I just simply wish the city would be both consistent about its "ideas" to fight "crime," and to give a coherent Program of how to fight it. Inconsistent, random programs are not going to stymie the hell that periodically happens downtown. It's as if the city gets solicited by different programs every other month...and ultimately decides: "Yes, that'll do...Oh, yes, that'll do Too!"
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