cynicalThen I blew it this morning in my attempt to wake up an hour earlier to work in some time on the exerbike. Pshaw. Though there was a not-so-subtle dreamoid this morning where we had a company-wide meeting at work where we had to come up with a soluition to the homeless problem. I think this was spurred on by a discussion that I heard on the radio yesterday talking about the two shootings of recent import: the Uptown shooting and the Block E shooting.
Okay, the cynic in me wakes up. These shootings took place in areas in Minneapolis that are highly commercial areas, filled with shops and restaurants, and you can bet your ass that the only reason that there is such a hue and cry is because these are areas in which the cucumbers can shop safely while still feeling urban, and there is a ton of money that has gone into developing these areas. Those investors are making phone calls because they don't want to lose business out of fear. There is a Problem now.
Okay, I'll agree. There is a problem. People should be able to go outside at night without worrying about being robbed at gunpoint or shot. But what the shooting are is an effect, not the cause in and of itself. The shootings are a symptom of a larger problem.
But what is the problem? What is the root cause?
And this is where the roads diverge in a snowy wood.
There are two isolated incidents. The first is a robbery: there is intent there, and boldness (in a brash stupidity sense), with the intent to use a gun to threaten somebody, or to harm somebody. The trigger man probably sees the shooting as not his fault, because he never would have shot if the guy hadn't been chasing him after he stole the purse.
The second incident looks to be one where the shooter felt threatened by thugs (his brother had been beaten at a bus stop there earlier) so he was carrying a .44 magnum with him when he went to see ATL at the Block E theater. There was a fight, something like 60 people involved outside the theater. It's not known whether the fight and the shooting are related, but apparently there were a whole lot of guns being carried by the folks seeing that movie.
Maybe it's a fashion statement.
GameWorks is blaring out opera music in an attempt to discourage loiterers outside Block E.
There was another shooting on Friday, 2700 block of Stevens. Woman shot, drove herself to the hospital. Serious, but not dead.