Downtown Minneapolis is drawing crowds; will Twins follow suit?

There are statistics. There are the difficult realities that every major city in America faces.

This is a case, though, where personal, anecdotal evidence matters.

The Twins will start a homestand on Monday. They have had an uneven season, but are in contention. The weather is warm, and Target Field remains one of the best venues in sports.

Twins officials have worried that Minneapolis' reputation as a place where violent crime is commonplace is keeping outstate and out-of-state fans away.

The news reporters at the Star Tribune have thoroughly chronicled the city's crime statistics. As someone who lives and works in Minneapolis, walks his dogs around the city multiple times a day, walks to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, theaters, music venues, farmers markets, dog parks, the office and favored neighborhoods, let me offer my experience.

I have lived in Minneapolis for eight of the past 11 years. I won't refute any statistics. I'll just say that I've never seen a violent crime committed. Probably because I've never seen a crime committed.

Every year, more high-end apartment and condo buildings are built, because so many people choose to live in Minneapolis. If subpoenaed, I could prove a long list of CEOs, business owners, sports stars, sports executives, team employees and Star Tribune employees who live downtown. Everyone on that list could afford to live somewhere else.

The new RBC building that bridges downtown and the North Loop sells condos for many millions, and it contains a Four Seasons hotel and a high-end restaurant. North Loop might be as peaceful a space as I've ever strolled.

If you don't want to go to a Twins game because of their hitting approach, that's understandable. If you don't want to go to a Twins game because you fear for your life, you are ignoring the experiences of a lot of people who live and play here.

For a Twins game, you can park in a ramp, walk into the stadium and never venture into downtown.

If you do take a walk, you'll run into popular bars and restaurants.

Move with crowds, walk in well-lit places, avoid hanging around clubs when they close around 2 a.m., and Minneapolis has proved, for those of us who live here, to be relatively safe and a lot of fun. I can personally vouch for the city from 6 a.m. to midnight.

In just the past few weeks, Brewers fans flooded downtown, packing the bars; Taylor Swift drew a half-million visitors; the Taste of Minnesota kicked off; there was a Pride parade; and the Lynx played home games at Target Center.

From my apartment window, I see green spaces, trees and beautiful architecture.

Don't just take it from me. Mike McFeely is the star columnist for the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He grew up in Alexandria, lives in Moorhead and writes extensively about North Dakota.

Recently, he ran into an elected official from his area who told him how dangerous Minneapolis was.

The problem was that the official hadn't visited Minneapolis, and McFeely had. Often. With his family, enjoying games, concerts, meals and the city's walkability.

"I told him I was going to go to a Twins game," McFeely said. "The look on his face was like, `Really?' You're actually going to go there? I wouldn't go there for any reason."

What we've learned about the modern information ecosystem is that people generally believe what they want to believe, or what they hear first. Often, in cases like Minneapolis' outstate reputation, the two are the same.

"Much of my family lives in the Twin Cities area," McFeely said. "Our daughter started off at the University of Minnesota before coming back to North Dakota State, mostly because of the pandemic. In all of my trips to Minneapolis over the years, and specifically since 2020, I have not had one single issue.

"I've been downtown for Vikings and Twins games, to go to the Orpheum to see 'Hamilton' and other shows. I can also speak for my daughter, who has been there multiple times for shows. She was at the Taylor Swift concert. She has had no issues."