With Fourth of July weekend approaching, memories of last year's holiday are still fresh in Minneapolis.
During the overnight hours last year on July 4 and 5, police responded to more than one thousand calls, including a burst of illegal fireworks in the Mill District and a shooting that injured seven people at Boom Island Park.
Community Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander, who started his post in August 2022 after the Fourth of July chaos, promised changes this year.
"Illegal fireworks, illegal actions, destroying property, attempting to hurt other people, is not going to be tolerated in this community," Alexander said in an interview. "Not as long as I am here."
Already this week, on Wednesday night, an MPD said the department responded to at least one illegal fireworks report.
With an extended holiday weekend lasting basically from Friday evening through next Wednesday, Alexander said officers will be positioned strategically based on previous incidents. They'll have a wide geographic area to cover. On Sunday and Monday, organizers for Taste of Minnesota say they'll be assisted by 100 MPD officers at or near the festival. Also on Monday, the laser light show at Boom Island Park will draw thousands to the riverfront. The Park Police will act as the lead agency for that event.
"We are all working in concert with each other, whether it's Transit Police, Park Police, our partners over at the state, the Sheriff's Office, or federal partners," Alexander said. "We're all on the same team together. We all communicate with each other."
Alexander said the city's strategy will look a lot like last weekend when hundreds of thousands of people came to Minneapolis for Taylor Swift concerts and Twin Cities Pride.
"All of us made it work last week," Alexander said. "It's going to take all of us to make it work this weekend."
To prevent groups from gathering during late-night and early-morning hours like last Fourth of July, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board also announced this week it will close the Stone Arch Bridge overnight during the extended weekend. After pushback from the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, the Park Board adjusted the closure to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting Friday, June 30 and lasting until Wednesday, July 5.
"Last year, large Fourth of July gatherings in riverfront parks and neighborhoods created unsafe, chaotic situations," the Park Board said in a statement. "This proactive measure will help park staff and public safety agencies better manage crowds and safety during a very busy time for riverfront parks and neighborhoods. Riverfront trail users will be detoured to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge."
Aileen Johnson, who organizes Safety Walks across Minneapolis, led a group of neighbors through the Mill District earlier this week ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. MPD First Precinct leadership joined the event, too, and reassured neighbors that they have a strategy for the weekend overnight hours that seems to be paying dividends this summer.
"Dramatic decrease in [shooting] victims," Lt. Mark Klukow said, "because of the efforts of all these professionals we work with."
Johnson said neighbors are still shaken by the last Fourth of July, but they're focusing on the future -- not the past.
"Based on what I've heard from the city, I feel very good. They are prepared. We've got as many officers on duty as possible," Johnson said. "It's not an easily forgettable night but we feel confident for this year."