The Star Tribune’s latest deep dive into Minneapolis crime data delivers a mix of good news, lingering unease, and one conspicuously quiet police chief.
According to reporters Louis Krauss and Jeff Hargarten, violent crime across Minnesota’s largest city continues to fall — part of a broader downward trend since the pandemic-era spike. Minneapolis has seen about 50 fewer shootings, nine fewer homicides, and a third fewer robberies and carjackings compared to last year. Vehicle thefts, which hit record highs in 2023, have dropped by a quarter.
Even better: some crime rates are back to pre-pandemic levels. Robberies are down 18% and burglaries 28% compared to the same nine-month stretch in 2019. On the North Side, shootings have dropped by 33%, marking record lows for gun violence in that area.
But head south, and the story shifts.
In the Fifth Precinct — home to neighborhoods like Whittier, Phillips, and Longfellow — the city has seen an uptick in shooting victims. The Annunciation Church tragedy, which killed two children and injured 28 others, took place here. While Whittier’s gun violence has dipped slightly, other neighborhoods have been hit by multiple mass shootings, pushing totals higher than in 2024.
And though carjackings and homicides are down, thefts and property crimes are up. Shoplifting has jumped a third from last year, and thefts from vehicles and buildings have each risen by about 25%. Combined with three recent mass shootings along Lake Street, those numbers are enough to keep many residents on edge — even if the data says things are improving.
As one resident told the Strib: it just feels like crime is high, no matter what the numbers say.
Adding to the odd atmosphere is the silence from MPD Chief Brian O’Hara, who declined to speak with the Star Tribune reporters. That’s despite having recently found plenty of time to sit down with Rick Kupchella for his “Minneapolis bad” documentary A Precarious State — and to complain about media coverage to the New York Post. Maybe it’s easier to talk about a city on fire than one slowly rebuilding.
Will Trump Send the National Guard to MN?
While crime is falling, political tension is rising. During a Star Tribune business summit this week, Governor Tim Walz said he’s concerned that Minnesota could become the next target in former President Donald Trump’s ongoing threats to deploy the National Guard in “blue cities.”
“It’d be logical for them to come here,” Walz said during a conversation with New York Times correspondent Lisa Lerer and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “We fall into exactly what it looks like they’re trying to target — blue cities in places that he wants to make an impact.”
Meanwhile, Illinois is suing to block Trump’s deployment there, with a federal hearing scheduled for Thursday. His attempts to send troops to Portland earlier this week were already halted by a federal judge.
It’s all part of what can only be described as a weird, slow-motion constitutional standoff — somewhere between political theater and proto–civil war cosplay.
Recent Twin Is Indie Rock Royalty (Adjacent)
Here’s a fun crossover you didn’t know you needed: former Minnesota Twin Harrison Bader is cousins with Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio.
After the Twins traded Bader to the Phillies in July, The Philadelphia Inquirer dropped the familial bombshell. “In many ways, we’re part of a band in baseball too,” Bader told reporter Gabriela Carroll. “Maybe we just have different instruments.”
Baio, meanwhile, says he hopes to catch his cousin’s playoff game in Los Angeles. And fittingly, Vampire Weekend’s most recent album — Only God Was Above Us — hit home-run levels of critical acclaim last year.
If you’re keeping score at home: that’s one all-star outfielder and one indie bass player making both stadiums and stages look easy.
Meet the “Joe Mauer of Mahtomedi”
Finally, a bit of hometown heart. The White Bear Press has dubbed Mahtomedi Public Works Director Bob Goebel the “Joe Mauer of Mahtomedi” — and honestly, it’s hard to argue.
Goebel’s been with the city since 1995, serving in nearly every public works role imaginable. Now, in his 30th year, he’s still showing up every day — rain, shine, or blizzard.
“Mauer caught 100 mph fastballs, and Goebel has caught fawns and monitor lizards,” reporter Loretta Harding wrote. “Both aspired to be franchise players, and both were.”
City engineer John Sachi agrees: “I interact with Bob every day. I have both his work number and private number, and when I can’t reach one, I try the other. He answers all the time.”
Mauer may have retired, but Goebel’s still grinding out innings for the hometown team — no glove, no bat, just grit.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
