PPNA meeting on July 27 rape

BY JEANETTE JUNGBAUER

The July 27 stranger rape in Powderhorn Park prompted the neighborhood safety meeting held on Aug. 10 at the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association. The meeting was well attended by Powderhorn residents, and guests included Karen Notsch, a crime prevention specialist with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD); Lt. Robert Goodsell of the Minneapolis Park Police Department (MPPD); and Council Member Elizabeth Glidden.

A stranger rape is defined as rape that occurs when the perpetrator is not known to the victim. Otherwise, if the victim is aware of the identity of the perpetrator, the rape is defined as acquaintance rape. According to Karen Notsch, recent reports by the media that there have been up to 12 stranger rapes in Powderhorn neighborhood this year-to-date are untrue.  In fact, there have been six rapes between the period of January and July of 2009, with the sole stranger rape being the July 27th incident—the other five have been acquaintance rapes. However, according to MPD statistics, sexual crimes in Powderhorn are on the increase—last year during this period there were only three rapes total.

Of course, even three rapes of either kind would be too many. The MPD’s practice of setting apart “stranger” and “acquaintance” rape was heavily disputed at the meeting (of the two kinds, the only crime warranting a public crime alert is the stranger rape)—making it clear that the community has a desire to end the trend of sexual violence, and furthermore, to end the so-called MPD “downplay” of acquaintance rapes. At the meeting, Notsch acknowledged the need to change the perception that acquaintance rape is not as serious as stranger rape.

In addition to sexual violence incidents, the park officers also discussed the current police advisory in effect regarding a large amount of summer burglaries. So far this year in Powderhorn, there have been 56 burglaries, which is actually on par with last year at this time. A differentiating factor of the recent burglaries is that residents have been at home during four of the last 13. Police say that the most common items stolen were small electronics, such as laptops and iPods. Often, victims left their homes open or unlocked for a very short amount of time before they were burglarized. The MPD recommends that you keep your doors and windows locked at all times.

Despite the summer bringing burglary and rape activity/crime alerts, the officers and most of the residents at the meeting agreed that Powderhorn has been “quiet” lately. Historically, some Powderhorn Park patrons have been involved in illegal activities, such as drug dealing, drinking, prostitution, gang activity (mainly represented by graffiti and violent incidents), and general disturbances.

According to the residents at the meeting, enough illegal activity has subsided to make a positive impact on their perceptions of the neighborhood. Notsch reported that the MPD’s “john” stings have been effective in removing some of the prostitution from the park, but residents argued that the activity has cropped up in other public places, in some cases, even in residents’ back yards.

Part of the decline, according to Lt. Robert Goodsell, is due to an increase in MPD technology, such as Shotspotter, an acoustic detection system designed to pinpoint the location of gunshots within a few meters of their occurrence, which helps police to determine the location of the weapon, and in some cases, predict the direction of the fleeing suspect. Also, the MPD crime alert system is now available on Nixle.com, a streaming feed of municipal and police department notices, customizable based on the location you enter during registration.

Both Notsch and Goodsell recommended looking out for one’s neighbors as the best way to prevent and stop crime. Also, they noted, the MPD welcomes specific information, such as names, license plate numbers and/or logistical information about any suspicious activity observed in the Powderhorn neighborhood. Notsch recommends calling 311 (the City of Minneapolis’ general-use hotline) or 911 depending on the severity of the situation. In addition, Notsch offered free home security walkthroughs to prevent burglaries in sector 2 (of the 3rd Precinct, which includes Powderhorn, Central, Corcoran, Bryant, Bancroft and Standish neighborhoods). They take about 30 minutes, she said. She can be reached at 612-673-2856 or: karen.notsch@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.
For further info, statistical crime maps and tables are available on the City website at: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/crime-statistics/.