In “The Sirens’ Call,” author Chris Hayes argues that communication which breaks through in today’s fractured and noisy “attention economy” hinges on a sensational presentation and seductive sound bites. In comparison, it is uninspiring and less interesting to hear or read a balanced recitation and weighing of facts.
This insight is demonstrated daily, especially in political and civic life. What to make, for instance, of a president who embellishes sometimes aggressive protest activities over legally and morally questionable immigration enforcement to proclaim American cities are burning to the ground? Very often in overwrought communication, a kernel or two of truth is found, but the preponderance of truth lies elsewhere.
Upon reflection after two viewings, that summarizes my reaction to “A Precarious State,” the recently released documentary on Minneapolis and St. Paul. Critically important topics are addressed. Well-respected experts are interviewed. But the sensational treatment of several subjects, and reliance on sirens’ call soundbites from many of those featured, cloud the intended message about our “state.”
Rick Kupchella, who produced the documentary, is a skilled communications professional who knows what is required to garner attention in this media landscape. He delivers. Despite my reservations, the documentary is compelling viewing.
Some content is exactly right. The corrosive effect of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) ideology on politics in Minneapolis is a theme throughout. City Council Members currently or previously endorsed by the DSA movement (Robin Wonsley, Jason Chavez, Aisha Chughtai and Aurin Chowdhury) and others aligned in their voting (most notably Elliot Payne and Katie Cashman) have contributed more to divisiveness and stalemate than progress. Their permissive policies around dangerous homeless encampments and anti-business attitudes and actions are highlighted as examples.
The documentary also critiques Minnesota’s past reliance on whole language learning for reading instead of using tried and true phonics in the classroom, resulting in diminished test scores. This rang true personally because my mother, who taught elementary school students for decades, diagnosed this problem throughout her career.
Unfortunately, most of the rest of the documentary’s content suffers from the sirens’ call effect of sensationalism over balance, which creates the clouded impression.
Crime is another through line in “A Precarious State.” There is no more important issue facing our community. The Minneapolis Police Department must continue to be restored and reformed as a trusted institution, and effective non-policing safety strategies integrated with law enforcement to provide security for all. A dramatic and violent gun fight shown in the documentary underscores the importance of this as a top priority.
But street gangs do not run Minneapolis, as is suggested. Disturbing footage of the shooting incident, repeated several times, does not reflect the new normal of life in the city, as the narration intones. Recent headlines demonstrate that the incidence of crime in Minneapolis continues to trend downward. Statistics are cold comfort to anyone victimized, but nevertheless part of a complete story of the status of public safety.
On another topic, downtown Minneapolis is evolving in the post-COVID period, along with downtowns across the nation. Our commercial real estate sector has been hit hard. However, Minneapolis is not dying as asserted. Residential population in the core is growing, investment continues, workers are returning to offices and attendance at events has rebounded to pre-2020 levels. When it comes to evaluating downtown’s future, I can be credibly accused of seeing the glass as more than half full. But it is simply wrong to assert or imply there is nothing in the glass at all.
I live close to the course for the Twin Cities Marathon. This year’s event was glorious as always. But the joyous crowds that morning no more define the everyday condition of our community than footage of a disturbing gun fight. Our reality ranges from joyous to disturbing and every point in between in an ever-changing mosaic. “A Precarious State” identifies concerning cracks in that mosaic, but it leaves out much that is important to building a positive future. To use parlance of the day, it is one “take” on our reality, but not the definitive word.
This article first appeared on MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Well said, Steve.
But I feel compelled to point out the one serious weakness in this piece. You wrote:
“Recent headlines demonstrate that the incidence of crime in Minneapolis continues to trend downward. Statistics are cold comfort to anyone victimized, but nevertheless part of a complete story of the status of public safety.”
“…part of a complete story”, yes… But only in the same sense as the old TV commercials that told us that sugar-loaded cereals “…can be part of a complete and balanced breakfast”. We didn’t put too much stock in that, now did we?
The problem with crime statistics is that they are so easily manipulated. News stories coming out of D.C. (and elsewhere) recently tell that story, so I won’t detail it here. But more importantly, whether they realize it or not, uncategorized “crime” is not what most people worry about. For most of us, the sub-category of “violent crime” is only an abstract possibility. So much of that is gang related, and what isn’t gang related tends to fall largely into two other buckets – domestic; and crimes of passion “on the streets”, “in a bar” and the like. For those of us in stable family situations, and who have not been in a “yelling argument” with another person on the street or in a bar since we were in our teens or twenties, both are quite a remote possibility.
No, what most people worry about are “quality of life” crimes. Because they know that these crimes can randomly happen to them. The statistics on these can also be manipulated easily, but worse – they are just inherently unreliable, even when not manipulated. One example: Since Covid, my car, parked on the street or in the alley, was “window-smashed” and ransacked three times in 15 months. After the second one, I was advised – by my insurance agent, no less – not to report the crime, as the likely rise in my insurance premiums would almost certainly swamp any benefit to me that might result. Before anyone gets mad at me or my agent over this, let me add that there are literally dozens of other reasons not to report this and dozens of other types of quality-of-life crimes. I only mention this one because it is within my personal experience, so I can speak to it first hand. My point is only to demonstrate that the statistics on these kinds of crimes CANNOT be reliable. It’s no one’s fault; it’s just the reality.
The next thing pains me to say, as someone who has a Ph.D. in the “hard sciences” and spent his entire career in corporate R&D “doing science” for a living. But here it is, anyway – Crime is just one of those things where well-considered “anecdotal evidence” is a better indication of the state of affairs than statistics can ever be. Those of us who live in the city know that quality-of-life crime is up. Perhaps not up this month over last month, or up this month over the same month last year. But over some meaningful period of time? On average? Yes, crime is up. In our bones, we all KNOW this. It is pointless, from a public policy perspective, to pretend it is not so because some inherently unreliable statistics can be perversely brought to bear.
This is why “statistics” are even LESS than “cold comfort” to us. We know that they are not true indicators of the situation we are living in.
My wife, son and I were in Minneapolis for the funeral of my brother this past Saturday. It has been a while since I spent some time in Minneapolis, so having watched Precarious State, I thought a driving tour would be revealing. It was a Sunday, so there were very few people on the street – but that is typical of Minneapolis. Our tour included Lake Street from Uptown to the River, (and a stop at the coffee shop adjacent to the gift shop), Franklin Avenue, Seventh Avenue through downtown, up to Plymouth Avenue, past our old house on 29th and Queen, back down West Broadway, down Hennepin to Michael Rainville’s campaign office, and lunch at Punch.
The city was quiet. Nowhere did we feel unsafe or threatened. Residential streets showed homes and front lawns that were cared for. Downtown streets were litter-free. Occasional construction sites indicated ongoing investment. We noticed few buses using bus lanes and fewer bike riders, even though it was a sunny day. The coffee house and lunch restaurant we’re busy, but too many restaurants were closed. However, we had dinner at McGarry’s, a delightful pub in Maple Plain.
What’s missing is the “X” factor, that special brand that might make a company or a family feel compelled to move to Minneapolis. Nashville has country music, Las Vegas has gambling, Orlando has Disney, Hollywood has films. I’ve asked dozens of people what they think if when I say “Minneapolis” and the most frequent answer is “cold.” That’s great if you like ice fishing.