Minneapolis, MN
Readers Write: Kimball Court safety, Cedar Lake, Minneapolis skating rinks, the border
Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
After attending the Hamline Midway Coalition community meeting on Nov. 7 to discuss the expansion at Kimball Court on Snelling Avenue, I am not convinced that the city of St. Paul is taking day-to-day public safety seriously enough. I, like St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali, am in favor of supportive housing in the Hamline Midway neighborhood. In fact, almost every neighbor I talk to in Hamline Midway is. We understand the high demand of supportive housing for our fellow Minnesotans being ravaged by the opioid epidemic. At this meeting, our community heard a lot about the incredible work (past, present, and future) being done to improve conditions and lives at Kimball Court. I understand that this work is gradual and ongoing. There is no silver bullet.
However, I left the meeting unsure if our immediate safety concerns were a priority for the city. The questions came in many forms: Why isn’t there additional security available for Kimball Court now? What immediate resources are available for concerning activity near (but not on) Kimball Court property? What needs to happen for the city to realize additional resources are needed? The answers felt insufficient: There isn’t enough money right now. Call 911. We are putting a lot of resources into the area already. The resounding message from the community was clear: It isn’t enough. The current state is unsustainable. If providing supportive housing is a priority for the city of St. Paul, then ensuring the resources needed are made available is an obligation. At present, it feels like the Hamline Midway community is being asked to sacrifice our safety as collateral damage to combat homelessness and the opioid epidemic. I would like the city of St. Paul to prioritize both supportive housing and the immediate safety of the Hamline Midway neighborhood.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has seemingly not addressed this privacy issue for decades. Equally troubling is the careless management of public land they do own. I am referring to the Cedar Lake marsh, on the northwest edge of the lake. It is a well-traveled gateway to the lake.
The marsh has been swallowed by invasive hybrid cattails, reed canary grass, motherwort and garlic mustard. Stalks of corn are the latest culprit. The path is crumbling with orange cones warning pedestrians. The overlooking docks are wobbly but no matter — those gorgeous views are gone unless you enjoy some face-to-face encounters with tall, sharp cattails.
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The scene of the shooting on Thomas Avenue North. (FOX 9)
A man was fatally shot after an argument early Tuesday morning in Minneapolis.
Fatal shooting on Thomas Avenue North
What we know:
According to Minneapolis police, around 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue North on reports of a shooting inside a home.
At the scene, officers found a man with several gunshot wounds. The man was taken to the hospital, where he later died, police said.
Authorities say that an argument led to gunfire, and the suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
A 17-year-old was arrested in connection to the shooting, and police say they are investigating “connections” between the teen arrested and other violent crimes in Minneapolis this year.
What they’re saying:
“Another family has forever been impacted by senseless violence,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “Settling disputes with a firearm is completely unacceptable, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice in this case. Every available tool in the juvenile justice system must be used to protect young people who pose a danger to themselves as well as the community.”
What we don’t know:
Police did not specify the gender of the 17-year-old. And the other crimes the teen could be connected to were not specified.
The man who was fatally shot has not been identified.
The Source: A press release from the Minneapolis Police Department.
A 41-year-old was found guilty in the murders of Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons, Jr., and Samantha Jo Moss at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
According to a criminal complaint, Earl Bennett rode an e-bike to a tent in the encampment in October 2024, asked to see one of the victims inside and began shooting shortly after being allowed inside. Surveillance video showed him leaving the tent and riding away on his e-bike.
Washington and Lemons were declared dead at the scene, and Moss died at the hospital a week later.
Woman dies nearly a week after triple shooting at Minneapolis encampment; suspect charged
Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16 in this case, the attorney’s office said.
Other cases
Bennett is also a defendant in two other cases.
He was shot by law enforcement after pointing a gun at officers in St. Paul days after the murders.
Officers later learned Bennett had shot and critically injured a man earlier in the evening at a sober living home on the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue South.
The gun Bennett pointed at officers in St. Paul matched the casings found at both the encampment and sober living home shootings.
SPPD releases bodycam of officers shooting and injuring man charged in encampment triple homicide | Man seriously injured in Minneapolis shooting, suspect not in custody
These cases both remain open.
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