Dinkytown businesses warn increased police presence not curbing recent violence

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a large group of mostly juveniles wreaked havoc on Dinkytown this past weekend, business owners say they fear a temporary increase in police won’t solve anything.

"It will help for a week – maybe two weeks," Mike Mulrooney, the owner of Blarney’s Pub in Dinkytown told FOX 9. "We really have to come up with a solution and quit saying here’s what we’re going to throw at it this week."

Minneapolis Police say a group of around 50 people were engaging in disorderly behavior multiple nights in a row. In one incident, four people assaulted a woman on a sidewalk.

"We want to see a smart policy from the city and the university," said Vic Thorstenson the president of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association. "I think there’s a lot beyond police patrols that can be done."

MPD says it is working with the University of Minnesota to increase patrols in the coming weeks, but Mulrooney says this activity is nothing new.

"What happened last weekend was possibly more intense, more dramatic but not that much different than what’s happened in the past," said Mulrooney who claims juveniles have been terrorizing Dinkytown every summer for the last decade.

Mulrooney thinks the teenagers aren’t deterred by a police presence because they don’t believe there will be serious consequences if caught. MPD said out of nine juveniles cited or detained Thursday through Saturday, five were cited and released.

The University of Minnesota has bolstered its safety plan recently, adding eight new police officers to UMPD since January.

With commencement ceremonies this weekend, the university says its working closely with MPD to increase patrols on-campus and in surrounding neighborhoods.