The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

I have to admit that while I read this story I seriously rethought moving to the Philips neighborhood and my practice of walking up and down Hennepin Avenue in Uptown. Why stay here and risk that happening if I can move to (insert suburb) and be virtually assured it will never happen?

What is one to say about an area when, if these people were anywhere else in the Cities this would not have happened?

Kevin:

And in moving to (insert suburb) you will be virtually assured that you will never think about walking again...

Even as a "suburbian resident" living in Apple Valley, I can't say that they are any more safe than anywhere else... Please let me know when the drug-related murders and windshield bashings (with shovels) cease in Burnsville.

I really fear the days when suburbs like Apple Valley (loaded with cheap and quickly constructed housing packed tightly together) become the new home to lower income people as the rest of us are pushed further and further out.

I'll echo what's been said thus far, ranging from not living in NORTH to North as a non-monolithic entity, the greatness of Uptown walkability, and the day when cheap housing transfers blight to the suburbs.

Every day, my fiancee's mom hears about something happening in Minneapolis, and immediately assumes her daughter and I are in immediate danger because the incident was in a 5 mile radius of Uptown. Her son is much closer to that action, just across the imaginary border in Brooklyn Center. Never mind that the safety of city living is proven -- intentional death/injury rates in the city are balanced out by the higher rate of accidental death in exurban areas (lots more driving). Another way of spinning that is to say you're less likely to die by the hands of a stranger in the city.

I'd personally like to invite any and all who think it's only safe to live in the suburbs, to move there. We don't want you in the city anyway.

Brooklyn Cente? Richfield? East Bloomington? already the hood.

There was a report in the Strib last year that said it was safer to live in the citiy then in the suburbs. Something about having a greater chance at getting into a serious car accident then getting shot or attacked.

jmullan, be warned: I'm going to steal that line from you.

Bx, the story was in the Strib, just to be clear. Or don't you find it noteworthy that 40 people have been wounded in North Minneapolis in just over a month? All I was suggesting is that there has been, in general, a lot of anti-suburban bias on MNSpeak, which is, of course, balanced by a lot of anti-city bias in the suburbs (and the Legislature.)

Further, I should have noted that most of the violence on the north side is black on black and doesn't receive the coverage that the shooting of one white woman engenders in the paper and all the TV stations. Maybe we could talk about that instead of who owns MNSpeak, because, for the life of me, I can't quite fathom MNSpeak's ownership's relevance to this discussion...unless of course you think we should just concentrate on who's playing at First Avenue this week.

P.S. I live in the city, and have been the victim of a violent crime...in the city.

Regardless of ownership...last time I checked posts were supposed to be local and relevant; both of which I feel this post is.

So said ----:

"And really, one reason some people choose to live in the burbs is definitely a somewhat irrational fear of crime, it's not unsaid at all, racism is also a reason, and that is not unsaid either if you can read their code."

Let me in on the code, ----, as I am unenlightened.

Taylor is correct. Just this morning I eliminated 2 trophy wives from the Lifetime Fitness Club in Maple Groves. Behold the roundhouse.

lol Jason!

btw, any chance we could get a quote feature/function for commenting?

When I bring friends out here they are either amazed or horrified. There's not a lot of inbetween when it comes to the MG's development. Consider me a 'tweener. I love the convenience, despise the homogeny.

I'm not positive: but WCCO and KARE own our helicopters. In Denver and in many other cities, stations lease choppers from other companies. As part of the lease, they get x number of hours in the air. So there's a higher incentive to fly all the time.

Here, the incentive is much lower. In Milwaukee at my old station, we flew every day. The "traffic" report was just an excuse to have the chopper up in the air at news time in the event that breaking news happened.

Brooklyn Center the hood? Oh my.

I grew up there, my parents still live there and they don't lock their doors. Yes, it's terrifying.

Thanks, Slim. Incidentally, I don't want to be attacked as anti-trophy wife. I'm firmly pro-trophy wife.

Why does everyone insist on fighting about which is better--suburbs or urban areas? The fact is that both exist and they always will. What gets lost in all this is rural areas: cool or uncool? Safe or unsafe? If you actually think you're cooler or more informed or more diverse just because you live in "the city," forget it. I live in an ancient complex around Minnetonka/SLP/Hopkins and I see more African Americans in my own building than I do in Uptown or NE. And there's liberals too. Even some gays! Who knew they existed outside of "the city"?

And why do I live in the 'burbs? Because I work in the burbs and want to cut down on my commute. Plus, it's much cheaper for a nicer place, and I can still walk to some (locally owned) shops. And I practically live in a park. It's great.

This whole thread is a crock of paranoid bs at its worst. Why is tom bernard posting on here anyway? Aren't there enough outlets for the White Racist Majority to spew their Hateful Garbage? In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Owner, people have been streaming into downtown minneapolis condos for the bast couple of years to ESCAPE the mind numbing boredom of the Suburbs -Applebys, Olive Garden, Wal-Mart uber alles et. al. They don't come because they want to be hip elitists. They come because they crave culture and a sense of community. So MOST thinking people DON'T prefer the Suburbs. Perhaps you should.

Yes, but you seem to have forgotten the point here...

40 DAMN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHOT IN ONE MONTH.

Not in the metro area, not in the Twin Cities, not even in Minneapolis...

Just in North Minneapolis alone. So shut up about how awesome the city is, and maybe try to think about why this has happened, and why neither the mayor nor the police chief seem to care.

How many hipsters on MNSpeak came from a suburb anywhere, raise your hand? Almost all of you. That's what I thought.

How many hipsters on MNSpeak came from a suburb anywhere, raise your hand?

Nope. Mpls born and raised.

And DaveM, check out Chicago's map!

It wouldn't be a problem if all of the hip people moved into the city, and the bad people moved into the burbs. It's a win-win situation. ;)

savman, you are right. The real story here is the fact that 40 people have been shot in North Minneapolis this year. But what needs to be done to stop the violence? Are the funding cuts in the city adding to the problem?

It seems like the good people of North Minneapolis are sick of it and have tried to organize events and a citizen watch, but it doesn't seem to be working. Why not?

To me it seems like crime and the economy are linked. Not to try and explain what causes crime in 100 words but I personally think that recovery from the bad economy of the last few years has yet to reach the people that are most effected and being jobless with no future leads to drug use and crime.

Anyone know if they have micro umemployment stats for areas of the city? I would guess that the higher the unemployment rate is in an area the higher the crime and I don't think that crime for the most part is causing unemployment if you get my drift.

Maybe we need programs to get some of these 15-30 male year olds good jobs and a future.