The trouble with Minneapolis: Why we’re leaving after all these years

Opinion editor’s note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

As I wrote this article, my family was preparing to close on the sale of our house in Minneapolis and move out of the city. We bought the house on Sept. 11, 2001. Despite that ominous first day, my wife and I and our three children created innumerable great memories in the nearly 23 years we lived there.

It’s near one of the lakes in the city. Observing and participating in the vibrant life of living near a lake was amazing. Biking, running, walking, rollerblading, canoeing, fishing, skating, snow shoeing and cross-country skiing — an endless parade of people every day enjoying the best our beloved city has to offer. We were truly blessed and very thankful for this experience.

I was born and raised in south Minneapolis and have either lived, worked (downtown) or both in the city for about 64 years of my nearly 69 years of life. For all those years I have loved, supported and been very active in the city. I have received much from the city, but I have also given much. Frequenting restaurants, sports venues, the arts and other businesses as well as supporting many city-based nonprofits was how we participated and gave back. I am proud to say that I have been a positive, contributing citizen of Minneapolis my whole life.

Why are we leaving? Frankly, I have lost all confidence in the governance of the city and the priorities of its leaders, primarily the members of the City Council. I can find fault with many of the recent controversial actions taken by the council, but I’ll boil my concerns down to one primary issue: the safety of my family. I have two daughters and a daughter-in-law and eight grandchildren, aged 10 and under. They frequently visit and park near the alley behind our house. The same alley (and nearby) where there have been a half-dozen or more property crimes, break-ins and an attempted carjacking in the last year. Why in the world would I knowingly take the risk of harm being done to my loved ones?

We also had a “false alarm” with our security system in the middle of the night indicating a break-in. When the alarm company called to ask if they should send the police we said, “Yes please and quickly!” The police never came! What if there had been an intruder in the house?

According to Minneapolis.gov, in the Nov. 7, 2023, municipal election, 31.7% of registered voters cast ballots. It’s tragic about the apathy and low voter turnout, because it resulted in the most active and radical element in the city controlling the outcome. All it took was 16-20% of the voters to have a majority of the 32% who voted. A strongly anti-police City Council is now in charge, and we have little hope of filling the approximately 300 open police officer positions. As of January, we have 565 active police officers, down from nearly 900 in 2019. The safety of our city has greatly decreased and doesn’t show much sign of improving.

How many thousands of residents, workers and visitors have to leave the city, or refrain from coming to it, because of safety concerns before the leaders care? I am leaving so I don’t have to watch and experience the continued downward trend of our once-great city. It makes me very angry, and it breaks my heart.

Steve Sefton is retired.