Morris: May the next homicide-free stretch begin now

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Minneapolis recently ended a 62-day stretch without a homicide. Hold your applause. It’s a rather dubious statistic that doesn’t call for confetti as much as it warrants studied reflection.

Why did it happen? Better yet, how did it happen?

A day before three people were shot and killed early Wednesday in south Minneapolis (and a fourth was killed later in a potentially related shooting), Police Chief Brian O’Hara had publicly noted the homicide-free stretch, which actually ended on April 18. He highlighted safety strategies and community partnerships that he credited for the uptick in safety and a decrease in recent annual homicides.

“We’re approaching levels that were normal for this city prior to 2020, and we’re able to do this despite having half the Police Department walk away,” said O’Hara. “I think it’s incredibly remarkable.”

City leader and civic boosters track and cautiously celebrate such respite moments. It’s understandable. A similar murder-free stretch hadn’t been recorded in Minneapolis in at least eight years. But embracing the moment is truly useful only if it’s understood and replicable.

O’Hara mentioned curfew enforcement, the clearance of homeless encampments, the arrests of some high-impact offenders and the engagement of communities. For good measure he could have added the continued miracles that emergency room physicians perform daily that keep the near-dead from dying.

And then after the welcomed respite, fatal gunfire returned, and more lives were claimed. Wednesday’s killings underscore the need for the continued pursuit of sustainable anti-violence solutions.

There are the obvious measures that seem to work and deserve some credit for fostering at least a fledgling sense of security. These would include steps to strengthen community policing and trust-building activities, investing in youth outreach and building on economic opportunities. All are critical countermeasures to wanton opportunistic violence.

Despite recent concerning news reports about community-based violence interrupter groups, I’ll add here that there is a role for constructive engagement with such groups that work closely with law enforcement. As long as these groups are well-managed, law-abiding and staffed properly, they can go a long way to de-escalating extreme violence before it occurs.

But even these herculean efforts combined rarely get denizens of Minnesota’s largest city to two months of homicide-free living. Predicting safety trends remains largely an educated guess. Factors like the proliferation of guns in the hands of felons, who often carry them illegally out of fear, contribute to the ongoing safety conundrum. So does a shoot-first-and-don’t-bother-asking-questions mentality.

The downward trend of homicides is national, which again could prove arbitrary and responsive to changing environments. This much is useful as we reflect on that homicide-free stretch: We must seek ways to amplify the broader conversation on lasting public safety. We must identify useful paths forward so that the next period of peace isn’t just a respite, but something that actually begins to resemble the norm.