Murder Minneapolis Style, review, Hugh Blanton
Murderapolis Anthony Neil Smith Urban Pigs Press 12.99 O n January 9, 1925 the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder ran a story under this headline: "Minneapolis Faces Rising Homicide Rates Amid National Decline." In 2024 the US homicide rate had fallen approximately 16%, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels. However, in Minneapolis there were 76 homicides in 2024, up from 72 in 2023, making its homicide rate more than triple the national level. Among Minneapolis homicides for which the age of the offender was known, about 10% were committed by children under the ago of 18 and about 40% by those under 24. The age group of the killers isn't too much of a surprise—it's not like geriatrics would be out running around committing murders, right? However, a Brookings Institution report in December of 2024 found that the homicide increases that had been recorded in 2020 were "directly connected to local unemployment and school closures in low-income areas." Also, more t...