Around The MOB: Minneapolis Crime Watch
By Mitch Berg
Margaret Martin’s Minneapolis Crime Watch has always (since 2006) been one of those blogs that showed what blogging was supposed to be.
At a time when the Minneapolis media was whitewashing Minneapolis’ crime record, Margaret and her other writers (“Chunkstyle” and “Nordeaster”) prowled the crime reports and provided in many cases, the kind of analysis that the big media couldn’t. I’m still not aware of anyone that covers North Minneapolis crime like MCW.
Posting has gotten a bit more sparse lately, as life’s pressures, little and big, catch up with the staff. But MCW still catalogues the thrum of daily life in Minneapolis like nobody else.
Here’s a typical blotter, skimmed from the Minneapolis Police site:
ASSLT2 w/Dangerous Weapon; ASLT5
44th Ave N & Lyndale Ave N Sunday 3/14/10 0425 hrs 10-069671
Officers were flagged down by V2/BF, 30 yrs, who relayed that she & V1/BF, 23 yrs, were assaulted & kicked out of a car.
V1 & V2 were leaving a friend’s house when a pit bull chased them onto a parked car. S1/BM, 20-50 yrs, 6’2”, heavy set, & S2/BM, 40-50 yrs, 5’6”, light build, w/goatee, wearing blue jeans & white t-shirt, pulled up in an older white, 4 door car. Suspects picked up the victims, but wouldn’t drive them back to their hotel. S1 stopped the vehicle, pulled V1 out of the car & began beating her. V1 was struck an unknown number of times in the face & torso, causing a cut above her eye. S1 also shoved V1 to the ground, kicked her in the torso, & pulled out a wooden stick/club, striking V1 in the back several times. V2 was punched once in her right ear by S1, causing it to ring. Suspects were GOA. The officers transported the victims to the hospital.
Margaret’s looking for contribs. If you have an interest in following and/or analyzing Minneapolis crime (ideally both), drop her a line!
(Steny Hoyer has reportedly asked House Republicans to apologize for the crime listed above).
March 31st, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Thanks for the shout out. Yes, I am always looking for new, even occasional contributors. My new (temporary) gig is in full harvest season and I am pulling 10 and 15 hour shifts and some weekends. Not conducive to blogging. I’ll try to do a catch up post this weekend.