‘It’s more akin to a war zone’
Early this morning, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara held yet another press conference following a violent incident in Minneapolis. That is not a criticism of the chief, but a sad reflection on the state of Minneapolis when its police chief is saddled with press conferences at all hours of the day and night following repeated violent incidents.
The most recent incident occurred last night at about 9:30 p.m., when multiple shooters fired about one hundred rounds at Boom Island Park, where a large number of people had gathered. The chief offered little information about the makeup of the group or the reason the group had gathered, but the incident occurring on the first day of June is bad news for those hoping for a peaceful summer.
Six adults were shot, one fatally, and a seventh injury was reported when a person was trampled and knocked unconscious during the melee. Victims were transported or self-reported to both Hennepin Health Medical Center in Minneapolis and to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. There have been no arrests.
The drama spilled over to the area outside the emergency entrance at Hennepin Health. Hennepin County Deputies assigned to the hospital declared an unlawful assembly and, with the help of Minneapolis Police, began dispersing the crowd that had formed and become unruly outside the hospital.
Chief O’Hara stated the scene, with hundreds of pieces of evidence, was “more akin to a war zone” than a city park.
A park gaining a bad reputation
Boom Island is a city park located in Northeast Minneapolis along the Mississippi River. As a park, Boom Island is technically the responsibility of the Minneapolis Park Police. However, when significant incidents like this occur, it is common for the police department and its more robust investigative resources to assume responsibility.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the park has become one of the favorite locations for large groups of young adults and teens to gather, and where, too frequently, violence has broken out. On the 4th of July in 2022 and 2023, the park was the site of significant mayhem and violence, with eight people shot during the 2022 incident.
If ever there was a place that “violence interrupters” might be of value, it seems this is it. But the millions of dollars put towards the violence interrupter effort in Minneapolis seems to have done little to curb violence, and much to expose the problems often associated with such “alternative” solutions.
The hard truth
In 2019, then-Chief Arredondo, supported by Mayor Frey, warned the Minneapolis City Council that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) would need 1,300 police officers by 2025. That proposal was mocked by members of the Council at the time and was rejected. Many of those same Council members voted the following year to “defund” the MPD — a proposal that was thankfully later rejected by city residents.
It’s safe to say Minneapolis would be a safer, more prosperous, and more welcoming city had it valued proper police staffing and a more assertive police presence in recent years.
Instead, city leaders clearly put more value in trying to appease the city’s many activists. But nothing will ever appease this crowd, and the sooner city leaders recognize this and get back to governing on behalf of the rest of us, the sooner things can turn around.
Until then Chief O’Hara, backed by just 550 police officers, will need to get used to even more press conferences, informing us of yet another avoidable and destructive violent incident in Minneapolis.
