urbanMSP

Coincidentally MPR has a big story today about progress since the June "defund the police" pledge.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/10/2 ... lic-safety

In short, this is a mess with no end in sight.

What is so frustrating to me is that shootings/crime downtown continues in the same areas (4th Street/Hennepin Avenue downtown). They have a police station right on Fourth! You're telling me you can't patrol that area by foot or by car more often? Something also needs to be one about the loitering by the light rail stations as well. The city's response, or lack of response is a joke. However, like I say, residents can't have their cake and eat it too. The protests against police/cries to defund the police department and then later complaining about the lack of response from the police to rising crime is also laughable.

The 2021 city election season is going to be something, alright.

It is clear to me that for many council members the priority earlier this summer was saying anything that would 'delight the mob'. They are now reaping what they've sown. Next shoe to drop could very well be 'The Trial' getting moved to St. Cloud or something due in large part to moronic public statements made by our 'leaders' definitively calling the killing of George Floyd a murder.

I mean, the mayor and council aren't stupid (I think). I think some of them even have law degrees. I can't for the life of me figure any good reason why they would grab a mic in front of a crowd and say the things they did about defunding/abolishing police, and in the case of George Floyd, saying things that might be considered prejudicial to a fair trial. It's idiotic. The only possible reason I can come up with is, "The mob will love it."

I mean, doesn't the city have an attorney on its staff that told these morons to shut the hell up?

I mean this out of curiosity, but how would you describe George Floyd’d death if not as a murder? It seemed like a murder to me in that the direct actions of one person resulted in the death of another.

Any lawyers, feel free to chime in, but AFAIK murder is commonly defined as the unlawful killing of one by another. I did a quick google search and it backs up the 'unlawful' aspect (Merriam Webster: "1: the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought", Wikipedia, etc.)

So doctor assisted suicide? Not murder in places where that is legal. Judgment calls by doctors that turn out to be wrong and result in death? Not murder. Police legitimately shooting someone in self-defense? Not murder.

Police kneeling on someone's neck for 9 minutes? Probably murder, but given the history of police prosecution in this country, maybe we should be extra careful not to do anything that could screw up the legal case? Just a thought.

To me it seems like a gift to the defense when mayors and city council people start going around on live TV saying it was murder in front of chaotic cheering mobs.

They shouldn't be calling it "murder" until it's legally proven as such by a guilty plea or by a verdict of peers in a court of law. Until then "killing" or "homicide" will suffice. If there's a conviction following a trial at the very top of the appeal will be the mayor and city council inflaming and suggesting what the proper verdict should be to the public, and by extension the jury.

They assumed its what people wanted and what they wanted to hear. The issue is as an elected official there words carry weight. I think thats why when asked the same question Frey said no and walked away. The police as in all human societies have a monopoly on violence so the issue is always was it used legitimately. But yes just as Ellison needs to not talk at all about the case there comments risk justice not being served in this case.
As for crime downtown im not sure what will fix it. A return of more people ? Maybe.

Thanks for the responses folks. I appreciate it.

I don't know if anyone has seen this yet, but there is a Tiktok going around of a guy driving his car to where there is a shot spotter cam, getting out, and shooting into the air to set it off, getting back in his car and driving away. It was captured by someone's front door cam.

Curious if this incident made local news. Sounds like people are trying to create their own versions of reality/perceptions.

Is it this one? Very strange

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz2Xk7oc66I

This seems like a reasonable subject for the crime coverage of the local TV networks.

It's odd for sure. My only thought was that maybe he was trying to get officers to respond at that spot so someone else could be committing a crime somewhere else, but who knows?

The timestamp is from New Year's Day so it probably was just an "idiot with a gun".

I tend to think its more so idiot with a gun or person doing it for attention to feel cool, or even maybe to distract people for a crime over a political move. Also the fact that it was on a ticktok of all things makes me think idiot.
Also based on the video link i hope its pushed on to authorities as they should be charged.

That is some good resolution for a front door cam, but oddly positioned. Like it was set up just to film this subject, and not just as a rando "front door box thief" camera. Am I wrong?

His Youtube channel is all dashcams and doorbell cams, so I'm assuming it's not a setup

Besides my actual front door cam, I have a separate camera positioned somewhat like this to capture the street, and there was also that camera that captured that ped vs vehicle crash on Lyndale and 28th, so people do have cameras pointed out on the street rather than just down at their porches.

Once the cops knocked on my door to see if I had captured anything when my neighbors car was burglarized in last spring's crime wave of auto burglaries, but as luck would have it the criminals came from the other direction rather than past my camera.

I think he had a purpose to the shots to divert the PD. He doesn't look like a reveler. For some reason we've had a number of instances of people shooting air rifles. The shot-spotters seems to pick them up. Do the shotspotters have cameras? Honestly, the most effective way to catch shots fired and other incidents may be to have strategically positioned drones coordinated with the shotspotter during peak times.

I understand this isn't possible now for a number of reasons.