Minneapolis is the tale of two cities. The good news is that year after year, out of all the cities in the nation, it has ranked within the top 10 in almost every category from the environment, (rated #1) to raising children (rated #2).
The bad news is that if you live parts of the city beleaguered by social isolation, violence, neglect and racial disparities, quality of life ranks the lowest in the nation.
For example, whereas the Fulton neighborhood in Southwest Minneapolis had one reported incident of violence during the summer months of 2007, the Jordan neighborhood in North Minneapolis had 124 during the same period.
For everything from youth violence to incarceration rates to educational and wealth attainment, our city leads the nation in disparities along geographic, racial and class lines. And what we know is that without addressing these disparities through a dramatic change in the course of our thinking and actions, the following is sure to happen:
- Minnesota will need to build a new prison for 1,000 inmates every 2 years from now until 2030, and the number of black people arrested will nearly double.
- Homicide will continue to be the leading cause of death for Minneapolis residents aged 15-24.
- More than half of the Cities' homicides and incidents of violent crime will continue to take place within 6 square miles in North Minneapolis, (as in 2007)
