'You Feel Like You're In A War Zone': Mpls. Residents Call For Change In Their Neighborhoods
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A sobering statistic from the head of the Minneapolis Police Department today.
Chief Medaria Arradondo says recent gun violence in north Minneapolis is unlike anything they've seen in years.
The chief joined the Minneapolis City Council for their community safety meeting Tuesday, where he said it's been hard to keep up with the spike in violence.
Part of the reason is that more officers than normal are choosing to leave the department or retire.
WCCO's Reg Chapman went to a neighborhood in north Minneapolis today where residents say the gun violence is like living in a war zone.
The hypnotizing sounds of a wind chime and the view of a pond in their section of north Minneapolis is not enough to escape the sounds of what happens when the sun goes down.
"Honestly I really haven't been sleeping right now I mean really I can't. I hear every little thing that is going on police sirens like the helicopters the gun shooting everything" Liz Cruz said.
"You're sleeping and all of a sudden you feel like you are in a war zone. I have four children and I'll sleep with them all in my room because I am scared and I'm terrified something is going to happen to them," Cruz said.
Terrified because just next door bullets from a gunfight pierced the home, passed through the dining room, the hallway door and lodged into the back wall of the pantry.
"Nobody sees what we've living nobody is feeling what we're feeling because they're not here," Cruz said.
Cruz and her neighbors say even during the afternoon, they've had to scurry inside because of the sound of gunshots.
"Help us, come and see what's going on and we're really not getting any responses from the Mayor of city council we feel kind of alone right now," Cruz said.
Their unanswered calls and emails to city leaders has them asking, crying out for attention to what they call a public health crisis.
"Come here, meet with us, face us, stay here for a weekend for the love of God just come here and say something to us the people that are freaking voting for you and depend on you to take care of us where are you show your face to us do something don't just sit there and let your city go down to the ruins do something for us," Cruz said.
Cruz and her neighbors are thankful for the response they are getting from Minneapolis Police.
They say what they need is true leadership and a plan to end the violence.
