(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)In an effort to “check their privilege,” a suburb of predominantly white liberals led an initiative to defund the police, vowing to never again call law enforcement. However, once as they announced their plans, they made themselves a target for heinous crimes.
In response to the Black Lives Matter movement’s goal to defund the police, a group of residents sought to do their part in the fight for “racial justice.” As such, a Minneapolis neighborhood designated “a haven to leftist activists and bohemian artists” vowed to never again call the police for help. Unsurprisingly, their police-free utopia is now a hub for lawlessness.
After launching its “defund the police initiative,” Powderhorn Park residents announced they would refrain from calling 911 when crimes are in progress in an effort to combat their own white privilege and relieve the “pain that black residents of Minneapolis were feeling,” The New York Times reports.
White residents expressed the belief that calling the police would only endanger their black neighbors. Of course, instead of making the community safer, the initiative has served as a formidable dinner bell for criminals.
Almost immediately, tents began popping up all over the neighborhood, including the public park. Soon, there were hundreds of homeless people, many afflicted by drug addiction and mental illness, living in and trashing the area. At least 2 individuals overdosed and had to be rushed away in ambulances.
Now, women like Shari Albers, who says she is kept awake all night by the invaders, regret the decision to keep the neighborhood police-free. One social media user claims there are now around 360 tents and 500 homeless people living in the park.
“I am afraid,” she said. “I know my neighbors are around, but I’m not feeling grounded in my city at all. Anything could happen.”
“I’m not being judgmental,” said Carrie Nightshade, 44, who explained that she no longer felt comfortable letting her children, 12 and 9, play in the park by themselves. “It’s not personal. It’s just not safe.”
Updated list of supply needs at the growing homeless camp at Powderhorn Park pic.twitter.com/J2Cib0w17R
— Chris Serres (@ChrisSerres) June 16, 2020
Although the homeless epidemic is quickly spreading, it isn’t the only concern residents have. Just weeks after residents made law enforcement aware that they aren’t welcome, a child was reportedly sexually assaulted in the park.
WCCO-TV reports that, after the child was attacked in the homeless encampment, locals still refused to call the police, opting to transport the child themselves to the hospital. Park police are currently investigating the incident but have made no arrests.
If child sexual abuse and drug overdoses weren’t enough, a neighborhood resident was also attacked by an armed assailant. Mitchell Erickson says that he feels ashamed at dialing 911 when 2 black teens pointed a gun at his chest and demanded his car keys. After he mistakenly handed over his house keys, the teens became frustrated and fled, stealing a different car down the street.
“Been thinking more about it,” he wrote in a text message. “I regret calling the police. It was my instinct but I wish it hadn’t been. I put those boys in danger of death by calling the cops.”
Resident Joseph Menkevich was also forced to call the police when he found an unconscious black man wearing a hospital bracelet in the elevator of his apartment building just two blocks from the park. He first tried to phone a community activist, per the neighbor’s no-police initiative, but he had no choice but to call 911 when the activist didn’t answer.
“It didn’t resolve in a way that I had hoped,” Mr. Menkevich said. “All they did was offer to bring him back to the hospital. He refused, so they kicked him out on a rainy night.”
Other residents expressed their concerns with the community’s rising crime rate. Angelina Roslik broke down in tears as she explained her fears about the homeless encampment chaos. Linnea Borden admitted that she had to stop walking her dog at the park because she was tired of being catcalled. Tria Houser, who is part Native American, confessed that she has emotional distress due to the local situation.
Nearly every resident who has come forward has expressed at least some regret over the decision to refrain from calling the police for help. Still, they are determined to tough it out for the sake of their minority neighbors, who are also suffering the ill effects of the lawlessness spreading through the community. Unfortunately, they’re only a few weeks into their initiative, and it’s already created more victims than it’s helped.
