Nearly 40-Year-Old Story Shows How Much & Little Hennepin Ave. Has Changed

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A newly resurfaced clip from WCCO's archives has sparked a conversation about Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis and what really needs revitalization.

On Sunday, TC Media Now posted a 16-minute story by Dave Moore focusing on downtown Minneapolis' Hennepin Avenue.

It was just one part in a series on the main vein of Minneapolis' downtown.

In the video, Moore drives down Hennepin Ave. on a "warm weekend evening," talking with bar owners, pedestrians and cops, getting their thoughts on what the vibe of the avenue is.

The video shows its fair share of violence, snippets of fights outside of bars and quotes from people talking about who they will beat up. One young person even said, "You can always get into a fight on Hennepin Avenue if you want."

But it also shows intrigued people watchers, peering at passersby while enjoying coffee, and groups of friends drunk, literally and figuratively, on the energy of the avenue. Another young person said, "It wouldn't be Hennepin Avenue if it wasn't like this."

In just four days, the video was shared nearly 200 times and watched thousands more.

City Pages wrote an article using the video as its centerpiece to discuss how the fate of Hennepin Avenue has always been a point of conversation among city officials. The article argued that, in 1978, while political leaders and police officers may have feared it becoming dangerous, at least the people flocking to the strip were having a good time -- a statement belying a nearly four decades-long discussion about safety improvements to entertainment improvements.

After all, Hennepin Avenue still has its fair share of crime but when was the last time some one looked drunk, figuratively, on the avenue?