lipoli390 wrote:Cool - I used to work in the heart of downtown MPLS until 7 years ago when I took a job in St. Paul. I haven't been downtown MPLS in the last year, but I have a lot of friends who still work downtown. They've use the same word, "ghosttown" in reference to downtown MPLS.
Most of it is due to the pandemic with the vast majority of downtown white collar workers working from home. I don't think any of it of it is due to the George Floyd aftermath. As the pandemic fades, the downtown will come back, but only to a point. There's a bigger, longer-term problem with downtown Minneapolis that predated both the pandemic and George Floyd's death. Large downtown retail businesses like Macy's have been closing their doors for years. More recently, Target moved its headquarters out of downtown MPLS to another Minnesota location. The Minneapolis City Council is one of the worst in the Country. Instead of taking steps to recruit and keep businesses, they've been hostile to them. They don't seem to understand the importance of a robust downtown business tax base for the economic health of a city, including the ability to fund social programs. Downtown crime was already rising well before the aftermath of George Floyd's death.
On the positive side, the North Loop area remains vibrant and will come back strong as the pandemic fades. There is a lot of residential apartment and condo construction in the North Loop and Mill District along the river. I'm certain Chauvin will be convicted of second degree murder, as he should be. The evidence is overwhelming. The Minneapolis Police witnesses in the trial have been terrific and have helped rehab the reputation of the Minneapolis police department. All of that will help avoid any post-trial riots and help the City come back. But I'm not sure how the City can overcome an absolutely idiotic City Council.
Good post Lip. Totally agree with your take on the City council. A bunch of complete morons. I will add that the civil unrest following Floyd's death has to also be a factor. I know it was here in Portland.
lipoli390 wrote:Cool - I used to work in the heart of downtown MPLS until 7 years ago when I took a job in St. Paul. I haven't been downtown MPLS in the last year, but I have a lot of friends who still work downtown. They've use the same word, "ghosttown" in reference to downtown MPLS.
Most of it is due to the pandemic with the vast majority of downtown white collar workers working from home. I don't think any of it of it is due to the George Floyd aftermath. As the pandemic fades, the downtown will come back, but only to a point. There's a bigger, longer-term problem with downtown Minneapolis that predated both the pandemic and George Floyd's death. Large downtown retail businesses like Macy's have been closing their doors for years. More recently, Target moved its headquarters out of downtown MPLS to another Minnesota location. The Minneapolis City Council is one of the worst in the Country. Instead of taking steps to recruit and keep businesses, they've been hostile to them. They don't seem to understand the importance of a robust downtown business tax base for the economic health of a city, including the ability to fund social programs. Downtown crime was already rising well before the aftermath of George Floyd's death.
On the positive side, the North Loop area remains vibrant and will come back strong as the pandemic fades. There is a lot of residential apartment and condo construction in the North Loop and Mill District along the river. I'm certain Chauvin will be convicted of second degree murder, as he should be. The evidence is overwhelming. The Minneapolis Police witnesses in the trial have been terrific and have helped rehab the reputation of the Minneapolis police department. All of that will help avoid any post-trial riots and help the City come back. But I'm not sure how the City can overcome an absolutely idiotic City Council.
Good post Lip. Totally agree with your take on the City council. A bunch of complete morons. I will add that the civil unrest following Floyd's death has to also be a factor. I know it was here in Portland.
Lip I'm just curious what exactly is the city counsel there doing or not doing? It's a different community here but our downtown here keeps growing. I know some people here in Lincoln get upset when various breaks are given to businesses to build/expand here especially the downtown area. Lately it's often been keeping homegrown local companies here in Lincoln (HUDL is one of them) and bringing more money to the community and some good jobs and it's attracted people to move here. One negative for some people is housing costs (particularly homes) have increased and part of that is because there is a real housing shortage here even in the pandemic. Of course in general wages have gone up the past few years so that should be considered.
Monster - The easiest way to put it is activists have taken root at the city council of both major cities. They struggle to deal with the big picture and typically sacrifice that for an agenda. What else can expect from a state that population elects comedians, wrestlers, and social study teachers to the highest levels of representation?
Ugh. Such political biased bullshit from your friend. And both sides do that crap. It's disgusting.
We've been living in a pandemic for a year!
Target alone had nearly 10,000 employees downtown just over a year ago. Those people aren't working at home because of civil unrest. And they didn't give up one of their leases early to have 3,500 employees work from home because of civil unrest. I work for a significantly smaller company in Minneapolis. I haven't been to the office in a year... and it isn't because of civil unrest.
I haven't eaten anyplace in downtown Minneapolis in that time either... and it's not because of civil unrest.
There's a fucking pandemic!
[Note: That being said... I think we will see a change in the inner city landscape over the next decade-plus. I don't think we'll be nearly as reliant on these large core urban epicenters. And those with an agenda will blame it almost entirely on things like civil unrest and crime and whatnot to suit their narratives/agendas. But obviously, that's only a much smaller piece of it.]
bleedspeed177 wrote:Monster - The easiest way to put it is activists have taken root at the city council of both major cities. They struggle to deal with the big picture and typically sacrifice that for an agenda. What else can expect from a state that population elects comedians, wrestlers, and social study teachers to the highest levels of representation?
While I get that there can be some strange career paths leading to politics... what's the best career path? Right now we have a career politician as POTUS. Many don't like that. Previously, we had a celebrity pitchman and businessman without political experience. Many didn't like that. There have been many lawyers and teachers who later become president. We've also had Hollywood actors, peanut farmers and even a bartender. Some like those diverse career paths... some didn't. It probably depends which side of the aisle the POTUS/critique were on.
bleedspeed177 wrote:Monster - The easiest way to put it is activists have taken root at the city council of both major cities. They struggle to deal with the big picture and typically sacrifice that for an agenda. What else can expect from a state that population elects comedians, wrestlers, and social study teachers to the highest levels of representation?
While I get that there can be some strange career paths leading to politics... what's the best career path? Right now we have a career politician as POTUS. Many don't like that. Previously, we had a celebrity pitchman and businessman without political experience. Many didn't like that. There have been many lawyers and teachers who later become president. We've also had Hollywood actors, peanut farmers and even a bartender. Some like those diverse career paths... some didn't. It probably depends which side of the aisle the POTUS/critique were on.
True - I actually thought Jesse did a decent job. Al got a raw deal. Putz has been in over his head, but he did have the hardest test.
I think politics were in a better place when people had served in the military. Especially in the oval office. Age caps in general would be good too.
With another black guy dead after a traffic stop in town yesterday, I'm a little wary of being downtown all day today (gonna be shivering at the Twins game and then going to the Wolves game tonight). I don't know the details, but there was rioting in Brooklyn Center. I wouldn't be surprised if it moves downtown today and tonight. Terrible timing for the Chauvin trial too.
AbeVigodaLive wrote:Ugh. Such political biased bullshit from your friend. And both sides do that crap. It's disgusting.
We've been living in a pandemic for a year!
Target alone had nearly 10,000 employees downtown just over a year ago. Those people aren't working at home because of civil unrest. And they didn't give up one of their leases early to have 3,500 employees work from home because of civil unrest. I work for a significantly smaller company in Minneapolis. I haven't been to the office in a year... and it isn't because of civil unrest.
I haven't eaten anyplace in downtown Minneapolis in that time either... and it's not because of civil unrest.
There's a fucking pandemic!
[Note: That being said... I think we will see a change in the inner city landscape over the next decade-plus. I don't think we'll be nearly as reliant on these large core urban epicenters. And those with an agenda will blame it almost entirely on things like civil unrest and crime and whatnot to suit their narratives/agendas. But obviously, that's only a much smaller piece of it.]
Abe, you nailed it. Over politicized BS is so damn tiring and is also really depressing and disheartening when seeing people spew and peddle narratives that are proven false.
Bleed, honestly my first response to that first post was "big yikes". I haven't been tuned in a ton to the trial, but all the clips I have seen line up with everything those close to me has been saying. Everything I've heard and seen shows a defense grasping at straws, trying to place blame everywhere else, and discredit/diminish witnesses. Sure maybe he hasn't been combative, but he has still used weak tactics.
Seeing them question the witness who happens to be trained in martial arts, a guy who took the stand as a witness, not an expert witness, and the defense was questioning him like they would to discredit an actual expert witness all because he said he recognized Chauvin doing what he'd seen from his martial arts teacher.
Hall is pleading the 5th because he has his own trial and if he speaks in the Chauvin trial he may tank his own case. That's his choice and his right.
You speaking negatively about a firefighter/paramedic you don't know anything about.. c'mon man.. all that did was cause me to lose a little respect for you. She is a trained first responder and any cop worth their salt should respect that (you know that whole respect for first responders thing, how they all work together, etc) and allow them to assist medically when EMTs are yet to arrive. The defense trying to turn it around into a "she was telling them how to do their job" is just BS. She was asking for them to allow HER to do the job she is TRAINED for. It's that simple.
There have been a lot of divisive incidents with police shootings/killings, but this is pretty damn cut and dry. Medical/drug issues or not, medical experts have said he died from being choked. If someone dies in police custody/under police restraint and they could have done something to prevent the death, they must take responsibility.
This is a human decency, respect and care for life issue and our law enforcement needs to be held to higher standards than everyday citizens. We are trusting them to enforce laws and keep people safe.
