Klaus Solko, co-executive editor
On Sept. 4, around two in the morning on Fourth Street Southeast in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, there was a stabbing. Police responded to the scene at 2:33 a.m., where they found a man with multiple stab wounds in his torso. There were also bystanders on the scene who recounted that the assailant and the victim were in a fight that had evolved into the stabbing.
A short time after, Minneapolis Park police found Nicholas Steven Nunez Rodriguez skateboarding in Elliot Park. KSTP has not shared what identified Rodriguez as the assailant; however, as he was being taken into custody without being questioned, he said, “If you guys reach in my pocket, the blade that I did it with is in there.” Rodriguez is looking at a charge of second-degree assault as of Sept. 8.
In the same seven-day period, on Sunday, Sept. 6, there was a shooting near 4th Street Southeast and 13th Avenue Southeast in Dinkytown. This shooting happened around 2:40 a.m. Once police got onto the scene, they found two men with gunshot wounds. Both men were originally taken into critical care but were in non-life-threatening condition by the end of the day.
Police detained multiple people on scene and arrested one man who had a handgun without a permit. This man was booked at Hennepin County Jail for a weapons violation. However, he has not been publicly connected to the shooting itself.
Many news sources have spoken to University of Minnesota students about their feelings about the recent crimes, but Dinkytown is also a common hangout spot for Augsburg students. I spoke with Augsburg Community Advisor Emma Stanley, who said, “A few of my residents were actually really close to Dinkytown the night of the incident. They heard the gunshot and that’s how they were alerted that something was going on.”
Stanley went on to say, “I really wish there were timely warning message systems; I think it would be really helpful to keep people safe. Especially for newer students who are new to the area.” A lack of awareness in the Augsburg student body about crimes happening nearby seems to be a theme, along with a lack of awareness about how students could get information about crimes happening.
Many students that I interviewed, including myself, were first made aware of the shooting from parents’ expressed concerns through text messages and phone calls. Having parents concerned for one’s well-being seems to have the pattern of increasing student anxiety separate from their actual worry about the crimes themselves.
After the crimes, University of Minnesota Police Chief Michael Davis has said students should expect to see more officers around, especially on weekends, and his department will be partnering more with Minneapolis police, whose visibility will also increase, according to CBS News.
“After the crimes, University of Minnesota Police Chief Michael Davis has said students should expect to see more officers around, especially on weekends, and his department will be partnering more with Minneapolis police, whose visibility will also increase, according to CBS News.”
Klaus Solko
An Augsburg Student who works in Dinkytown, when asked about the crimes, said, “The only reason this was made as big a deal as it was is because of welcome week and the holiday weekend. A bunch of parents freaked out, and they needed a show of power. It would be much better if the police were consistent with their presence and prevention instead of putting up huge barricades every now and again.”
I also interviewed Tess Munshower, Assistant Director of Campus Life, on how she felt about the recent crimes and how often Augsburg students are over in Dinkytown. She does not believe that students should avoid Dinkytown; instead, she thinks that students should be vigilant and cautious in any well-populated part of Minneapolis or any city.