Restore order in Minneapolis

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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That most American of traditions — a July 4th parade in a close-knit community — this year yielded to what has recently become a regular occurrence in this country: a mass shooting.

A lone gunman allegedly took to a rooftop in downtown Highland Park, Ill., and sprayed paradegoers with a high-powered rifle, killing seven, injuring more than 30 and wounding any sense that this American scourge would subside. And in Philadelphia, two police officers were wounded when shots rang out during a fireworks celebration.

Minnesotans reeling from the national news woke up Tuesday to news of a closer-to-home holiday tragedy: that eight people had been wounded, several critically, in gunfire late Monday at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.

There weren’t any official Independence Day events at Boom Island or nearby downtown, but there were fireworks illegally fired from cars and sidewalks at people and buildings. One police officer was injured in the mayhem.

A 21-year-old suspect in the Highland Park shooting, Robert E. Crimo III, has been apprehended. Authorities said he had allegedly planned the shooting for weeks before firing more than 70 rounds from a legally purchased rifle “similar to an AR-15.”

No suspects have been identified in the Boom Island Park shootings. One suspect was arrested in the downtown fireworks incidents, even though widely shared video on social media suggested far more were involved.

Simply put, the criminal acts on display Monday and early Tuesday in Illinois and Minneapolis reflect an unacceptable mix of too many guns on the streets, a lack of respect for human life and disregard for the rule of law.

It’s increasingly clear that the nation’s gun laws are inadequate to stem the violence and guarantee law-abiding citizens the freedom Independence Day is supposed to celebrate. And, in Minneapolis, it’s growing apparent that all of the efforts to get workers, visitors and residents to recommit to downtown are meaningless unless order is restored.

Instead, the city is relying on a depleted Police Department with nowhere near the number of on-the-street officers needed to deter, let alone respond to, the crime disgracing the city.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey acknowledged as much in a Tuesday interview with an editorial writer, saying the number of officers is “insufficient.” Frey added that Minneapolis has fewer officers per capita than just about any other American city.

As discussed in previous editorials, recruiting and readying these officers will take more time, more money and more commitment. But the city and the state cannot wait that long. Help is needed now.

“The state needs the city to be functional, and in order to get there we need additional law enforcement,” Frey said.

Those resources must come from the city primarily, but also from surrounding jurisdictions, many of which are already helping as part of a collaboration between the Minneapolis Police Department, the State Patrol, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The three agencies agreed on a plan for the troopers to patrol certain Minneapolis streets for three nights a week during the warmer weather, when crime also heats up, and for the BCA to help with investigations.

The July 4th madness is an indication that the cooperation, while welcome, is insufficient. Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter need to work with Gov. Tim Walz, along with state Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, on possible solutions to prevent an even more violent rest of the summer. Reinforcements are needed, and some type of National Guard presence might be necessary.

Beyond the crime, Frey said that “there are mutual promises that we make to one another that are the foundations of an orderly society. What I see even beyond the law is those mutual promises being broken on a consistent basis, and that’s very concerning.”

Indeed — in Highland Park, Minneapolis and Philadelphia on Independence Day, and in so many other American cities with increasing regularity. It’s essential that society continue to search for reasons and solutions for the disorder. It’s also critical that law enforcement muster an adequate response before the summer of 2022 spins even more out of control.