by Guy Albertson

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has stated that they will oppose ICE and

help to protect illegal immigrants. He stated that his police force will

focus on stopping violent crimes. He said they will protect all

residents. Weekend of June 1, five people were killed and six injured in

multiple shootings. Minneapolis is one of the most violent in the United

States. Minneapolis used to be one of the safer large cities and now

that time has passed. I remember wanting to live in the downtown area

when the Vikings, Twins, and Timberwolves were all in the area. It

wasn’t unusual to go out at night and enter a club and see Prince

performing live and for free. I never felt uncomfortable nor endangered.

I thought about this recently on a trip to California. I was in line as

I was about to board to San Francisco. I was talking to a couple of

strangers on the flight asking them where they were from and where they

worked. They both worked in San Francisco, but neither wanted to live in

the area so they commuted 2-3 weeks per month. They said the crime and

homeless encampments are getting better, but it was still bad. I told

them I used to love to go out to eat in San Francisco, but the last time

I was there the streets were full of people asking for money. I saw

people doing drugs and just decided I’m not going back to there or to

Hollywood again. I had really wanted to go to the Wharf, Lombard Street,

and the Golden Gate viewing spot, but instead, I decided to stay in

Berkeley. My hotel was right on the Bay. Next to it here is a park with

miles of walking trails. I was planning to meet friends in Alameda for

dinner, which used to be a nice area.

After getting to the hotel, I went over to the park to start my walk/run

– fortunately there were numerous options. I found myself changing

directions often because someone was sleeping on the trail and I didn’t

want an encounter. There were numerous walkers and we were all trying to

do the same thing: avoid the people laid out on the trail. The area

itself had gorgeous views of the Bay with the Golden Gate Bridge in the

background and the fog slowly lifting throughout the morning. It would

have been a perfect morning – one exception though.

That night I met up with four friends in Alameda whom I hadn’t seen in a

long time. As we walked to the restaurant, we were approached three

times in a block and asked for money. They all carried their backpacks

into the restaurant. I didn’t have one and I asked why they didn’t leave

them in the car. One of them said, “Had my computer stolen out of the

back seat last month.” Another said, “My wife was in the car a couple of

weeks ago and a dude opened up the door and took her Louis Vuitton purse

right in front of her.”

The more and more I read about how we are trying to protect the rights

of people who do nothing, it saddens me. I’m amazed that elected folks

do not try to protect the people who earn and build society instead of

breaking it down. Most of these are ultra-liberal politicians. Remember

your voice and more importantly your vote matters – vote for people who

will support your beliefs. Next week I’m back up in Cook – I have never

seen a homeless person nor have I ever been asked for money in Cook. We

are fortunate that up here we don’t have the problems of these other

places.