After four firework assaults during Halloween weekend left students with physical injuries and mental trauma, business owners and parents say the University of Minnesota downplayed the severity of the incidents.
The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) responded to four calls regarding fireworks being thrown near civilians the night of Oct. 29 into the next morning, according to an MPD email statement to the Minnesota Daily.
Two of the assaults were reported on the 1600 block of University Avenue SE and two others were in Dinkytown on the 1200 blocks of 4th Street SE and 7th Street SE, according to the MPD statement. A University SAFE-U alert was sent to students regarding the assaults near University Avenue and one at 12th Avenue and 5th Street SE.
In Dinkytown, a firework was thrown directly into a crowd of people, leaving three hospitalized with shrapnel and burn injuries, according to the MPD statement.
MPD said in the statement the incidents are still under investigation, and they have made no arrests. They said they do not know if the incidents are related.
“As we look back at these incidents, the idea that anyone or any group of people would intentionally and recklessly endanger others is horrendous,” said University Public Relations Director Jake Ricker in an email to the Minnesota Daily. “It’s reprehensible behavior and we all hope that those responsible are identified and held accountable.”
University student says he was assaulted at his fraternity
Murad Aslam, a first-year student in the University’s physical therapy graduate program, said he was beaten at his fraternity party in Dinkytown. He said he was punched, thrown to the ground and stomped on, resulting in a trip to the ER, having to see several specialists, memory loss and a concussion.
Aslam said a group of people tried to get into the house for the party, and when fraternity members prevented them from entering, they climbed through the windows. He said they threw firecrackers on the lawn and at cars and attempted to throw them into the house.
The situation escalated when more people joined the attackers, whose faces were concealed, and began throwing fireworks and trying to break windows to get inside the house, Aslam said. He said fraternity members barricaded themselves against the door to prevent the attackers from entering.
Aslam said people at the party were terrified; he found two girls hiding in his closet.
“We didn’t know what would happen if they got in,” Aslam said. “A lot of racial slurs were thrown at us; we are a South Asian fraternity.”
Aslam said the police arrived as the attackers began threatening to kill those inside, and the attackers dispersed.
In the aftermath, the fraternity house windows, floor and door were damaged, Aslam said. He said he moved out of the house because the situation was traumatizing for him, and he felt concerned they would be attacked again.
On the same night, Marcia Cotter said her son, a third-year student at the University, was driving on 4th Street when he was stopped in traffic. Cotter is a board member of the Campus Safety Coalition (CSC) nonprofit that has been advocating for increased safety measures near the University.
He described to her a chaotic scene of people yelling, jumping on cars and throwing fireworks at vehicles, she said.
“It scared me because he was caught up in it,” Cotter said. “It’s not what you want to hear your kid get in the middle of.”
Businesses and parents said attacks were downplayed
Kent Kramp, vice president of the Dinkytown Business Alliance, said as the owner of Raising Cane’s locations in Dinkytown and Stadium Village, he now feels he has to prepare his staff for this type of situation and create new safety plans.
Kramp said he thinks people should remember that fireworks are explosives, and once thrown at people, they can cause serious bodily harm.
“Complacency comes from calling it a firework,” Kramp said. “A firework is a fun display; as soon as it’s used to cause harm it is no longer a firework.”
Kramp said he felt too little attention was paid to the incidents over the weekend, and the police reaction was less severe than if a firearm had been involved.
“I think if the word explosive was used, it would be a lot more alarming to people,” Kramp said.
On July 4, fireworks were shot at crowds that had gathered at Boom Island Park and the Stone Arch Bridge, injuring at least 10 people, about three miles away from the University.
Erin Brumm, another CSC board member and parent of a University student, said she thinks the incidents were downplayed by police and the University. She and Cotter said they worry this type of crime is becoming more common and will happen again.
“Fireworks can kill someone,” Brumm said. “They’ve injured multiple people in this incident down at the U, and I mean, now it’s a whole new level.”
CSC directors feel the University response was minimal
The University implemented the Operation Gopher Guardian pilot program on Friday and Saturday nights over the past two weekends in response to recent crime incidents like the fireworks attacks. The University partnered with MPD to bring 10 additional MPD and University police officers to Dinkytown and Marcy-Holmes.
Cotter said she doesn’t see the program as a long term solution to increased crime in the area.
“Everyone knows when [the extra police officers] go away, the criminals and the mayhem will just start back up again,” Cotter said.
Brumm said she hoped for an email statement from University President Joan Gabel’s office denouncing the assaults and expressing dedication to keeping students safe. She said an announcement from Gabel’s office would reassure students and parents that the University cares about public safety.
“Where the real issue seems to lie here is with leadership and their lack of a response,” Cotter said.
