Introducing the East Isles Safety Walk
On August 27, at 7 pm, I was in my backyard with a friend when an unknown car drove into the driveway. Both driver and passenger were wearing ski masks and stared at us silently. We stared back like deer in headlights. Finally the car backed out. Unfortunately, we did not call 911 – we, like so many of us, have not known when to call, or in the light of the murder of George Floyd, have felt conflicted in doing so.
Twenty minutes later, I got a text from a neighbor the next driveway over: someone there had been carjacked. The description of the car and drivers matched what my friend and I had seen.
I was crestfallen – since buying my first home in March of 2020 in East Isles, this incident wasn’t isolated. There was the wire cutter on my yard one morning. Visitors yelling and swearing at my neighbors at 10 pm. A man walking into my fenced-in backyard. Someone coming onto my property, using my hose, and telling me I should board up my windows because the city was going to burn. I could go on.
Between these issues and the loss of neighborhood businesses, I’ve considered moving – but I love it here. It’s still one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Minnesota. And we’re so blessed to live by the lakes. I started wondering how I could contribute to a safer neighborhood.
Due to Minneapolis’ police shortage, a community-driven effort seemed to meet the moment. My google searches repeatedly turned up something called a Neighborhood Watch program, one component of which is a safety walk. In a safety walk, neighbors walk around the neighborhood to notice present and reduce future crimes as well as to foster a pedestrian presence – not to be vigilantes. A safety walk was appealing – I love walking around the neighborhood.
An August Star Tribune article had noted that Aileen Johnson had started safety walks in North Loop, Loring Park, and the Mill District. Aileen graciously agreed to meet to discuss setting up something similar for East Isles.
From the beginning, I wanted the safety walk to belong to the East Isles Neighborhood Association (EINA) – a neighborhood association has more resources than individuals. The EINA board liked the idea, so a group of people met to discuss – Aileen Johnson; Jennifer Waisanen, the MPD Fifth Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist; Shanti Mittra, EINA Vice President; and myself.
Everyone wanted to begin the safety walks as soon as possible. Aileen had an anonymous donor that would make East Isles our own neighborhood safety hats and t-shirts. Shanti mentioned that Inspector Katie Blackwell would join for our first walk and would continue to provide MPD presence and partnership. Shanti has been invaluable in helping establish the safety walk as an EINA event.
Our first walk was October 27. Aileen invited the Loring Park walkers, and between Loring Park and East Isles, there were around 40 people! It was incredible to see that the idea resonated with so many neighbors, and that we were able to make it happen in just a month and a half.
The safety walks provide not only an avenue to show up for safety in the community, they also create community. At the beginning of each walk, neighbors introduce themselves. We introduce ourselves to people on the streets as well as business owners and employees, many of whom thank us. We show the community we care – we want people to feel welcome and safe.