Law and government of Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Main article: Neighborhoods of Minneapolis
Main article: Minneapolis City Council
See also: List of mayors of Minneapolis

Minneapolis (pronounced [ˌmɪniˈæpəlɪs]) is the largest city in the state of Minnesota in the United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County.

Contents

[edit] Neighborhoods

The city is divided into communities, each containing neighborhoods. For example, the Near North community is composed of the Hawthorne, Jordan, Near North, Sumner-Glenwood and Willard-Hay neighborhoods. Neighborhoods coordinate activities under the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. In some cases two or more neighborhoods act together under one organization. Some areas are commonly known by nicknames of business associations like Dinkytown, Downtown, Midtown and Uptown.[1]

[edit] Government and politics

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[edit] Crime

The early years of the city were noted for crime. 150 brothels operated in hotels and candy stores earning the city $50,000 annually in 1900 dollars. Two historical figures are remembered in particular. Four-term mayor "Doc" Ames turned the police force into organized criminals who directed swindlers, pickpockets and burglaries. Ames earned income from prostitution, 45% of the profit from a stacked game of poker, and $15,000 a year from slot machines. During Prohibition, Kid Cann processed what some estimates say was 600 gallons of liquor per day and by 1933 had made himself a nationally known bookmaker. Shortly after this time, depleted forests and a drop in the price of iron ore in northern Minnesota, loss of the seat as milling capital of the country to Buffalo, New York, and cheap water transport combined into an economic downturn and drop in crime. Since 1950 the city lost 150,000 people and lost much of downtown to urban renewal and highway construction, resulting in a "moribund and peaceful" environment during the second half of the 20th century.[2]

Percent Change in Reported Crime
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Homicide -19 +6 -14 +9 -2 +17 -11 +21
Major Crime -11 -11 -3 0 -7 -4 +16 +4
All Crime -6 -4 -2 -4 -8 -5 +6 +7

During the 1990s the murder rate climbed. After 97 people died in 1995, people called the city "Murderapolis," a T-shirt slogan mentioned by The New York Times when reporting that Minneapolis had nearly 70% more murders per capita and had surpassed the annual number of homicides in New York City.[3] Under police chief Robert Olson, Minneapolis imported a computerized New York City system known as CODEFOR or Computer Optimized Deployment Focused On Results that sent officers to high crime areas despite accusations of racial profiling. By 1998 the overall rate of major crime dropped by 16 percent, the department's largest one year improvement in two decades, and continued to drop for seven more years until 2005.[4] The number of homicides increased three times during that period and rose to its highest in recent history in 2006. Politicians debate the causes and solutions, from improving on the lack of police officers caused by balancing the city's budget, to providing youths with alternatives to gangs and drugs, to helping families in poverty. For 2007, the city invested in public safety infrastructure, hired over forty new officers, and has a new police chief, Tim Dolan.[5]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ GIS Business Services, City of Minneapolis (2004, updated January 2006). City of Minneapolis. Neighborhoods & Communities. Retrieved on February 10, 2007. and Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (2001-2005). Neighborhood Organizations. Retrieved on February 10, 2007. and Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Department (November 17, 2005). City of Minneapolis Business Associations. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.
  2. ^ Moskowitz, Dara (October 11, 1995). Minneapolis Confidential. City Pages, Volume 16 - Issue 775. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Johnson, Dirk (June 30, 1996). Nice City's Nasty Distinction: Murders Soar in Minneapolis. The New York Times. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.
  4. ^ Olson, Dan (November 7, 2001). The political legacy of Sharon Sayles Belton. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved on January 18, 2007. and City of Minneapolis (1998). Police Annual Report 1998 (PDF). Retrieved on January 18, 2007.
  5. ^ Williams, Brandt (January 9, 2007). Homicide problem awaits Minneapolis' new police chief. Minneapolis Public Radio. Retrieved on February 10, 2007. and Scheck, Tom (August 25, 2005). Sparks fly at Minneapolis mayoral debate. Minneapolis Public Radio. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.

[edit] External links

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