[aramchek]

http://www.startribune.com/local/122417279.html

Bad weather here in Minnesota today, tornado came through Minneapolis. About 30 injured, 1 dead, lots of property damage to a traditionally poor (many African Americans) neighborhood. Curfew imposed, first time I ever remember this happening in my state.

"...Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Police Chief Tim Dolan said early Sunday night that a large section of north Minneapolis -- roughy 4 square miles -- was being put under a curfew to help emergency personnel move around and to combat potential looting of damaged homes and businesses.

The curfew was scheduled to run from 9 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday and cover from Interstate 94 west to Penn Avenue and from Plymouth Avenue north to Dowling Avenue. Anyone trying to enter that area will have to show identification first, the mayor and the police chief said. Also, residents within that perimeter must stay in their homes “for their own safety,” said city spokesman Matt Laible.

“We don’t want any looting,” Dolan said, explaining the need for the curfew. “There’s property strewn all over. There are wires down. There’s not much lighting. It’s for people’s safety and for the safety of people’s property.”

Rybak said the curfew was scheduled to last three days but that time frame is subject to evaluation...."

 

[Dill]

it missed my place up here near Blaine by about a mile. Close call

 

[iceman121]

Yea, they issued a curfew for tonight in north Minneapolis. The sheriffs office called in all the C.E.R.T members to help watch the perimeter . I guess there is a lot of looting and some gunshots.

 

[Straza]

Stay safe guys!

 

[JD1985]

I heard there's no more gas stations and liquor stores left in North Minneapolis with any goods, all cleaned out in the first hour. But of course this was bound to happen when the north side got hit. Hopefully it doesn't start to spill out, I'm just glad I got a couple mile buffer.

 

[Beserker]

It passed us by and I thought for sure the winds were going to rip up some of my trees.

 

[aramchek]

I'm troubled by the curfew, and news is reporting this morning that they've blocked off highway exits to that area as well. On the one hand, I perfectly understand the need to keep looters, sightseers, etc. under control. And to keep kids from wandering onto power lines, broken debris, etc. But on the other hand, I will decide when/where I'm going. If it was my neighborhood, and I needed prescription medication, food, etc. I can't see how a curfew would help. This is obviously another reason to prep.

The other tidbit that came out this morning is that these neighborhoods have a high renter population (I believe Minneapolis is nearly 50% rented on average), so I wonder how that plays into the resident psychology. Perhaps slumlords, speculators and corporations own much of the real estate. When I rented an apartment, I'd grab my valuables and leave. But it is different when it's your own home, your attitude toward property, your neighbors, your neighborhood as a whole.

But we got news of Joplin this morning, and Minneapolis looks pretty tame compared with what they got down there.

 

[biathlon]

Please tell me the New Riverside Cafe was spared?

 

[aramchek]

Your source? Beyond the curfew, I didn't hear any of the rest reported.

Yea, they issued a curfew for tonight in north Minneapolis. The sheriffs office called in all the C.E.R.T members to help watch the perimeter . I guess there is a lot of looting and some gunshots.

 

[aramchek]

There have been reports of looting the past couple days in Minneapolis:

"Increased looting reported in north Minneapolis neighborhoods damaged by Sunday's tornado"
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/122591494.html

"MINNEAPOLIS - Police say there's been an increase in burglaries in north Minneapolis since Sunday's deadly tornado, with thieves kicking in doors and using trucks to load up stolen items...."

I read an article of a liquor store being looted as well. I'd like to blame it on the neighborhood, on opportunistic people accustomed to poverty, but it's hard to say. Would even well-to-do neighborhoods loot themselves, or do they just prefer to look institutionally (run banks/governments to the ground, exploit positions of power/influence, etc.).