Events draw large crowds to downtown Minneapolis keep safety top of mind

CBS News

15 hours ago

Downtown Minneapolis continues to see an increase of traffic after last night's Red, White and Boom Independence Day event. The The Taste of Minnesota runs through Sunday night.
With high crowds comes an increase of safety measures. After years of chaos on Independence Day, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in a statement:
For the first time in recent years, we did not see widespread chaos involving groups recklessly firing fireworks at people and property. The absence of dangerous fireworks activity is a clear reflection of the success of MPD's holiday safety plan and the dedication of our officers. As part of our proactive strategy, officers arrested one man downtown for carrying a pistol without a permit and towed a vehicle filled with illegal fireworks.
"The presence of Minneapolis Police having a plan and following through with it really made a difference," said Pam Lindgren, who lives in downtown Minneapolis and was attending Taste of Minneapolis on Saturday.
Lindgren remembers the so-called 'widespread chaos' seen before.
"This year has gone without a glitch!" Lindgren told WCCO.
"When you're planning an event, you have to think about every factor in general" said Josh Vosberg, who's on the planning team for Taste of Minnesota, an outdoor festival featuring Minnesota cuisine and live music. The event runs through the downtown Minneapolis streets through Sunday night.
Vosberg says they hope to see roughly 100,000 attendees each day, with a new bag policy and security and police enforcement handy.
"24 hours security all night every night. We're just trying to keep the perimeters safe, outside and inside just to keep everyone safe at all times," said Vosberg.
Because fun in the sun with a side of safety brings this:
"The sense of community! Getting together, food, drinks, good music," said Kay Schmeider who was attending the event from Savage.
Minneapolis Police Department says gun violence remains a serious concern. They'll maintain increased staffing throughout the remainder of the weekend.
More information on Taste of Minnesota can be found online.
The full statement from Minneapolis Police Cheif Brian O'Hara can be found below
"For the first time in recent years, we did not see widespread chaos involving groups recklessly firing fireworks at people and property. While gun violence remains a serious concern — and historically spikes during this week — the absence of dangerous fireworks activity is a clear reflection of the success of MPD's holiday safety plan and the dedication of our officers.
As part of our proactive strategy, officers arrested one man downtown for carrying a pistol without a permit and towed a vehicle filled with illegal fireworks. MPD will maintain increased staffing throughout the remainder of the weekend, and we should all be grateful to the officers who spent their holiday away from their families to help keep Minneapolis residents and visitors safe."
-Chief Brian O'Hara