The City Council's Public Health and Safety Committee met yesterday and reviewed a presentation on gun violence and violent crime that shed light into the current situation in the city.

Here are a few points from the report (there are a lot of numbers here, but also lots of important stuff):

  • Homicides in the city are down 15% year-over-year (down to 56 from 66 this time last year), but up 166% since 2019 (21 at this point in 2019).
  • Gunshot wound victims are down 12% year-over-year (down to 349 from 398 this time last year), but up 101% since 2019 (176 at this point in 2019).
  • In 2021, there was one Black shooting victim for every 150 Black residents of Minneapolis. There was one white shooting victim for every 3,768 white residents of Minneapolis.
  • In August of 2020, the Shotspotter technology detected the first instance of fully automatic gunfire in the city. Since then, there have been 390 instances of fully automatic gunfire with a total of more than 4,000 rounds fired across those incidents. Fully automatic gunfire is up 266% year-over-year, with 183 instances in 2022, up from 50 this time last year.
  • 46% of people arrested for firearm offenses in Minneapolis do not live in Minneapolis. This is up from 37% in 2019.
  • Carjackings in the city are up 22% year-over-year (up to 331 from 271 this time last year) and up 519% since 2019 (53 at this point in 2019).
  • A straw purchaser (someone that buys guns and illegally sells them to other people) from Crystal bought 97 firearms in one year. 10 of those guns have been recovered in criminal investigations in the city.
  • Only 16% of the guns recovered in crimes in the city were originally purchased by Minneapolis residents. As the presenter stated, "Our first and second ring suburbs are the majority of the source for firearms ending up in the city."
  • 68% of firearms recovered this year were originally purchased from Minnesota. 5% were purchased in Wisconsin. Guns used in crimes in the city in the last two years were purchased in 45 different states.
  • 282 guns have been stolen in the city this year alone, which is a 36% increase from last year and a 75% increase from 2019. 45% of the guns stolen this year were stolen from vehicles.

You can find a full set of citywide crime statistics here. You can watch the presentation to the committee here. At the 28 minute mark, there's a lengthy discussion of how the department is attempting to tackle the gun violence problem, including collaborations, data, and analytics.

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Melody covered a story about Kingfield residents pushing back against Verizon 5G towers being installed in their neighborhood. Their resistance includes an effort to physically block the installation of the towers, resulting in Verizon calling the police, according to the activists.

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The Public Health and Safety Committee also discussed the police department's use of drones. You can watch the discussion here. Councilmembers Vetaw and Palmisano clarified that the use of drones by the department is already authorized by state statue and there will not be a vote on the proposal. Representatives from the department further emphasized that they have already chosen to use drones, and that it will be happening. There will be a public comment period, including a public hearing scheduled for August 24th.

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LINK ROUNDUP 🔗

Some jerk broke the windows at Colonial Market in Whittier. Colonia Market is featured (by you!) in our Whittier Neighborhood Guide. If you can, make an extra shopping trip over there to support a beloved community institution. (WCCO)

A detailed look at how each precinct in the city voted in the 5th district Congressional race. (Star Tribune)

If you really want to capture the political dynamics of the city, compare the precinct map to the maps from the last city election (especially Question 2) and the 2020 presidential primary results. There's a lot of overlap between the Biden/Samuels/No On 2 coalitions. The key swing areas of the city have emerged – much of the Northside, the Hiawatha/Longfellow area, and the Phillips neighborhood area. Most of these swing areas voted for Ilhan Omar and Bernie Sanders but voted No on 2. (Minnesota Reformer, Star Tribune)

A new feature on the shop inside of Khâluna. (Mpls.St. Paul Magazine)

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COMMUNITY RESOURCES ✊

The Public Works & Infrastructure Committee will be meeting at 11:30 a.m. Here's the agenda. They'll be discussing a grant for an electric fire truck and progress on the city's 2021 investment in its streets, including 11.3 miles of improved pedestrian infrastructure, 7.6 miles of protected bike lanes, and 156 intersection upgrades.

Two of the three Bde Maka Ska beaches are still closed because of high levels of E. coil in the water.

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OUT & ABOUT 🚃

The Bakken Museum is hosting the next Bakkenalia (get it?) tonight. From 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., go play with sounds, have some drinks, listen to music, and more.

Luke LeBlanc & Band, Minneapolis-based folk-rock singer-songwriter & band, will be playing at the Lake Harriet Bandshell from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Preston Gunderson will be playing in Bryant Square Park from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

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