During the 20-plus years I’ve lived in this neighborhood, the words “crime” and “Kenwood” have not spent much time in one another’s company, let alone in the same sentence. Yes, there have always been bicycle thefts and occasional garage break-ins. Hidden Beach has always been a problem—although I remember fondly when the main complaint was “late night drumming”—but for the most part violent street crime has been a near-vanishing rarity. Sadly, that changed at the start of the pandemic, and sadder still, it has not improved as pandemic restrictions have eased.
Carjacking, in particular, has become a citywide scourge. Prior to the start of the pandemic, it was so rare that the police department didn’t separately track it as a statistic. That number exploded to 655 in 2021 and is worse this year. As of this writing, the Minneapolis Police Department is reporting 52 carjackings in the last 28 days, versus 42 for the same period last year. On Saturday, August 27, at approximately 7:00 p.m., there was an armed carjacking attempt directly in front of Kenwood School and the Kenwood Restaurant, followed shortly by two more incidents on in East Isles. This was roughly a week after neighbors witnessed two individuals in ski masks attempting to break into cars on Kenwood Parkway in broad daylight, leaving the scene in a stolen car.
While all of these incidents are abjectly terrible, the brazen nature of this latest carjacking attempt—in front of a crowded restaurant during peak business hours, with a gun— appears to have crossed a line for many in the neighborhood and has sparked a robust community conversation about what steps can and should be taken to effectively address the situation.
For many of us, this is our first foray into crime prevention, and the task seems daunting. This is a complex, nationwide problem; nearly every major city is struggling with it, and lots of smart people are working hard to solve it, mostly without success. It’s much more challenging than simply speaking up about a park plan we don’t like. But, on the other hand, this is happening to us, right now, in our specific neighborhood, and in that sense it’s quite local. This area is unique, not just in its geography, but also in its composition; we’re a much more diverse group than many people realize, and that diversity of experience may give rise to new ideas. While I seriously doubt we can just hit “control-alt-delete” and make the problem go away, there are undoubtedly things we can do as a local community to reduce the number of incidents. Put differently, if this problem can’t be effectively addressed here, where the numbers are still relatively low, where can it be?
Fortunately, we’re not starting completely from zero. Carjackings have, sadly, been a more frequent experience for our neighbors in Lowry Hill who have already proved generous in sharing information and safety tips. For the most part, these are simple things: Be more watchful when you’re out. Try not to linger in your car once you’ve reached your destination. Above all, don’t wear headphones when you’re in the car or on the street – they reduce your awareness and make you look particularly vulnerable to carjackers and other criminals. And—again sadly—women have been targeted more frequently than men.
One final note: Don’t be afraid to call 911—carjackings, vehicle thefts and break-ins are serious offenses. As the saying goes, if you see something, say something. While I understand some people are more reluctant to call law enforcement after the George Floyd killing, no one’s advocating a return to the bad old days of racially tainted “loitering” complaints. The issues we’re seeing here are far more basic: cars with no plates, reckless driving, idiots driving around wearing ski masks in broad daylight in the summertime (as was the case with the attempted car break-ins on Kenwood Parkway). Law enforcement can’t respond to incidents they don’t know about, and underreporting just gives cover to perpetrators.
I hope to be able to write next month with more specific, useful information. This most recent incident has prompted people throughout the neighborhood to get more networked and organized, and the informal meetings happening now will hopefully turn into more organized neighborhood outreach in the relatively near future. Hill & Lake Press has committed to covering this issue on a regular basis while the problem persists. In the meantime, pay attention when you’re out—be watchful—and please don’t hesitate to call law enforcement if you see suspicious activity. Let’s continue to enjoy our beautiful neighborhood, but let’s also be careful out there!
Marty Carlson lives in Kenwood.
