A Minneapolis police officer unrolls caution tape at a crime scene on June 16, 2020 in Minneapolis. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images.
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. This week: Minnesotans’ views on safety and crime; iron ore plant violates pollutant limits 300 times; crime in Bemidji; and the religious beliefs of members of Congress.
A quarter of Minnesotans avoid activities over crime fears
American Public Media and Minnesota Compass recently surveyed Minnesota adults about their views of crime. More than 80% said their communities were “always” or “mostly” safe. On a separate question, however, about one-third of respondents said they were becoming less safe over time.
While crime fell across the board in 2023, it remains elevated above pre-pandemic levels, which may be contributing to perceptions of decreasing safety. Partisanship plays a role as well, with 42% of Republicans saying their communities are getting less safe, compared to 23% of Democrats.
One striking finding: One quarter of survey respondents say fear of crime often prevents them from doing things they’d like to do. Women, Black respondents, members of Generation Z, and people living in Minneapolis or St. Paul are especially likely to say this.
Roughly half of Black women avoid activities over crime concerns.
Keetac plant violated sulfate limit 300 times in three years, EPA says
The Environmental Protection Agency sent a notice of violation to the Keetac iron ore mine and pellet plant, which “released wastewater with sulfate levels higher than the permitted amount 299 times into nearby waters between September 2019 and September 2022,” according to a recent Duluth News-Tribune story.
The plant is currently asking state regulators to allow sulfate levels in Hay Lake, downstream of the plant, remain eight times higher than the standard.
MPCA has called that request “scientifically indefensible.”
The EPA and the MPCA have repeatedly been at odds over pollution violations in recent years, with the federal agency typically taking a more stringent approach than the state. But that may change with an incoming presidential administration vowing to be friendlier to mining and industry interests.
What’s behind crime in Bemidji?
Last week the Star Tribune published a deep dive on crime in the northern Minnesota community of Bemidji, which is bordered by three reservations and holds the dubious distinction of having the highest crime rates in the state.
Poverty and drug use are the chief drivers of the problem. Another factor is Bemidji’s status as a regional hub city whose population doubles during the day due to people coming in for work, school and other activities. As a result, relatively minor property crimes like larceny and theft account for a greater share of crime in Bemidji than they do in bigger cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Housing is also in short supply in the city, contributing to homelessness and the social ills associated with it.
The city recently received federal designation as a high-intensity drug trafficking area, opening the door to federal funding to help address substance abuse issues.
Faith on the hill
The Pew Research Center recently released its biennial analysis of the religious affiliations of members of Congress.Â
The federal legislature remains markedly more religious than the nation as a whole: Just three members of Congress are unaffiliated with any religion, adding up to 0.6% of the House and Senate. By contrast, 28% of Americans don’t belong to any particular religion.
Protestant Christians make up 56% of members of Congress, compared to 40% of U.S. adults. Catholics are also over-represented, at 28% to 20%.
Ninety-eight percent of Republicans identify as some type of Christian, compared to 75% of Democrats. The share of the general public identifying themselves as Christian is 62%.
There are just 5 congressional Republicans who are not Christian: three are Jewish, one is unaffiliated, and one did not respond to inquiries about their faith.