Minneapolis to try fixing broken windows.

Based on the broken windows theory that if you fix the little things the big things get easier to manage, " Minneapolis police are considering a New York-style attack on loitering, aggressive panhandling, intimidation, drug-selling, loud cursing and other disorderly behavior at downtown bus stops and along sidewalks in the city's core. While downtown Minneapolis is uncommonly free of serious crime, bands of obstreperous and unpredictable youths and other assorted street characters give the opposite impression."

Later in the article Deputy Police Chief Rob Allen tells of his experience:

"...walking down Hennepin Avenue in full uniform and being forced off the curb by a line of gangster lookalikes.(sic) "If that's their level of respect for me, imagine how they treat other people," he said. ...getting hassled feeds a perception of danger, and in these matters perception is everything."

I feel old, and white and suburban saying so but I have felt intimidated down near the heart of Minneapolis (Block E) and while I don't really think anything will happen, I do have a much more heightened awareness and resent the way I am made to feel towards these young kids.